30 January 2013

Proposition de valeur

Définition
Une proposition de valeur est une présentation de votre activité en 2 phrases maximum qui doit répondre à la question suivantes : « Pourquoi devrais-je faire affaire avec vous et pas avec quelqu'un d'autre ? ».
Ce n'est donc pas un slogan publicitaire, une accroche instantanée, mais une phrase concise et mémorisable qui montre votre valeur à vos prospects et fait de vous l'homme de la situation.
Source.

Voici ma proposition de valeur :

Je propose des traductions pour la promotion des produits et services de l’industrie française et la valorisation de son image de marque auprès de ses clients et cibles anglophones ou s'informant en anglais. Je m’attache à délivrer l’information que le lecteur final attend, et à que celle-ci paraisse avoir été rédigée directement en anglais. Il ne s’agit donc pas ici de traduction technique mais de promotion et de communication.


Translation is not about words. It’s about what the words are about.

Great title. Excellent article.
Read it here.

In response to a reader comment, Kevin Hendzel writes:
"My core belief is actually a bit more radical. I believe that translation is essentially all about content and subject-matter expertise and really about nothing else at all. The language aspect of translation is trivial. (You heard it here first.)"

I think 'trivial' is too strong, but I agree with what he says. Perhaps 'less important' would have suited me better. As a translator that has focused on a single (though admittedly broad) subject for over 15 years, I also believe that I practise when Kevin preaches.

28 January 2013

Value proposition

My value proposition:
To promote the products, services and image of French industry by applying best practice in English-language technical journalism and communication to each and every project. To this end, I translate more for my client’s customers and prospects than for my clients per se. This often involves taking considerable liberties compared with conventional approaches to technical translation.
This value proposition applies solely to publications intended (explicitly or not) to promote the client’s products, services and image to a clearly defined target audience. 


My translations may fail the translation industry's usual quality tests (which are intended for technical documents drafted by trained technical communicators using standardised terminology), but they do promote the industry and companies that I work for!

This post was inspired by What’s the Value of a Compelling Value Proposition? by Jessica Rathke in Surfing the big wave of language technology. Read her post here.

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