Services – Expressum

1. Translation

> Classical and Medieval studies
Expressum offers highly specialised translation services in the fields of classical and medieval studies. The texts we translate either into English or from English to French belong to three main sub-fields: archaeology (and art history), philology (linguistics, literature, epigraphy, papyrology, etc.), historical studies (ancient and medieval history).

> Our clients
Our clients are mostly researchers, lecturers, professors, classical or medieval scholars. They tend to write in French but have opted to publish and present their work abroad orally in English. Indeed, English has become the international language for scientific dissemination. It holds the same place as Latin did until the 18th century. This is no criticism of individual national languages, their merit or history, it is a simple matter of international dissemination. Universities and publishers have understood this very well. The impact of an article written in English in an international journal or of a communication in English at an international conference is much greater than those written or presented in other languages. This is not to say that we do not work in French: we translate numerous English scientific papers into French for publication in French journals or for oral presentations, and copy-edit papers written in English or in French by non-native speakers.

> Deadlines
We will always meet agreed deadlines. If a translation is lengthy one (book, scientific journal, Conference proceedings), the work is divided into sections (chapters or articles): meeting deadlines also depends on swift feedback from our clients regarding ongoing translations.

> Accuracy and quality
Having studied classics, we have a penchant for detail and finding the right word. We know the fields, their jargon, their lexicons and habits, in both languages.

> Our prices: you save money
As there are no other contractors involved than our specialised translator, the real price of your translation is in fact greatly reduced. With Expressum, your text is fully understood from the outset by a specialist in the field, having studied, translated and published in both languages. His translation is of the highest quality and will not require any revision. Indeed, here is the situation that many of our clients have faced in the past:

Non-specialists: translations are usually done by non-specialists. Not only are a number of allusions or references lost along the way but there may be serious misinterpretations because of a translator’s ignorance of the field. As the precise meaning and value of an archaeological / philological / historical argument will not be fully understood how will it be rendered in another language? Moreover, to meet deadlines, these translators must choose between fully understanding an argument and searching for the meaning of technical terms and jargon which they do not know in either language.

Quality Control: these same translations often require a second contractor to both proofread and revise substantially the translated text. Sometimes a second translator or an editor is involved in this process. Further work means further costs, which can sometimes amount to half the sum paid for the first translation work.

A final check by a “specialist”: once the translation is proofread and revised, it must still be checked by a specialist in the field, an archaeologist, historian or philologist to root out any absurdities, factual or lexical inaccuracies in the field. This work must also be paid for.

> Articles
Our core business is the translation of scientific articles from 7,000 to 15,000 words. If researchers are sometimes reluctant to have an entire book translated at their own expense, they are fully aware of the advantage of having their best articles translated into English to promote their work internationally. Of course researchers are not isolated and there are various translation grants and funds allocated by universities, museums and cultural institutions to promote French, Belgian and Swiss scholarship abroad.

> Conference papers
We translate a large number of communications from 2000 to 4000 words. Given the countless international conferences held annually throughout Europe and the world (we post a number of them weekly on our Facebook page), our service has become essential, especially because of the quick delivery (2 days on average). It goes without saying that a properly translated conference paper is the first step towards writing an article in English. (See also the Audio recordings section).

> Books / Conference proceedings / Journals
We are often approached by publishing houses, conference organizers, and of course by authors directly for the translation of books written in French or sometimes the translation of French manuscripts to be published for the first time in English.

> Copy-editing
Expressum offers copy-editing services for website content, articles or monographs in French and in English. These texts have been already been translated into French or into English from another language or written by non-native speakers. The authors wish to ensure that on the one hand their text contains no spelling, punctuation or grammar mistakes, and on the other hand, that the text is stylistically consistent where any redundant or superfluous information has been removed to ensure a greater flow and clarity. Our great advantage in comparison to other companies is our specialised scientific background: we know the field and are often already familiar with the scientific arguments because we read your text as specialists (read more on proofreading on our faq page).

> Audio recordings
The obvious problem for a person who does not speak English is how to pronounce English words. This is why many non-English speakers have their papers translated and then read out loud by an English native speaker on the day of the conference. But what if no-one is available to read out loud or if these French scholars want to read their own text and be understood by their audience ? We offer audio recordings of translations by British native speakers so that authors can practice delivering their paper with a proper pronunciation in order to be understood by their English-speaking public (Read more about this on our faq page).

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