Synergy Language Services Ltd

21/10/2026

Has anyone else noticed the growing number of adverts that really take some effort to get it? This one below is a doozy! What on earth does bladder leaks have to do with new beginnings?

Now imagine trying to transcreate that into other languages. Imagine the mess AI could make of it! There is a obvious trend for very concise, clever ad content that makes the reader think, often involving a play-on-words. It never works across markets.

That's why it is so important to get the brief behind the campaign. To really understand the reaction the campaign is trying to invoke, the target audience, the wider programme of content associated with the concept.

The versions our teams come up with in other languages are often very different to the English, but tick all the boxes of the brief, taking into account cultural sensitivities, local jargon and catchy buzz-words - something only someone on the ground can do. It takes time, patience, research and access to people to use as sounding-boards. This work should never be done at the touch of a button.

At Synergy Language Services, we love punchy straplines (once we have worked out what they mean)! Get in touch if you have a campaign to launch.

07/10/2026

I have been informed by one of my kids that I need to stop adding punctuations to my Snapchat messages.
Apparently:
“Where are you?” should be “where r u”
“At what time shall I pick you up?” should be “what time need to pick up”
“OK, see you later.” Should be “k c u later”
I have been told that the question marks are stressful and too serious.
The problem is, I spend my working day checking translations, proofreading documents, spotting missing punctuation, correcting inconsistencies and making sure every comma, capital letter and question mark is exactly where it should be but then I’m expected to switch all that off and type “where r u”…well I can’t or in their words I CBA.
Even leaving the question mark off is painful. Occupational hazard of working in languages, I suppose.
Anyone else find their job creeping into completely inappropriate areas of everyday life?

08/07/2026

Here to help

Many agencies no longer review AI translations. Synergy Language Services offers AI translation proofreading or the right translation services

18/06/2026

01/06/2026

This interesting drawing done by my son 7 years ago feels like a time capsule. Not just of my career, but of the world we were working in. It captures a moment in time and the pre-AI language industry. If he did this again today, how much would be positive messaging and how much negative?
The changes in the way we work and evolution of the translation industry would make this picture look very different.

28/05/2026

Computer says No!
To increase our visibility, we decided to open an Instagram account for Synergy, only to be disabled two days later.
At that point, we had exactly two posts: one with Kerry’s and my picture about boutique translation services (with a link to our website) and another with the “Standard proofreading... until it's not” post.
Somewhere along the line, the “computer” (algorithm) said “NOOO”, and the reason Meta gave was excellent! “We've reviewed your account and found that it doesn't follow our Community Standards”. And those standards are…? We appealed and they sent another email saying “We've reviewed your account and found that it still doesn't follow our Community Standards”. This is the point at which the account got disabled with no right to appeal. Maybe we should have worn bikinis?
So for now, we’ll continue our sub-standard multilingual operations here on LinkedIn and Facebook instead. You’ve gotta love the socials!

20/05/2026

Are you a bearer bond or a shiny penny?

18/05/2026

Wow! Last Friday marked 7 years since this very special moment, when we came together to celebrate Synergy’s 10th anniversary with everyone who has been part of our journey in one way or another.
To date, 17 years into this incredible adventure: through recessions, Brexit, a pandemic, wars, challenges and changes we could never have imagined, we’re still here, still fighting and forging forward into whatever tomorrow looks like.
We remain forever grateful to every client, partner, friend and team member who has been part of the story so far.

14/05/2026

Why work with a boutique translation agency?
Because we’re freaking awesome… but also because we genuinely care about every single project we touch.
We’ve written a little article about why small, specialist agencies still matter in a world increasingly driven by automation.
Read it here: https://www.synergylanguageservices.com/boutique-translation-agency-benefits/

13/05/2026

Not my cup of tea… nor my saint of devotion