Editorial

When we first heard about the innovative concept behind My Friend in Spain we knew instantly that this new type of translation service would be well received by expats living in Spain and also very useful for people traveling to Spain on holidays too.

Spain is an amazing place to live but not everyone picks up the language easily, even those who have been living here for years can still struggle with technical or very specific translations.

My Friend in Spain is a 24 hour instant telephone translation service, you do not need to book an appointment and they are there when you need them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on the other end of the phone.

How often have you been in a situation where having a translator you could call 24/7 would have been an advantage, I know I can think of many.

You can use My Friend in Spain for translations in multiple languages not just Spanish, they also translate in German and French too with other languages coming soon.

The translation service is offered via a premium rate phone line which means you will never pay for more time than you need and at a maximin cost of 1,57€  per minute, the calls work out very cost effective.

All of the translators are trained to deal with your call quickly and efficiently without any time wasting and you don't need to worry about transferring fees or paying invoices.
 

Martin Ducos is the founder of My Friend in Spain. Martin grew up speaking both English and French fluently and after moving to Spain 13 years ago he soon picked up the Spanish language too.

Due to his language skills and his desire to help people he often found himself assisting friends who needed a translator, more often that not, these translations were over the phone, he was happy to help and found that these translations were invariably quick and easy for him to do but of great help to his friends.

Martin wasn't always available to help his friends due to work commitments and he always felt terrible when he wasn't able to help, he wondered what other people did in these situations, not everyone had a friend like Martin and you couldn't always hire a translator at short notice. Of course we have Google translate but have you tried having a real time conversation using it? a lot can get lost in translation, believe me.

Martin started to realise there was a need for a new type of translation service, it needed to be instant whilst retaining the human touch and utilising todays technology, soon Martin had a vision growing and in time My friend in Spain was launched.
.

How many times have you thought I wish I had a Spanish speaking friend with me?

I know I have, quite often, last year my now husband & I got married, we chose a traditional Spanish venue in a beautiful old casa, it was amazing but the owner didn't speak any English and my Spanish still isn't great, we also had to converse with caterers and the brewery, we got there in the end, but it was difficult and time consuming, if My friend in Spain had been around then I know would have used them countless times just for my wedding alone.

Imagine you are having building work completed on your house, you need to explain your requirements to your tradesperson but the language barrier is causing issues, you cant risk having anything lost in translation, so you call My friend in Spain, within minutes you will everything explained and you and your tradesperson will feel at ease getting the works underway

How often have you needed to pop to the doctors, maybe wanting to make an appointment or request test results but have been unable to do so without a translator, it isn't always possible to get a translator at short notice and it definitely isn't cost effective for only a short translation, with My friend in Spain you will only pay for as long as you need, for a 3 minute call you would only pay €3.63.

My friend in Spain can bring clarity to any situation...over the phone, in an instant...
 
Whether you need to talk to;
​
Doctor, Dentist, Police, Guardia Civil, Plumber, Builder, Electrician, Mechanic, Taxi Driver, Waiter/ess, Neighbour, Buying a car or large technical item...
 
The list is endless, you can call My friend in Spain in any situation needing a real time direct interpretation by a real person.
 

First you will hear a short burst of Spanish which is a legal requirement, simply informing you that you are calling a number with additional charges (1,21€/1,57€ total cost per minute.)
​
Immediately after this there is a 3 choice menu:
(kept as short as possible whilst still giving enough information so that everyone can understand the relevant part!)
​
1 - One Uno English Inglés
​
2 - Deux Dos Français Francés
​
3 - Drei Tres Deutsch Alemán
​
Select your language at any moment then stay on the line to be connected directly to your Spanish speaking interpreter.

Once you are connected to your interpreter, ask away, explain who you need them to talk with on your behalf and what you need to know. 

My friend in Spain will help you either on hands-free or by passing the phone between you and the other person and their telephone interpreter will soon have you both nodding in satisfied comprehension!
​
Their friendly interpreters will listen to one person then repeat what they have said to the other person, translating into the other language as they go. This technique is called Consecutive Interpretation.
​
It is best for quick conversations, 2-5 minutes on average, this will only cost 3-8€ from a mobile and so is much cheaper than having someone there with you for these smaller tasks.
​
(If you have a longer meeting or in-depth consultation, we recommend you take an on-site interpreter as you may find it more comfortable - not to mention more economical, for these longer periods of time.)

And its as simple as that, within minutes your translation will be complete and you can get on with enjoying your day

 

 

 

 

sign up here for the the My friend in Spain Newsletter