Business decision-makers come up with all kinds of excuses for not hiring professional translators.

Many see the benefits of using a professional service, but believe they can save time and money by using free online translation tools instead. Or, worse, by delegating to unqualified, inexperienced colleagues.

As a freelance sports translator, I’ve heard just about every excuse there is. And you know what? None of them add up. Here are five of the classics.

1. Dave in HR knows a bit of French. We’ll just ask him if we ever need translations

I’m sure Dave does fine with his high-school French when he’s on holiday. But does that really qualify him to translate complex business documents? And wouldn’t his time be better spent writing that urgent report that’s due first thing tomorrow morning?

Dave probably also has a GCSE in maths, but you wouldn’t allow him to handle your company’s tax affairs. You would, of course, hire a trained accountant. So let him get on with what he’s paid to do, and leave translation to experienced, qualified professionals who really know what they’re doing.

2. Professional translation is expensive and we can’t afford it

It’s true: good translations aren’t cheap. But can you really afford not to use a professional service? Just one bad translation can turn your customers against you, damage your reputation and, if it’s particularly awful, land you in legal trouble.

Cheap shortcuts always come at a price, and it’s worth remembering that it usually costs more to patch up a rotten translation than it does to get the job done properly the first time around.

3. We don’t need to pay for translations – we’ve got Google Translate

Google Translate and other free translation tools are great if all you need is the general gist of a text. For business purposes, however, relying on such tools is a dangerous idea. The results can range from incoherent and misleading to bizarre and, in some cases, outright offensive.

Imagine you’re designing a new website for your company. Would you be happy to fill it with English copy that was incomprehensible, full of mistakes and likely to offend your customers?

Of course you wouldn’t. So why should that kind of content be good enough for your foreign clients?

4. Everyone understands English, so translations are a waste of money

“If I’m selling to you, I speak your language. If I’m buying, dann müssen Sie Deutsch sprechen.”
Willy Brandt, former German chancellor

It’s actually thought that around 75% of the world’s population speaks no English at all. Many people know the odd word, but it takes a lot more than that to be able to navigate a commercial website, or to understand pages of complex terms and conditions.

When you go shopping for new products or services, I imagine you like to be able to make informed choices, with clear information written in language you understand. Well, your foreign customers are no different.

Offering high-quality translated content shows that you value and respect your foreign customers, and makes prospective clients more likely to buy from you. And remember: if you can’t provide the information they need, they’re only ever a click away from one of your competitors that can.

5. We just don’t need translations

It may be that you have a product or service that will only ever succeed in your domestic market. Still, in an industry that’s as global and all-embracing as sport, I believe that even the most niche offering can benefit from professional translation.

Multilingual websites, press releases and brochures all help to draw in new customers, increase your profits and extend your global reach in a way that your ‘monolingual’ rivals could only dream of.

So, think twice next time you’re tempted to use any of these excuses. If you treat translation as a positive investment rather than an avoidable expense, you’ll find that the rewards for your business can be great.

Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has revealed that he nearly took over at Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain after leaving Chelsea in 2007.

In an interview with l’Equipe, the Portuguese coach said his concerns about the standard of football in France’s top flight were behind his decision to snub PSG in favour of Italian giants Inter Milan.

“Yes, yes”, Mourinho said when asked if he had been close to signing a deal with the two-time French champions.

“I don’t know [why I didn’t join PSG]. Perhaps because I felt that England, Spain and Italy have stronger leagues, and that you should spend the best years of your career working where the challenge is greatest.”

Mourinho expressed his surprise at PSG’s recent lack of success on the European stage, asking:  “When was the last time PSG played in the Champions League? 2004?”

“It’s an unbelievable situation for a city that loves football so much and has so many immigrants, from Portugal and elsewhere”.

The double Champions League winner added that he would have been happy to relocate his family to Paris, and stressed that he turned down the opportunity for football reasons alone.

“When I choose my clubs, my main concern is my family and finding them a nice city so that they feel happy,” he explained.

“So far we’ve lived in London, Milan and Madrid. Clearly, Paris falls under the same category. The only problem is the standard of football.”

(Quotes taken from France Football)

Renault driver Nick Heidfeld says he is looking forward to the 2011 Formula One season and expects his team to be fighting for the podium from the very first race.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Heidfeld – who is standing in for the injured Robert Kubica – also urged fans to see Renault’s sleek new R31 car up close.

“It’s always a pleasure to come to Australia,” Yahoo! Sport France quoted the 33-year-old as saying.

“I’d even say it’s my favourite stop on the calendar because the people are always nice and there’s a very friendly atmosphere.”

“I think our car is quick, but like every team we had our share of problems in testing, particularly in terms of reliability,” the German driver explained.

“We have an idea [of the competitiveness of the R31], but nobody knows exactly where we stand. The performance is there and, if everything works well, we hope to be able to challenge for podiums from the start of the season”.

Of the R31’s much vaunted good looks, Heidfeld added: “The car is stunning”.

“I know it’s very subjective, but you really have to see the R31 in the metal.”

Former Brazil striker Ronaldo has given his first interview to the Spanish media since announcing his retirement from football back in February.

Speaking to AS, the three-time FIFA World Player of the Year shared his thoughts on life after football, his greatest goals and where his Spanish football loyalties lie.

(Selected extracts from the interview)

Has your life changed much since you stopped playing?

Yes, because I’ve spent my whole life playing football and being in the spotlight. It’s not going to be like that anymore, and that’s what I’m really going to miss.

You broke down in tears during your farewell press conference. Was there a lot going through your mind?

It was very hard for me. I didn’t play many matches last season because I had a lot of injuries. Small but niggling injuries. I trained quite well this season, but I got injured again and I was constantly playing with knocks. I was a bit fed up with suffering and not being fit enough to make a difference on the pitch. Mentally I felt fine, I thought I still had the same pace but when I tried to dribble I couldn’t beat my man. It was tough because that had been my life.

Professional football takes its toll, would you agree?

It’s too demanding. It’s left my knees in an awful state. I go to lots of meetings these days and I see directors sitting with their legs crossed, but I can’t even bend mine.

Does it feel strange now that you’re no longer training, and that you’re not there with the rest of the squad on match days?

The first week after I quit football, I tried to go to the gym three times to do a bit of exercise but at the last minute I decided to lie down on the sofa instead. I thought to myself, “I’ve already done a lot of training in my lifetime”. Two months have passed and I still haven’t done a single training session. I will of course train again, though, as I’m a sportsman.

Would you rate your goal against Compostela as your best?

It was unbelievable, one of my best. It was my most famous goal in Spain, but I have fond memories of other goals and dribbles. I scored one after 14 seconds against Atlético [de Madrid]. I was in a bit of a rush that day…

Is your heart whiter than it is blue and red?

Yes, absolutely. My relationship with Madrid was one of respect so of course I have a great fondness for the club.

What do you think of Barcelona?

I was only there for a year and it was amazing. But things turned sour with [then Barça president Josep Lluís] Núñez, who went back on his word and I moved to Inter. The current team play spectacular football – their touch, the way they play together. And they have a certain little player who can do a thing or two…

Despite losing to world number one Caroline Wozniacki in the final of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, France’s Marion Bartoli says her performance ranks among the very best in her career.

“The first set aside, I think I played one of the best matches of my life,” Bartoli told Le Parisien after her 6-1 2-6 6-3 defeat on Sunday.

“I finished the match with my head held high. If I could play like that all year, I’d be happy.”

Bartoli has jumped seven places to 10^th in the WTA rankings thanks to her performance at Indian Wells. However, the French number one believes she is capable of climbing even higher.

“If I can carry on playing like that, I think I can climb even further up the WTA rankings,” she said.

“It’s important for me because one of my biggest goals this season is to make the Masters at the end of the year.”

“I’m obviously disappointed not to have won, having put in so much effort. But there are loads of positives to take from the match so I won’t be giving myself a hard time over it,” she added.

Bartoli’s next stop on the WTA tour is the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, and she goes into the tournament as the 15th seed.

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has played down suggestions that his side have been handed the easiest draw in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

Barca will play rank outsiders Shakhtar Donetsk over two legs in April for a place in the semis, but Guardiola is wary of underestimating the reigning Ukranian champions.

“We know Shakhtar and they know us,” Spanish broadcaster RTVE quoted Guardiola as saying.

“We’ve been involved in some very tight matches with them. Physically they’re a very strong team and they’ve got experienced players.”

“We’ll have to earn the right to be in the semi-finals. Shakhtar play very good football and they gave us a lot of surprises in our first match over there [UCL 2008/9, Barca won 1-2].”

Despite their very clear underdog status, Guardiola is convinced Shakhtar will provide tough opposition. “They don’t have a huge reputation or as much history as other clubs, but they have had a great Champions League campaign and they’ll make us work for it,” he said.

“They’re physically very strong. They’ve got four good young Brazilian players and an experienced, wily old manager.”

Barca face a tricky away trip to Shakhtar’s Donbass Arena in the second leg, and Guardiola believes his men will have to be at their best if they are to progress.

“We have to play well in both matches. Playing the second leg away is a disadvantage, but that’s how the draw went and that’s what you get in Europe,” he added.

“We’ll try to handle it as best as we can and hope we can get through.”

French 18^th seed Richard Gasquet is through to the quarter-finals at Indian Wells after beating America’s Andy Roddick 6-3 7-6 in the last 16.

Gasquet now has the intimidating prospect of facing third seed Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. However, the 24-year-old is confident of causing an upset if he can replicate the form he showed against Roddick.

“I felt really confident with my backhand and that was the key to the match,” Le Parisien quoted Gasquet as saying.

“I played my own game, hitting deep with a lot of topspin. I was in control of the match for a set and a half, but I knew [Andy] Roddick would fight until the death – especially here in the USA.”

“It feels good to beat him on Centre Court in a tournament where, until now, I’d never made it beyond the last 16.”

Of his quarter-final opponent, Gasquet added: “Djokovic is playing really well at the moment. He’s serving well, returning everything and both his backhand and forehand are great. He’s got it all”.

“Still, I know I can cause him a few problems if I play well. I’ve got nothing to lose and that’s often the best way to have a good match.”

Sports personalities and fans from around the globe have been showing their support for Barcelona’s Eric Abidal, after it was announced yesterday that the French defender had been diagnosed with a liver tumour.

Abidal will undergo surgery on Thursday that is likely to put him out of action until at least the end of the season. The 31-year-old met up with his Barcelona teammates earlier today and received their support and encouragement ahead of the operation.

Midfielder Xavi Hernández told a subsequent press conference that the news had hit Barça’s players hard. However, he added that Abidal appeared remarkably upbeat and said the left-back had the mental strength needed to overcome the illness.

“It’s a sad day for all of us after hearing the news,” Marca.com quoted Xavi as saying.

“These are difficult times for him and his family. He’s asked for privacy and we’ve all given him our best wishes. He’s a very strong person, mentally one of the toughest I know, and an example for everyone in the dressing room. He will get through it.”

Describing the meeting with Abidal, Xavi said: “We were all giving him encouragement and he was just the same as ever. That kind of attitude will really help him in overcoming the illness”.

“We were all surprised by how upbeat he was. He’s a model of mental toughness. He was in really good spirits; he told us that it’s just the way life goes, and that he’s looking on the bright side of things.”

Xavi described the news of Abidal’s illness as “the worst thing I’ve ever experienced in the dressing room,” but said he was confident it would have a unifying effect on the Barcelona squad.

“When you go through adverse situations as a group, it tends to make you stick together and that’s what we’re going to do. We’ll try to let it affect us as little as possible. Life goes on.”

Following his side’s humiliating 22-21 defeat to Italy in the Six Nations at the weekend, under-fire France coach Marc Lièvremont today said he was confident of remaining in charge beyond Saturday’s clash with Wales – regardless of the result.

Speaking at a press conference in Marcoussis, former France international Lièvremont denied that a poor performance against Wales would seal his fate and insisted he would not let thoughts of his own future interfere with his job.

Marc, do you think your future hinges on a win against Wales? (Sports.fr)

No, I don’t think so. Even during difficult periods – and this is one of them, with all the stress – I’ve never been interested in thinking about my own future.

I’m not here for the money or glory and that is not why I want to stay – even if I do consider myself to have a good salary.

Maybe one day our fortunes will change, the headlines will be a lot more flattering and my players will be on the front page instead of me.

On Monday, 48 hours after the match, I was already feeling determined and had a desire to move forward, to start thinking positively again. I’m not beating myself up and thinking, ‘I’m for the chop if things go badly on Saturday’. 

Lièvremont has already made sweeping changes to his squad ahead of the Wales match. Sébastian Chabal, Sylvain Marconnet and Jérôme Thion have all been dropped along with Clément Poitrenau, Yannick Jauzion and Aurélien Rougerie.

Alexandre Lapandry, Jérôme Schuster, Alexis Palisson, Fabrice Estebanez, David Marty and Pascal Papé have been called up as replacements.

After beating South Africa’s Rik de Voest in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Rafael Nadal said his opponent had been shakier than usual and that he did not need to be at his best to win the match.

“My opponent played a bit more nervously than usual. So it was one of those matches where I didn’t have to play my best tennis,” the Spaniard told Diario AS after his  6-0 6-2 victory.

“I can’t tell whether I really played well or not. I did what I had to do to win,” he added.

Elsewhere, former women’s world number one Dinara Safina has revealed that she came close to retiring from professional tennis earlier this year, after a string of injuries and a slump in form which culminated in a crushing first-round exit from the Australian Open.

“After losing in Australia, I went to Russia to play in the Fed Cup,” Marca.com quoted the 24-year-old Russian as saying.  “While I was there, I told my mum that I was going to retire and that I didn’t want to carry on feeling so bad.”

“It was tough because I love the sport. But when you’re struggling and the results aren’t going your way, you start to think about these things.”

Safina has since started working with a new coach and has shown flashes of her best form at Indian Wells. She faces Australian world number four Sam Stosur in the third round on Monday, having already beaten Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova and Mexican Open finalist Arantxa Parra Santonja earlier in the week.