Translation & Interpretation Services

Translators … have to be traitors, but most of the time they don’t know it and nearly all of the time they have no other choice – André Lefevere

We specialise in the eleven official South African languages. We have specialists in the Nguni languages, the Sotho languages, as well as English and Afrikaans. Our Tshivenda and Xitsonga experts provide masterful translations.

We provide a quick and efficient service to deliver perfect copy on a variety of topics and in a variety of languages to give you, your company or organisation the edge in your communication efforts.

A translation glossary is a collection of terms with translations, definitions, uses, and associated notes. It is often required for specialised subjects and we have the necessary skills to deal with these disciplines.

We provide simultaneous and consecutive interpreting in all the official languages of South Africa, as well as in a number of European languages. In addition, we provide whispered simultaneous mode interpretation.

Services

Alet Kruger Multilingual Language Services comprises an extended network of approximately 200 translators, interpreters, editors (most of whom are accredited with the South African Translators' Institute (SATI) or a similar institution), and experienced linguists.

The driving force behind this dynamic company is director and project manager Alet Kruger, an internationally acclaimed academic in the discipline of Translation Studies. Alet Kruger worked as a senior lecturer and professor of Translation Studies in the Department of Linguistics at the University of South Africa (UNISA) for 26 years, where she trained some 600 translators at postgraduate level. She still acts as external examiner in this discipline for various universities in South Africa and abroad.

She is a rated National Research Foundation researcher in her field and her peers have, on more than one occasion, noted that she has made an enormous and invaluable contribution to the development and elevation of the status of Translation Studies as a discipline in South Africa.

She has organised and launched several local and international conferences on Translation Studies and related domains over the years and has authored (and co-authored) many research papers in local and international journals and chapters in books on various aspects of Translation Studies. She was also the guest editor of a few special edition journals and a book published in the UK on Corpus-based Translation Studies.

We only subcontract to well-qualified, experienced translators or interpreters who have been doing professional translation or interpreting in their languages for many years. Accreditation with the South African Transalators' Institute (SATI) is recommended. Here Alet Kruger sets the example: she has been an accredited translator in her language combination English/Afrikaans with SATI since 1992.

We exercise quality control on all subcontracted translations, interpreting and editing. Each document is meticulously checked against the original for possible omissions and any queries are solved before a document is submitted to the client.

In the African languages, we regularly get a second independent translator in a particular language to check and proofread the work done by the first translator. With the medical translations, the back-translation that is required by a second independent translator, gives opportunity for feedback and discussion between the two translators. In-house authentication is done by Alet Kruger and the translators to solve all discrepancies and queries. If the assignment entails specialised knowledge – for example, legal or financial translation – we ensure that we use a translator who is qualified in the relevant field.

Alet, I appreciate the fact that you attended to my requests with speed and zest and in a pleasant manner. You kept me up-dated on all developments so I was not worried. But most importantly, when I presented you with a new document for translation you rose up to the occasion with impeccable professionalism. Sithembile Ndala, International SOS

Jacana Media has worked with Alet Kruger for the past 14 years. From the beginning, she has always been our preferred translation service as she provides a professional, fast turn-around and accurate language service. Jacana Media publishes life skills material, as well as environmental, medical, general and children’s school/library books. The life skills material and children’s books are often translated into the other 10 official languages. The translations have to be carefully worked to present them for the appropriate age, geographical region and education level of the reader. The translator has to be culturally aware of all these angles. Multilanguage translations satisfy us on all these counts. We have always found Alet Kruger and her translators to be experienced, efficient, helpful and professional. They go the extra mile to make sure the translations are accurate and relevant for the target audience, and they make an extra effort to help us with our often rushed deadlines. Jenny Prangley, Senior Editor

WYG International had the pleasure of working on a project funded by the European Commission. This project involved translating 11 English language documents into the 10 other official South African languages (approx 415 000 words). This was an extremely demanding task with a total of 110 documents to be produced. The timeframe was extremely tight but thanks to the outstanding efforts of Alet Kruger as Project Director, the project was completed ahead of schedule, within budget and to the highest possible quality. It was a great pleasure working with Alet and I thank her for her efforts and the quality of the work. Dr Charles Reeve, Regional Director, WYG International, South Africa

Congratulations on your achievement, Alet! You are indeed one of the women South Africa, or should I say Africa, is proud of. Continue doing the good job you’ve always been doing. Wishing you only success! Cathrine Lekgoletsi Mokoena, Department of Arts and Culture

Hi Alet, Everybody who has listened to the translations and recordings of the Bully Buddy Puppet Show, is very impressed. Thanks to you and Ndi(vhuho Mutsila) for a job well done! Lynette Flusk, Psychology Clinic Manager, Transnet-Phelophepa Health Care Training, Transnet Foundation

Alet, your Afrikaans translations were accepted with only a single change to one of them. The comment that came down the wires to me was that “the client was extremely happy with the new translator’s use and understanding of the language”- something I don¹t think I¹ve ever heard before from this very demanding and precise client! So again, thank you for the work and the passion you inject into making words work across language barriers. I¹m looking forward to many more projects with you in the future. Debbie Miller, Production Manager, Joe Public

We have had the pleasure of knowing Alet Kruger for the past 15 years. Congress Rental has benefited immensely over these years from Alet's professionalism and extremely reliable interpreting services. It is our hope that this relationship lasts for many years to come. We strongly recommend Alet Kruger Multilingual Language Services (PTY) Ltd to any prospective client, whether national or international. William Polonia, Director: Africa Operations, Congress Rental SA (PTY) Ltd

Alet Kruger has been appointed as the primary translator on a project called On Air, a community upliftment project sponsored by Shell Upstream. Alet always maintains an incredibly high level of professionalism, is able to work well under pressure and always meets her deadlines. She is also always willing to go the extra mile to ensure the product is of the highest possible standard. She is able to interpret and translate the material with slang words and colloquialisms in a way that makes it relatable and accessible to the young adult target market. Nicci Gowing, Production Manager, Strika Entertainment

The most recent assignment with which Alet’s team assisted me was with the editing and proofreading of South Africa’s Bioprospecting, Access and Benefit-Sharing Regulatory Framework: Guidelines for Providers, Users and Regulators for the national Department of Environment Affairs in Pretoria.This was a 72-page publication with individual translations in 10 official languages. I was most impressed with the performance of the team in terms of the recommendations received with regard to the original translations, as well as theadherence to tight deadlines. The DEA was most satisfied with the final product. Janine Smit, Managing Member, Janine Smit Editorial Services

We have worked successfully with Alet Kruger on various translation projects since April 2013. Multlingual Language Services’ translations are always of the highest quality and delivered timeously. We have never had a single complaint from any of our clients and if anything the translation services offered by Alet has increased the sales of our products as we are now able to offer this important service to our clients as well. Nico Erlank, National Sales Manager, Pocket Media Solutions