Prestige launches service for language edition newspapers

16 May 2007

Language services specialist Prestige Network is launching a service to local and regional newspapers throughout the country to provide non-English language editions of newspapers to cater for cultural diversities within communities.

The idea was borne as a result of an innovative collaboration with the Reading Chronicle newspaper last year to help produce the launch edition of the UK's first Polish edition newspaper.

Susan Tolman, PR Executive for Prestige Network, said: "A business evaluation exercise recently showed that there are huge opportunities for expanding this innovation to languages other than Polish. This was a ground-breaking project which has acted as a springboard for the launch of our summer 2007 campaign."

Prestige Network translated 5,000 words of the Reading Chronicle into Polish within three days. The Thatcham-based company, which has been ranked as one of the top translation and interpretation providers in the country in a recent independent financial report, can translate into 170 languages, including some of the more unusual ones.

Susan said: "This kind of innovation is a great way of engaging people from other cultures, enabling them to integrate into the local communities and not to feel disenfranchised. Cultural and language divisions in communities can be a big problem so it is satisfying to be involved in such projects. We will be approaching newspapers throughout the country in areas where there are large numbers of people of different nationalities living.

"Examples of a newspaper's stories can be produced in whatever language suits the publication's population. Producing newspaper editions in different languages works to ensure that a town or city's non-English speaking population - which has much to contribute to society and the growth of the economy - understand local services and local issues better. In the instance of the Reading Chronicle, it was a Reading paper for Polish people, not a Polish paper for Polish people. This will work anywhere in the country."

Prestige Network last year celebrated being named one of the top five language service agencies in the country in a report published by Plimsoll Publishing, who provide financial analysis for industry sectors across the UK. Prestige was assessed on its financial and commercial strength and the results were compared against 170 language service providers in the UK.

Prestige Network can be contacted on 0870 770 5260.

END

• Formed in 1991, Prestige Network is a special language services provider based in Thatcham, Berkshire.
• The company currently employs 20 people in its head office at the Thatcham site, with around 4,000 language specialists across the UK. It also has offices in London and Edinburgh.
• Prestige Network can cater for all language and communications needs in the public sector, including central and local government departments, the NHS, charities, the police and other public organisations.
• They can provide services in language translation, face-to-face and telephone interpreting, multilingual publishing, voice recording, Braille, British Sign Language, language and cultural consultancy, language teaching, multilingual copywriting and website localisation.