Wow, the world really is flat....

by Lauren Nemec

Today I finished reading Thomas Friedman's "The World is Flat". It's a little funny, considering the date: November 9th, or 11/9. If you've read "The World is Flat", you'll understand the significance of this date. Today marks 18 years since checkpoints were opened along the Berlin Wall, allowing the citizens of East Germany to travel freely into the Western world. Friedman lists this event as one (in fact, as the first) of the 10 forces that has flattened the world. But I digress...

Anyway, for those who don't yet believe that the world is flat, here's an article that might change your mind: "Bangalore butler is latest development in outsourcing".

Global corporations have been looking to India to outsource non-core business operations like software development, human resource management, accounting and customer service. If you've ever had an airline lose your luggage or have needed help with your laptop, it's likely you've spoken with an Indian when calling the company's customer service line.

But now, individuals are starting to look to India for management of their daily tasks. Parents are purchasing tutoring services from India for their school-aged children using VoIP from their computers at home. For busy professionals in big U.S. cities, a personal assistant service in India can schedule appointments, make dinner reservations, provide wake-up calls, book flights, give directions, and even help their clients find love by searching online dating sites for people who match their requirements!

According to the article, this globalization of consumer services will eventually create a market of millions of households in the USA and other countries that will require services "like health and nutrition coaching, personal tax and legal advice, help with hobbies and cooking, learning new languages and skills, and more."

Does that mean when I can't remember an ingredient for my chocolate chip cookies, I can call someone in India and they will be able to help me? Really, the world is flat.

Global Brand Names - Is Yours Lost in Translation?

by Lauren Nemec

Are you preparing to introduce a new product in a foreign market? Read this first.

Naseem Javed, an expert on Corporate Image and Global Branding, has written an informative and useful article on the subject of global brand names, called "Lost in Global Translation?". In it, he explains the challenges of naming a brand for the global market, focusing on Middle Eastern products branded in Arabic. Here are some interesting points from the article, if you don't have time to read through it.

Who are the leaders in global branding?

According to Javed, Japan laid the groundwork for the systematic naming of global brands. He says, "Decades ahead, Japan was on the forefront of creating global brands, like Toyota, Minolta, Sony, Pentax, Sharp, Panasonic, Canon and hundreds of other five star standard names, as names originating from Japanese language would have never allowed such global acceptance."

What are the components of a good global brand name?

Ideally, the best global brand names are those that adhere to international rules of translation, appeal to the masses, lack negative cultural connotations, and are easy to pronounce, spell and recall. This seems straightforward enough, but is easier said than done, as many global companies could tell you from experience.

Javed's Recommendations

According to Javed, "The best thing [companies can] do is conduct a highly professional third-party nomenclature audit. Check connotations and language issues to find out where the name could be rejected or taken as too confusing and forgettable."

Translatus Brand Name Analysis Services

This subject gives me ample opportunity to introduce a service offered by Translatus.

We understand that a brand is a valuable asset- one which should be evaluated before entering new foreign markets. Therefore, Translatus has designed a "Brand Name Analysis" service, which provide our clients with linguistic and cultural analysis of their brand names, slogans and logos.

Translatus will deliver a detailed, written analysis for each brand name in each target market. The analysis addresses the following issues:

• Prior use of the brand name in the target market
• Similarity of the brand name to other companies, products or services.
• Direct translation or similarity of brand name to existing words in target language.
• Negative cultural connotations or possible offensiveness.
• Unclear use of colloquial language, slang, or idioms in the brand name or slogan.
• Ease of pronunciation and recollection.
  

This global and market-specific analysis of your brands ensures accurate representation of your brand image and company message in your foreign markets. For more information, please visit our website or contact me at lnemec@translatus.com or +420 222 517 153.

Photo courtesy: The Trademark Blog

The Best of American Exports - Hooters Opens in Beijing

by Lauren Nemec

Now Chinese men can also say, "I only go there for the wings."

Hooters has recently opened a restaurant in Beijing, China. It's actually the fourth Hooters restaurant in China (the first is located in Shanghai), but the first in the conservative city of Beijing.

American expats, students and tourists will probably make up a large percentage of Hooters patrons, but the company is hoping that the concept of "sex sells" will also be true for Chinese consumers. Hooters also hopes to capitalize on the masses of visitors who will be visiting Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Waitresses at Beijing's Hooters wear the signature outfits of orange hot pants and tight tank tops as they serve up chicken wings and cold beer. The environment is very much the same as any Hooters restaurant found in the United States - but one aspect has been a little 'lost in globalization' - the name "Hooters" doesn't have the same connotations to the Chinese as it does to Americans. It simply means "owl".

Further reading - Globalization Gone Wild : Hooters Opens in China

Photo: Frederic J. Brown, AFP/Getty Images

Globalization, Internationalization, Localization and Translation

Globalization, Internationalization, Localization and Translation: The Processes to Apply in Preparation for Foreign Market Entry

by Lauren Nemec

Penetrating new markets is a top strategic priority for many businesses. Preparing to expand a business into new foreign markets requires significant time and money. Success depends on careful planning and having the right processes. These processes include globalization, internationalization, localization and translation and each represents a crucial step in taking a product to a new market

Globalization

Globalization is the process of developing, manufacturing and marketing a product intended for distribution in foreign markets. This is a two-step process consisting of internationalization and localization, with translation being an integral part of localization.

Internationalization

Internationalization is the process of generalizing a product to prepare it for localization. This neutralizes the product, enabling a more efficient localization process, improving quality and decreasing localization costs and time to market. Internationalizing a product just once enables a company to easily localize that product for multiple locations.

Here is a sample list of tasks commonly performed in the internationalization process:

• Reduce redundant or repetitious texts
• Finalize texts before localization and translation
• Use standard terminology
• Create a glossary defining any original, technical or unclear terminology
• Enforce a consistent writing style
• Adhere to grammar rules
• Adapt layouts to accommodate right-to-left or top-to-bottom scripts
• Allow for extra space since text tends to expand when translated from English
• Use programming tools that support foreign language character sets

Localization

After a product has been internationalized, it can then be localized. Localization is the process of adapting a product to fit the specific language and culture of a target market. The goal is to make the product as natural and transparent as possible for the user, as if it was developed with that user in mind.

The following details differ greatly between countries and therefore must be taken into consideration during localization:

• time and date formats
• time zones
• keyboard usage
• currency conversion
• paper size
• units of measurement
• graphics
• colors
• symbols
• names and titles

Translation

Translation is the process of rendering the meaning of a text from one language into another. It is a significant part of the localization process.

Why Is This Important?

Globalization has made barriers to market entry smaller than ever before. However, language and culture remain significant obstacles for companies expanding to foreign markets. It is a common misconception that most business professionals in the world have sufficient knowledge of English and because of this, English-only websites are perfectly acceptable for a global marketplace. Companies cannot survive under this assumption. While English knowledge is indeed widespread, knowledge does not indicate preference. Put quite simply, people are less likely to buy your product if they can't read about it or use it in their own language.

Market for Localization and Translation Services

According to the Common Sense Advisory, a research and consulting firm specializing in this industry, the market for outsourced language services is at $10 billion this year and expected to grow at 15-20% per year. No single company consistently dominates the market. In fact, the top 20 companies in the industry combined hold less than 20% of the market. This means that there are many language services providers for companies to choose from and that pricing for their services remains competitive.

How Can a Language Services Provider Help?

Language services providers offer a range of services that support globalization, internationalization, localization and translation initiatives, such as:

• Global content management solutions
• Product internationalization
• Website localization
• Software localization
• Translation
• Terminology management
• Translation memory management
• Consulting and training

When you globalize a product, you are making a commitment to support that product in all of your target markets for the duration of its life cycle. This long-term commitment requires an excellent partner who has a history of success with its existing clients, extensive experience with localization and translation technologies, knowledge of your industry, subject-matter expertise and a process-focused approach to supplying services.

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!