Articles for Translators
and Translation Companies
Globalization
Become a member of TranslationDirectory.com at just
$12 per month (paid per year)
The length of December 22 day in different cities of the world
The following tables contain information on the length of the day on the winter solstice of the Northern Hemisphere and the summer solstice of the Southern Hemisphere (i.e. December solstice). The data was collected from the website of the Finnish Meteorological Institute…
Read the full article…
How to do business in Australia
With strong economic power, various ethnic groups, and cultural
diversity, Australia is attractive to foreign businesses. However,
Australia has many social and cultural differences when compared
to the United States. Be prepared before pursuing business relationships
in Australia…
Read
the full article…
Funny but Costly Localization Mistakes
You want to increase your market share, profits, and presence, so
you decide to expand into a new market. Your team spends an incredible
amount of time and money determining which market to enter. Your
brand is molded to fit into your prospective market while maintaining
its integrity, and the research backs that it is relevant, appropriate,
and remarkable…
Read
the full article…
How
to do Business in South Africa
Are you currently doing business in South Africa,
or are you planning to in the near future? Consider this…
Read
the full article…
How
to do business in Thailand
Are you currently doing business in Thailand,
or planning to in the near future? Consider this…
Read
the full article…
How
to do business in India
India’s professional landscape has changed drastically
in the last two decades due in part to the technology boom, the
film industry, and tourism. Though the decision-making process for
many businesses has sped up, traditional in-person meetings, networking
events, and taking the time to develop relationships continue to
boast higher levels of success…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Spain
Currently doing business in Spain, or plan to in the near future?
Consider this.
- Spanish is the world's second most spoken language.
- Spain has an incredible tourist industry as one of the top 5 most
visited countries in the world. In 2007, there were nearly 60 million
foreign visitors…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Poland
Established as an independent nation in the
middle of the 10th century, Poland reached its political and military
zenith in the 16th before internal fighting combined with external
influence provoked its partition. Poland briefly regained its independence
in 1918 only to see it lost again following the invasion by German
and Soviet troops in 1939…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Turkey
Turkey is strategically positioned at the crossroads
of Europe, Asia and the Middle East and the U.S. is Turkey’s fourth
largest trading partner…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Sweden
Sweden is a predominantly middle class country
with one of the most far-reaching social security systems in the
world. Patriotism is important to Swedes, who are very proud of
their nation, towns and regions…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Norway
Olga Pechnenko Kopp, our Oil and Gas accounts
manager, briefly interviewed one of her clients for some current
takeaways for anyone wanting to do business in Norway, from an Oil
and Gas industry perspective. This is followed by more in-depth
information about the Oil and Gas industry in Norway, and then we
wrap things up with our usual brief notes on business cultural etiquette…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Estonia
Tallinn (recent historical name: Reval) is the
capital city and main seaport of Estonia. It is located on Estonia’s
north coast to the Baltic Sea, 80 kilometres south of Helsinki…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
In February of this year, President Bush faced
a storm of criticism over a decision to let a subsidiary of United
Arab Emirates (UAE) government-controlled maritime management firm
Dubai Ports World run ports in several U.S. cities…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Chile
Chileans are very nationalistic and are proud
of their country, as well as of their literacy — the 95% rate puts
them among the best educated in the world. Predominantly Roman Catholic
(89%), family is the primary structure of society…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Austria
Austrians are proud of their contributions to
world civilization. They see themselves as modern, liberal and cultured.
Austrians have a great love for the outdoors (i.e., walking, skiing,
climbing, etc.)…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Belgium
Belgium is comprised of two primary cultural
groups. The Dutch-speaking Flemings live in Flanders, in the north,
and make up 55% of the population. The French-speaking Walloons
live in Wallonia, in the south, and make up 33% of the population…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Luxembourg
Luxembourgers cherish their independence and
separate identity in Europe. Modesty, friendship and strong national
pride are valued. They enjoy a slower pace of life than most of
northern Europe. Family is very important. Parents influence every
aspect of their children’s lives; however, this is weakening as
more young people leave the country to study/work abroad…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Greece
Families are very important in Greece. Elders
are highly respected, and children care for their elderly parents.
Children are disciplined firmly, but parents (even those who are
poor) spend a great deal of their income on feeding, clothing and
educating their children…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Philippines
Filipinos are casual, fun loving, sensitive
and hospitable people. Personal and family honor are stressed, as
well as dignity and pride. Education is highly valued and families
make great sacrifices to educate their children. Hiya (shame) is
instilled in Filipinos at an early age. To be shamed is the greatest
form of disgrace…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Hong Kong
Hong Kong is very sophisticated and cosmopolitan,
blending the cultures of Asia and Europe. Its people are highly
educated, very motivated and westernized. Hong Kong is 98% Chinese
(Cantonese), but the people view themselves as different from other
Chinese. Cantonese habits and customs are dominant…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in the USA
Throughout most of its history, the United States
has had influxes of immigration. The ethnic mix is 83% white (generally
of European descent, but also from the Middle East and Latin America),
12% African-American, 3% Asian and about 1% Native American. Today
the biggest immigrant groups are from Latin countries…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Portugal
Portugal is a self-styled country comprised
of generally reserved and understated people. The Portuguese are
traditional and conservative. People do not quickly embrace change
and innovation. The Catholic Church has a strong influence on people’s
lives…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Malaysia
Malays are proud of their country, their ancestral
background and their economic success. Ethnic tensions exist between
Malays (60%) and Chinese (31%) over preferential quotas. Chinese
feel these policies make them second-class citizens; Malays support
these policies, which they feel are their only way to overcome traditional
dominance…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Turkey
Turks are extremely patriotic. They are proud
of their ancestors and of the achievements of their modern society.
The family is the most important social unit. Each person is dependent
upon and loyal to the family. Rural life is still traditional, but
in cities women frequently work outside the home…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Switzerland
The Swiss value cleanliness, honesty, hard work,
and material possessions. Motto: “Unity, yes; Uniformity, no.” They
are very proud of their environment and have a long tradition of
freedom. They value sobriety, thrift, tolerance, punctuality and
a sense of responsibility. They are very proud of their neutrality
and promotion of worldwide peace. The Swiss have a deep-rooted respect
for saving and the material wealth it brings…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Australia
Home to nearly five million immigrants from
160 countries, Australia is rich in cultural diversity. Australians,
or “Aussies,” enjoy an easy-going lifestyle and are generally friendly
and relaxed. Modesty and equality are valued…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Ireland
The Irish are interested in people and place
great value on the individual. They are naturally courteous, quick-witted
and will go out of their way to welcome visitors to their country.
Don’t rush the Irish. Although they work very hard, the Irish are
dedicated to a less stressful lifestyle that allows time for friends
and family, a visit to the pub, a cup of tea, or just a bit of a
chat on the corner…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Germany
Germans value order, privacy and punctuality.
They are thrifty, hard working and industrious. Germans respect
perfectionism in all areas of business and private life. In Germany,
there is a sense of community and social conscience and strong desire
for belonging…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Finland
Loyalty, reliability, self-sufficiency and independence
are highly valued. Finns are proud of their heritage and current
society (they are leaders in peace conferences and international
peace initiatives). They enjoy nature and proudly protect their
environment, which is one of the cleanest in the world…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in United Kingdom
Four countries make up the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland—England, Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland. Residents of any of these countries may be called
“British.” Use “English,” “Scot” or “Scotsman,” “Welsh” and “Irish”
or “Northern Irish” only when certain of a person’s heritage…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in South Korea
South Korea is a strong economic power with
a huge global presence. Koreans in the business sector are often
highly educated in Western customs and traditions, but continue
to uphold their own nation’s strong conservative and traditional
values, so don’t overestimate their tolerance and understanding
of Western culture…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Korea
Korea is one of the most homogeneous countries
in the world, racially and linguistically. It has its own culture,
language, dress and cuisine, separate and distinct from its neighboring
countries. Hard work, filial piety and modesty are characteristics
esteemed by Koreans…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Argentina
Argentines are very proud of their country and
culture. They are well-educated and sophisticated and like to be
viewed as cosmopolitan and progressive. Because 85% of Argentina’s
population hails from Italy, Spain, Austria, France, Germany, Great
Britain, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Poland and the Middle East,
Argentines tend to identify with Europeans…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Italy
Long a world-renowned destination for tourists,
Italy also holds abundant opportunities for business travelers.
However, it also has many social and workplace customs that are
quite different than what you find in the United States. By highlighting
some of these key differences, let's look at ways to prepare you
for your next Italian business trip…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Singapore
Singapore is a conglomeration of Chinese (76%),
Malay (15%) and Indian (6%) cultures. In the past, this racial mixture
has led to some conflict. However, today most Singaporeans enjoy
racial harmony and national unity. Each group works hard to maintain
its cultural traditions while building a modern, cohesive society…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Brazil
Brazilians are friendly and free-spirited, with
an incredible zest for life. They are very risk-oriented and very
creative. Predominantly Roman Catholic (73%), families are large
and often include extended family members. Family, educational and
socioeconomic backgrounds are important to Brazilians…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Russia
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia
languished through several years of chaos and unrest. It has now
emerged as an economic and political powerhouse, a powerhouse full
of opportunity for foreign investors and companies…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in China
Two things commonly considered when doing business in China are
that it is a hierarchical system and that Internet use is not as
widespread as it is in other areas of the world. But do you know
why? The hierarchical system stems from the teachings of Confucius.
Though China’s government encourages atheism, its constitution guarantees
religious freedom…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Indonesia
Indonesia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
for 2006 was US$364 billion (US$960 bn PPP). In 2006, nominal per
capita GDP was US$1,640, and per capita GDP PPP was US$4,752 (International
Dollars). The services sector is the economy’s largest and
accounts for 45.3% of GDP (2005). This is followed by industry (40.7%)
and agriculture (14.0%). However, agriculture employs more people
than other sectors…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Sweden and Finland
The four major Scandinavian languages - Danish,
Swedish, Norwegian and Icelandic - are closely related.
Finnish, on the other hand, is not a Germanic language, and is completely
different from the others. While a Swede and a Dane often understand
each other fairly well in a conversation, neither of them would
understand Finnish…
Read
the full article…
How
to Do Business in Mexico
There are plenty of great business opportunities with our neighbors
to the south, but there are also plenty of potential pitfalls, not
to mention lots of cultural differences between the USA and Mexico…
Read
the full article…
***
Blunders
Made by Cross-Cultural Businesses
We often get many emails from visitors to our sites saying how much
they enjoy the article on cross cultural blunders - Results of Poor
Cross Cultural Awareness. We are constantly asked for more. Bowing
to pressure we have therefore complied some more examples of how
cultural ignorance can and does lead to negative (and much of the
time humorous) consequences…
Read
the full article…
Leadership
across Cultures
With the march of globalisation and internationalisa-tion growing
louder and stronger, few successful businesses can now escape the
need to work across cultures. Even if businesses or organisations
are not working abroad or with foreign entities, it would be a challenge
to identify any that have a mono-cultural workforce. Even in the
South West, businesses ranging from manufacturers to farms to care
homes are employing foreign personnel in order to operate at maximum
efficiency…
Read
the full article…
How
to Localize Your Software Products in Order to Go Global
Localizing software is a great way to rapidly expand your business
and grow profits. A 2007 paper by the Localization Industry Standards
Association (LISA) reported that $25 dollars was returned for every
$1 invested in localization…
Read
the full article…
Website
globalization - tips by A2Z Global Inc.
After numerous meetings, conference calls, and strategy sessions,
your company has decided to go “global”. Or at least the website!
Before you run out and hire a globalization agency to help with
the process, you need to prepare. It’s a big deal and let’s face
it – you’ve never done it before. Don’t worry, you’re not alone…
Read
the full article…
What
Multilinguality Has to Do With Falling House Prices
Nothing, obviously. But it does have to do with
how companies can cope better when national recessions hit because
of situations like the recent credit crunch and the subsequent drop
in house prices. By trading internationally and introducing an effective
globalization strategy, companies large…
Read
the full article…
Globalization
Management System
A globalization management system (GMS) is a
type of software for automating many parts of the human language
translation process and maximizing translator efficiency. The ideal
of a globalization management system is to automate all repeatable
and…
Read
the full article…
The
Exporter's Handbook
The Transaction
Unicode
In computing, Unicode is an industry standard
allowing computers to consistently represent and manipulate text
expressed in most of the world's writing systems. Developed in tandem
with the Universal Character Set standard and published in book
form as The Unicode Standard, Unicode consists of a repertoire of
more than 100,000 characters, a set of code charts for visual reference,
an encoding methodology and set of standard character encodings…
Read
the full article…
Global
Internet usage
This article provides information relating to
the number of people who use the Internet by language, nationality,
geography, etc…
Read
the full article…
World
Wide Web
The World Wide Web (commonly shortened to the
Web) is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via
the Internet. With a Web browser, a user views Web pages that may
contain text, images, videos, and other multimedia and navigates
between them using hyperlinks. The World Wide Web was created in
1989 by British scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee, working at the European
Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland,
and released in 1992…
Read
the full article…
List
of Internet topics
This page is a list of Internet topics.
Abilene Network - Ad hoc network - Address resolution protocol -
Aggregator (news aggregator) - ADSL - AirPort - All your base are
belong to us - AOL - APNIC - AppleTalk - Application Configuration
Access Protocol - Archimedes Plutonium - Archie search engine -
ARIN - ASN.1 - Asynchronous Transfer Mode…
Read
the full article…
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected
computer networks that interchange data by packet switching using
the standardized Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP). It is a "network
of networks" that consists of millions of private and public,
academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope
that are linked by copper wires, fiber-optic cables, wireless connections,
and other technologies…
Read
the full article…
List
of countries by number of Internet users
This is a list of countries by number of Internet
users. Population of Internet users by country (CIA figures). Internet
usage by percentage of each country's population…
Read
the full article…
IP
Intelligence: Creating "Globally Local" Online Initiatives
The Internet has become one of the most significant
business communications tools, enabling companies to reach out to
today’s global audience in a more costeffective manner. Even though
this medium provides an opportunity to become instantly global,
companies need to define themselves on the Internet just as they
would differentiate themselves in the local marketplace…
Read
the full article…
Muslims
- Europe's New Jews
They inhabit self-imposed ghettoes, subject
to derision and worse, the perennial targets of far-right thugs
and populist politicians of all persuasions. They are mostly confined
to menial jobs. They are accused of spreading crime, terrorism and
disease, of being backward and violent, of refusing to fit in…
Read
the full article…
European
Union
The European Union (EU) is a political and economic
union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Europe.
It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1993 upon the
foundations of the pre-existing European Community. With almost
500 million citizens, the EU combined generates an estimated 30%
share of the world's nominal gross domestic product (US$16.8 trillion
in 2007).…
Read
the full article…
Globalizing
your website. A worldwide view of the world wide web.
The following article is the frst of a three
part series on Website Globalization by Shreiber. Marla’s
team has developed an excellent case for going global via the Internet
with powerful supporting statistics…
Read
the full article…
The
Guide to Translation and Localization
Our entire team at Lingo Systems is very excited
to present the sixth edition of The Guide to Translation and
Localization. Over the last eight years we have distributed
more than 20,000 copies of this book worldwide. Previous editions
won several national awards from the Society for Technical Communication
(STC) and we are often told by readers that they consider it to
be the definitive source for information about translation and localization…
Read
the full article…
Beware
– American Abroad
McElroy Translation Company Marketing Manager
Lisa Siciliani received an email recounting the personal experiences
of Carryn Bellomo, an English professor who spent time in Italy
over the summer thanks to a Development Award through the University
Studies Abroad Consortium available through the University of Nevada
Las Vegas (UNLV). The primary goal of the Development Award is…
Read
the full article…
Multilingual
Marketing
On Thursday July 29, 2004 General Manager Shelly
Orr Priebe served as a panelist at a quarterly forum sponsored by
The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). The forum brought Workforce
Boards and Adult Education and training partners together to develop
stronger services to address the challenge of serving adults and
youth with limited English proficiency. Marketing and Localization
Manager Lisa Siciliani researched and compiled this valuable information
in preparation…
Read
the full article…
Q&A
with Carol Webster of Cassell International
Carol has over 25 years of experience in the
U.S. and Europe in international marketing management, in such diverse
fields as engineering, automotive, apparel machinery, specialty
food and industrial textiles. Her expertise lies in the areas of
strategic business planning, business analysis, marketing management
for consumer and industrial products…
Read
the full article…
Creating
a New Language for Nutrition:
McDonald's Universal Icons for 109 countries. Part 2.
McDonald’s needed to understand the findings
from the iconic analysis at a glance. Which icons were acceptable?
Which needed just a few minor tweaks? And which needed complete
revamping? To make this possible, ENLASO’s McDonald’s account team
reviewed every individual comment from all 109 countries. The various
topics analyzed multiplied by the number of visuals and countries
added up to a daunting task. “We had 15 icons, and 8 evaluation
comments. That gives you 120 comments per locale,” says ENLASO’s
Stokes. “You multiply the 120 comments by 109 countries and you
get 13,080 comments to distill and assess.”…
Read
the full article…
Creating
a New Language for Nutrition:
McDonald's Universal Icons for 109 countries. Part 1.
We present to you part one of a 2 part case
study about the McDonald's Corporation's development of universal
icons. As an ever-developing industry, most of us think about the
language barriers everyday, but few of us deal with the concept
of icons. Develop- ing pictures that are meaningful in over 100
countries and have no hidden meanings is a tricky task…
Read
the full article…
Globalization,
Internationalization, Localization and Translation: The Processes
Manufacturing Professionals Should Apply in Preparation for Foreign
Market Entry
In a 2006 survey of manufacturing professionals,
KPMG found that the number one strategic priority among manufacturing
companies is penetrating new markets. Preparing to expand a business
into new foreign markets requires significant time and money. Success
depends on careful planning and having the right processes…
Read
the full article…
Polish
immigrants’ growing role in British consumer spending
Prior to the accession of among others countries,
Poland into the EU, the British government estimated immigration
from the newly acceded countries at somewhere between 5,000 and
13,000 people per year. This was based on low historical migration
rates and an expectation that "even in the worst case scenario,
migration to the UK as a result of the Eastern enlargement of the
EU is not likely to be overly large"…
Read
the full article…
A
global monolanguage/monoculture?
The writer of this
article laments the coming of one or two great monocultures
(such as U.S. and Chinese), and he is not the first to predict such
a thing will happen. Indeed, with the acceleration of globalization,
and the increase of broadband and internet access worldwide, the
extinction of hundreds, if not thousands of languages and cultures
seems imminent…
Read
the full article…
The
state of web globalization today
During the dot com years, Web globalization
was hot, but prematurely so. I say prematurely because Internet
penetration globally - particularly broadband penetration - was
still in its early stages. After the dot com bust, Web globalization
spending virtually froze for a period as companies took a much-needed
reality break. But over the past two years, companies have been
spending robustly – and, thankfully, realistically on Web globalization
…
Read
the full article…
A
New Look at an Old Question by an Ancient Project Manager:
Why Use an Agency?
It seems unbelievable that this huge project
was accomplished on time. I was asking a lot of you and you did
a great job. Not only did it get done, you managed to make me feel
like it really could be done, which made me calm in a sea of mounting
pressure from my senior management…
Read
the full article…
Go
Alone or Do a Joint Venture?
Although I have been involved in setting up
and getting out of a number of international joint ventures, I thought
I would do some research on what was said about Chinese-Western
joint ventures. And although I have a Master’s Degree and come from
a tribal society, I didn’t know what “exogamic” meant until I read
it in an egghead (ok, I’ll be polite), academic heading to an article…
Read
the full article…
How
to get management buy-in for web globalization
This article is for corporate marketing and
business development professionals who understand the need for a
truly globalized corporate website, but have yet to receive the
kind of top-down mandate and funding that would make such an undertaking
a success. The current state of their corporate website may, at
first glance, appear to be globalized…
Read
the full article…
7
Steps to Great Translations
Follow these seven steps for an efficient and
cost-effective translation process.
1. Get Organized.
A well-organized project will reduce stress, save money, and deliver
a solid translation. Before you begin…
Read
the full article…
Successfully
Mounting Software Operations in China
For technology behemoths like IBM, Microsoft
and GE establishing software development operations in and for China
is relatively easy. They have the money, people and wherewithal
to build operations quickly and efficiently. However, for medium
and small size companies less able to mount software development
operations on their own in China the answer is simple: outsourcing…
Read
the full article…
Ten
Ways to Make Sure You Get a Really Bad Translation
(for corporate entities outsourcing translations in any language
combination)
1. Never plan in advance what to translate or
when. Why save time and stress when you can do things the hard way?
Put some zest in your life! Improvise!…
Read
the full article…
Research
on Localization Practices
Conversis, a localization company based in the
UK and US, in partnership with the Localization Program at California
State University at Chico, has released the findings of a research
project that examines the localization practices of multinational
corporations and how well they adapt to other countries, cultures,
and languages…
Read
the full article…
Vessels
large may venture more, but little boats should keep near the shore
You know you’re in deep trouble when a top floor
executive conceives a brilliant strategy to reduce the cost of localization.
It’s bound to happen: the sight of so much money spent on “just
a bunch of words” irresistibly calls for an ingenious cost-cutting
scheme, one that leads to a fatter executive bonus…
Read
the full article…
XML
and DITA
Producing documentation for a global marketplace
is a challenging proposition, especially for smaller companies.
As most technical writers can attest, creating and delivering content
in a multilingual environment increases demands on the documentation
group. Often times, information is produced at the end of the product
development cycle, under reduced time lines and tremendous pressure…
Read
the full article…
E-commerce
Across Borders
Interested in expanding your potential online
audience by 200 million people? Add French, Italian, German, and
Spanish Web sites. Add Japanese and Chinese Web sites and you will
gain another 300 million potential visitors — without opening
a single international office…
Does
Language Matter?
Have you ever been on the “wrong” side of a
conversation in another country, where your language skills stopped
at “where’s the bathroom?” Or while searching online, have you found
the perfect website, only to realize you couldn’t read the text?
In the former scenario, you likely would seek out the concierge
or anybody who might help you communicate. On the Web, however,
you are more likely to skip to the next website in your search results…
Read
the full article…
Globalizing
Translation. What Hope For The Translator?
Globalization and translation both deal with
languages and cultures. They attempt to remove cultural and language
barriers but while translation targets better understanding among
people and maintains cultural diversity, globalization moves towards
reducing languages and cultures to the language and culture of the
global village. In view of the differences and similarities between
the two terminologies, an attempt is made to study the basic contributions
of globalization to translation…
Read
the full article…
On-Demand
Translation Management Technology
Most of the technology used to add value to
the language translation process still remains in the hands of language
service providers (LSPs) and translators. But client demand for
more strategic control is growing. To the educated and globally
aware, language translation is no longer just another task to enable
product launch; it is becoming strategic. It now garners the attention
of senior level executives who want more from it. They want a strong
return on their investment…
Read
the full article…
How
much bang are you getting for your buck?
Lately, it’s no secret that customers are treating
translation as a commodity — how many words at what rate? It is
not unusual for a potential client to ask about rates before they
discuss scope or expectations. While many clients insist that price
is only one consideration in the buying decision, it seems to always
be the first question…
Read
the full article…
43+
Million New Users Are Waiting For Arabic SEO
Dubai-based research firm Madar reports that
Arabic-speaking Internet users should grow to 43 million in 2008
from 16 million in 2004. The Arabic online market should grow to
$150 million in 2008 from $10 million at present. How can your business
get ahead of the competition in this fast growth market?…
Read
the full article…
The
Looming Crisis of Content
Significant change, especially in organizations,
doesn’t happen because someone wakes up one day and suddenly decides
to do things differently. Change comes as the result of a crisis
that underscores a problem so dramatically and forcefully that it
can no longer be ignored. Since the technology bubble burst half
a decade ago (and probably even before that), such a crisis has
been looming in the way we conceive of, create, and deliver content…
Read
the full article…
Technology
Acceleration
Technology is a GOOD THING. Well, most of the
time it is. I’m sure you’ve seen articles bemoaning the NEGATIVE
role that technology advancement has played in our lives. I have
recently joined the ranks of those doing the bemoaning…
Read
the full article…
Giant
Lessons for Wal-Mart Behemoth
At the 2006 ClientSide News Expo, Echo International
shared a fascinating case study involving global awareness and cultural
sensitivity. CSN is pleased to share the case study in more detail.
Many thanks go to Echo International for sharing this research…
Read
the full article…
When
The Divide Is Only A River, Not An Ocean
“Go to East Austin and everything is different
– the look, the smells, the feel.” states Eliza May, President of
the GAHCC (Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce). GAHCC was
awarded the 2004 National Hispanic Chamber of the Year award, honoring,
in part, their many innovative Spanish-language technology training
programs. Why does this matter?…
Read
the full article…
Building
multilingual websites
When building websites in multiple languages,
you are faced with a variety of challenges. Translation is an important
part of the process, though not the only one. Some of the things
to consider are discussed below…
Read
the full article…
Multicultural
Marketing: Why One Size Doesn't Fit All
As the general population in the US continues
to become more diverse, with ethnic Americans of African, Asian,
and Hispanic descent making up 25% of the population, the days of
one-size-fits-all marketing are gone forever. Today, marketers are
much more aware of the significant opportunity that the varying
demographic groups present…
Read
the full article…
Translators
could help to bridge the divide between the Muslim and Western worlds
Do bi-lingual, multi-lingual, multi-cultural
educated indivduals have a role to play in bridging the gap between
cultures? Asks Sahar Moussly, Executive Director of overseas ATC
member, Trans Gulf Management Consultants…
Read
the full article…
Shall
We Dansu?
A Westerner reports on learning about the Eastern mindset
Willy Brandt once said, "If I'm selling to you,
I speak your language. If I'm buying from you, dann müssen Sie Deutsch
sprechen." This quote has served as the epigraph for a number of
papers on localization, yet it seems to me that the former German
chancellor's words only address half of the issue concerning our
vendors, prospects and clients in the Far East. In a globalized
world, and especially in the localization industry, one can even
speak the client's language…
Centralization
or Decentralization?
A brief review of the two approaches to advertising
and marketing communications localization.
It is easy in 2005 to labor under the misconception that globalization
was only invented in the 1990s. However, the concept of globalization
was being hotly debated in the 1960s when the big question was "Can
you standardize multi-national marketing?" and Robert Buzzell [1]
argued that "There are significant opportunities for cost reduction
via standardization in a global marketing strategy"…
Read
the full article…
Intelligence
Report: Within Borders: Globalization at Home
Customer service at many companies is broken.
Localization teams and the language service providers who support
could increase their strategic value by tackling the online duo
of inadequate ethnic marketing and flawed English-language customer
service…
Read
the full article…
Getting
China Straight
Today in 2005, how many people in the world
can go a day without using a product ‘Made in China’? Although the
answer is not yet “none”, it soon will be. Whether people know it
or not, the Chinese tide is already lapping at our feet. Yet most
people remain ignorant of what it stands for…
Read
the full article…
How
Far Should the European Union Reach?
One of the most frequently discussed questions
in globalizing business is how far the European Union Single Market
should reach. Companies want to expand, to open subsidiaries, to
cooperate with local partners, not only for mere expansion reasons
but also because their competitors are active on a regional or global
scale…
Read
the full article…
LISA
Best Practice Guide: Managing Global Content
What is Global Content Management? What are
Globalization Management Systems (GMS) or Global Translation Management
Systems (GTMS)? Why do they matter to companies doing business internationally?
How can you implement them to support your own business and to further
your international goals? These are the questions that Managing
Global Content is designed to help you answer…
Read
the full article…
What
is the Largest Information Ecosystem?
It might be said that "Virtual Space" is the
largest information ecosystem; several factors support this idea.
All communication is human-based, whether it be linguistic (spoken
or written) or bodily (posture, gesticulations, etc.) The simple
fact is that all humans communicate and interact with each other,
resulting in an exchange of information in one way or another…
Capitalizing
On The Benefits Of A Foreign Language Translation Firm
In today’s ever-expanding world of business
on an ever-shrinking planet, not only is it easy to market your
organization’s products and services globally, but it is also just
good business sense. With the prevalence of the Internet in every
aspect of our English-speaking culture and society, it makes sense
to reach out globally and put your products and/or services out
for the whole world to take advantage of…
Read
the full article…
Translation
for the global travel industry: attention to detail pays
As the World Travel Market opens in London,
with over 50,000 representatives from 190 different countries, what
better time to consider how travel and tourism as a sector can best
respond to the challenge of communicating internationally and growing
overseas markets. Travel and tourism is an inherently international
industry, and is already one of the largest online market sectors…
Read
the full article…
Is
thinking global killing local?
Successfully integrating local insights into
global strategy.
The world order is changing once again. Strong
brands alone are not enough to conquer new markets. Global competition
is hotting up and the battlefield has many fronts. Whether we are
thinking and acting locally or globally, our customers are judging
us at every point of contact and assessing how much we really value
them…
Read
the full article…
Globalization
Market Overview
The unstoppable pace of globalization coupled
with the growth of the Internet have fundamentally changed the way
that enterprises do business. The Web, in particular, is creating
a low-cost global platform for communicating and doing business
with people in countries far away from the bricks and mortar headquarters
of organisations…
Read
the full article…
Are
You Talkin' to Me?
Over the last year or so, our clients have
been asking us the following question with increasing frequency:
Why do we need to pay for localization when most of the developed
world has some understanding of English? This is a perfectly reasonable
question. As global companies reach out into more markets without
commensurately larger marketing budgets, they need eassurance that
money spent on culturally - adapted marketing materials and high
quality translations will generate a good return on investment …
Read
the full article…
Globalisation
Management Systems Discussion
This article discusses the choice between a
vendor such as thebigword and a GMS solution such as Trados GXT,
Globalsight, Idiom, etc.
A GMS is designed to allow a company to manage many parts of the
translation workflow themselves. It allows them to deal directly
with translators. It also allows them to deal with translation vendors
but removes much of the project management, file handling and memory
management resource so allows negotiation of much better prices,
and allows much easier swapping of vendors…
Read
the full article…
Web
Globalization Tips for Translation Agencies
Last week I spoke at the Association of Language
Companies conference in Pasadena on Web globalization. I'm glad
I went. I'm seeing more and more agencies trying to grab a share
of the rapidly growing Web globalization market. My presentation
was on the "Web globalization opportunity (and threat)."
Because I had so many requests for the presentation, I've posted
it online at the link below. Some of the key points from the presentation
are…
Read
the full article…
Where
Business Meets World: Move over FIGS; Here Comes BRIC
Emerging markets are driving the Web globalization
revolution.
Investment bankers use an acronym that is going to have a major
impact on the future of the globalization industry: BRIC.
BRIC stands for Brazil, Russia, India, and China, the four countries
that pose the greatest opportunities for long-term growth among
emerging markets. Of course, the key words are “long term” – these
markets are anything but sure bets over the short term...
Read
the full article…
Maturing
Internet Markets Warrant Increased Web Globalization
That's what Tekrati has to say about Nielsen//Netratings'
latest global Web usage report.
Their research shows that people in the US (and a few other markets)
are spending the same (or less) time online, while people in markets
such as Italy, Japan, France and Australia continue to increase
their time spent online...
Read
the full article…
Demystifying Software Globalization
Representing a growing segment of the translation industry, software
globalization (G11N) remains shrouded in mystery to many. What is
Globalization? G11N ensures availability of a software product in
languages besides the language of origin, traditionally US English.
It is driven by huge revenue opportunities outside the Anglophone
world for software companies and translators alike. This presentation
will introduce both the basic concept of globalization and how it
involves the translator, in particular. In this paper we will describe
the process from early design and coding to release in the global
marketplace. …
Read
the full article…
Because Knowing Is Not Preferring
The mere mention of “globalization” these days is sure to stir a
variety of emotions. While the term conjures up images of bad press
on world economic summits, protesters and job migration, it also
heralds exciting new business frontiers …
Read
the full article…
Eliminating Barriers to Web Globalization
There’s a reason they call it the World Wide Web. Simply put, the
web enables organizations to connect with a diverse audience—no
matter where they’re located or what language they speak… That is,
as long as you can speak their language …
Read
the full article…
GILT: Observations from a Technical Communicator’s Perspective
Bringing a technical communicator’s perspective to GILT, Steve Dyson
comments on how even the biggest companies have not yet thought
through the many ramifications of globalization in the economic
and GILT senses of the word. He then provides some insights into
why the marketing efforts of GILT technology companies have not
been as successful as perhaps they should …
Read
the full article…
Is a Person’s Name Really Important?
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, or would it? Names
connect people with a face, a personality, a culture and even a
family line. Especially in Asian cultures, where names are written
in Chinese ideograms, every character tells a story of its meaning
and history. So would a person’s name be the same when written out
in a foreign language? That would change the individual’s name all
together…
Read
the full article…
Gentium: Providing Type to the World
Gentium is a Unicode typeface that contains Roman, Greek and Cyrillic
characters, including many characters seldom seen in even the most
ambitious typefaces. Far from being a luxury, these characters are
needed to write many of the over 6,000 languages thought to exist
in the world. In this interview, Victor Gaultney, who originally
created the typeface as part of a masters program at Reading University,
discusses the Gentium project, the task of making a typeface look
“right” for various areas, and how the creation of typefaces for
less common languages can help eliminate the “Digital Divide.” …
Read
the full article…
Globalization of Voice Applications: It’s Only the Beginning!
Globalizing software (creating software for multiple languages and
locales), and the follow-on process of localization, is challenging
enough for “normal” software products and not-too-complex web sites.
However, when it comes to one of the “newest kids on the block,”
voice-enabled applications, the fun really begins …
Read
the full article…
Globalization:
People, Process and Technology
People are not just an item on the checklist. People (like language)
are a fundamental dimension of the problem space. Both processes
and technology must be defined with people in mind. They must support
the activities that information workers need to perform and generally
make their lives easier and more efficient. People must remain on
top and in control of their world; technology should be designed
and perceived as a useful tool, not as a surrogate dictator …
Read
the full article…
GILT Metrics – Slaying the Word Count Dragon
One of the most enduring features of the GILT (Globalization, Internationalization,
Localization and Translation) industry has been the inconsistency
of word counts, not only between rival products, but even between
different versions of the same product. Trying to establish a measure
for the size of a given GILT task is not unlike trying to fight
a many-headed dragon …
Read
the full article…
Globalization Is Here! The Year of Content
Language is a double-edged domain. On one hand, one of the saddest
things about our industry is that language-related features are
often considered after all others. Most often, new technologies
are first thoroughly developed in English before any real language
support is implemented. On the other hand though, the drive towards
globalization is unstoppable: the world is getting smaller, the
Internet is here to stay. Companies need to grow sales via global
markets and the need for translation is constantly growing …
Read
the full article…
Follow the Money to Latin America
Globalization has indeed come to the localization industry, but
it remains to be seen which path we will follow. According to Rory
Cowan, CEO of Lionbridge Technologies, in his keynote at the recent
LISA Forum USA in Washington, D.C., localization will increasingly
be recognized as part of a larger outsourcing trend and will eventually
be ”featurized” within the larger framework of offshore services…
Read
the full article…
Menace to Polish Language
One of the side effects of liberating the Eastern European markets
since the collapse of totalitarianism in 1989, is the corruption
of the Polish language by the huge influx of mainly English lexicon
and syntax. To some extent this is due to the impact of Western,
American led culture and technologies, which spread around the globe,
influencing many languages…
Read
the full article…
GILT: Globalization, Internationalization, Localization, Translation
As the title suggests, we should perhaps feel a little GILTy that
of the above four terms, only translation is generally well understood.
In a past issue of the LISA newsletter, Donald DePalma and Hans
Fenstermacher argued that our industry cannot even agree on what
globalization, internationalization and localization mean. Don and
Hans also pointed out the lack of "coopetition", i.e. collaboration
among competitors, in our industry …
Read
the full article…
Globalisation and Translation - A discussion of the effect of globalisation
on today's translation
The objective of an article I published in September 2003 in De
Linguaan, a magazine for members of the Netherlands Society of Translators
and Interpreters, was to clarify my statement that, because of the
current trend of globalisation, the translator no longer has the
absolute need to always find a translation of a term in the target
language if this would make the target-language text lose credibility.
This is what I have called excessive translation …
Read
the full article…
Submit
your article!
Read
more articles - Free!
Need
translation jobs? Click here!
Translation
agencies are welcome to register here - Free!
Freelance
translators are welcome to register here - Free!
Subscribe
to TranslationDirectory.com newsletter - Free!
Take
part in TranslationDirectory.com poll - your voice counts!
|
