News
Ten years with the team
Heike Held is from the picturesque Salzkammergut region of Austria. She moved to the UK in November 2009 and immediately found a post as project manager with Balthasar Ltd. Her business qualifications and commercial background aided her tremendously in her role. Heike...
ATC – Association of Translation Companies – Defining Standards of Excellence
During our last ISO17100 certification procedure, our auditor mentioned that it might be beneficial for us to become members of the ATC. Not only because he, as an auditor, was transferring to the ATC ISO Certification Service, but also because he thought we could...
The best of both worlds – how working from home has been transformed by new technologies
In 2016, I decided to move from the UK to Germany for family reasons, but was reluctant to give up a job that I loved. Fortunately, Balthasar lived up to its reputation as an insightful and forward-thinking employer, and invested in me so that I could continue to work...
Balthasar team meet with Stiebel Eltron at the ISH 2017
ISH 2017 - a brilliant opportunity to meet long standing customers, discuss the technology and how we can work together to raise quality standards and efficiencies. Balthasar's senior translator Emma Pielen and Frank Haibach from STE discuss the HVAC sector and its...
The Outlook Auto-Complete function – a blessing or a curse?
Ever been under pressure and sent that sensitive email to the wrong person through the “helpful” Outlook Auto-Complete function? You are not alone! Most of us realise the mistake just a few seconds after we have clicked “send”. Of course, you can turn off this...
Silvana Pezzica – on working with Balthasar
I have been working as a freelancer translator for more than 25 years, here in Carrara, Italy. I started as a translator as soon as I graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature (German, English) from the University of Pisa. Since then I have been working in...
One year with Balthasar Ltd
Carrie Baird and Hayley Cook have just celebrated their first year with Balthasar. As a company we have an excellent staff retention rate – and our customers stick with us too! Carrie keeps our accounts up to date; prepares files for translation; carries out DTP work...
Peter Baldus celebrates his birthday with the team
Peter Baldus established Balthasar Ltd in the year 2000. Now formally retired he is still helps out occasionally, like during the frantic period leading up to the Frankfurt ISH! Peter has set quite a few records in the past, more than 6500 words translation in a day...
Balthasar attends Launch of Chamber Business Manifesto 2017
The modern offices of the Bosch Group in Worcester hosted the launch of the Hereford and Worcester Chamber 2017 Business Manifesto on Friday 3rd February. It was a packed event, and Balthasar MD, Heike Held, and Director, Julie Baldus, were very happy to attend. The...
Nichola Elsworth joins the Board of Directors
In December 2016, I was asked if I would like to be on the Board of Directors for Balthasar. The opportunity came as a bit of a surprise and felt like a huge compliment, especially as I feel extremely fortunate that I have found my dream career. I love working in the...
SDL Roadshow November 2016 – detailed review
On 1st November, Heike Held and Nikki Elsworth travelled to London for the day to attend this year’s SDL Roadshow. The event held by SDL happens every year and as well as promoting new products, gives a great opportunity for learning more about the industry, the...
MSC Associates helps Balthasar claim R&D tax relief
The Women’s Business Forum organised by the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce and Thorne Widgery opened up a wonderful opportunity for technical translations agency, Balthasar Ltd. At the networking event on the 8th December 2015 held at Thorne...
Balthasar welcomes new director
The board of directors is delighted to announce that Mr Samuel Baldus has accepted the position of Technical Director of Balthasar Ltd as of the 29th June. Sam has done amazing things for the company over the last few years such as integrating our in-house CMS...
Ross Means Business EXPO
On Tuesday 12th July, Julie Baldus and Heike Held attended the Ross Means Business EXPO at the Chase Hotel in Ross on Wye. The venue was free to attend and the Balthasar team found many interesting companies to talk to. The federation of small businesses was there and...
Peter Baldus – ISO17100 certification
When the EN 15038 standard for language service providers was introduced, Balthasar Ltd was amongst the first three in the UK to be awarded that particular accreditation. The relevant authorities have now determined that language service providers should be certified...
Is cutting and pasting wasting your time?
Are you still cutting text from your document putting it into Word or Excel, having it translated, and then pasting it back in again? If so, then you are aware of how problematic and time-consuming it can be! Did you know that all of this is unnecessary? Modern DTP...
New exhibition stands for Balthasar
In March this year Julie Baldus was fortunate enough to win £500 worth of design time from the brilliant Stilo Design and Branding studio. Now Ian has delivered our exhibition stands on time as scheduled and the team at Balthasar are delighted with them. Working with...
Heike Held becomes Managing Director of Balthasar Ltd
On Friday the 4th of March our Sales Director Heike Held, took over the reins as Managing Director of Balthasar Ltd. Emma Pielen, who has done such a fantastic job in the post for the last three years, is standing down because she and her young family would like to...
New Online Ordering System
As part of our continuing effort to improve our services, we have developed a new online ordering system. It has been designed to reduce workload – and to raise quality and consistency standards even further. By logging onto the Balthasar ordering system, customers...
Company Outing – Hellens Manor
On Sunday 9th August, the Balthasar team enjoyed a little bit of local history and culture on a company outing to Hellen’s manor in Herefordshire. The afternoon commenced with a picnic on the grounds of the manor house and then with a tour of the house, allowing team...
Balthasar – a brief history
Balthasar Limited was founded in October 2000 by Peter and Julie Baldus. Peter had been a freelance translator since 1983, working for various agencies and end-customers, including the British Home Office and the DTI. Balthasar has since specialised primarily in the...
Mindfulness training for Balthasar team
In January of this year, MD Emma Pielen invited Ruth Worgan, a counsellor and mindfulness teacher, to come and talk to the staff about mindfulness and how it can help to alleviate stress. After the talk the staff expressed an interest in taking part in a four-week...
Heike Held on visiting customers in Germany
Several times a year, we take the time to visit our customers on their home ground. So at the end of May, Emma Pielen (our MD) and I duly packed our bags and headed to Germany, where we were able to meet up with some of our business partners. Nowadays, all projects...
Heike Held and Emma Pielen give presentation on effective project management
How many words can a translator manage in a day, what factors in the source text affect this, and what do translators actually do? Why is it important to reach agreements with the translator and what should be agreed in advance? Do I need translation, proofreading in...
Emma Pielen becomes member of the ITI
Emma Pielen recently passed an important translation examination to become an ‘MITI’ – a qualified member of the Institute of Translation & Interpreting (www.iti.org.uk). All staff at Balthasar are encouraged to take an active part in their own career development...
Melanie Germaney – my first week at Balthasar
My name is Melanie Germaney, I am the new Project administrator here at Balthasar. I studied German Literature and Language at University and taught English as a foreign language for a year in a little village in Sachsen-Anhalt. Since leaving University, I have had...
Balthasar team attend TriKonf 2013
MD Emma Pielen and Sales Manager, Heike Held, and spent an exhilarating few days in Freiburg in October attending the very first instance of a new translator conference – TriKonf 2013 (www.trikonf.com). The programme for the conference was absolutely packed with a...
Balthasar hosts visit from Stiebel Eltron
This September we were delighted to welcome two visitors from Stiebel Eltron to our offices in Ross-on-Wye. Balthasar has provided language services to this innovative company for over ten years, translating their technical and marketing documentation into over 20...
Emma Pielen Profile
Emma Pielen graduated in 2003 with a First Class Honours Degree in German, French and Linguistics from the University of York. She then trained to teach English as a Foreign Language before travelling and working in various countries including Japan and Germany....