Our partners

Translation: Alžbeta Babicová

At Sa zobuď!, we are doing everything we can to bring together translation and interpreting students from across Slovakia. Whether it is the event Zimná škola prekladu (Winter Translation School), discussions Z lavíc do praxe (From classroom to the workplace), podcasts, or posts, none of this would be possible without our partners, whom we would like to introduce to you. 

Our civil association operates thanks to DGT! The Directorate-General for Translation (DGT) is a European Commission department responsible for translating Commission texts into 24 of the European Union’s official languages and other relevant languages. DGT ensures that legislation, political documents, reports, and other official texts are available in all official EU languages, thereby contributing to transparency and inclusivity of communication within the Union. Besides translation services, DGT provides advisory services on language policy, manages terminology databases, and supports multilingualism in the EU, whilst also cooperating with other EU institutions and agencies on standardising terminology and improving the quality of translations. DGT has representatives in EU member states who endorse language policy and organise events to promote multilingualism and the translation profession itself. 

Another one of our partners is the Association of Translation Companies of Slovakia, founded in 2011 and currently comprising 9 members. Its main priorities are to raise awareness of the work of translation companies amongst the professionals, suppliers, and clients; cooperation with Slovak universities’ linguistic departments; defending interests in the field of legislation and standardisation of the translation industry; educating members; and conducting joint activities with foreign associations such as the Meet Central Europe (MCE) Conference. 

Find out more at www.atcsk.sk and on the Facebook profile of ATCSK. 

Another one of our partners is none other than SAPT! The Slovak Association of Translators and Interpreters is an organisation founded in 2005. Its main aim is to improve the quality of translation and interpreting services, advocate for equitable working conditions, support transparency in price setting, and uphold professional and ethical standards. Unlike agencies, SAPT provides direct cooperation between clients and language experts. SAPT also supports the educational growth of its members and the professional community of translators by organising various workshops and debates. The most significant event of the year is Hieronymove dni (Hieronymus Days), where knowledge is expanded and experiences are shared. SAPT particularly focuses on bridging the gap between academic study and professional practice, whilst aiming to improve students’ professional skills, provide them with valuable experience, and create networking opportunities. Thanks to SAPT, the community of language professionals in Slovakia is strengthened and better connected.  

Our other partner is LCT – Lingua, Communicatio, Translatio a non-governmental, independent, apolitical, and voluntary association of citizens without regard to origin, social status, race, ethnicity, or religion. The civil association LCT was founded to support all activities that further education, the scholarly and publication activities of university teachers, translation and interpreting students’ practice, linguistics, literary studies, and the teaching of foreign languages and interpreting. It also aims to popularise these activities. It was founded to better connect real-life translation practice with the academic studies of translation and interpreting students, and thereby contribute to preparing graduates who will be ready to  participate actively in the job market and have an advantage immediately after completing their university studies. 

Amongst our partners is also the translation agency Otago. They translate more than 5 million words a year, helping companies develop their business locally and abroad. The work of over a thousand professional translators, the use of modern technology, and 25 years of experience in the field of translation result in reliable communication in foreign languages. Otago specialises in medical, pharmaceutical, IT, e-commerce, and engineering translations. Besides specialised and certified translations, Otago also offers software localisation, creative translations, post-editing of AI-generated content, interpreting services, audio transcription, and subtitling in more than 80 languages. The Otago company is certified annually by theTÜV SÜD organisation in accordance with the international standards ISO 9001 and ISO 17100.

Our big thank you also belongs to Transcreate in Banská Bystrica. Transcreate is a concept creative studio providing linguistic services since 2020, based in Banská Bystrica. Transcreate focuses on a comprehensive range of language services, particularly on specialised translations in English, Slovak, Czech, German, and French. The basis of their concept is “small is beautiful”. Their vision is to grow on a principle of cells, similar to honeycomb cells, instead of one powerful powerhouse. For many years, founder Patrícia Holíková felt that the concept of translation agencies was fading to the point where she started to perceive it as partially obsolete in today’s world of modern technology. Space is also an essential part of Transcreate. A pleasant office serving as an arena of synergy for linguists. What has remained is the freedom and flexibility of working hours and workplace. However, the team also has a cosy space in an Art Nouveau villa with plants and coffee available. It aims for the golden centre on the axis of creative introversion – anxious isolation. 

FiF UK is also one of our partners! The Faculty of Philosophy at Comenius University in Bratislava has a long history dating back to 1921, making it the oldest and largest faculty of philosophy in Slovakia. Over the course of a century, more than 33,000 graduates have departed its gates, leaving their mark on education, culture, and translation. The faculty has more than 80 study programmes at all degrees, including translation programmes in 12 languages. Renowned university teachers, acknowledged both at home and abroad, work here, and experts from around the world also regularly give lectures here. In addition, students can use the mobility programmes Erasmus+ and CEEPUS, or bilateral agreements with universities on all continents. The faculty is a combination of tradition, quality, and opportunities to discover the world.

We can’t forget about KAA UMB! The English and American Studies Department in Banská Bystrica prepares future translation, interpreting, and teaching professionals. The department includes two university professors and four senior lecturers. Besides associate lecturers teaching translation, linguistic, literary, and didactic courses at the department, there are also foreign lecturers from the United States and Ireland. The department currently has two researchers from Ukraine who conduct scientific and research activities in the field of translation studies. As part of lifelong education, the department offers a four-semester continuing education English language programme for teachers. The department’s scientific and research activities are oriented towards certain areas of linguodidactics, translation studies, linguistics, modern English literature, and British and American studies.

The work of our civil association is also possible thanks to the Department of Translation Studies in Nitra. The Department of Translation Studies at the Faculty of Arts of Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra is home to a team of university teachers with extensive experience in translation and interpreting. Besides teaching, the department participates in significant national and international projects in fields such as machine and audiovisual translation, computational linguistics, and other innovations in the world of translation and interpreting. Master’s study programmes in translation and interpreting at FA CPU were awarded an international quality certificate, the European Master’s in Translation (EMT). This certificate places the department within the network of European universities with the highest quality translation studies programmes. The department follows the rich tradition of translation studies research in Nitra dating back to the 1970s and 1980s, when Professor PhDr. Anton Popovič, DrSc., and his colleagues from the Institute of Literary Communication made Nitra the centre of translation studies, well known in Slovakia and abroad. 

To all our partners, thank you for your support, and we look forward to our continued cooperation!