Archives for Corporate Responsibility
In today’s digital world, cyber security is a pressing matter and it is particularly important for businesses to keep the data they handle secure, be it their customers’, suppliers’ or their own employees’ information. At Cintra Language Services Group we take cyber security very seriously, as a breach in our system could have dire consequences, exposing sensitive information about our customers or our linguists.
At CLSG, including our subsidiaries, Cintra Interpreting, Cintra Translation and First Edition Translations, we have always been following strict guidelines with regards to digital safety, working closely together with a specialist IT company, EasylifeIT to make sure that we are safe from any possible cyber-attacks. To show our customers and linguists that we don’t leave anything to chance when it comes to keeping our systems and their data safe, in 2017 we obtained the Cyber Essentials certification. Being certified means that our clients and linguists can rest assured that we maintain the highest standards of cyber security and we undergo regular testing, as well.
The Cyber Essentials scheme identifies the most common online threats, which include hacking, phishing and password guessing, and defines ways in which these can be safely avoided. A secure firewall is a must, as well as a well-protected configuration, protecting our systems against malware, sufficient user access control and making sure all our software is kept up-to-date to minimise the risks associated with software flaws (patch management).
Our practices, amongst others, include the following safety measures:
- Only authorised persons are allowed in our office and they are accompanied at all times.
- Our systems are constantly monitored for any potential threats, so in the case of an attack, action can be taken immediately to protect our systems.
- We have 24/7 IT support, with an easy-to-use system to report any abnormal PC functions.
- Our staff is required to change their login details regularly by following a strict password policy and guidelines.
- We receive regular IT newsletters and training to keep our team’s knowledge up-to-date on the best practices and inform them about the latest threats.
- Our internal network can only be accessed on company owned, secured and authorised devices with user-specific passwords that grant only the required level of authorisation to each individual.
- Only EasylifeIT can install, update and deinstall software on our computers and laptops with the approval of the Department Manager to keep our devices safe.
These steps help us keep CLSG’s systems safe from cyber threats and minimise the risk of any online attacks. If you’d like to know more about how we ensure the highest level of security of our internal network, devices and your data, do not hesitate to get in touch with us at 01223 346870 or contact our HR Department by email at hr@cintra.org.uk.
Let’s imagine we’ve had a busy morning and are on our way to grab a cup of coffee together. With us is a colleague who speaks three European languages, including English, but is a native Russian speaker.
We’re doing what you do in narrow corridor: walking fast, talking, gesticulating and twisting around. Just in time, I spot a pool of liquid up ahead.
In a split second, and ever mindful that 28% of the 77,593 non-fatal workplace injuries reported in 2013/14 were slips and trips, I throw a warning over my shoulder to you and our Russian-speaking colleague.
OK, you’ve been there. You can picture the scene. Now, let’s run the soundtrack. But hold on a minute – which of the 17* ways of saying, ‘Careful, someone’s spilt their coffee, don’t slip!’ will I plump for?
One of the great strengths and delights of English is the sheer number of words in the language: every time I open my mouth or put pen to paper I’ve got a working vocabulary of around 35,000 words to choose from. And I’ll keep adding one new word a day until I’m well into middle age.
Non-native speakers living in the UK work hard to keep up. They add between two and three new English words to their working vocabulary every day. But, by any count, building up a good store of health and safety speak is going to take them some time.
Non-native speakers aren’t only up against it coming to grips with our mix of idiom, dialect and regional accent. We love our catchphrases culled from sport, pop, TV and film. And don’t forget to factor in trending slang, and even perhaps the odd workplace obscenity. It’s no wonder that making assumptions about the language we use to warn of danger is fraught with danger.
English is rich and can be very precise, but for the non-native speaker working in the UK, our colourful, colloquial, idiomatic language is often more like a trippy, slippery minefield of misunderstanding – in other words, it’s an accident just waiting to happen.
*You can probably think of even more.
We’re working with an increasing number of companies to translate their Health and Safety policies and procedures into the languages their workers speak and read fluently. Companies and HR managers employing us to translate everything from policy documents to induction packages and factsheets report strong business reasons for investing in quality translation services. We can also provide interpreters in over 100 languages so that you can communicate with staff and customers who speak languages other than English.
related post: Penalties, prevention and ISO 45001: three reasons to translate health and safety policies for your migrant workforce
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We’re working with an increasing number of companies to translate their Health and Safety policies and procedures into the languages their factory workers, warehouse staff and field hands speak and read fluently. In a sector where margins are slim and employers and recruiters are traditionally wary of any additional costs, the companies and HR managers employing us to translate everything from policy documents to induction packages and Slips, Trips and Falls factsheets report strong business reasons for investing in quality translation services.
1 If safety was just common sense, UK companies wouldn’t have lost £2.9bn to health and safety failings in 2012/13 – the last year for which figures are available. Like other aspects of culture, attitudes to health and safety at work and what’s an acceptable level of risk vary enormously between countries.
At the very least, bear in mind that people panic in emergencies. It’s hard enough following first aid instructions or emergency shut down procedures in English when you’re under pressure. Asking workers from overseas to translate and understand before they act wastes valuable seconds and could cost lives.
2 Fines and custodial sentences for companies and individual managers and directors guilty of health and safety failures are getting tougher in 2015
Regardless of the size of the company, or the nature of its business, managers and Directors are increasingly held personally accountable for the safety of all their employees.
New sentencing guidelines proposed by the UK’s Sentencing Council complete their consultation phase this week (18 Feb 2015). The new guidelines will come into force later this year and will cover offences ranging from workplace accidents, and dangerous products that cause death or serious injury, to near misses where there was a culpable risk of injury even if no one was actually hurt. Once confirmed, guilty companies and managers can expect longer terms of imprisonment and fines in the region of £2 – 10 million.
3 OHSAS 18001 is out: ISO 45001 is coming in
The introduction of a new, improved international safety standard – ISO 45001 – by October 2016 puts considerable emphasis on enabling businesses ‘to proactively improve its OH&S performance in preventing injury and ill-health’. Experts expect auditors will want to see real evidence of continual improvement to preventative practices. Read more at http://www.shponline.co.uk/ask-professionals-iso-45001/
For more on Health and Safety legislation and statistics visit: The Health and Safety Executive The British Safety Council at www.britsafe.or
related post: 17 ways to slip up on health and safety
For Christmas, I was given four books about running, including Mo Farah’s autobiography, and a calendar with a peel-off witty or motivational aphorism for each day, such as ‘pain is just weakness leaving your body’ or ‘running requires a strong body and a sick mind!’.
And this for someone whose greatest pleasure is lying in a hot bath with a good book and a gin and tonic! So why would my friends and family, who seem quite fond of me, give me all these books?
Because, dear reader, in just over 5 weeks’ time, I will attempt to run the London Marathon! All 26.2 miles (‘because 26.3 is crazy’ as my calendar says). And it’s very hard, probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I’m not at all sure I’m going to be able to do it. So I need all the support and motivation I can get to help me through it.
I’m running for Voluntary Service Overseas, the charity working in some of the poorest parts of the world, sending volunteers to help local people set up and run projects on health, education and business – helping them to support themselves. I hope to be one of their volunteers one day, but for now I’m helping to raise funds to support their work and help to fight poverty and inequality, in a world where half the population put together owns less than 1% of the world’s wealth.
If you feel like sponsoring me, VSO (and I) would be really grateful for anything you can give. You can do this via http://www.justgiving.com/Tess-Wright
I’ll be blogging here regularly, about how the training is going and what it’s doing to me. One of the books my family gave me was Haruki Murakami’s classic ‘What I talk about when I talk about running’. For me, it’s more what I think about and what it has taught me – apart from the thought of that hot bath awaiting me and how nothing else matters except keeping on running when you’re focused on getting to the end.
But our new blog won’t be all about running, or me – there will be news stories that have caught our eye, items about Cintra and our team, and we’re going to invite contributions from our linguists on the art of interpreting and translation, their cultures, linguistics and professional practice.
So check in and have a look regularly, and don’t forget to add your comments if you want to. And wish me luck!
Tess Wright, Chief Executive