Don’t Fire Your Personal Assistant Just Yet
Apple's iPhone 5 was slated to be one of the company's most anticipated releases. So, the world was certainly unhappy to learn that it was replaced with the 4s, with a scaled down list of features from what had been promised. Still, the 4s brought some features that many users were excited about, including a much faster processor and an 8 megapixel camera. One of the most anticipated features of the 4s, however, has fallen a bit flat for many users. The iPhone 4s personal assistant, called Siri, had many users very excited about the opportunity to have a phone that could ...
Translators Without Borders
Following my recent post Ambassadors of Goodwill, I started thinking more seriously about how we can have an impact on this world. I realized that whenever I read about earthquakes, floods, or other disasters, it seems professional aid organizations such as Doctors Without Borders are on the front lines, using their professional skills to help and heal. Turns out, we, as a translation company, can also play a role. Translators Without Borders (TWB) is a global organization that provides free translation services for humanitarian agencies. According to their website, the institution assists on a pro-bono basis similar to Aides Organization, Amnesty International and other ...
Localizing Social Media
Social media is the fastest growing revolution of our time. The speed at which social media platforms are being developed, tested and adopted is astounding. How many of you out there use social media platforms to push your surveys? Are you posting on Facebook? Twitter? LinkedIn? The whole point of social media is to engage your audience and open a two way street of communication, and each platform has its unique style and objective. LinkedIn, for example, targets professionals; Twitter is limited to posts of 140 characters; and Facebook – well, Facebook is just the biggest. While some people still believe that social ...
Life lessons
My little boy just turned two. Watching him struggle to manipulate little puzzle pieces into place made me realize the value of precision – at any age. The look of total concentration and effort on his face that becomes pure joy when he succeeds in getting the pieces to fit – well, it’s priceless and I think our team can relate to that on a professional level. When translating texts, it sometimes takes time and effort to reach the exact translation. Our translators spend time playing with phrasing until it’s just right, tweaking a word here and there, restructuring a sentence so ...
The Proof is in the Pudding
I recently googled the term "market research translation" to check our ranking, only to discover that every one of the top ten ranking firms include the term ‘global’ in their opening paragraph. Turns out, we are all ‘cost effective’ and offer ‘accurate’ results. Oh ya, and we all offer great service, too. I mean, it says so right there on our websites. Yawn, right? Competition is a good thing. Overall, it improves the quality of the product. But it’s not exactly apples and oranges here, right? So, what really separates the men from the boys (or the women from the girls?) The proof, as ...
Going Glocal
We recently asked our clients to list their pet peeves when working with international service providers. Unsurprisingly, the issue of cultural sensitivity was a touchy one. Clients told us stories that ranged from not respecting local holidays (“I don’t care if it’s their Independence Day, I want it done today”), to expecting everyone in the company to speak English. In the 1980’s we heard the term “Glocalization” – Act Globally, Think Locally. Stemming from the Japanese word dochakuka (global localization), the term originally referred to the adaptation of farming techniques to local conditions. Today, being Glocal is more than just working internationally ...
Shana Tova
Rosh Hashana , the Jewish New Year, is coming up at the end of September. This is the first of what we call the High Holy Days (and Holidays!), followed 10 days later by Yom Kippur – a Day of Atonement. As with anything multicultural, we have our own way of doing things and we take our New Year pretty seriously. The day is also known as the Day of Judgment, Day of remembrance, and the Day of Blowing the Shofar (ram’s horn whose sound is said to inspire people to repent). During this holy holiday, we enjoy a number of traditional ...
Israel Translators Association
The Israel Translators Association annual international conference will be held on February 13-15, 2012 in Jerusalem. I just got my invitation and the call for presentations is open. In 2011 the conference drew over 400 participants from more than 12 countries. Presentations and workshops are conducted on all topics related to translation, interpreting, editing and language, and it’s always a pleasure to share our experiences and listen and learn from others. I always enjoy the opportunity to meet with my peers from all over the world. In such an environment we can discuss our common challenges and hear creative solutions. It makes ...
Ambassadors of Goodwill
These days, we often see Hollywood celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Sean Penn and Demi Moore visiting remote and sometimes dangerous places, shedding light on victims of war, famine and poverty. Acting as UN Ambassadors of Goodwill, they use their celebrity status to help make the world a better place. It’s a good thing. I often wonder about the translators for these high-profile visitors. Are they locals who happen to speak English? Were lucky enough to be educated abroad? Are they UN employees? If not, does the UN sanction them? And who, ultimately, is responsible for the accuracy of their translation? Obviously ...
Online Translation Tools Are Not Enough
My good friend Sharon just got back from a month-long trip to China. Over a McShwarma and Diet Coke, she told me she got around by accessing a translation app on her mobile device. Sharon showed me how with the touch of a button, she had what she referred to as a “Handheld interpreter”. Listening to Sharon talk, I began to wonder: could online translation tools ever replace us? I quickly realized the answer is, quite simply, no. Why not? Well, online translators just aren’t good enough. Google Translate or Yahoo's Babel Fish are wonderful for students or tourists. They are great if you ...
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- Ambassadors of Goodwill
- Going Glocal
- Life lessons
- Translators Without Borders
- Online Translation Tools Are Not Enough
- The Proof is in the Pudding
- Localizing Social Media
- Working on Sunday
- Aides Organization Angelina Jolie Babelfish China Conference Demi Moore Global Glocalization Google Translate Israel Translators Association Isreal Jerusalem Jewish New Year Jewish Sabbath language life lessons Machine Translation market research Rosh Hashana Sean Penn services Sunday work team TopTrans Translation Translators Without Borders TWB website Yahoo! Yom Kippur