Dragoman ltd is our solution partner and manages a network of interpreters & translators based in Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya and Izmir.

Dragoman Ltd. is Turkey's leading translation and interpretation company offering services from its offices located in Istanbul, Paris, and London. With a yearly average capacity of 3,000 working days and 25,000 pages of customized-document translations, Dragoman Ltd. has demonstrated time and again unwavering dedication to quality over the past ten years in becoming one of the industry's key players.

Sponsoring Turkey's most all-encompassing and categorical English-Turkish glossary at www.dragomanos.com, we distinguish ourselves even further by offering additional services and creating added value to our clients.

Vision and Mission

Dragoman's vision is to present translation services of the highest calibre, covering every language, subject, and location.

Dragoman's mission is to maintain a trendsetting character while providing clients, translators, and related third parties the opportunity of an exceptional translation experience.

Our Values

What gives a corporation its identity is its people. Corporate culture is the sum total of a corporation's values, principles, beliefs, and policies adopted collectively by these people. As a team, we have identified our values at Dragoman in light of this view and have put them into practice in all our business endeavours, our relationships with shareholders, and the services we deliver to our clients.

Work and learn. And share. Then earn and enjoy. The Dragoman team comprises individuals devoted to hard work; attainment of knowledge and skills as well as client, employee, and translator satisfaction; top-notch translation services beyond expectations; learning and sharing what we learn; and all the while enjoying what we do.

Simultaneous Interpreting

Simultaneous interpreting is a synchronised real-time translation requiring a soundproof booth, a microphone for speakers, and earphones for the audience. Quickly translating from the source language of the speaker, the interpreter simultaneously conveys the speaker’s message to the target language of the listeners via their earphones. This process is unbroken as the speaker continues delivering his or her message.
Simultaneous interpreting demands fluency in both relevant terminology and general knowledge, an in-depth grasp of both languages, and superlative communication skills. According to global statistics, the ratio of simultaneous interpreters to the whole population is one in a million.
Dragoman Ltd. works with highly experienced professional interpreters who are exceptionally skilled and qualified as graduates of the most respectable interpreter schools in the world and approved by international associations. In strategic partnerships with Europe's leading agencies, Dragoman Ltd. guarantees top-notch interpreter services in any combination of languages.
Each interpreter project necessitates expertise in various fields. Our priority is to assign the right interpreters to the right projects based on experience and familiarity with the subjects

Consecutive Interpreting

In consecutive interpreting, the speaker and the interpreter take turns speaking. Whenever the speaker pauses or finishes speaking, the interpreter uses notes and conveys the entire message to the target audience. Consecutive interpreting requires a microphone in a large room with many listeners; usually no other equipment is necessary.
Different from simultaneous interpreting, consecutive interpreting is preferred for committee meetings, brief business/press meetings, diplomatic functions, informal dinners, and short workshops.
Dragoman Ltd. offers consultancy services for functions requiring consecutive interpreting and appropriately selects experienced personnel to assist you in fulfilling your specific business needs.

Whisper (Liaison) Interpreting

Whisper interpreting is where the interpreter simultaneously and directly whispers the message into the listener's ear. Interpreters widely consider this form of simultaneous interpreting to be more difficult than interpreting in a booth. Using no sound system, whisper interpreting may be combined with consecutive interpreting and is recommended when one or two people require interpreting with no equipment, particularly for diplomatic missions. Dragoman Ltd. offers whisper interpreting under such exceptional circumstances.

Written Translation

As do most translation agencies throughout the world, Dragoman Ltd. specializes in English, the international language for global trade, arts, and sciences. However, aside from English, Dragoman Ltd. also offers translation services in all European and CIS languages, as well as in Russian, Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese. Yet, Dragoman Ltd. differs from other translation agencies primarily for three reasons:
Dragoman Ltd. has incomparable experience in international conference and simultaneous interpreting with 3,000 interpreter workdays yearly which certainly has a positive impact on written translations. As such, the Dragoman team of managers, translators, and editors keeps abreast of developments, trends, contemporary concepts, and terminology in hundreds of various industries and professions.
Dragoman Ltd. has developed a three-step document translation process involving translators, editors, and managers for all projects from two-word advertising slogans to industry-related translations of thousands of pages. Our professional approach in using this process sets us apart in the eyes of our clients.
Dragoman Ltd’s comprehensive Turkish-English glossary at www.dragomanos.com, consisting of over a hundred different categories, exemplifies our extraordinary success and meticulous management of terminology. Our glossary may be accessed via mobile phone.
Our standard translation into target languages is based on a one thousand-character page, excluding spaces, using Microsoft Word software. When necessary, we also operate on a word-count or global-page basis.

Audio Transcription

For analysing, reporting, and publishing purposes, many meetings are audio and/or video recorded, which is a wise decision on your behalf to trust professionals with transcriptions and translations of transcriptions.
Dragoman Ltd.’s expert transcription team provides any common format available, including Beta/VHS video cassettes, CD, VCD, and DVD.
The general view shared by professionals is that original audio recordings of speakers rather than of interpreters should be produced and subsequently transcribed and translated into the target language.

Editing

Editing and editorial comments have regressed in the past fifty years largely due to neglecting the Turkish language. Along with a decrease in competent translators, an increase not only in expertise but also in specialization in various industries and the dizzying speed of technologically-driven commercial processes have often overwhelmed translation agencies in maintaining momentum and quality. Keeping up with the times is difficult for everyone.
Therefore, Dragoman Ltd. has taken editing a step further by astutely analysing translation requirements for business, art, and academics and by approaching these translations editorially with precise adherence to rules of grammar, spelling, syntax, current usage, and industry-based terminology to ensure accuracy, thoroughness, and consistency when translating into the target language.
Dragoman Ltd. prepares Style Guides, published and soon-to-be published, and Approach Guides for key clients, disseminated to all parties in the process.
Dragoman Ltd. compiles Reference Files consisting of frequent errors and corrections.
These guides are updated under the supervision of language managers and distributed among our team by our coordinators.
Please contact a Dragoman representative for more information about language managers, Style Guides, Approach Guides, and Reference Files.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the interpreter be familiar with all the terminology related to the subject of our meeting?

Interpreters at Dragoman are given assignments according to their areas of expertise. Our conference interpreters work on different subjects every day to include economics, law, medicine, IT, energy, and art. Interpreters are experts in cross-cultural communication, but naturally cannot be expected to be experts in all areas. However, conference interpreting is a profession usually chosen by individuals who possess an investigative mind and an eagerness to continue learning new information. On the other hand, providing any existing documentation or glossary of terms relevant to a translation within a reasonable timeframe before a meeting or conference makes an interpreter’s preparation process easier and no doubt positively results in greater success during the translation.

Why are two interpreters assigned for meetings exceeding one hour?

There are two important reasons for assigning two interpreters for meetings exceeding one hour and three interpreters for meetings exceeding six hours: (a) Maintaining the quality of the translation; and (b) protecting the interpreter’s health.
A conference interpreter has to perform approximately 20 cognitive processes simultaneously while translating: Hear the speaker, listen, perceive a sentence, understand, analyze and translate, find accurate language equivalents, and then construct a sentence, etc. While doing this, the interpreter uses various parts of the brain at an optimum concentration level. This concentration level has a biological limit which is why interpreters work interchangeably for 20 to 30 minutes. Interpreters not abiding by this rule jeopardize their health in both the short and long term.
The level of concentration required for interpreting is comparable to the same concentration level necessary for bomber and fighter pilots, including F-1 pilots. This comparison has found a place in medical journals based on research in different areas with more commentary forthcoming.
Impossible to maintain, such levels of concentration over long periods of time cause an interpreter’s working capacity to deteriorate while levels of perception and accuracy fluctuate, consequently hindering the quality of the interpretation. In other words, limiting the working hours of interpreters is a way of protecting their health as well as maintaining the quality of the interpretations.

Will the conference interpreters also translate our written documents?

Conference interpreters translate written documents only as their time schedule allows, depending on their willingness to do so. Another characteristic which sets Dragoman apart is the distinction between written and oral translations. These two types of translations call for different types of competencies. Dragoman’s written translation team is made up of professional translators who are graduates of translation departments of reputable universities.
However, support may be required from conference interpreters who have transcribed and translated at certain functions or events.

Why are meetings always conducted in English? Is it difficult to organize meetings in different languages?

English is the most commonly used language at congresses, conferences, and international meetings. However, there is no requirement that all meetings be conducted in English. The tradition of using English at meetings often puts a strain on a speaker who lacks a grasp of the language and subsequently on the interpreters translating the message because of such speaker’s pronunciation, grammar, and terminology.
Dragoman Ltd. can provide interpreters for any language combination through their European Offices. Thus, you can host speakers and participants using their own languages, as well as using English. We recommend you make early reservations for cross-language or rare-language interpreting.

OUR REFERENCES ...