Need advice on giving constructive criticism? photo: rocksee

The Working Women’s Network of Grenoble (WWNG) will hold a Personal and Professional Development Seminar entitled “The Power of Feedback: Using Criticism Constructively” on Saturday, June 5, 2010 at Grenoble’s Mercure President hotel.

The seminar comes on the heels of the successful March 2010 “Personal Branding through Social Media” workshop facilitated by WinSoft International Social Networks Manager Kelly Rigotti. The WWNG seminar series provides unique opportunities to benefit from the insights of high-level international professionals. The June 2010 seminar will be facilitated by international trainer, facilitator, and certified coach Marie-José Astre-Démoulin, who works for a leading NGO in Geneva and who delivers workshops for private clients on an exceptional basis.

Turing criticism into opportunities in the workplace

Have you ever had to tell an employee that they must make improvements in their work? It’s hard to tell someone they are not meeting expectations – and yet all managers should know how to do this. Have you ever had a negative performance appraisal yourself? It’s not enough to defend yourself well – you also need to hear what’s behind the criticism and address the underlying issues. Have you ever had a customer vocally dissatisfied with your services? Hearing negative feedback is one of the most difficult communication issues that professionals face.

This full-day, hands-on seminar given in English will provide you with effective tools to handle these difficult situations with grace and turn them to your professional advantage. Trainer Astre-Démoulin will take participants step-by-step through a proven feedback process designed to reduce tension and increase cooperation in the workplace.  

Space is limited to 24 participants, and the seminar program will be customized to meet participant needs based on a personal questionnaire. Translation company owner Sara Freitas-Maltaverne, who attended this seminar in 2009, explains, “Going into the seminar, I was getting ready to ‘let go’ of a client due to increasingly tense relations. Marie-José presented a process that helped me turn the relationship around. A year later not only am I still working with the client, but our relationship has deepened and we have even developed new business opportunities together.”

Registration for the WWNG Seminar is open to the public. Registration is €85 for WWNG members and €105 for non-members. The registration fee includes the full-day seminar, lunch with the group, and two coffee breaks. For more information or to register, visit the website.

SFM Traduction online

Sara Maltaverne, founder of SFM Traduction, a Grenoble-based translations and copywriting company. She shares with Grenoble Life her knowledge and advice about the translation business in the area.

Grenoble, where going international just comes naturally

The greater Grenoble area is home to some 450 foreign-owned businesses and is one of the French economy’s leading exporters. So, for many local businesses, enlisting the services of a translator—a potentially risky undertaking—is simply a fact of doing business across borders. But how do you know if the translations you’ve purchased do your product justice when you don’t understand the language? Worse, can you be sure that the translations won’t cause serious damage to your image or result in the costly duplication of work?

Whether you need the latest foreign market research to launch your product overseas or compelling marketing collateral to grab the attention of potential customers, a professional translator or interpreter is an invaluable ally. Remember: translators work with written documents (brochures, reports, correspondence), while interpreters communicate orally.

Here are a few things you can do to increase your chances of getting a successful translation—and your business’ chances of making it in today’s global marketplace.

Penny wise, pound foolish: bilingual does not equal translator

A Grenoble-based building management services provider needed an English version of its brochure for an upcoming trade fair. To save money, the company decided to assign the translation to its in-house staff. One of the gems produced: as an introduction to an excerpt of the company’s lengthy and prestigious client list (“quelques références” in French) the erstwhile translator—no doubt with the help of a French-English dictionary—came up with the translation “few references,” which is the exact opposite of what the brochure was trying to convey. Thanks to their savvy bilingual secretary, who sensed something just wasn’t right, this and other embarrassing bloopers were avoided when she called in a professional translator to check the brochure before going to print. However, in addition to the lost work time the company’s employees spent slogging through the translation, the firm had to pay a rush fee to have the brochure reviewed by a professional in time to get it to the printer.

How can you avoid falling into the same trap? By calling in a professional translator from the planning stages of your project and drawing up clear specifications.

The following three steps will help you get your translation project off to a good start

   1. Decide what needs to be done, when, and who is responsible for each stage. Everyone involved in the production process (from document authors to DTP) should be aware of the timeline and specifications. Put it all down in writing.

   2. Once you have determined your workflow and deadlines, you will need to choose a service provider. As a general rule, professional translators work into their native language only. Referrals from colleagues in your industry are a good place to begin your search, as are professional translators associations. In France, you can try the Société française des traducteurs online directory at www.sft.fr. The ideal translator has a track record both in your industry and with the type of document you need translated and can prove it by showing you examples of previous work.

   3. Once you have selected a service provider, check again to be sure the purpose of your translation is clear. Are you translating incoming texts that your business needs for information purposes only or outgoing material that will have an impact on how your company is perceived by customers? The quality you need—and the cost—will vary accordingly. Discuss this with your service provider and get all commitments in writing. You and your service provider should know and agree on who is responsible for each step in the translation process.

Still not sure you’re ready to cross the language barrier?

You can better prepare your business to go international by learning as much as you can about working with translators and interpreters before the pressure is on. Start with Translation: Getting it right, and Translation: Buying a non-commodity, free downloadable brochures endorsed by language industry professionals. Professional groups like the American Translators Association are also an invaluable source of information. Once you have the tools you need to take your business overseas, the sky’s the limit.

About SFM Traduction

Grenoble-based SFM Traduction was founded by Sara Maltaverne as a freelance translation business in January 2003. SFM Traduction is today a premium professional translation company specializing in creative, marketing, and financial translations and copywriting for high-profile corporate communications. You can learn more about the company and its services at www.sfmtraduction.com or blog with us at www.sfmtraduction.com/blog

Sara Maltaverne