Category: document translation

I’m from Overseas and Have an Overseas License – How do I get a Driver’s License in Australia?

There is no one driver’s license that covers you for all the different states and territories in Australia. Once you have been living in a specific state for more than 3 months you will need to obtain the license for that state if you wish to drive legally. If you have moved from overseas and you hold a license to drive in your own country you may use this legally for the first 3 months of your stay. However, it is advisable to get professional translation services to translate the details of your driving license into English. Document translation services can provide a NAATI translation which will put you in a favourable situation if asked by an official to show your driver’s license.

Once the three months has passed you might be required to take a practical driving test before being issued with your new license. If you possess a New Zealand driver’s license or you have been in possession of an Australian driver’s license in the past the requirement to sit a practical test may be waived. Licenses held by those from the European Union, the USA, Canada and Japan may also be exempt from this requirement.

If you are coming to reside in Australia from any other country you may be required to sit a driving test, both theory and practical. As long as you have held a driver’s license from your own country for at least 3 years you should not be subject to a probationary period once you have passed the driving test. As you are permitted to drive in Australia for 3 months using your own country’s license you should wait until the 3 months is close to expiry before sitting the state’s driving test as if you happen to sit the test and fail before the 3 month period has come to an end you will not be able to drive using your overseas license but you will have to wait until you have passed the driving test.

If you are living in New South Wales the theory driving test is taken on a computer at all RTA offices. If you fail you can have as many goes as it takes to pass. The downside to this is that you have to hand over 30 dollars for each attempt! If you fail the practical test you take on learner driver’s status until you pass. This means you will need to be accompanied by a license holder every time you drive and you will have to stick to a speed limit of 80 kph.

Document Translation Services for Newly Diverse Communities

Many refugees from a number of diverse communities have in recent years been able to gain permanent residence in countries like Australia and the U.S. Most of these migrant refugees do not speak English as a first language. In fact they may not speak any English at all. However, luckily for them, perhaps, when someone is accepted as a refugee it’s not their language that is taken into consideration, but their political and economic status from the country they originate from. This can be quite a challenge for document translation services when they are asked to translate official documents like birth and marriage certificates into English or German whatever the country happens to be. For many refugees, this can be a long and protracted affair as they may have had to flee their original homeland without much documentation at all.

The U.S. is an example of a country that has always welcomed people from other countries whether as a refugee or for business or work related reasons. However, in recent years, the diversity of languages of the people accepted into the country has changed dramatically. Cities like Amarillo have for decades worked well with the use of English and Spanish, especially in important institutions like the courthouse. The city hasn’t sat on the fence over the matter but now has documents translated into Burmese, Arabic and Vietnamese to ease any problems with communication. This means they must have used certified translation services that have translators proficient in both English and the other languages. The level of translation required is no doubt at least as good as a NAATI translation service in Australia where refugees are being invited to live in the country from similar countries as America.

In recent years, Texas has had refugee resettlement clearly on its agenda as it has become one of the most popular states for refugees specializing in people from Myanmar, sub Saharan Africa and Iraq. 7,200 in the past year who have come from an astonishing 24 countries have now settled down in Texas. Houston took 2,000 and large numbers also ended up in Fort Worth, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin. Amarillo in the last 4 years has accepted almost 500 refugees. Such a large number and from so many different language groups provides quite a challenge for professional translation services as they have to be able to find translators fluent and proficient in a whole new set of languages from a range of newly diverse communities.

What is the Role of Translation Companies in the Global Economy?

In today’s globalized world, the industrial sector and all types of companies, whatever size they are, don’t standstill. They act to ensure they get their share of the cake when economic conditions change. This means at times marketing their products to customers in other areas of the world who don’t speak their language. This can be absolutely essential and is often the key to the growth of a company.

This is a very challenging situation as it’s not just the question of engaging interested buyers by employing NAATI translators to translate advertising material into a multitude of languages but also ensuring that document translation services are used so that all documents relevant to the product are correctly translated. If a product has to be used in a certain way so that it is of no danger to the purchaser, the instructions have to be written clearly in the language of this buyer.

Companies can’t afford to make mistakes by getting poor translations for their user manuals. Injuries caused by misuse of a product are widespread across the world and a company has a duty of care to ensure buyers clearly understand how to safely use the product. In some cases of injuries if the instructions of how to use the product were poorly translated into a country’s language but buyers misinterpreted the instructions then the company could be sued and it will not only lose its reputation and its customers it may well also have to pay compensations to those injured.

It’s not always the case of providing simple instructions but it is necessary to place a certain emphasis on certain aspects of the product, depending on the type of customer and their level of literacy in their own language. Many handbooks today, for example for cars, have sections in their handbooks that are dedicated to some of the main languages in use globally. These have to be faultless translations so that no misunderstandings take place. There are growing economies today, such as China and India, whose residents may still not be able to find handbooks for products in their own languages. This is where a business can get one step ahead by employing professional translation services to translate the handbook and any other advertising material into languages that have a large number of speakers and who could be potential buyers of the product. A NAATI translation provides a real voice for companies who wish to market their products in the global economy.

There’s no Safe Alternative to Having Professional Medical Translation Services

When translation is needed, it should always be done by certified translation services. It is important enough when it comes to legal translation or when documents have to be translated for migration purposes, but medical translation is in a league of its own. Get the translation wrong and someone could die. It’s as simple as that.

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Why Use a Professional Translation Service for Documents?

Legal documents come in all shapes and sizes but generally they relate to the law of the land. There is no alternative to making sure that a translation of a legal document is the correct one. The consequences of an unprofessional translation of a legal document are potentially serious. Whether the document is a contract, a lease, a confidentiality agreement, patent, statute or witness statement – it must be translated accurately.

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