Designed from the outset as a foreign language adaptation service and not a simple translation agency, Ursula Grüber Communication Internationale is the world's first specialist in the field. With over 20 years' experience in adapting press, outdoor and TV campaigns, direct marketing campaigns, brochures, leaflets, POS and PR material, the agency offers copywriter-quality copy in some 30 languages.

Ursula Grüber originated the multilingual adaptation concept to serve advertisers and agencies looking for a more professional approach to their translation needs. She started from the principle that only genuine advertising copywriters can provide a translation that has all the freshness and impact of the original text. She also believed that only copywriters living and working in their own country can be sufficiently aware of local economic, linguistic and cultural trends.

Today, the Ursula Grüber agency has a worldwide network of 250 writers and technical experts, all of them briefed and piloted by a team of international project managers based in Paris.

Interaction is at the heart of the agency's processes. The copy adapted by one copywriter is systematically checked and edited by a second writer. In the case of technical copy, writers are assisted by an expert (specialised translator, engineer, consultant, etc.) who can provide them with the terminology and information they need. When adapting very creative headlines or taglines, the writers in the various countries exchange and share ideas. And finally, at the end of the process, proofs are read by at least two people per language, for extra security.

Specialisation is a key consideration when selecting the writing teams for a particular project. Writers are chosen according to their experience in the medium concerned: direct marketing, above-the-line, TV advertising, sales promotion, press releases, e-marketing, etc. - and also for their familiarity with the channel of communication and the sector: B to B, consumer, industrial advertising, high tech, travel, automobile, luxury, financial, and so on.

Liaison with the client's local subsidiaries for copy approval is another facet of our service. This liaison, implemented only at the client's request, plays a valuable role in gaining acceptance of a global campaign at the local level. At the outset of the project, the marketing managers in each subsidiary read the copy in its original form, and inform the writers of any points which demand particular attention from a local market viewpoint. The writers translate the copy and submit it to the respective marketing managers. These managers then pass on their comments or requests to the writers, discussions take place, information is exchanged, after which writers make their final draft and the subsidiaries sign it off. The liaison stage has proved to be a real ice-breaker in the adaptation process, helping to create goodwill for a global campaign in sometimes widely differing markets, while giving the writers a heightened awareness of local conditions.

Ursula Grüber's clients reflect every kind of requirement: from the multinational group of advertising agencies seeking centralised coordination of an 18-language press and TV campaign, to a national manufacturer preparing a one-language brochure to reach his first export market. Whatever the request, the agency's aim is the same: to help our clients build a strong, consistent image across national borders.

Among our clients: Accor, Cofiroute, Euro Disney S.C.A., Hilton International, Kimberly-Clark, Moët & Chandon, RCI Europe, Sony, Xerox OPB, BDDP, Grey, Lowe, Lintas & Partners, McCann Erickson, Publicis, Young & Rubicam.

For more information, please see our web site at: www.ursulagruber.com
or contact Judith Harris, International Director: judith.harris@ursulagruber.com