VA Office Services

Watch Your Language

Ulrike — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:36:30 +0000

Recently I had a discussion with one of my friends, who is German like me.

She spent a long weekend with me and had picked up a flyer for one of the West End musicals. They tried to make an effort and had published a leaflet with various different foreign language translations about the show, interval, refreshments etc. This was certainly very well meant – just that the German version was so full of mistakes that it was rather embarrassing to read.

Do businesses not care about proper translation, which is not only grammatically correct, but ideally also reflects the translator’s cultural knowledge?!

During the years I spent in the UK, I came to the conclusion that very few do. Very few would spend money on something they don’t value fully. Hence, I wouldn’t really invest a lot of effort into winning business in that area. My friend pointed out that it would be really easy to approach companies about their printed marketing material, point out one or two mistakes and make them an offer to correct everything properly. Somehow I think I would be sending a lot of offer letters and will refrain from this for the time being.

Of course, it is an area where clients will have difficulties checking the quality of the work and for most businesses that are mainly targeting tourists there will naturally not be any repeat business anyway – correct translation or not. But still – doesn’t it say a lot about those running the company?

London Bicycle Hire

Ulrike — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:24:08 +0000

Have you tried the new London Bicycles yet? I must say I am very tempted and… they are everywhere! It is really fun to look out for them and to see who is hiring them. Definitely still on my to do list.

I tried to come up with some pros to get me in the mood. Hire a bike to

commute
save time in the rush hour (obviously depending on distance, traffic etc)
workout
see London differently
get into a new activity with your partner/family or make new friends
save money on your travel card (once you stop hiring a bike and get your own)
pretend you are the Mayor of London

Any others? What is your best reason to bike London?

Relax by the River

Ulrike — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:46:57 +0000

We all need some time out, a few moments to relax and to recharge.

Most European cities have reclaimed their river banks over the past years. Last week I went for a walk in Chelsea Harbour in London and it was relaxing, refreshing and interesting to explore an area I am not that familiar with. Amazing inner city living by the river as well.

If you are close to the Thames Path, get out for a 30min or 1h walk and free your thoughts for the next big project.

Another Spa Visit

Ulrike — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:48:04 +0000

Recently I went for another massage. This time at Rich’s Wellbeing on Tottenham Court Road. While the spa looked nothing special from the outside and not too inviting, the massage was probably the best I had – in a long time or ever.

One of the employees mentioned that they originally started offering acupuncture in another venue. It does make sense, because the place looks more like an acupuncture centre than a cudly, cute spa. There are two massage chairs more or less in the shop window for an instant chair massage. Personally I don’t find it too inviting to sit in plain view of all Tottenham Court Road, but they also have treatment rooms upstairs. I’ll certainly be back.

Muffin – The Real Deal

Ulrike — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:46:38 +0000

Recently at Planet Organic I got tempted and bought a chocolate & hazelnut muffin. It didn’t look fancy, but was probably the best muffin I ever had. Not too sweet, the hazelnut worked really well and it was actually a lot of muffin for the price – not like those clones consisting mainly of air.

Go ahead and treat yourself!

Aphid Report

Ulrike — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:42:19 +0000

Somehow I am not sure if it was really worthwhile getting the ladybird larvae. When opening the pack of allegedly 50 there seemed to be rather 20-30 (not that I counted them!) and after weeks I only ever saw three at any one time. Looked like the others didn’t make it.

My pepper is aphid-free now, so thanks ladybirds. The tomato and courgette went into the bin – another green, effective and quick solution. Less headache as well. There was one ladybird sitting on my living room window after the courgette went, so not sure if that was one of my original little helpers.

All in all to much hassle, fun just for the experience and obviously great for kids, but I think waiting for the odd ladybird to pass might be just as effective – especially given that one adult was all I ever saw anyway.

London Bus

Ulrike — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:29:54 +0000

Recently I discovered the joy of travelling above ground. I mean not only the few convenient routes that happen to be quicker than going by tube. For the moment I try to take the bus wherever I go.

Great to stay out of the heat and get some fresh air. In the morning I get a head-start and can have a quick check through my emails en route. Depending on the noise level I can also make some calls. I get to walk across town a lot and seeing London by bus is amazing and inspiring. Another plus is that the monthly ticket is around £35 less than a tube ticket for zones 1+2 and (at least where I get on) there is a 98% chance to actually get a seat.

Grow Your Own

Ulrike — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 22:29:03 +0000

My balcony is a great and relaxing place now that summer is finally here – or at least thinking about it.

I got lots of chillies, already a few courgettes and one little tomato. There are lots of blossoms, so there is hope for more. Recently I discovered that one tomato plant and the courgette are infested with aphids. After picking them off for a few days I have now ordered ladybirds on Amazon. Yes, thanks to the internet you can get the aphid’s natural enemy by mail order and deal with this pest in a very eco-friendly way. I just hope they are going to be happy on my plants and not fly off immediately.

Has anybody got any other ideas as to how to keep ladybirds happy and how to get rid of the aphids? I would like to stay green, especially as I would like to eat the produce at some stage.

Thanks!

Suitcase packing service

Ulrike — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 10:00:56 +0000

Does anybody else feel this would be a good idea?

Not that I would offer it myself, but getting ready for my flight, I wished I had somebody to do all the packing for me.

FAQs gone mad

Ulrike — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:50:32 +0000

Searching for something in Easyjet’s baggage allowance I came across this…. In case you always wanted to know.

Can I book a seat for a wedding cake?

Unfortunately, due to security reasons, you are not able to book a seat for a wedding cake.