Translatus is available for you… day and night

by Lauren Nemec

In effort to better serve our clients, Translatus has expanded its weekday office hours at its Department of Operations in Prague, Czech Republic.

Translatus clients can already contact Translatus representatives by phone or upload projects through Translation Direct Access at any time of day or night. We understand the importance of speed to market and tight deadlines, which is why we're doing even more to increase our capacity to process jobs more quickly and efficiently.

Tarah McCarthy, Manager of Operations, says of the change, "This step brings us closer to truly becoming a 24-hour provider. First, through extended office hours, we will be able to increase the window of time in which we are available to receive and process translation jobs from clients all over the world. In the future as Translatus expands in other continents, clients in every time zone will benefit from having multiple centers of operation working together remotely to process jobs more efficiently.”

For more information about Translatus, please contact:
Lauren Nemec
Marketing Manager
Email: lnemec@translatus.com
Tel: +420 222 517 153
www.translatus.com

Czech in the Big City

by Veronika Svobodova

I have always loved learning about different cultures. From joining the traditional Javanese Gamalan orchestra to learning the dance steps of the Greek Tsifteteli, I’ve always been the kind of person who’s eager to travel the world and meet new people as much as possible. So when I was asked to come and work with Translatus in Chicago, I knew it was a great opportunity for me to experience life in yet another part of the world.

I was born in a small town in Moravia, the eastern region of the Czech Republic. In January of 1996 my family moved to Jakarta, Indonesia. While there, we also visited nearby countries like Singapore and Thailand, and then moved on to live in Thessaloniki, Greece. After almost 9 years of living abroad, my family moved back to the Czech Republic. I decided to move to the capital city of Prague, where later, in April 2006, I started working with Translatus Inc as a project manager in the Operations Department.

Moving to Chicago was my first time ever visiting the US. I knew right from the start it was going to be quite different from anywhere else I’ve been, so I decided to get ready for the unexpected.

Here are some of my impressions of living in Chicago so far:

1) Everything is large, or sometimes even extra large (to my “small” European eyes, that is) large cars, large streets, tall buildings, large meals….

2) The food is really good. I haven't had food here yet that I didn’t like. What is quite surprising though (at least for me) is the fact that everything is served with chips. Posters on restaurants and sandwich corners invite you to "have a healthy meal" while you get your “healthy” meal served with a bag of chips. I’m not really sure how healthy that is.

3) Certain things are just quite different and at first just a little confusing for those who don’t know. While grocery shopping, when you pay for your items, your change in coins comes through an automated machine into a little bowl, while the bills are handed to you by the cashier. The first time I went grocery shopping the cashier had to scream after me and point out to the place where I "forgot" to take my change from.

4) Generally people in Chicago are very nice and friendly. It always brightens my day to see people smile not only at me but also at each other

5) However, sometimes this friendliness can be too much. Having a waitress ask you how your food is three times during your lunch as you’ve just taken another bite of your hamburger isn’t exactly my kind of fun. Luckily this doesn’t happen that often.

6) Everybody's always trying to sell you something or make you contribute to some organization, or even save you from your sins. A short walk from one corner of the street to another may include a sales person trying to sell you a voucher to a near by salon, an activist trying to make you contribute to the saving of the environment, a young lady inviting you to a "free" makeover (with the purchase of the product of course) and a street preacher screaming in a microphone and giving out pamphlets.

7) Going shopping can sometimes be a little nerve-racking. You are constantly followed by shopping assistants who try to give you "their best deal" just so they can sell you something. One incident involved the sales person going so far and telling my colleague that he just contradicted himself. We left the shop without buying anything. Lesson learned: coming on too strong and aggressive may result in no sales at all

The city and I are reflected in Millennium Park's "Cloud Gate",

also affectionately called "the bean" by many Chicagoans.

Over all I am enjoying these little differences in culture and so far it has been an interesting experience living in the US. I will write more about my life in Chicago in the next couple of months and then towards the end of my visit in October, hopefully also with some news from my travels throughout the US.

A Monument to Language

by Lauren Nemec

I read the other day that the Russians have erected a monument to their language in Belgorod. The monument depicts a large bible opened to a page with letters of the Russian alphabet, symbolizing the holiness of the language and its links to the Orthodox Church. You can read more about it here.

The monument to Russian language. Photo Credit: kp.ru

I must admit... I had never heard of a monument to a language before. But it turns out that the Russian monument isn't the first of its kind.

Though not the first, the Afrikaans Language Monument in Western Cape Province, South Africa is surely the most dramatic. It was built in 1975 to commemorate the anniversary of Afrikaans becoming an official language of South Africa. The first monument built in honor of the Afrikaans language was the Burgesdorp monument, erected in 1893 and depicting a woman pointing to a book she is holding.

The Afrikaans Language Monument symbolizes the impact of culture and language on
Afrikaans and South Africa. Photo Credit: about.com

The Monument of Martyrs in Bangladesh (also called the Shaheed Minar) commemorates the people who lost their lives during the Language Movement of 1952 in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan). Every year on the 21st of February, people gather to remember those who sacrificed their lives for the movement to make Bengali an official language of Pakistan and affirm the culture and identity of the Bengali people.

Shaheed Minar, or the Monument of Martyrs, is a significant aspect of Bengali culture.

Know of any others?

7 Steps to Great Translations

by Lauren Nemec

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:

• Review the original document to cut out parts that may not be necessary or relevant to your target markets. This will improve your materials and save time and money.
• Finalize the document before sending it for translation. Changes to the source material during the process can be messy and expensive.
• Ask your provider questions! Make sure your document will be translated by a native speaker who specializes in your field. Request to see translator CV's and select the translator whose experience and expertise best fits your job.
• Understand project specifications before sending the project to your provider. If you do not understand, chances are your provider will not understand either.

2. Be Generous with Information

It is crucial that your provider understands as much as possible about the document's purpose. Useful information includes:

• Audience: Is the document for internal or external use? Will it be read by employees or customers? Is the audience sympathetic or hostile?
• Purpose: Does your document persuade people to buy your product or instruct them how to use it? Does it inform about an exciting new technology or announce a new product launch?

3. Use Translation Memory

Translation Memory can be a valuable asset for your company. Translation Memory:

• improves quality and consistency of your translations by building up your preferred multilingual terminology and phrasing.
• gives direct discounts off your translation rates; because a TM increases with every project, the more you translate, the more you will save through TM matches.

4. Set Reasonable Deadlines

A reasonable deadline allows the translator to craft a better translation and provides time for having the document proofread by a second translator.

When setting a deadline for your provider, keep these things in mind:

• A translator’s capacity is about 2000 words of translation per day
• A proofreader’s capacity is about 8000 words per day
• Highly specialized content requires extra time for research
• Additional services, such as DTP work, require additional time

5. Have a Flexible Budget

Understanding the market and its pricing factors can help you understand what kind of quality to expect for your money. Translation rates depend on any number of the following factors:

• Volume of Work: Clearly, a longer document will be more expensive. However, large volumes of work could qualify for volume discounts.
• File format: Providers will charge more to translate documents in formats such as InDesign, HTML or Framemaker than they will charge for common applications such as Microsoft Word or Excel.
• Translation Memory: A mature TM will realize greater cost savings.
• Desired deadline: Tight deadlines could incur rush fees.
• Complexity of material: Translators in highly specialized fields may charge a premium for their expertise.
• Country where provider is located: Translators will charge more in countries with a higher cost of living. Therefore, translations into Finnish, Japanese or Swedish will be more expensive than translations into Chinese, Czech or Russian.

6. Provide Support Material

Providing the project team with reference material will help them to choose the best terminology for your company and to adhere to your preferred writing styles. Excellent examples of support material include:

• previous translations
• websites
• screenshots, pictures, graphs
• company glossaries or dictionaries
• style guides

7. Be Helpful

You can play a key role in the success of your project in the following ways:

• Answer questions as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. Good translators usually ask good questions about the material.
• Provide reference material if a translator requests it.
• Offer deadline extensions if the project team is struggling to finish on time.
• Understand that unforeseen events can happen. Take a deep breath, be patient and work through the obstacle together.

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If you like this, the American Translator Association has published an in-depth guide to buying translations (you can find it on their homepage).

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For more information about Translatus, please contact:
Lauren Nemec
Marketing Manager
Email: lnemec@translatus.com
Tel: +420 222 517 153
www.translatus.com

Translatus Chicago Welcomes Veronika Svobodová

by Matthew Miodonski

Translatus would like to welcome Veronika Svobodová to its Chicago office.

Veronika is an alumna of La Salle University, Philadelphia with an M.A. in Professional Communication and Public Relations. She is a native Czech with international experience acquired through living in different countries of the world, including Indonesia and Greece. Before joining Translatus, Veronika worked in the Cultural Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Prague.Veronika, who has been with the company for over one year, makes the move from Translatus’ Prague Operations Department where she served as a Project Manager. As North American Account Manager, she will assist with Translatus’ North American Sales efforts and will manage the translation needs of North American clients.

While Veronika is new to the United States, her unique background of living abroad for much of her life, as well as her learning new cultures in various locales, will suit her well in her efforts from the U.S.

Everyone at Translatus wishes Veronika well, as we know she will be successful in her North American endeavors and will enjoy her time in Chicago.

In the next few weeks, Veronika will share some of her experiences and impressions of the United States.

For more information about Translatus in the United States, please contact:

Matthew Miodonski

President, North American Division

Email: mmiodonski@translatus.com

Tel: +1 773 603 0091

www.translatus.com

Illinois Village Debates Official Language – Part 1

by Lauren Nemec

The small village of Carpentersville, Illinois is situated in the Northwestern suburbs of Chicago in the Fox River Valley. It’s your average small American community, with a main street, historical buildings, great pizza joints, baseball fields and friendly neighbors. My memories of Carpentersville make it sound idyllic, though residents might say things are far from perfect, especially now that a fierce debate is raging over a proposal to make English the official language of the village.

In the mid-to-late 1800’s, immigrants from Germany, Sweden and Poland settled in Carpentersville to work in its iron and machinery factories. Now, a century later, Mexican immigrants also go there seeking better opportunities and a higher standard of living. In the 1960’s, Carpentersville was 99.9% white. As of the 2000 census, Hispanics make up more than 40% of the population of 30,000.

Carpentersville currently provides many Spanish-language materials for its residents, including the village newsletter, fire safety handouts, utility bills, information packets for new residents and other useful materials. When the village recently switched to standard garbage disposal receptacles, Spanish-language notices were sent out with the village newsletter. Interpreters help Spanish-speaking residents understand policies that could be beneficial for them.

However, earlier this month a village trustee submitted a controversial proposal that, if passed, would require the Village of Carpentersville to conduct its affairs only in English, putting an end to these multilingual services. According to the Daily Herald (a newspaper serving Chicago’s suburbs), this would mean that “all meetings, proceedings, signage, forms, documents and publications would have to be in English.”

Many argue that this would alienate a significant number of residents and make it difficult for public servants to communicate vital information. Both the Police Chief and Fire Chief of Carpentersville agree that an ordinance like this would effect how they communicate with and assist residents. Indeed, Spanish-speakers in Carpentersville would have a very difficult time getting the health, safety, and legal assistance they need. Carpentersville might also feel the economic effects from high legal fees and businesses leaving town.

The board of trustees has delayed the decision on this proposal until mid-June, in order to give them time to clearly define the proposal, consult with lawyers and gather information to understand how much village business is conducted in languages other than English.

As someone who specializes in the language services industry (and has familial ties in Carpentersville), I am particularly interested in the outcome of this issue and the ramifications it would have, if passed. According to organizations like the American Translators Association and the Common Sense Advisory, the market for language services is currently at about $13 billion and growing at a rate of 15-20% a year. This shows us what should be quite obvious already: in this ever-shrinking world, the need for us to successfully communicate with each other is both essential and immediate. People are living closer together than ever before and we must communicate in whatever language is necessary to get a message successfully delivered.

The Village President, Bill Sarto, puts it simply: “…the point of communication is just that -- to communicate."

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The Carpentersville language issue will be on the agenda at the village board meeting on June 19^th, which just happens to coincide with a Chicago visit I have planned at that time. With any luck, I might be able to attend the meeting and bring back a first-hand account of the developments of this story. Stay tuned…

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Further reading:

English-only law returns to spotlight- Heated issue back in Carpentersville: The Chicago Tribune

Carpentersville delays vote on English-only law: The Beacon News

Using only English a safety issue, some say: The Daily Herald

Carpentersville delays decision on English: The Daily Herald

The Globalization of... Cheerleading?

by Lauren Nemec

Whether it's German youth tuning into MTV, Chinese teens hanging out at their local McDonald's, Japanese kids playing baseball in the streets, or girls in the UK playing with Barbie and Bratz dolls, it's clear to see that globalization has brought aspects of American life to every corner of the globe. But I admit that I was a little surprised when I learned about the latest American cultural export: Cheerleading.

At the 2007 World Cheerleading Championships (held last month in Orlando, Florida), 38 teams from fifteen different countries competed for the gold medal. The competitors came from countries all over the world- Chile, Colombia, China, Australia, Scotland, New Zealand and Germany, to name a few. Though the American teams take home the majority of the medals each year, some of the foreign teams will become a force to be reckoned with in future competitions- namely the Chinese squads.

All this really shouldn't come as much of a surprise when you consider the influence cheerleading has on American culture- and how that culture is being packaged and sold like a McDonald's Happy Meal.

For example, cheerleading is a popular theme in many teen movies. The 2000 hit cheerleading movie "Bring it On" made about 25% of its $90 million box office sales overseas. According to Newsweek's article, "A World of Cheer", cheerleading's rise in popularity around the world is also a result of ESPN International's broadcasts of cheerleading competitions and the attractiveness and athleticism of famed NFL cheerleading squads.

What will come next? I'm hard-pressed to find an American product, service, or experience that can't be had around the world!

Common Sense Advisory's Top 20 for 2006 is Here

by Lauren Nemec

The Common Sense Advisory has just posted their 2006 Top 20 Translation and Localization Providers list here.

Some notable changes from last year:
- L-3 Communications has surpassed LionBridge to take the number one spot.
- Candidates from Asia were considered for the list in 2006, allowing Japanese company "Honyaku Centre" to make the shortlist.
- Other newcomers include Language Line (claiming the number 4 spot) and Semantix.

Common Sense Advisory will hold a webinar for its members on Tuesday, May 8th to discuss the findings.