A WONDERFUL REWARD FOR OUR PEACEKEEPING ROLE
We had a really wonderful surprise this week. thebigword’s interpreting and translation
team in Afghanistan has been awarded a NATO Medal and Certificate for our work
with the military and peace efforts.
We were so proud to receive the medal, which is inscribed
‘In Service of Peace and Freedom’ for our part in The International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF), a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established
by the United Nations.
Interpreting within a war zone is a huge challenge. Not only because of the risks involved, but
because of the difficulties of dealing with people in such an
emotionally-charged situation. One of
the reasons why our team can do this so well is because we partner with the
International School of Linguists which creates training programmes that
prepare linguists for the challenges ahead.
This means that we provide the most robust training and defence-specific
language assessments in the industry, which are also aligned to recognised
military standards.
Luckily, we were able to show this wonderful medal to hundreds
of our staff from around the world who came together this week to talk about
our future plans. It’s really important
that everyone feels part of the journey – even more so with
an international company – and I know they’ll be returning to their global
offices with all the exciting news and developments.
Our language technology really is a world leader and we’re
constantly being told by clients that there is no other company that can match
what we offer. That’s a great place to
be in and as national economies start to recover – which they’re certainly
doing now – I believe there will be a quantum leap in trade that will benefit
every organisation that is prepared to sell globally.
In the meantime, for all of you currently not in the UK,
we’re having a most amazing summer! So
wherever you are, and even if you’re not lucky enough to have English weather
(!?) have a really great weekend, and I’ll update you again next week.
Larry.