CTIF expands multilingual offerings to better serve members

CTIF (Comité Technique International de prevention et d’extinction de Feu) has announced that its website, CTIF.org, is now available in six languages, adding Spanish, Russian, and Simplified Chinese to its existing language options.

This expansion aims to serve more members who may not be comfortable reading in English.

In May 2022, CTIF began providing translations in French and German to accommodate members speaking one of the three official languages of CTIF.

While English remains the working language, members are encouraged to submit papers and reports in any official language.

Translation services provided by Deepl.com

The new translations are facilitated by Deepl.com, an AI-driven automatic translation service.

Unlike Google Translate, Deepl.com stores translated texts on CTIF’s server, allowing for corrections when machine translations misinterpret content.

This is crucial as firefighting terminology can be specific and complex.

CTIF is currently reviewing important texts to ensure accurate translations.

In the interim, members are encouraged to report any translation issues and provide better human translations if possible.

This process aims to enhance the quality of translated content over time.

Future plans for language expansion

CTIF plans to add more languages over time, aiming to reach first responders who prefer reading in their native languages.

This initiative also aims to attract more potential members by showcasing the benefits of joining CTIF.

The organisation previously offered Google translations in many languages but discontinued this service due to technical issues with using multiple translation services.

CTIF believes that focusing on a smaller number of languages will provide a higher quality service.

Encouragement for community involvement

CTIF encourages members to share articles from CTIF.org in any available language with their networks and on social media.

This initiative aims to broaden the reach and impact of CTIF’s content.

Björn Ulfsson, Communications Manager and Website Editor for CTIF.org, emphasised the importance of community feedback to improve translations: “Please feel free to contact us if you discover any issues with translations and provide better human translations if possible.”