BBLTranslation interviews Meritxell Romeu, Technical Manager of Orkla Cederroth

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Multinational companies manufacture and distribute products worldwide and must adhere to very systematic process to have flexibility when launching products on the market. One of the most important aspects lies in the contents of each product, which must be properly translated into each country’s languages with the highest quality and following the law of each state. BBLTranslation has been able to interview Meritxell Romeu, Technical Manager of Orkla Cederroth, the company in Spain that forms part of the Norwegian conglomerate that operates in more than 40 countries and focuses on the production of consumer goods. With her, we were able to find out about the workings of a large-scale company when it comes to translating the contents of the products that arrive in each country.

—How does a multinational company work when it comes to the translation of the contents of products that it sells?
If they are products that are only distributed in Spain, the confirmation of the text and symbols is carried out directly by the Technical Department, along with the confirmation of the other departments involved with issues related to the design or size of the products. If the product needs to be distributed in languages ​​other than Spanish, as with most products, there are two main ways to carry out the translation: one is through a translation agency, and the other through distributors or managers in each country. It is the marketing department that is responsible for making sure that the completed translations are an accurate transposition of the original text translated into English. Each design has the reference number of the raw material (for example, a box) and reference number of the finished product with a design review number. In the case of having to change the text in a certain language or add a new language, a change is made to the review number. In this way, we avoid the risk of printing a design that has already become obsolete.

—Which languages do you currently translate into?
English, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Dutch, Serbian, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Hungarian, Slovakian and Turkish.

—What is the usual procedure for the translation of contents that is external to the product (labels on packaging)?
If it is a product that we make from Spain, the translation is carried out into the desired language using the reviewed and approved text in Spanish. This is done by a specialised translation agency, with which work is usually carried out after previously agreeing a quote. Another option is to carry out an initial translation from Spanish to English, and based on this, the distributor in each country can carry out the translation, with the English text always referring to a declaration of conformity. The distributor must sign to agree that it is an accurate translation of the text that has been approved by us. When we need to translate into different languages, it is the marketing department that ensures that the translations that have been carried out are an accurate transposition of the original text translated into English.

—Are there any other important aspects of the translation process that are important to mention?
Yes. We have a review procedure for designs: there are four departments involved in the confirmation of designs (the technical department, the factory director, the purchasing manager and the marketing manager). Usually, the first draft is created by the marketing department, which sends it to the technical department, which then begins the validation process that includes a complete review of the designs and signatures. This first confirmed design, including or not comments, is sent from the technical department to each person responsible for the validation of the designs for their approval, or in order to add comments as they deem relevant. If there are no comments and all the managers consider that the product is suitable, the design is signed and it is validated and approved to be printed. When all the physical samples are received, whether these be boxes, leaflets or displays, the quality control department confirms that the samples received are in accordance with the AW signed by all the departments involved.

—In the case of products with instructions or leaflets inside, what is the process?
We follow the same procedure as the previous section; there is no difference.
—What are the main difficulties of working with different languages with your products and brands?
The main difficulty when it comes to working with designs where there are different languages ​​is that it has to be checked that the texts that have been approved in the different languages by the relevant managers have been placed in the corresponding designs and that they are correct, i.e. that there are no errors in the transcription. Depending on the language, it can be very difficult and the degree of attention should be high, because they are languages ​​that you don’t master and an error could have a different meaning. We have solved this issue because the designs, before being approved, are reviewed by managers in the country in which they will be sold. Each manager reviews the section in the language in question. Therefore, we begin a master template for each product in which there is both the text for the box and the leaflet (if applicable). In this group, you find the different languages ​​that can go to print by the different references of the same product.

—What are the main legal requirements that must be overcome for issues related to the translation of the contents of the products?
Depending whether we are talking about medical products, cosmetics, biocides or individual protective equipment, they must comply with the relevant legislation. In addition, the country where the product will be sold also has an influence, because some can request a sworn statement confirming that the English text is a faithful transcription of the country’s language.

From the words of Meritxell Romeu emerges the importance of having a quality translation in this sector, because a mistake can mean a serious setback for the company, or even one of a legal nature. BBLTranslation offers the sworn translation services and technical translation to meet the quality demanded by sectors such as consumer goods products, ensuring the fidelity of the original text and the result and giving customers peace of mind throughout the process.

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Important warning: we recommend that you carefully read the contents of this legal text prior to providing any personal data through the website of Bibielle Global Translations, SL, owner of and responsible for the correct application of the Privacy Policy.
In accordance with the regulations applicable to the protection of personal data, and the new provisions contained in the General Data Protection Regulation (hereinafter GDPR), directly applicable from 25 May 2018, Bibielle Global Translations, SL informs you of the following:
i. Contact details of the Data Controller: Bibielle Global Translations, SL (hereinafter BBL), with Tax Identification No. B65336885, registered office at Calle Cartagena 241, Barcelona, 08025 Spain, and contact e-mail legal@bbltranslation.eu.

ii. Purposes: Data collected through the contact e-mail address, or service quotation request form, will be incorporated into files owned by BBL with the purpose of handling, managing and responding to your request or contact. The data provided will not be used for purposes other than those for which it was collected.

iii. In addition, and on a voluntary basis, you may provide your consent (by ticking the corresponding box or registration) to us sending commercial communications, by any route and/or electronic means, and keeping you informed about the services which, being similar to the current ones, may interest you, and which BBL offers to its Clients and users under more advantageous conditions, and to carry out market or customer satisfaction surveys.

iv. Retention: The data will be retained for the time necessary to achieve the purposes for which it was collected, in order to respond to the subject of your request or contact, and while there continues to be a mutual interest. It will be deleted when it is no longer necessary for such purposes, the commercial or contractual relationship ends, unless its retention is required by law.

If you provide your consent to the sending of commercial communications, personal data will be processed actively while you have the status of User, or until you withdraw your consent.

v. Data communication: In no event will your data be transferred or communicated to a third party, unless required by law; nor will it be transferred internationally, except with the unequivocal consent of the data subject, and prior information about the possible recipients, purpose and, where appropriate, country of destination.

vi. Duty of secrecy: BBL complies strictly with the duty of secrecy and confidentiality of personal data, and for this reason has implemented technical, organisational and security measures to prevent its unauthorised alteration, loss, processing and/or access, taking account of the state of the art, the nature of the stored data and the risks to which they are exposed, all of this as established by Spanish and European legislation on the Protection of Personal Data.

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a. To exercise the rights of access, rectification, erasure and objection, limitation of treatment, data portability and not being the subject of automated individual decisions, by writing to Bibielle Global Translations, SL, Calle Cartagena 241, Barcelona, 08025 Spain or at legal@bbltranslation.eu indicating the subject of your request, and attaching a [copy of your] national identity card or passport.
b. To complain to the Supervisory Authority: if a user considers that their data is not being used properly, and this matter is not addressed by BBL, they may submit a complaint to the relevant data protection authority, which in Spain is the Agencia Española de Protección de Datos.

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