Malay Translation Service

Instant Quote

• Doing business in Malaysia

  When doing business abroad, it’s important to consider cultural differences. Culture, and, in particular, business culture, can be significantly different from what we are used to. It is, therefore, sensible to know beforehand what those differences may be. The experts at our translation agency have compiled some tips about the business culture in this country.

  Malaysian society

  The Malaysian population is made up of various ethnic groups. Native Malaysians, called Malays or Bumiputras, make up the largest group. Members of this group fill most positions in government and state companies. Malays are Muslim, so it is sensible to take that into account and not offer alcohol as a gift.
  In the business world, you will often also come across Malaysians who have a Chinese background. You will notice that they are generally more direct than Malays and that they will get to the point faster. The same applies to Indian business people. Indians make up the smallest ethnic group in the population.

  Business meetings

  People generally observe largely unwritten rules about clothing in Malaysia. For men, it is common to wear a light, plain shirt with long sleeves and a tie, usually with a jacket. In any case, don’t go to a business meeting in short sleeves.
  A business meeting is usually also accompanied by food. When planning a meeting, put aside a lot of time and be prepared for a long overrun. Also, ensure you present and receive business cards with two hands. Gifts are not customary unless you are invited to someone’s home.

  The language

  Malaysia has two official languages, Malay (officially known as Bahasa Malaysia) and English, in the federal state of Sarawak. English is the most commonly spoken language in business, education, and law.
  You will generally be able to get pretty far with English alone, so a monolingual business card in English is sufficient. In certain circumstances, however, you may receive official documents or business information in Malay, or you may be expected to provide documents in that language. Our agency provides translations out of and into Malay for various documents such as legal, medical, and technical materials. Feel free to get in touch with us for more information.

• Doing business in Brunei

  Conducting business abroad often entails being confronted with cultural differences, which often become greater once you are outside Europe. It is therefore advisable to learn as much as possible about the customs and ways of doing things in the country where you will be doing business. Our agency has therefore provided you with some tips for doing business in Brunei.

  Getting to know each other

  Shaking hands in Brunei is very different from what we are used to in the UK and Europe. Men often shake hands, after which they place their hands on their hearts. Most people in Brunei don’t offer a hand to a person of the opposite sex. Remember this and leave it to the person you are meeting to take the initiative. People usually address each other in Brunei by their title. Titles are very important to people in this country. Find out if the person you are meeting has a title, and if so, make sure you use it.

  Business cards

  Business cards play an important role at business meetings in Brunei. Make sure that you always have more than enough with you. Wait until you have been offered a card before you begin to offer your cards. Take the card that you are given with both hands and study it carefully before you put it away. Then, present your card to the person you are speaking to with both hands.

  Language

  The official language in Brunei is Malay, but Chinese is spoken by a large portion of the population. Most inhabitants of the country also speak excellent English, and many documents are drawn up in that language. It is, therefore, useful to find out beforehand which language you will be dealing with so that you can have your documents translated into the correct language. Our translation agency will be happy to help you here, of course, whether you need translations into Malay, Chinese, or English. We can also provide you with a sworn translation of official documents where necessary. Legal, technical, commercial, and medical documents are areas of expertise in which we can also help you. We look for the right specialist for every document that has to be translated.

• English-Malay

  Malaysia used to be a colony of the British Empire, and as a consequence, most of the inhabitants have a good command of English. The two languages, however, are not linguistically related. Malay is an Austronesian language, whereas English belongs to the Indo-European language family.
  The country’s colonial history has meant that English has left its mark, however. Although Malay has been the only official language since the early seventies, English has still played a greater role in the professional and commercial arenas. Nevertheless, it can be important to have your documents translated, particularly if they relate to business. We would like to help you with this.

  Specialist native speakers

  We have been active in the translation industry for years, building up an extensive network of translators, all of whom are native speakers of the target language. In this case, it means that the translator has been speaking Malay since childhood and is in command of its subtleties. Furthermore, many of our translators specialise in a specific field of expertise, such as medicine, law, or technology, but we also have experts in commerce or literature. They know the terminology and style these areas demand and can apply them in their translation work.

  Questions or more information

  If you have any questions, please contact one of our project managers. You can also request a no-obligation quotation right away.

  Instant Quote

• Indonesian-Malay

  Indonesian and Malay are very similar to each other. In fact, Indonesian has its origins in Malay. Indonesian was declared an independent language of a sovereign Indonesia in 1928, after which linguistic changes began to distinguish it from Malay. There is even a Language Development and Fostering Agency in which various terminology and grammar rules for Indonesian have been and are being drawn up. The spelling of both languages was made uniform again in 1972, before which there were several important differences. Although both languages seem very similar, it is important to recognise the differences, and translation work will be essential in some cases.

  Native speakers with expertise

  Our translation agency is the right choice for your translations out of Indonesian and into Malay, thanks to our dedicated translation experts. Our years of international experience mean that we have built up a large network of translators with an extensive variety of specialisations. These translators are not only native speakers of the target language; they also have a great deal of experience in a particular field. In this case, not only is the translator a native speaker of Malay, but they also specialise in areas such as politics, law, finance, human resources, or even literature. This means that you can rest assured that not only is your translation correct but that it is in the right register and style. A specialist also translates a document faster, of course.

  Instant Quote