European Commission: the demanding language work of the Union's executive body

The European Commission's Directorate-General for Translation is responsible for translating the Commission's texts into all 24 official languages. An increasing number of translations are being outsourced to translation vendors selected through open tendering. The cooperation between Lingsoft and the Commission has already lasted for over 20 years, and in early 2024 Lingsoft was once again selected as the primary translation vendor for Finnish and Swedish. The new agreement further strengthens Lingsoft's important role as a Nordic languages provider for the European Union. 

Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL): 15 years of partnership in health care translations

Logo og Finnish institute for health and welfare

As a significant national actor, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) produces a lot of information and materials that require translation into several different languages. The materials can be reports, bulletins, website content, statements or instructions intended for professional use or the general public.

Why should you choose a full-service language company as your translation partner?

There are many things to consider when choosing a translation partner. The choice is naturally influenced by your translation needs: whether they are one-off or ongoing, whether you need specialist knowledge and what additional services you require. Solutions are available from freelance translators, translation agencies and full-service language companies.

Machine translation: good, bad or “ugly”?

In recent years, a new generation of artificial intelligence-based machine translation has revolutionised the daily lives of ordinary consumers and the work of translation professionals. Automatic translation is available in online services and social media platforms, where it often helps users understand key content. However, automated translations occasionally cause misunderstandings, frustration or even embarrassment, negatively affectingthe customer experience and the organisation’s brand image.

Good translation quality comes from cooperation

What makes a good translation? This could be answered with the translators’ go-to phrase: it depends on the context. A creative translation should be fluent and expressive, whereas translations of agreements must follow the source text meticulously. There’s plenty of room for many kinds of texts between the two, and each genre has its own characteristics and requirements. There are also customer-specific requirements that have to do with industry terminology and brand-related concerns. Quality is also affected by non-language-related issues, such as layout and schedules.

European Parliament texts in 10 language pairs

The European Parliament works in all 24 official EU languages on a daily basis. All languages are equal: documents are published in official languages and Members of the European Parliament have the right to use their own language in their work. EU citizens also have the right to familiarise themselves with legislation that affects them and to present questions to the Parliament and receive answers in their own language.