Happy Halloween!

by Lauren Nemec

It's October 31st, which means that tonight across the United States, children will be running from door to door asking for candy, dressed up in their Shrek, Harry Potter and Star Wars costumes. But Halloween is not just for children. Adults will enthusiastically don ridiculous costumes to attend Halloween parties. They'll compete with their neighbors to see who can turn their home into the scariest haunted house on the block; manicured lawns will be transformed into cemeteries, complete with spider webs, gravestones, spooky music, fog, and any other Halloween-themed novelty Wal-Mart can sell. Yes- in the United States, it seems Halloween has exploded into a major holiday, rivaling Christmas in its commercialism.

So, U.S. Americans celebrate Halloween by doing what we do best - spending money and eating. But how does the rest of the world celebrate Halloween? According to PumpkinPatchesAndMore.org, "Halloween is one of the world's oldest holidays, dating back to pagan times. But it is celebrated today by more people in more countries than ever before."

Let's take a look at Halloween traditions around the world.

Ireland - Where it All Began

In Ireland, where the holiday supposedly originated, children receive a one-week holiday from school for the Halloween celebration. Both adults and children dress up as goblins, ghosts and other creatures, much like in the United States. Bonfires are lit to ward off evil spirits and people sometimes also set off fireworks.

A traditional Halloween cake called "barmbrack" will be eaten. Various objects are usually baked into the cake, and tell the fortune of the one who gets the item in his or her piece. For example, a ring indicates a wedding in one's future.

Austria

From PumpkinPatchesAndMore.org: In Austria, some people will leave bread, water and a lighted lamp on the table before retiring on Halloween night. It was once believed that these would welcome the dead souls back to earth on a night that Austrians considered to be magical.

China

There is no "Halloween" celebration in China, but they have a very similar celebration called the "Ghost Festival" which is held on the thirteen day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar. Chinese families will prepare feasts and leave empty seats at the table for their deceased family members. The Chinese also burn things made of paper to remember the dead and bring comfort to the ghosts. For example, "Hell Money" is offered to ancestors for use in the afterlife.

Hong Kong

People in Hong Kong do celebrate Halloween, unlike maChristine Kee, Executive Vice President of the Translatus Asia division and native of Hong Kong explains, "In Hong Kong, children head to local theme parks like Disneyland or Ocean Park to participate in western Halloween traditions."

Halloween's "Jack-O'-Lanterns" in Asia.
Photo from Travelogger.

Korea

From PumpkinPatchesAndMore.org: In Korea, the festival similar to Halloween is known as "Chusok." It is at this time that families thank their ancestors for the fruits of their labor. The family pays respect to these ancestors by visiting their tombs and making offerings of rice and fruits. The "Chusok" festival takes place in the month of August.

Mexico

Halloween kicks off three days of celebration in Mexico, and is celebrated much in the same way as it is in the United States. Children dress up for trick-or-treating while teens and adults throw costume parties. The Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which occurs the following two days, honors the lives of the deceased and celebrates the continuation of life. The traditions of the celebration differ across regions, but common elements include providing offerings for the departed, preparing special foods, lighting candles in honor of the departed, and spending time at desceased relatives' grave sites. It's a fascinating celebration, and you can read more about it here.

Photo by Ruben Cordova, from UTSA.edu.

ABC News: Found in Translation, on a Chinese Flight

The following article, from the ABC News Travel Section , gives us some fun on this Friday with examples of interesting translations from an in-flight entertainment guide in China.

Found in Translation, on a Chinese Flight

An In-Flight Entertainment Pamplet Gains Much in Translation

Reporter's Notebook by DAVID KERLEY and CLAYTON SANDELL
Oct. 23, 2007

ABC News correspondent David Kerley and producer Clayton Sandell, currently on assignment in China, couldn't resist sharing these English translations found while perusing the in-flight entertainment pamphlet on a flight from Guangzhou to Beijing.

Making Sense of the Music Program

JAZZ & ROCK "They are vigorous music; they can't be defined to be something belonging to the furious young people only. Listen to Jazz & Rock and release yourselves!"

LIGHT MUSIC "If you feel tired on the journey, you can fling yourself in the light music to relax. In this peaceful music world, you can smell the fragrance of the greens, hear the bickering of the streams and enjoy the beauty of the blooming flowers."

FOREIGN POP MUSIC "When you wake up in the morning, trying to figure out whether you are in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou, you hear the harmonic voice of the Backstreet Boys on the radio. You suddenly forget where you are — because music is boundless! This is the power of Foreign POP Music."

Figuring out the Films

CLASSICAL MOVIE "Those movies are so impressive. They attract you to walk into an imaginary world. You can't move your eyes away from the beautiful scenes; you can't help laughing or crying. You are totally moved by those romances."

ART MOVIE "They are the explorers or seekers to art and beauty. They are trying to show you something from their movies that they might not know by themselves. But you will definitely get something from their movies that you can feel."

UT's Profile of the Arab World

by Lauren Nemec

The University of Texas at Austin (my Alma Mater) usually has some wonderful feature stories posted on the homepage of their website. Their current feature story offers insight into the language, religion and culture of the Arab world. The story is called "Translating the Arab World: Language, religion and culture are keys to understanding diverse region".

The story has a section where you can listen to some pieces in Arabic.

The National Security Education Program recently awarded the University of Texas at Austin's Department of Middle Eastern Studies with $700k to set up an Arabic language program, in hopes the program will produce more proficient Arabic speakers in the United States.

Fuji-Xerox Introduces Copier-Translator Machine Prototype

by Lauren Nemec

Fuji-Xerox has introduced a prototype translator-photocopier machine that will be able to translate Japanese documents into English, Korean or Chinese with the touch of a button. Fuji-Xerox has not yet announced a price or launch date for the commercial version of the product.

It seems Fuji-Xerox is highly touting the feature that the copier can perform and print out the translation while preserving the document's original format. Wonderful as that is, I wonder how good the translation quality is and with what kind of machine translation software the product is equipped? Fuji-Xerox has not yet made this information publicly available. If the copier produces translations à la Altavista Babelfish, the quest to improve international business communications will have to continue... Only time and the market will tell.

NYT - Fearing Crime, Japanese Wear the Hiding Place

by Lauren Nemec

The New York Times recently published an article about quirky Japanese inventions designed to protect people from street crime. Fearing Crime, Japanese Wear the Hiding Place.

This is an entertaining and amusing read that also offers some insight into Japanese culture and their mentality about innovation and safety.

The article explains that the Japanese attitude toward protecting oneself from crime is based on the idea of "camouflage and deception" as opposed to the American tendencies to react or confront.

In response to growing fears about crime and safety in Japan, an experimental fashion designer named Aya Tsukioka has designed a skirt that transforms into a disguise that looks like a vending machine. There's also a handbag that is designed to look like a manhole cover, so when thrown on the ground, would-be thieves wouldn't notice it or the valuables hidden inside.

Maybe I am indeed a "crime-hardened American", but I'll stick to pepper spray for now.

Starbucks in Prague Next Year

by Lauren Nemec

Starbucks is preparing to open in the Czech Republic sometime next year. While this news has excited many American expats here in Prague (who can now scratch "mocha frappuccino" off the list of things they miss from home), I have to wonder how Czechs will embrace the coffee colossus.

Coffee "on-the-go" has yet to really take off here in the Czech Republic. As in most of Europe, coffee is enjoyed at a leisurely pace in coffee houses or cafes while reading the newspaper, people-watching or chatting with a friend. There are a few locations for getting coffee to-go here in Prague, but native Czechs don't flock to these shops with the same fervor as American tourists. Most Czech workers get their java jolts from vending machines located at train stations and offices, where for 10 czk (about 50 cents) one can get a small plastic cup with a shot or two of coffee. Also, Czechs (like most Europeans) are not used to drinking coffee in excessive volumes like us Americans. I'm trying to imagine a Czech woman walking down the street with a Starbucks venti in hand, but my imagination is not quite up to the task.

Starbucks' success in the Czech Republic will likely rely heavily on their pricing. Czech salaries are quite low, so a cup of coffee from Starbucks at a price comparable to that in the USA would be an extravagance that many cannot afford. Dave Faries, food critic at the Prague Post said in an interview with Radio Praha, "The key though, for Starbucks in this market, will be price-point more than anything. Whether Czechs will be willing to pay for it, whether even expats will be willing to pay...".

Starbucks' brand image should give them a strong advantage in this market. Czechs (especially teens and young adults) tend to be very brand conscious and enthusiastic about things from the United States. When Starbucks comes to Prague, I think Czechs will be drawn to its foreign exoticness and strong brand image, and will probably consider it stylish to consume Starbucks beverages.

I guess this means Czechs will have to adapt to the Starbucks way of ordering a coffee... "I'll have a Venti mint mocha chip frappuccino with whipped cream, caramel affogato and a triple shot."

Also coming to Prague within the next year or so: the fast-food giant Burger King and discount supermarket chain Aldi.

Photo Courtesy: Starbucks.com

How has language changed your life? Rosetta Stone wants to know!

by Lauren Nemec

Rosetta Stone, Inc. wants to hear about how learning a foreign language has changed your life. The leading provider of language-learning software has started a contest, calling for 300-word essays about how learning a language has affected your love life, career or family. The grand prize is a trip for two with a value of $5,000. Runners-up will receive language-learning software.

The contest is open to U.S. Residents only. Entries are due by November 30th.

Contest details are here.
Contest rules are here.

If you can write well, have a great story to share and live in the United States then you should certainly go for it! (And if you should happen to win, consider taking along one of us poor souls who are not eligible to participate in the contest... Wink.)

Translations - 6 Mistakes that Cost You Money

by Lauren Nemec

1. Choosing the Cheapest Provider

In the translation industry, there is a per-word cost below which it is unlikely you will receive a quality translation. When you go below this cost, you risk spending much more time and money than anticipated. Let’s figure out the true cost of getting a cheap, poor quality translation:

Item	Cost
Initial translation of 1,000 words	$0.03 x 1,000 = $30.00
Internal review of translation*	$35 per hour x 1 hour = $35.00
Negotiating discount with provider*	$35 per hour x 1 hour = $35.00
Translation discount of 50%	50% of $30.00 = ($15.00)
Editing translation, 2-4 hours	$30 per hour x 3 hours = $90.00
Total Cost	$175.00

Save money by spending money - and save the headaches. Buying the translation from a reputable provider at $0.15 per word could cost less than having it done poorly for $0.03 per word.

* Time is money, so any time that you and your colleagues spend rectifying this situation will cost your company (calculated here using a sample hourly wage).

2. Not Using Translation Memory

Translation Memory (TM) 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. It also 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.

After building their Translation Memory with Translatus for one year, our clients realized TM savings at an average of about 2-5% per project. It may not seem like much, but with a yearly volume of $100,000, that adds up to $2,000-5,000 in savings. Over a greater period of time, consistent use of your TM can cut translation costs by 30-50%.

3. Poor Organization

A well-organized project will not only save money, but will reduce stress and help to ensure a quality 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 money.
• Finalize the document before sending it for translation. Changes to the source material during the process can be messy and expensive.
• Send the right document for translation. It sounds obvious, but we've proceeded with translations before only to have the client realize they sent us the wrong file. Unfortunately, when something like this happens, the client must incur the cost of any translation that was done.

4. Setting Unreasonable Deadlines

When you submit a project to your services provider, set reasonable deadlines to avoid incurring rush fees.

When setting deadlines, consider that a translator can usually translate about 2,000 words per day and a proofreader can proofread about 8,000 words per day. Therefore, for a 4,000-word translation, you should allow at least two days for translation and one half-day for proofreading.* Pushing these limitations will likely result in a rush fee, so don't do it if you don't really need it. Most language services providers will charge rush fees of 20-50% for non-standard delivery times.

* When possible, it’s always a good idea to add an extra day or two to your deadline.

5. Not Providing the Original Documents

When a client does not provide an original document for translation, language services providers will often tack on additional charges for transcribing or extracting text, converting formats, and correcting layouts.

These documents are frequently submitted to language service providers and are difficult to work with, costing you more money:

• PDF: It takes a matter of seconds to convert an MSWord document into a PDF. However, it can take hours to extract text from a PDF document and re-create its proper layout in MSWord. When possible, submit the original document from which the PDF was created.
• Fax: It can take many hours to transcribe text from a faxed document into a word processor. This is made especially difficult when the fax is grainy or hard to read. When possible, submit the soft copy of the document.
• JPEG Graphics: Desktop publishing specialists can usually work with any graphic in any format, but without the original file it will take more time and cost more money. When possible, submit the original Photoshop (.psd) file. It’s cheaper and the quality will be better.

6. Not Asking for Discounts

If you buy strategically, you should never have to pay full prices for anything. This can be true for buying translation services.

• Considering a new provider? Ask for a free test translation.
• Working with a new provider? Ask for a “new customer” discount off your first paid project.
• Receive a better offer from a competitor? Ask your provider to match or beat that quote.
• Haven’t worked with a provider in a while? Ask for a "Welcome Back" discount.
• Just ask! Simply asking your provider to give you a more competitive rate can often result in at least a 5% discount.

Remember, it never hurts to ask.