Company structures and their requirements vary around the world, but many of the basic concepts are transferable. Even if direct equivalents don’t exist, translators need to know what they are talking about. In particular, the suffix for “limited” is often a false friend. In some countries it is a small private company (UK, Brazil, Portugal, Colombia, Ecuador) but in Australia it refers to the really big ones!
In general, a small private company would likely have the suffixes:
- Pty Ltd in Australia
- LLC in the United States of America
- Srl in Italian or Spanish
- Lda in Portuguese
Whereas large public companies traded on the stock exchange are more likely to have the suffixes:
- Ltd in Australia
- PLC in the United Kingdom
- SpA in Italian
- S.A. in Portuguese or Spanish
Knowing this, today’s question is whether to translate the company structure, or whether it should be left in the source language (is it part of the proper name)? There is no right or wrong answer that I know of – there are no rules or guidelines to follow. Not yet. Not in Australia.
From talking to many other translators I know that too often it is seen as part of the company name. End of story. A proper noun to be transliterated rather than translated. Yet that translation strategy results in meaning loss, and I would question the importance of knowing the suffix in Portuguese. In non-latin languages like Arabic or Chinese it would be translated – so why treat it differently in Spanish and Italian? Just because we can read the individual letters doesn’t mean that we understand their significance in the target language.
Individuals are identified with Mr/Mrs/Ms/Mx. Companies are identified with Ltd/Pty Ltd/Inc. Why are translators so keen to translate Sig. Rossi as Mr Rossi, or Sra Mendes as Ms Mendes – but not ABC S.r.l. as ABC Pty Ltd? In both cases the title or identifier is an addition to the name. I’m a member of AUSIT, not a member of AUSIT Inc (technically, yes, but here Inc. is a description of AUSIT’s legal status as an incorporated association and is not used in everyday speech).
Instead, why not consider the skopos of the translation? Is the information descriptive, such as a purchase on a bank statement, or is it legally binding, such as in a company contract? Of course in many official documents the legal name is very important. In Australia the full company name must be listed on all legal documents, including the Pty Ltd (or other) suffix. A joint venture between ABC Srl and DEF Ltd will definitely require full legal names to be used in the contract’s translation. But what about in an employment reference from Joe Bloggs Hairdressing Pty Ltd? Is it more important to know that the legal name includes the suffix S.r.l., or is it more important to know that it is a privately owned hairdressing salon?
A translator’s note can also be used to clarify the situation when it matters, but the jury is still out. What do you think?
Company structures in English
| English | Individual | Small private company | Simplified stock company | Big public company | Partnership/other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Sole trader | Pty Ltd Proprietary Limited | Ltd Limited | LLP Limited liability partnership Inc. Incorporated | |
| America | Sole proprietorship | LLC Limited Liability Company | Corp., Inc., or Ltd Corporation PLC Public Limited Company | LLP Limited liability partnership | |
| UK | Sole trader | Ltd Private Limited Companies | PLC Public Limited Company | LLP Limited liability partnership |
Company structures in Italian
| Italian | Sole trader | Small company | Simplified stock company | Big public company | Partnership/other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | Impresa individuale | S.R.L. or Srl Società a Responsabilità Limitata S.r.l.s. Società a Responsabilità Limitata Semplificata | S.S. Società Semplice | S.p.A. or Spa Società per Azioni S.c.a.r.l. Società consortile a responsabilità limitata | S.n.c. Società in nome collettivo S.a.s. Società in accomandita semplice |
| Switzerland | Ditta individuale | Sàrl (French) Société À Responsabilité Limitée Sagl (Italian) Società a Garanzia Limitata | SA Società Anonima | SNC Società in nome collettivo |
Company structures in Portuguese
| Portuguese | Individual | Small private company | Simplified stock company | Big public company | Partnership/other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | EIRELI Empresa Individual de Responsabilidade Limitada | Ltda. Sociedade Limitada | S.A. Sociedade Anônima | SS Sociedade simples Sociedade em comandita simples Sociedade em nome coletivo | |
| East Timor | ENIN Empresa em Nome Individual Unipessoal, Lda Sociedade Unipessoal por Quotas | Lda Sociedade por Quotas | S.A. Sociedade Anônima | E.P. Empresa Pública | |
| Mozambique | Sociedade Unipessoal | LDA Sociedade por Quotas | S.A. Sociedade Anónima | ||
| Portugal | EIRL Estabelecimento Individual de Responsabilidade Limitada ENI Empresário em Nome Individual Unipessoal Lda. Sociedade Unipessoal por Quotas / Unipessoal Limitada | Lda. or LDA Sociedade por quotas | SA Sociedade Anónima SE Sociedade Anónima Europeia | SC Sociedade em Comandita SNC Sociedade em Nome Coletivo |
Company structures in Spanish
| Spanish | Individual | Small private company | Simplified stock company | Big public company | Partnership/Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | S.A.U. Sociedad Anónima Unipersonal | S.R.L. Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | S.A.S. Sociedad por Acciones Simplificadas | S.A. Sociedad Anónima | |
| Bolivia | Empresa Unipersonal | S.R.L. Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | S.A. Sociedad Anónima | ||
| Chile | EIRL Empresa Individual de Responsabilidad Limitada | SRL or LTDA Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | SpA Sociedad por Acciones | S.A. Sociedad Anónima | |
| Colombia | E.U. Empresa Unipersonal | Ltda. Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | S.A.S. Sociedad por Acciones Simplificada | S.A. Sociedad Anónima S.C.A. Sociedad en Comandita por Acciones | S.C. Sociedad Colectiva S. en C. Sociedad en Comandita Simple |
| Costa Rica | S.R.L. or Ltda. Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | S.A. Sociedad Anónima | |||
| Cuba | TCP Trabajador por Cuenta Propia Cuentapropista | S.R.L. Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | S.A. Sociedad Anónima | E.E. Empresa Estatal | |
| Dominican Republic | EI Empresario Individual EIRL Empresa Individual de Responsabilidad Limitada | SRL Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | S.A.S Sociedad Anónima Simplificada | SA Sociedad Anónima C. por A. Compañía por Acciones | Cooperativa Sociedad En Comandita Simple |
| Ecuador | Cía. Ltda. Compañía de Responsabilidad Limitada | S.A.S. Sociedad por Acciones Simplificada | C.A. Compañía Anónima S.A. Sociedad Anónima C.E.M.I.X. Compañía de Economía Mixta | C.N.C.O.L. Compañía en Nombre Colectivo C.C.S.D.A. Compañía en Comandita Simple y Dividida por Acciones EP Empresa Pública | |
| El Salvador | SRL Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | SA Sociedad Anónima SA de CV Sociedad Anónima de Capital Variable | SNC Sociedad en Nombre Colectivo | ||
| Guatemala | S.R.L. Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | S.A. Sociedad Anónima | |||
| Honduras | SRL or S. de RL Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | SA Sociedad Anónima | |||
| Mexico | S. de R.L. de C.V. Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada de Capital Variable | Sociedad por Acciones Simplificada | S.A. de C.V. Sociedad Anónima de Capital Variable | ||
| Nicaragua | S.R.L. Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | S.A. Sociedad Anónima | Sociedad Colectiva Cia. Sociedad en Nombre Colectivo Cia. Ltda. Sociedad en Nombre Colectivo de Responsabilidad Limitada S.C.S. Sociedad en Comandita Simple | ||
| Panama | S.R.L. Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | S.A. Sociedad Anonima | Sociedad en Comandita Sociedad Civil | ||
| Paraguay | E.I.R.L Empresa Unipersonal de Responsabilidad Limitada | S.R.L. Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | EAS Empresa por Acciones Simplificadas | S.A. Sociedad Anónima | S.C. Sociedad en Comandita Simple |
| Peru | S.R.L. Sociedad Comercial de Responsabilidad Limitada S.A.C. Sociedad Anónima Cerrada | S.A. Sociedad Anónima S.A.A. Sociedad Anónima Abierta | |||
| Spain | Empresario Individual Autónomo | S.L. or SRL Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | S.A. Sociedad Anónima | S.C. Sociedad Civil S.C. Sociedad Colectiva Sociedad Cooperativa Sociedad Limitada Laboral C.B. Comunidad de Bienes | |
| Uruguay | S.R.L. Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | S.A.S. Sociedad por Acciones Simplificada | S.A. Sociedad Anónima SZFA Sociedad Anónima de Zona Franca | S.C. Sociedad Colectiva | |
| Venezuela | S.R.L. Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | S.A. Sociedad Anónima C.A. Compañía Anónima | Sociedad en Nombre Colectivo Sociedad en Comandita Simple Sociedad en Comandita por Acciones |
Leave a Reply