Does this sound familiar?
Looking back at your last meeting, you have mixed feelings. The topic was interesting, the speakers distinguished – yet somehow it fell short of your expectations. The problems began at the opening ceremony – the speaker spoke too fast making it difficult to understand his points. Then there were the forums and workshops – these were in English but they failed to spark your imagination. The speaker had a strong accent and clutched his notes nervously – reading them rather than presenting his ideas. It was good to talk with colleagues from all over the world but some questions remained unanswered and it was not always easy to communicate – perhaps because not everyone was a native English speaker?

Naturally, interpreting services are a significant expense. Fees for interpreters and equipment can quickly run into hundreds of euros per day. However, offering these services frequently attracts enough additional participants to cover the extra costs!

International events are much more successful when participants and speakers are able to converse in their own native languages rather than struggling to find the right words in a foreign language or slipping on cultural banana skins.

BBK Gesellschaft für moderne Sprachen mbH based in Germersheim (Germany) has been providing teams of conference interpreters and multilingual hosts and hostesses for trade fairs and conventions as well as professional translations for over 45 years. The company has worked hand-in-hand with the organisers of all kinds of events for decades and are an official contractual partner of major German trade fair organisers. BBK is also a member of the GCB German Convention Bureau, the Convention Bureau Karlsruhe + Region and Convention Bureau Rhein-Neckar.

Through its work with some of the largest exhibition corporations in Germany, BBK has built up a large and highly qualified team of professionals throughout the country.

Customers profit from its experience, know-how and understanding of all the tasks associated with running international events of any size.

BBK provides the skills and professional teams you require – from highly qualified international conference interpreters covering a vast range of specialist subjects to liaison interpreters for discussions. Interpreters simplify the communication process and ensure that everyone gains the maximum benefit from the time and money you invest in your meeting. Whether you are organising an international press conference, workshop or negotiations – give your participants the freedom to focus on content rather than individual words.

Through its work with some of the largest exhibition corporations in Germany, BBK has built up a large and highly qualified team of professionals throughout the country. They can be deployed in booths at international trade fairs as well as in organisational capacities providing interpreting services for both visitors and exhibitors.

Multilingual trade fair hosts and hostesses greet customers, demonstrate products and staff the booth itself, thereby contributing to the payoff of the event. Does employing additional staff for a trade fair really cost more? It is well worth comparing the costs with the travelling expenses and man days associated with taking your own employees to the event – not forgetting the advantages offered by multilingual assistants with extensive experience and local knowledge!

Language, of course, is not always spoken. Written documents and materials, e.g. contracts, machinery and operating instructions, marketing texts, letters or documents and ideally in several languages, are often a necessity. These should, of course, only be translated by a native speaker who is aware of the finer points, cultural differences and hidden traps of the target language. For example, while a "public school" in American is a state funded school that is open to all, in the United Kingdom it is the term for a private boarding school.

Professional translators – all highly qualified university graduates specialising in specific areas – can produce translations in over 70 languages. They not only consider the refinements of the language but also differences in cultural backgrounds and adapt each text to the corresponding target group. All translations are subsequently proofread by a second person (the "four-eyes principle") before delivery.

Let’s hope that at your next meeting, everyone can express their ideas – unlimited by their vocabulary!