3/9/2005 Translation:success: Betmar Languages' mother-daughter team
Kelly Westhoff
Although globalization has become a hot-button political issue, state agencies, school boards, employers and advertising agencies are scrambling to communicate with those who don't speak English. Betmar Languages, a translation company in Fridley, helps agencies and corporations weather the communication divide with more than 300 translators covering 70 languages.
Beth Loo and her mother, Mary Ingaldson, founded Betmar Languages in 1985 at a time when translation service weren't yet in high demand. "When we started in '85 there were probably three translation companies in the phone book. Now Š well, there are a lot," said Loo.
The company moniker is a combination of their two first names, and perhaps an indicator of the specific skills each brings to the business. Loo studied languages and cultures; Ingaldson was a banker for many years.
Betmar has built its reputation on cultural literacy, said Loo. Betmar requires translators be native speakers. Most have college degrees. Each has an area of specialization—some specialize in translating creative marketing materials, others specialize in translating technical manuals.
"We are on the forefront of technology in the industry and we really try to educate our clients about diversity and translating," Loo explained. "And we check all of our translations to make sure they are valid with a panel of native speakers, with community members."
Betmar has translated everything from marketing materials to benefits packages to safety videos for some of the state's largest companies, including Cargill, Thermo King and Hennepin County Medical Center. It has developed diversity training for schools and corporations, provided interpreters for court proceedings and translated standardized tests for school districts.
Loo rattled off a list of languages Betmar commonly deals in: "Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Kamer, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic, Oromo, Laotian, Croatian, Japanese, Chinese, German, French, Korean."
"Most people have no clue about translations," she said. "They think if there are 10 words in English, there should be 10 words in Spanish. But it just doesn't work that way. Translation is a complicated, complex thing."
"It's not the same thing at all—being bilingual and being a good translator," she explained. "They are two different things. If you need someone to write copy for you, you need someone with skills in the English language, not a doctor. You need someone who can understand a message and turn that into clear, effective copy, someone who understands words—their nuances and usage, someone who understands idioms and culture."
The world beyond Fridley
Loo grew up in Fridley in a solid Scandinavian family. Yet the world beckoned just beyond her snug suburban door. A nearby neighborhood family was Chinese. Loo's own family hosted foreign exchange students from Bolivia and Australia. Loo was a dedicated German student determined to master the language and spend a year as an exchange student in a German home.
Yet when Rotary accepted her as an exchange student candidate in 1974, Germany wasn't an option. Instead, Loo took a chance on Japan. "I thought 'This is an opportunity I might never have again to go to Asia,'" she explained. "I remember my ticket cost a thousand dollars and I paid for it myself. I worked and saved my money. I earned $1.80 an hour."
High-school German class hadn't prepared her for Japan. "I spoke no Japanese when I got off the plane," she remembered. "I made so many social faux paus that I never understood. I hate to think of how many things I did that were inappropriate."
After she returned home, she earned a degree in Japanese and English from the University of Minnesota. She married a man of Chinese descent and started a family. Living as a biracial couple helped Loo retain her hard-learned lessons of cultural sensitivity.
In the beginning, Ingaldson and Loo shied away from telling clients they were a mother-daughter team, but it's no longer a secret. Instead, as they prepare to celebrate Betmar's 20th anniversary, Ingaldson and Loo are more interested in the base they have built together and where it may take them in the future.
"This has just been a great ride," said Loo. "I meet so many fabulous, interesting people and the projects are always varied. You just never know what's coming down the pipe here."
PDA Dates - March
Thursday 3/10
Legal information for LBT women
An attorney with experience in lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues talks on property ownership, joint finances, wills, beneficiary designation and protecting your children. 6-8 p.m. Chrysalis, 4432 Chicago Ave. S., Mpls. $25/$45 couples; scholarships available. FFI: 612-871-0118, option 2.
Taking the pulse on women's health
The 2005 Joint Dinner of Women's Professional Associations panel discussion, "Taking the Pulse on Women's Health and Health Care Issues." Moderated by Mary Brainerd, president and CEO of HealthPartners. Proceeds to benefit Women's Foundation of Minnesota. 5 p.m. registration and reception, 6:45 dinner, 7:15 program. Metropolitan Ballroom, Hwy. 100 & 394. $60/$50 member of a sponsoring organization. Scholarships available. FFI: 612-338-3205.
Thursday 3/17
Pamela Thomas-Graham at Hamline
President and CEO of CNBC Pamela Thomas-Graham is the featured speaker at Hamline's "Law and Leadership" lecture series. 11 a.m. Klas Center, Kay Fredericks Room, 1537 Taylor Ave., St. Paul. Free. FFI: www.hamline.edu.
Sunday 3/20
25 years of Weekend College
The College of St. Catherine celebrates the 25th anniversary of Weekend College. Alumni are invited to share their stories.11:30 a.m.- 2 p.m., Henrietta Schmoll Rauenhorst Hall in Coeur de Catherine, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul. $15 includes a brunch buffet. Register at www.stkate.edu/wec-reunion or call 651-690-6819.
