Working with airlines is a very complex but very rewarding job. An airline is not just a company that carries people from one part of the world to another. It is without a doubt, that a big chunk of their business is the transport of passengers, and definitely, the one people know better. But there is so much more to an airline than being the carrier of our next holiday. They transport mail, they transport goods and even bodies of people who perished in a foreign country and need to be relocated. It is easy to see that working with an airline is a constant source of learning and challenges.
What airlines should consider when looking for translators
The translation is very important to any airline. They operate in different countries and it is important to provide the right information to their customers. Therefore, it is important to choose a professional that works in the industry and has experience in the field. Another very important thing to consider is the localisation issues. Airlines operate in lots of countries and some of those countries may speak the same language. However, that doesn’t mean that one translation fits all. Certain travel codes may be different from county to country and, like what happens with the Portuguese language, some words used in one country may not be recognised in another country, even if they also speak Portuguese, and that would be a problem.
Working with airlines is not just bookings and travel codes
Airlines hire translators not just to translate the codes in their booking system or operational affairs. There’s so much more to working with airlines than that. Airlines need press releases done, and they need them to be linguistically and culturally fit for the country they will be released on. They may need to have communication with the Government of the countries they work with, these letters and documents have also to be compliant with the language rules of that particular country. Some may have a team in each country writing the documents for them, others may use translators.
My experience
I have worked with an airline for about 8 years. I know well all the intricacies of working with airlines. When I started working for Air Timor, my first project was the company’s constitution and over my 8 years of collaboration, I’ve done a bit of everything from press releases, to letters, etc.
In every single project, I provided them with the solutions they needed. Which ultimately led to a great professional relationship. It also gave me a great deal of experience in this field.