Latest from the blog

Posted on28 March 2018

Fran Meets World | April Fool’s Day

April Fools

With April Fool’s just around the corner, we thought we’d take a look back at a blog written by Francesca back in 2016, looking at various customs, and how they differ in other countries. Please note that the Atlas office will be closed on Friday 30th March and Monday 2nd April for the Easter break. We’ll be open as usual from the 3rd. Happy Easter! 

In many countries (such as the UK) the 1st of April is also known as April Fool’s Day. In other countries, like France and Italy the 1st April is known as April’s Fish. A bit strange, I know and it seems very hard to find where the fish tradition comes from. Historians just don’t seem to know and if you read up on it, you’ll come across many different explanations of origins and legends. The main account which seems the most plausible says that April fool’s started when the calendar changed from the Julian to the Gregorian and people got confused and kept celebrating New Year’s in April and not on the 1st January, but I am still none the wiser why we call it April’s Fish…

In Italy we are obsessed with the idea of the fish and we use it in a lot of our sayings. One of my favourite expressions translates literally as “throwing fish in someone’s face”. This is meant in a nice way, and not in the ‘Mafia’ way as they were keener on people sleeping with the fishes. I always wondered where they got the famous expression used in the Godfather, as funnily enough we don’t use this expression in Italy (but we have plenty more where fish are involved). Then again, ‘sleeping with the fishes’ could be a more common saying within some less respectful families!

I prefer eating the fish really, sometimes swimming with them, unless they are big barracudas and then absolutely not, as they have teeth – big teeth! Fish shouldn’t have teeth, but neither should they be as cute as Nemo or I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy my fish supper! I like my fish a happy medium of ugliness.

The moral of all this is, is that if you happen to travel to Italy and you don’t speak the language very well, be mindful when they talk to you about fish. Are they saying you are going to eat the fish, swim with the fish, or will you be sleeping with them…it could be a matter of life and death!

Happy April Fool’s, April’s Fish

Save

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.
Logo

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.