English | Español

Copywriting - Editing and Proofreading - Translation
(Spanish to English)
info@word-fever.com

What manner of beasts are you, translators or copywriters?

We prefer to think of ourselves as copywriters who translate. Instead of performing textual transplants straight from one language to the other, a painful process that often disrespects the constraints of grammar, syntax, context and idiomatic expression, we use considerable artistic license to produce a convincing, purpose-orientated message with far more cosmetic appeal.

Besides being copywriters, we might just be better listeners than your own dear Grandmother. We listen to what you have to say, who you want to say it to, for what reason you’re saying it, and then we ask ourselves what’s missing from the story. In like manner, if you say something that we believe doesn’t quite square with the rest of the whys and the wherefores, we’ll be quick to voice our concerns. The message you want is the message you get.

Do you offer certified translations of documents like birth or marriage certificates?

In a word, no. We’re not authorized to offer such services, and nor is there any need for us be so. If that’s what you’re looking for, we refer you instead to the ravaging hordes of licensed translators operating locally.

You’re doing translations and you don’t have any sort of professional license in the practice? How dare you!

I repeat, we are, first and foremost, copywriters, for which all that’s needed is to be a dab hand with the written word and its potential applications. As far as the actual translation part is concerned, we’re confident that we possess the necessary linguistic and cultural knowledge of Spanish to successfully reflect the tone of the original text. We ask that you judge us by the results, especially your probable upturn in business.

Why are you doing this when no one else is?

That’s exactly why we are doing it – we believe it’s a genuine niche in the local market that’ll only grow in importance as Peru continues to realize its export potential. As to why no one else has tried doing this on a professional level, we can only assume it’s related to the established demographics of Peru’s ex-pat community. Permanent gringo residents in Peru tend to be either high-flying mining engineers or lowly English teachers and career hippies, with little movement in-between. We’ve departed from that well-trodden path by occupying the unspoilt middle ground.

You’ve already said that you charge more than the local translators. Why should we pay out, and besides, isn’t that a little presumptuous of you ?

Well, we can confidently claim to devote more time, effort and brainpower on your copy than much of the rest of the field. It’s been stated before but it bears repeating – we don’t just offer translation, but a full-on communicative extravaganza that’s designed to reflect favorably on you and your products or services. This also includes background research and face-to-face consultation as standard features of the process. In addition, if you’re not completely happy with anything we’ve done, we’ll go back and revise it at no extra charge. The little bit more you lay out on communicating effectively with your client base should be recouped very quickly through a sharp upturn in international interest in your enhanced company profile.

Our slightly higher price tag is offset by the fact that this sort of service demands a premium in Europe and North America – generally, anything from $50 - $100 per hour plus royalties, and that’s just for the copywriting. We throw in the translation and the cultural expertise as well, while our location in Peru keeps costs well below international averages. And since these are markets you’re targeting, this is the standard against which we too should be judged.

Why should we put our trust in you when we can’t accurately judge the results?

That particular conundrum is something that’s tough to get round – it’s precisely the English language deficit here that’s allowed us to move into the territory, in the first place.

On editing projects, we can make the process more transparent by color-coding any grammatical mistakes and linguistic inaccuracies we encounter along the way. If you personally aren’t confident enough in your English abilities to be able to access what we’ve written, we suggest consulting a reliable third party who is.

Ultimately, we offer these services because we’re completely assured of our ability to deliver outstanding copy, so much so that the best performance indicator of all ought to be the improved customer responsiveness that’s likely to come as a result.

Is the style of writing on this website representative of everything you do?

Absolutely not. In creating our own material, we deliberately opted for a breezy, light-hearted tone as befitting the image we wanted to project of ourselves. Nonetheless, we possess a chameleon-like ability to adapt our style of writing to suit the particular nuances of each client and the project in question. Hence, you won’t find us wisecracking our way through a Funeral Director´s corporate brochure.

What do you do when you don’t know the meaning of a word?

Simple. We find out what it means, then we put it into context.

This does of course happen – we’re not infallible, especially where specialized industry jargon is concerned. If after relentless pursuit of the definition in question it continues to elude us, we’re not afraid to ask, and to listen to the response. Just like a good doctor. Unlike some of the competition, we won’t just resort to misdiagnosed Spanglish.

How long does the process take?

How long is a string of words? It all depends on variables such as subject matter, complexity, required background research, and, of course, final length. We can promise you that we take our time – our approach is exhaustive, involving ongoing communication with you, and endless amounts of bickering amongst ourselves, ensuring that the final product is the result of a painstakingly controlled creative process.

Do you implement web copy as well as translating and copywriting it?

If you’re looking for the full techie treatment, then we have the professional contacts to put your copy online. We should stress, however, that our services are not predicated on web implementation, and selecting this option would incur an extra cost.

What’s the secret to successful communication with the English-speaking world, and how do cultural differences affect things?

Three staple ingredients are punctuality, brevity and transparency.

In today’s frenetic global economy, information is strewn about in inverse proportion to ever-shrinking attention spans. The result is that vital, economical modes of communication have gained in currency more than ever before.

How you handle punctual exchanges of information is up to you; brevity and transparency falls firmly within our camp. We will do everything we can to encourage concise, proactive disclosure of information so that the international market will give you a fair hearing; this often means beating customers to the punch by answering their questions before they can pose them. Such an approach helps build trust and, by consequence, brand loyalty.

This is where our role as cultural intermediaries fits in – as well as relaying the message, the application of our knowledge of how both sides of the fence operate should be of just as much value.

How important is employee, public and investor relations in the scheme of company communications?

A local standard barely exists on this sort of disclosure, but the progressive company will make an effort to inform the public on how they are handling issues of importance. This gets us back to the question of transparency again; company forums help encourage free flow of information by serving as a useful means through which interested parties can address matters of common concern.

Cut to the chase, what type of copywriting project will be of most use to me in increasing international sales?

Simple. A persuasive website acts as your communicative frontline, providing the first line of approach for prospective markets. This seems an obvious point; if you’re reading this, you presumably need no introduction to the merits of the Internet, but given that Peru has a online penetration rate of only 26%, much still has to be done.

Do you do anything else apart from copywriting and translation?

Just as we are vibrantly dynamic copywriters, we also help upwardly mobile executives prepare for the world of English on all its frontiers – from PowerPoint preparation to business writing taking in embassy and job interview techniques en route, if it’s related to the language, we probably do it. As English teachers, we’ve helped many of Peruvian society’s key movers and shakers learn how to bob and weave – if you’re ready to cut it with the best of them in the global language of commerce, just give us the word.

What are you waiting for; let’s get the show on the road!

Just send us an email outlining your ideas and preliminary specifications, including the text in question in the case of translation or editing projects, and we’ll get back to you with a quote. Better still; let us know your availability and we’ll come and meet you to discuss your plans face-to-face.

Not so fast! I need to translate something from English into Spanish. What now?

Don’t despair, help is at hand. Just get in touch and we'll have one of our tried and tested Hispanophone associates rustle up a world-class adaptation from English into Spanish.