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Clare Suttie

Director

Clare Suttie

Here’s the Tea

Clare Suttie, Director here at Atlas Translations, leads her exceptional team from the front. She is still as involved in the day-to-day work at Atlas Translations as she was when she founded the company in 1991. Her ethos is to always offer a personal, quality-oriented service to each client while also building strong relationships with the translators and interpreters working with Atlas.

Clare has a knack for finding the right people with the right skills at the right time. It’s one of the many reasons Atlas Translations has become such a success. Clare’s team of talented translators, linguists, and project managers bridges the language divide; from Afrikaans to Zhuang, they make communication happen.

In addition to running Atlas Translations, Clare runs a family, which she would argue is far more demanding. Based in Devon, Clare’s family includes one husband, three children, four chickens, and a generous number of cats.

Clare has never knowingly turned down a cup of tea and certainly does her shift in tea-making duties for all the staff.

Clare’s passion for her work is heard in her comments:

“Can you afford translation? Can you afford not to attract more customers from other countries? Import, export, service, legal, websites, contracts… right down to the labels telling you how to wash your clothes. Language is everywhere and if you don’t look to overseas markets you are missing out. And it’s not just the written word – interpreters will smooth the way at meetings, and voice-overs and subtitles can help with opening existing videos on your website to a whole new market.

We work with a massive variety of clients, built up over the last 30 years. Large and small, all with different stories to tell in many languages. I’m sure we can help you.”

Lucky for us all here at Atlas, Clare is a strong believer in having a good work/life balance. In July 2019, she introduced a four-day working week for all staff, and it’s been an absolute hit!

More tea, please!

Clare set up the St Albans Polar Bear Plunge in 2016 and ran it four times, raising over £25,000 for local charities. In 2020, she handed it over to one of her favourite charities, EarthWorks St Albans.

 

polar bear plunge and earthworks logo

Click on the logo to watch the BBC News video about the Polar Bear Plunge

Clare then decided on a (slightly) warmer fundraising project—yarnbombing the postboxes of St Albans and the surrounding area. You can find out about her incredible team and the £100,000 they’ve raised so far for local charities at www.stalbanspostboxes.org.uk.

In October 2021, the postboxes of East Devon joined in on the fun. You can read more about them at www.mailtrail.org.uk.

Did someone mention tea?

Clare was the Corporate Representative on the Board of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) from 2013 to 2020. She invests her time and expertise in promoting the translation and interpreting profession with talks, webinars and training courses.

You can find the latest issue and more about this fantastic membership organisation for every stage of a professional translator and interpreter career here: www.iti.org.uk.

An avid poster on LinkedIn and Instagram, Clare offers advice and help to translators and interpreters at all stages of their careers.

Clare has also teamed up with Olivia Morton, MA MITI MCIL CL DipTrans, a freelance translator, to form Team OC, which offers bespoke training and consultancy for translators.

Time For Social Tea!

Feel free to connect with Clare on LinkedIn. She regularly posts some very useful industry-related bits and pieces.

Understandably, photos of her chickens are also very popular.

If you would like to work with Atlas Translations as a freelance supplier, you can find out more information here.

Thank you for your kindness, help, and prompt efficient service.

Jean Zambrana (feedback for Charlie)

Just wanted to say that it was a pleasure to work with you and hopefully we will liaise again in the future. Top man!

Mirela Watson (feedback for Jim)

Clare’s review of my CV was incredibly helpful, thorough, and added a lot of value to it. She also gave a good look at my LinkedIn profile and website, pointing out their strengths and weaknesses, from the point of view of an experienced professional who runs a successful LSP. And she did all that while raising funds for the Fairlynch Museum! I am very grateful for Clare’s comments and a huge admirer of the work she does helping translators and her community. Thank you, Clare!

Claudia Torres (feedback for Clare – CV Clinic)

I highly recommend Atlas translations. James turned around a complicated set of legal translations quickly and professionally. Excellent service at a reasonable cost.

Chloe Dawes (James)

I highly recommend Atlas Translations. They helped me out with the translation of tax documents. They provide a quick and reliable service. And I would 100 % use them again next time I need a document translated. Special thanks to Stefania who has been of great help.

Chiara (feedback for Steffi)

ISO 17100 – ISO 17100:2017 for Translation Services (since this standard began, in 2008, externally audited annually).
Mindful employer

Mindful Employer Plus – As a Charter member, our team have access to an Employee Assistance Program with 24/7/365 support, as we work toward achieving better mental health at work.
Federation of Small Businesses and the Self-Employed

A proud member of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), a dynamic and inclusive not-for-profit membership organisation. FSB is dedicated to supporting and empowering small businesses across the UK and is committed to fostering an environment where entrepreneurs can thrive, innovate, and succeed.

Atlas Translations has been accredited by the Fair Tax Foundation since February 2024. The Fair Tax Foundation is a not-for-profit social enterprise developed by a team of tax justice, corporate responsibility, and ethical consumer experts. It was launched in 2014.

We’ve been registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) since 2004. Go to https://ico.org.uk/ for more information.

We hold a full membership in the Association of British HealthTech Industries. The ABHI supports the HealthTech community by providing products and services that help people live healthier lives. As the voice of the industry, we show the value of health technology and overcome barriers to people benefitting from it now and in the future.

Certified since 2003, externally audited annually. ISO 9001:2015 is the international standard for Quality Management Systems (QMS), applicable across all sectors. ISO 9001 provides a framework to respond to changing quality requirements in line with changing demands across society, economics and the environment.
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Disability Confident Committed is creating a movement of change, encouraging employers like ourselves to think differently about disability and take action to improve how we recruit, retain, and develop disabled people. Being a DCC employer is a unique opportunity to lead the way in our community and show that we’re a disability inclusive employer.

Corporate membership of the ITI (Institute of Translation and Interpreting) since 1994. Corporate Member of the Year 2021. ITI is the only UK-based independent professional membership association for practising translators, interpreters and all those involved in the language services sector.

CIEP: We’ve held Corporate membership Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading since 1993. CIEP are an international membership organisation that offers training and community for editorial professionals (copy editors and proofreaders) while helping members develop business confidence.

ATC: We hold full membership with the Association of Translation Companies, a trade association representing the interests of language service companies in the UK and internationally. It is the leading voice for companies operating in the UK’s language services industry.

Living Wage Employer: As a living wage employer, we believe our staff deserve a wage which meets every day needs. The Living Wage Foundation has a mission to encourage employers to play their part in tackling in-work and post-work poverty and provide a decent standard of living by paying the real Living Wage, adopting Living Hours and Living Pensions as well as wider good employment practices.
4-day week

Proudly a 4-Day Week Employer since 2019. Amongst other items, the 4-Day Week initiative calls for a reduction to the maximum working week from 48 hours per week to 32 hours per week by 2030.

 
GBC_Accredited_Logo

A member of the Good Business Charter since 2022. The GBC is a simple accreditation that organisations of all sizes in the UK can apply for in recognition of responsible business practices.
PIF

We’re a proud member of the Patient Information Forum (PIF), a membership organisation for anyone producing health information and support. PIF promote access to trusted, evidence-based health information for patients, carers, the public and healthcare professionals.

The Fair Payment Code (FPC) sets standards for best payment practices and is administered by the Small Business Commissioner on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The Gold Award is awarded to those paying at least 95% of all invoices within 30 days.