Unique model

An appropriately sized, specialised, extraordinarily productive translation team

The business model adopted by Translator L&F in 1987 has produced slow but steady growth, as befits a company—we are not an “agency”—that refuses to pursue fast but unsustainable results based on a volatile pool of translators supposedly capable of translating from and into any language on any subject, without the structured supervision that is so crucial in this industry.

At Translator L&F we know what it takes to produce a good translation every time. Above all, it means having translators who have a complete grasp of the subject of the texts they translate. For that you need lawyers, economists, accountants, engineers, doctors (and other professionals) who have chosen to put their subject knowledge and language skills to good use in the field of translation.

It is a demanding model that hardly anybody in the translation market puts into practice. The results was have achieved over these last 30+ years fully endorse our decision.

Who translates at Translator L&F?

TL&F translators are the cornerstone of a unique model

The Translator L&F business model is driven by a totally non-negotiable rule: We only work with translators who have higher educational qualifications and proven professional experience in law or finance, or in a scientific or technical discipline (generally in large law firms, financial institutions or international pharmaceutical and chemical companies), or who have degrees in translation with appropriate subsequent training. The reason for this approach is our conviction, fully corroborated in practice, that language skills are not enough to ensure a good translation: the translator also needs a thorough understanding of the subject matter of the text to be translated. Being able to write well in one’s own language is no guarantee unless one knows what one is writing about.

Profiles (anonymised) of some of our translators:

Legal translator

Spanish national.

Bachelor of Law - Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain)
Master of German Law (Legum Magister – LL.M.) - University of Konstanz, Germany, with a specialisation in company and competition law.

Sworn translator of German appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Spanish (mother tongue), German, English, French, Italian and Dutch.

Translating for Translator L&F since 1998.

Economic and financial translators

British national.

Chartered Tax Practitioner and Chartered Accountant, United Kingdom. Institute of Linguists Diploma in Translation, United Kingdom, and MA in Arabic Language and Literature from the University of Saint Andrews, Scotland.

More than ten years’ experience as a translator of economic, auditing, accounting, banking and financial texts.

English (mother tongue), Arabic and French.

Translating for Translator L&F since 2001.

Scientific and technical translators

U.S. national

Certified Translator and Interpreter (Spanish and Russian into English), National Cryptologic School of Maryland, United States.

Expert in engineering (especially naval engineering) and information technology (U.S. Navy Lieutenant). More than 15 years’ experience as a translator of texts in the fields of information technology, the environment and other technical areas.

English (mother tongue), Spanish, Portuguese and Russian.

Translating for Translator L&F since 2005.

Rosetta Workshop

Professional development

Our philosophy is based on knowledge transfer and a firm commitment to in-house translator training. The company’s know-how is filtered and passed on from one “generation” of translators to the next through a strict internal quality control system that requires systematic revision of all the translations we produce.

Each new “generation” of translators has been recruited and trained over time as the demand for our services has grown, always aiming to maintain a flexible, appropriately sized and fully competent team.

Our continuous process of translation revision not only ensures consistency of terminology and style but also enhances the professional skills of both translators and revisers. At Translator L&F, by revising one another’s work, translators constantly improve quality control and enrich their own professional practice.

This way of working is one of the reasons why our translators are so loyal to this company (the average is eight years’ service). In a word, these are “in-house” translators who are professionally and personally committed to excellence in translation.