Welcome to Language Sandpit

Business and Marketing Translation that works!

Your company is based in the German, Dutch or French speaking worlds?

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You need key business, legal or technical documents put into clear and correct English?

Or perhaps an English version of your website, blog posts or social media content which protects and enhances your brand image, takes account of cultural sensitivities and drives sales?

I can deliver the texts you need to develop your business internationally because I am not only a qualified linguist but also have a wealth of marketing, sales and cross-cultural management experience in precisely those countries where I now offer my language services – Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom.

Translation or Transcreation?


Business texts generally have one of two purposes – INFORM or SELL.

Is the purpose of YOUR text to inform key stakeholders about the health of your business (e.g. your annual report) or set the framework for cooperation with an external partner (e.g. a supplier agreement)?

Or is it rather to promote the image of your brand and develop your sales?

Whatever the demand, Language Sandpit has the business, linguistic, cross-cultural and writing expertise to provide the texts you need.

In the first case, that would be a precise, factually correct translation into Business or Legal English with the appropriate style, tone and register.

In the second case, I would supply you with a transcreation of the original text to seduce your audience and convince them to buy, while conveying the values, essence and personality of your brand. What you would receive is not a translation but a piece of polished and persuasive copy – fulfilling all your communication objectives and avoiding any cultural insensitivities.

Language Sandpit takes a radically different approach to producing outstanding texts. Just as children dig, tunnel, build, form and co-create with their friends in a sandpit, I also:


Roll up my sleeves and dig deep to understand your business situation.


Tunnel into your target market and its local consumer and trade culture.


Work closely with you to understand your brand values, essence and personality.


Use my creativity to find original solutions to linguistic problems.


Shape and build the texts that you need to internationalise your business successfully.

BIO

My name is Richard Bishop – I am a Belgian-British national and the founder and owner of Language Sandpit. Having lived and worked in many countries throughout Europe, I am a true European. Unlike most other business and marketing translators and transcreators, I can call on more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience to produce the texts you need to achieve your goals.

Following my graduation with a European Masters in Management at ESCP Europe in Paris, I have enjoyed a rich and varied sales and marketing career with different types of consumer goods companies, ranging from blue chip players such as Danone and Kimberly-Clark through to SMEs and start-ups. I have worked in industries as diverse as food and beverage, hygiene, baby care, office supplies and craft, kitchen and garden tools. In addition to being based in Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom, I have worked with most other European and some South American markets.

Languages have always been a passion in my life. In addition to having used German, Dutch, French, and English on a daily basis during my sales and marketing career, I am also a qualified linguist and translator, with a degree in French and German from the University of Durham and a Diploma in Translation from the Chartered Institute of Linguists. I am a member of three professional linguistic bodies – the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL), the Bundesverband der Dolmetscher und Übersetzer (BDÜ) and the Deutsche Verband der freien Übersetzer und Dolmetscher (DVÜD).

EXPERTISE


As a translator, I focus on sectors linked to my professional experience (food & beverage and consumer goods) and on those related to my hobbies (marathon/trail running, cycling, fitness and the great outdoors). This enables me to ensure that the final text is authoritative and sounds like the original.

My areas of specialisation and expertise are:

GENERAL MANAGEMENT

  • Leadership
  • Strategic planning
  • Annual reports
  • Profit & Loss analysis
  • Senior management presentations

Market Research and Brand Management

  • Research briefings, questionnaires and results
  • Marketing plans
  • Brand audits
  • Customer segmentation
  • Product positioning
  • Agency briefings

Marketing

  • Inbound marketing initiatives
  • Web sites
  • Blog posts
  • Social media content
  • Marketing newsletters
  • Print, radio and TV campaigns
  • Press releases
  • Brand slogans or strap-lines

SALES

  • International sales and distribution agreements
  • Trade marketing
  • Category management
  • Key Account management
  • Customer presentations
  • Sales folders
  • Trade ads

SECTORS

  • Outdoor: running, biking, walking
  • Fitness and wellness
  • Food and beverage
  • Hygiene
  • Baby care
  • Stationery and office supplies
  • Home and garden

CHANNELS

  • Grocery
  • Online
  • DIY
  • Off trade (cafés, hotels, restaurants)
  • Convenience
  • Specialist retail

TESTIMONIALS

“Richard is a rare breed of marketing translator. We commissioned him to translate our website and a series of flyers and brochures and were delighted with the results. His marketing background and business know-how shone through in everything that he produced: his hands-on approach to understanding our market and business model, his excellent practical knowledge of German in a business context and his ability to express everything in plain, simple English mean that we have been able to put together a suite of materials which talk to our potential customers in exactly the way we were looking for – and we are already seeing the results. If you are looking for a business translator with both excellent business acumen and linguistic knowledge that has been acquired on-the-job, you need look no further than Richard.”
Filip Corveleyn

Co-Founder, Head of R&D, Legal Studio

„Alle Übersetzungen, die Richard Bishop für unser Büro gemacht hat, waren ausgezeichnet. Insbesondere beim anspruchsvollen Jubiläumsband für die Firma Korsch – ein umfangreiches Werk sowohl von der Textmenge als auch von den vielfältigen Thermengebieten her – hat er sich hervorragend in die spezielle technische Terminologie eingearbeitet und gleichzeitig viel Kreativität bei der Übertragung historischer Werbesprüche bewiesen. Komplex waren auch die Anforderungen im zweisprachigen Band „Interior Design“ für den Verlag teNeues, die souverän gemeistert wurden. Wir freuen uns auf eine noch lange und gute weitere Zusammenarbeit!“
Martin Waller

Managing Partner, Werkstatt München

“Richard first worked for Aplomb Translations in 2016, when I was in urgent need of a Dutch legal translator. He effectively saved the day, as I was really struggling to find a good translator. From then onwards, I have chosen to work with Richard above many other translators, for Dutch, French and German translations. He is extremely accurate, formats translations appropriately and delivers work on time. His work is a pleasure to proofread because he uses appropriate vocabulary, which is localised and reads well. I enjoy working with him and would recommend him to others – but not too much as I would hate to lose his availability!”
Katia Fallow

Legal Translations Manager, Aplomb Translations

« Au-delà de la qualité de la traduction, j’ai beaucoup apprécié la facilité de la relation et la disponibilité. Richard a été d’une grande aide pour élaborer notre documentation commerciale et notre contenu web. »
Jérôme Laurent

Product Manager, MintT

„Die Zusammenarbeit mit Richard empfand ich als sehr positiv. Der Briefing-Prozess und die Kommunikation verliefen ohne Probleme. Richard konnte sich schnell in die Marketing-Fitness-Sprache unseres Unternehmens hineinversetzen und die Qualität seiner Übersetzung war einwandfrei, obwohl es sich um einen Erstauftrag handelte.“
Maren Mattmüller

Content Marketing Manager, Les Mills Germany

“Pour la réalisation d’un film, j’avais besoin de confier des traductions à quelqu’un de précis, efficace, et également sensible au sujet que j’abordais. Richard, tu es un concentré de toutes ces qualités. Ton travail m’a été extrêmement précieux. Mille mercis, et au plaisir de te confier un nouveau projet!”
Yannick Bovy

Journaliste et Réalisateur

“It is always a huge pleasure working with Richard. Regardless of the subject matter Richard’s unique skill is to think his way into the product as well as the mindset of those to whom the text is aimed. He never delivers a purely standard translation but always one which is precise, elegant and strikes home. His fast turn-around and absolute reliability mean that I come back time and again. Thanks Richard!”
Vanessa Magson

Owner, So-to-Speak

“It was your thorough business background together with the excellent communication, between yourself and the e-commerce lecturer, that made this translation job such a success. No need for further editing, no fuss with formatting, good value. Hope we may come back to you again, next time.”
Wolfram Schönfelder

International Coordinator, Augsburg University of Applied Sciences – Faculty of Business

“Richard is a valued colleague in the Alltrans translator network who we can appeal to for translations on various subjects. He respects his deadlines, is open to feedback and will always try to find the best solution to cater for our clients’ needs. I would recommend his services anytime!”
Eva Wiertz

CEO, Alltrans

WORKING WITH LANGUAGE SANDPIT

COMMUNICATION
If you would like to receive a quote for a translation or transcreation assignment, please fill in my contact form or send a brief email to richard@language-sandpit.com, I will normally come back to you within a couple of hours – either with a quote or a request for more information if necessary.

If your text requires a transcreation rather than a translation approach, I will almost certainly want to know more about your company, brand values and personality, competitors, target group(s), tone of the copy, required response, target media etc. In this case, I will come back to you after the initial contact with a briefing request.

Once I have assessed all the information, I will send you a quote.

QUALITY
Language Sandpit uses a rigorous quality control procedure to ensure an outstanding final text, including the draft translation stage, a revision phase comparing both languages and a final proof-reading of the English text to ensure it flows like the original. If a transcreation approach is required, I include extra research, brainstorming and text-honing phases to ensure that the text is 100% in line with your communication objectives.

In the case of translations, I ensure consistency across all texts for the same customer by using the translation software memoQ and customer-specific term bases which I develop over time.

As a member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL), the Bundesverband der Dolmetscher und Übersetzer (BDÜ) and the Deutsche Verband der freien Übersetzer und Dolmetscher (DVÜD), all my work is carried out based on their respective codes of conduct.

In order to keep my knowledge and skills up-to-date, I read widely in my areas of specialisation and participate in an ongoing Continuous Professional Development programme.

PRICING
The quote that I send you will be a price for the complete assignment – depending on the type of text involved, it will be based on the number of words or my estimation of the time required to complete the assignment.

I will provide you with a fair price for a top-quality text which achieves your communication objectives 100%.

DEADLINES
The time required to finalise a translation or transcreation depends on a number of factors: document length, precision of briefing, availability of term bases and glossaries, amount of research needed, creative input and brainstorming required, degree of technical difficulty, format required for final document, etc.

As a rule of thumb, I translate between 300 and 350 words per hour. With a transcreation approach, it is necessary to allow more time for the research, brainstorming and text-honing phases.

I always establish the final deadline in cooperation with my customers, taking into account the needs and expectations of all parties.

CONFIDENTIALITY
All information entrusted to me during assignments is kept entirely confidential.

QUOTE

If you would like to receive a quote, please fill in the contact form below or send a brief email to richard@language-sandpit.com, describing the assignment.

CONTACT


richard@language-sandpit.com


+421 949 726350

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