Project Management Localization World Takes Berlin by Storm What

Project management Creating a framework for saying ‘no’ Educating the client is part of the project Five tips to achieve global simship Scheduling successful localization projects Managing communication and politics on virtual teams

Localization World takes Berlin by storm What does it take to be a good translator?

Getting Started Guide: South America

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04 Idiom #89.indd 4 6/27/07 2:49 22 PM u ti ingua M l L July/August 2007l Language | Technology | Business #89 Volume 18 Issue 5

Q Up Front Q Feature Articles Q 6 www.multilingual.com Q Translation Q 7 Post Editing 29 What does it take to be a good translator? Q News — Jim Healey Q 8 News Q Industry Focus Q 19 Calendar 37 Creating a framework for saying ‘no’ Q Reviews — Richard Sikes 20 Translation and Identity 43 Educating the client is part of the project Reviewed by Dena Bugel-Shunra — Marta Dalmau Gonzalez Up Front Q Columns and Commentary 47 Five tips to achieve global simship — Bret Freeman 21 Off the Map — Tom Edwards 49 Scheduling successful localization projects World Savvy — John Freivalds 24 — Andrew Jones 26 Perspectives — Birgit Nielsen 52 Managing communication 74 Takeaway — Nancy A. Locke and politics on virtual teams — Colleen Garton Q Business 56 Localization World takes Berlin by storm — Laurel Wagers 61 Resolving a user-acceptance problem — Andrew Joscelyne Q Tech 58 XTech 2007: a conference report — Yves Savourel

Q 63 Basics About the Cover 65 Buyer’s Guide Marble temple fragments inscribed in Greek from Q the ongoing archaeological work at the Temple 73 Advertiser Index of Isis on the sacred island of Delos, the center of ancient Greek Cyclades (meaning circle) islands of the Aegean Sea.

www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 MultiLingual 5

05 Contents.indd 5 6/27/07 2:49:59 PM on the web at www.multilingual.com

MultiLingual .NET resource expands #89 Volume 18 Issue 5 July/August 2007 Editor-in-Chief, Publisher: Donna Parrish Managing Editor: Laurel Wagers Bill Hall has published Part IV of Globalization Translation Dept. Editor: Jim Healey Handbook for the Microsoft .NET Platform, Copy Editor: Cecilia Spence GLOBALIZATIONLA T which builds on the ¿ rst three volumes of this HANDBOOKD OOK News: Kendra Gray valuable reference. In the new resource, Hall FORF THEE MMICROSOFTIR T Illustrator: Doug Jones continues to explain and demonstrate the .NET.ET PLATFORMLA F M process of making an application ready for the Production: Sandy Compton A GUIDE FOR P OGRAMMERS, A CHITECTS AND QA PE SONNEL Cover Photograph: Doug Jones PART IV world using the Microsoft .NET platform. The Webmaster: Aric Spence BILLL HALLA L particular topics covered include the String MLM ASSOC ATES INC. class, two classes for iterating Unicode strings Assistant: Shannon Abromeit correctly, the CompareInfo class for comparing Intern: Callie Welch strings and a short description of the Circulation: Terri Jadick accompanying SortKey classes. Advertising Director: Jennifer Del Carlo You can purchase and download all or each part of this book Advertising: Kevin Watson, Bonnie Merrell at www.multilingual.com/ebooks Editorial Board Jeff Allen, Julieta Coirini, Bill Hall, Aki Ito, Nancy A. Locke, Ultan Ó Broin, Angelika Zerfaß MultiLingual’s digital edition Advertising Remember: as a print subscriber to MultiLingual, you also [email protected] automatically qualify for a free digital subscription. Most people www.multilingual.com/advertising prefer to hold a printed issue in their hands, but certain features in the 208-263-8178 digital edition nicely complement the print: Subscriptions, back issues, * access to all previous digital issues, customer service no matter when your subscription began [email protected] * active hyperlinks to referred resources www.multilingual.com/subscribe * online editorial index of previous year’s content Submissions, letters * keyword search capacity and share-by-e-mail function [email protected] Editorial guidelines are available at www.multilingual.com/editorialWriter Reprints: [email protected] How to use www.multilingual.com MultiLingual Computing, Inc. GO TO the home page to see daily news updates and links 319 North First Avenue, Suite 2 to new website content as well as current job postings. Sandpoint, Idaho 83864-1495 USA RESEARCH past articles by looking through the list of online articles at [email protected] www.multilingual.com/featuredArticles www.multilingual.com

FIND a technology or service by searching our database © MultiLingual Computing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of more than 1,600 industry resources at without permission is prohibited. For reprints and e-prints, please e-mail [email protected] or call 208-263-8178. www.multilingual.com/industryResources MultiLingual (ISSN 1523-0309), July/August 2007, is published monthly except Jan-Feb, Apr-May, Jul-Aug, Oct-Nov for US $58, KEEP UP TO DATE with current industry news at international $85 per year by MultiLingual Computing, Inc., 319 North First Avenue, Suite 2, Sandpoint, ID 83864-1495. Periodicals www.multilingual.com/news postage paid at Sandpoint, ID and additional mailing ofﬁ ces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MultiLingual, 319 North PLAN your travels by checking the calendar of events at First Avenue, Suite 2, Sandpoint, ID 83864-1495. www.multilingual.com/calendar

6 | MultiLingual July/August 2007

06 MH #89.indd 6 6/27/07 2:50:36 PM Laurel Wagers Post Editing

Managing projects

Some of us are organized thinkers and doers right from the start; some learn to be organized or at least look that way; and others of us muddle along depending on outside forces or fences to keep us moving in the right direction. We can, fortunately, keep to the path with the help of good project managers. SIn this issue we focus on the process of making projects happen. We start with Richard Sikes and the challenges of managing people who at least appear to be in agreement. Marta Dalmau Gonzalez shares some real-life examples and some ideas for teaching clients what is possible. Bret Freeman offers tips for achieving simultaneous shipment of international products. Colleen Garton has some ideas for managing the politics and gossip that can affect communication on virtual teams. And Andrew Jones provides planning tools for keeping projects on schedule. Translators received some attention recently in the pages of Parade magazine’s “What People Earn” annual feature. Translation and interpreting were listed among the good jobs with a future demand, good pay and no college training requirement. While all this is technically true, it’s far from a full picture. Some experienced translators and those who hire them shared their views with Jim Healey about how good translators get that way. Technical standards and the ubiquitous web were hot topics at XTech 2007, Yves Savourel reports. What does this have to do with you, language technology or your kitchen? More than you would think. We also report on Localization World Berlin, where professionals from throughout the localization industry met to learn, network, share new developments — and enjoy an ”Irish barbecue” on Midsummer’s Eve at a beach in the middle of the city. And Andrew Joscelyne describes the process of gaining user acceptance in the implementation of a new content management system at a manufacturing fi rm. Dena Bugel-Shunra reviews the book Translation and Identity; Tom Edwards rips cases from the headlines that illustrate cultural faux pas; John Freivalds advises us to consider where our information comes from; and translator Birgit Nielsen voices her concern about changes in the quality and quantity of both translation work and source material. Our Takeaway comes from Nancy A. Locke, responding to the cancellation of a university localization certifi cate program. She has some choice words for academia and industry alike. A theme that runs through much of this issue is the desire for professional respect — a respect that seems to be in short supply for language workers outside their own channels. What does it take to change attitudes? All the public relations in the world won’t alter the image if the business model doesn’t match the professional talk. Now, there’s a project that needs some planning and fi rst-class management. If one of your projects includes a South American component, you’ll fi nd sound advice in the Getting Started Guide to South America, with contributions from Charles Campbell, Teddy Bengtsson and Fabiano Cid on the business side; Greg Churilov and Florencia Paolillo on language; and Jorgelina Vacchino, Nicolás Bravo and Eugenia Conti on translator training. When you have thoughts to share about translation, project management, professional respect or other language-industry topics, drop us an e-mail ([email protected]). And thanks for reading MultiLingual! :

www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 MultiLingual | 7

07 PostEditing #89.indd 7 6/27/07 2:51:11 PM production processes involved in Argos’ proj- moving increasingly toward the centraliza- Announcements ects and the company’s three core services; tion of translation procurements; almost translation, localization and desktop publish- two-thirds of North American buyers use a Lido-Lang certiﬁ ed ing. The change also marks a shift in direction standard rate card or master services agree- EN 15038:2006 for its corporate identity with the aim of con- ment, whereas only 16% use them in the Lido-Lang Technical Translations necting marketing materials, advertising and European Union; limited growth in reverse has been certiﬁ ed for being in website to the structure of the company. online auctions (Common Sense concludes conformity with the most recent AArgosrgos CompanyCompany Ltd.Ltd. that auctions will not play a major role in European sectoral for translation [email protected] language procurement); and the use of con- services standard EN 15038:2006. www.argostranslations.com sensus ratio to determine if buyers and sup- This supplements the company’s pliers agree on whether an issue is important

News previous certifi cate for conformity or not important, and the positive intensity with the standard ISO 9001:2000. ratio to determine the strength or intensity LLido-Langido-Lang TechnicalTechnical TranslationsTranslations of each group’s agreement. offi [email protected] CCommonommon SenseSense AAdvisory,dvisory, IInc.nc. www.lidolang.com [email protected] www.commonsenseadvisory.com English technical translation contest LRC invites thesis entries In April and May 2007, Palex The Localisation Research Centre (LRC) Language & Software held an English trans- at the University of Limerick invites entries lation contest for Microsoft software and CATALYST community for the eleventh edition of the annual LRC documentation. It is the second translation reaches 20,000 registered users award for the best thesis on a localiza- contest organized by the company with the Alchemy Software Development Ltd., tion-related topic, which is sponsored by purpose of stimulating interest in transla- a visual localization solutions provider, Symantec Ireland Ltd. Students who have tion and freelance work and selecting new has announced that its community of completed a thesis on a relevant localiza- full-time and freelance employees. With Alchemy CATALYST Translator/LITE users tion theme within the past two years are more than a hundred applications submit- reached 20,000 registered and activated invited to submit their work to the LRC ted, over 70 participants — most of them licenses. CATALYST is considered to be for consideration. Theses may be submit- students and young professionals — com- the most widely used visual translation ted prior to their degree award and will be pleted the off-site translation assignment. memory technology within the freelance judged by a panel of academic and industry Those who delivered the 20 best translations translator community. experts. The closing date for submission is participated in the fi nal stage. AAlchemylchemy SSoftwareoftware DevelopmentDevelopment LLtd.td. August 1, 2007. For the fi nal assignment, the competitors [email protected] The LRC is also accepting entries for the had to translate an HTML page and correct 11 www.alchemysoftware.ie fourth edition of its annual Best Localisation localization errors in a dialog box. Although Scholar Award. This award is presented to a translation quality was of the highest priority, ‘He Said, She Said, About student entering into or currently undertak- the technical background of the participants Translation’ report available ing postgraduate research on a localization- — such as the ability to handle HTML cor- Common Sense Advisory, Inc., has made related topic in a third-level institution and rectly and the number of localization errors available “He Said, She Said, About Transla- is based on the quality and relevance of his found — earned additional points. tion,” its latest translation industry research or her research proposal. The closing date Andrey Cherkovsky, a freelance translator, report detailing what’s important to both for submission is August 1, 2007. was selected the winner. The second prize buyers and suppliers of language services. In addition, the LRC and Euro RSCG 4D was awarded to Sergey Plotnikov, a chief Findings include a signifi cant divergence on are accepting nominations for the 2007 specialist at Tomsk Regional Energy Commis- the perceived importance of automation Best Global Website Award — judged by an sion, and Rostislav Romanovsky, a third-year and that buyer attitudes on pricing remain international panel of industry experts. The student in the Chemical & Chemistry Engi- inscrutable to the vendor community. The objective of this award is to highlight the neering Department at Tomsk Polytechnic report examines the data from a 12-ques- importance of localization in the world of University. Neither has ever been a profes- tion online survey of MultiLingual maga- global digital communication. The deadline sional translator. Mark Lesun, a newcomer zine’s readers that included responses from for entries is September 3, 2007. to freelance translation, ranked third. 236 language service suppliers (LSPs) and LLocalisationocalisation RResearchesearch CCentreentre PPalexalex LLanguagesanguages & SSoftwareoftware 56 buyers. The survey, which was conducted [email protected], www.localisation.ie [email protected], www.palex.ru in late 2006, examined the procurement EEurouro RRSCGSCG 4D4D patterns, processes and needs of buyers [email protected] Argos unveils new company logo of language services and if these fi ndings www.eurorscg4d.com Argos Translations Ltd., a company that matched the majority of LSPs’ perceptions offers a full range of language services, has and offerings. TransPerfect named Cannes supplier revamped its brand image with the introduc- Key fi ndings indicate that nearly 86% of TransPerfect Translations, Inc., was named tion of a new company logo. The new symbol buyers outsource most or all of their trans- a supplier for the 54th Annual Cannes Lions has been designed to embody the different lation work to external agencies; buyers are International Advertising Festival — June

8 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

08-16 News #89.indd 8 6/27/07 2:58:41 PM News

17-23, 2007, in Cannes, France — a week- company’s fl agship product Globalyzer helps long exhibition celebrating innovative new software development teams to internation- work in fi lm, press, interactive, radio, media, alize new and existing software applications direct marketing and sales promotion. Up as well as manage the global readiness of to 10,000 delegates from over 75 countries new development efforts. were expected to attend the 2007 festival, LLingoport,ingoport, IInc.nc. [email protected] and over 25,000 award entries were sub- www.lingoport.com mitted from around the world. TTransPerfectransPerfect Translations,Translations, Inc.Inc. Collaboration [email protected], www.transperfect.com across Systems partners with LLE - Language Services MadCap Software, euroscript awards scholarship across Systems GmbH, a provider of cor- LLE — Language Services, a language ser- porate translation management software, vices provider to government and business and MadCap Software, Inc., a multi-channel organizations, has awarded the Kathleen K. content authoring company, have partnered Diamond Scholarship for Language Majors to combine technical content creation to University of Florida student Adam Reinke. with advanced translation and localization. The University of Florida’s College of Liberal Through integrated software from Mad- Arts and Sciences Department of Romance Cap and across, technical documentation Languages and Literatures hosted its annual professionals will be able to publish best- student award ceremony on April 19, 2007. in-class multilingual user manuals, online Prior to the award, Kathleen K. Diamond, CEO Help systems, and other corporate content of LLE — Language Services, delivered the for the international market from a single keynote address. She discussed the oppor- source. Through their strategic partnership, tunities available to language majors and the two companies will enable integration how linguists are in demand by organizations among MadCap Lingo, Flare and Blaze (to around the world. be launched in late 2007) and the across LLLELE — LLanguageanguage SServiceservices Language Server, a platform for the entire [email protected], www.lle-inc.com translation process. across and euroscript International S.A. ACCU technology recognized are intensifying their collaborative work ACCU Translation Services Ltd. was nomi- and have formed a strategic partnership. nated on the provincial level for the Ontario, As a result of the partnership with across, Canada, Chamber of Commerce’s Outstand- euroscript will not only feature Language ing Business Achievement Award in the Server in its own editorial and translation category of innovation technology. The com- operations, but will function as a system pany also received the Burlington Chamber integrator that offers its customers a direct of Commerce’s Business Excellence Award for link to the respective processes and inte- Innovative Technology. gration of the corresponding systems. Among the factors contributing to its aacrosscross SystemsSystems GmbHGmbH selection were a value-added business model [email protected], www.across.net whereby clients receive translation manage- MMadCapadCap Software,Software, Inc.Inc. ment as opposed to the traditional com- [email protected] modity translation business; the use of SDL www.madcapsoftware.com TeamWorks; and ACCU’s partner Clay Tablet eeuroscripturoscript InternationalInternational SS.A..A. Technologies for content translation services. [email protected], www.euroscript.com AACCUCCU TTranslationranslation ServicesServices Ltd.Ltd. [email protected] Bridge360 and Camelot partner www.accutranslation.com Camelot Information Systems, LLC, a Chi- nese-based information technology services Changes company, has opened its US headquarters in Austin, Texas, through a partnership with Lingoport expands Lingoport, Inc., has moved into larger cor- Correction: porate offi ces in Boulder, Colorado, to accom- modate its expanding development team and We apologize to our former edito- the growth in its globalization software and rial board member Henri Broekmate for misspelling his name in the Take- services business. It also recently added sev- away in issue #87 (April/May 2007). eral developers and managers to its team. The

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08-16 News #89.indd 9 6/27/07 2:58:54 PM News

Bridge360, Inc., an internationalization com- SDL acquires PASS Engineering supplier status for face-to-face interpret- pany. Executives from China were in Austin SDL International, a provider of global ing services for the Department for Work to celebrate the opening held on May 21-23, information management solutions, has an- and Pensions (DWP) in the greater London 2007. Bridge360 facilitated the legal and nounced the acquisition of PASS Engineering area. The announcement comes after the business processes for Camelot to set up a US GmbH, the developers of the visual software company was recently chosen as one of base, which is a mirror image of what Camelot localization tool PASSOLO. Introducing prod- the core suppliers of language services to is doing for Bridge360 in Beijing. ucts to global markets is one of the key chal- the UK Government’s Home Offi ce. Camelot is one of the fi rst Chinese lenges being faced by organizations, and tthebigwordGrouphebigwordGroup [email protected] companies to focus on the US market for PASSOLO supports the local ization of Micro- www.thebigword.com outsourcing services. Service offerings will soft .NET applications, which is becoming the include outsourcing services management, de facto web software development platform Trusted Translations, Inc., marketing services management and local used by many companies to deliver customer- acquires Europe Translations support services management. facing, web-based applications. Trusted Translations, Inc., an English-to- BBridge360,ridge360, IInc.nc. www.bridge360.com PPASSASS EngineeringEngineering GGmbHmbH Spanish translation vendor, has acquired [email protected], www.passolo.com Europe Translations based in Brussels, Bel- euroscript becomes reseller SSDLDL IInternationalnternational gium. With a focus on providing localization euroscript International S.A., a provider [email protected], www.sdl.com and translation services to the European of innovative solutions in content life cycle market, Europe Translations expands the lan- management, has announced a partnership nCore and HCL combine technology guage offerings and services of the Trusted agreement with Document Sciences Corpo- nCore, a provider of internationalization Translations Group. ration, a customer communications man- solutions for embedded environments and TTrustedrusted Translations,Translations, Inc.Inc. agement solutions provider. The partnership HCL Technologies Ltd., a global information [email protected] positions both organizations to enhance technology services company, have created www.trustedtranslations.com their presence in the fi nancial services an alliance to develop joint technology to market by providing clients with document provide a complete solution to customers in Translations.com and iSP merge generation solutions for developing and the embedded market space. Translations.com, a provider of website producing account statements, insurance With nCore’s nScript and HCL’s EmPresent and software localization, and globalization policies, contracts, fund reporting, legal Visual Editor, software developers will have management system technology products, reporting and other critical business docu- the fl exibility to opt among the default has completed a merger with iSP — interna- ment applications. Under the terms of the fonts rendering engine of the multilingual tional Software Products B.V., a provider of agreement, euroscript will resell Document software plug-in. localization services. Financial terms of the Sciences’ xPression software suite, initially nnCoreCore Ltd.Ltd. ncore@ncore.fi , www.ncore.fi deal were not disclosed. targeting the Belgium and Luxembourg Amsterdam-based iSP will become a divi- markets. thebigwordGroup interprets for DWP sion of Translations.com and will continue eeuroscripturoscript IInternationalnternational SS.A..A. thebigwordGroup, a language services to be led by current CEO, Martijn Heertje, [email protected], www.euroscript.com company, has been awarded sole preferred who will remain division president of iSP

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10 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

08-16 News #89.indd 10 6/27/07 2:59:16 PM News

and will assume the additional post of vice video title production industry. The agree- systems, and Astoria Software, a developer president at Translations.com. Additionally, ment allows SDI to use ZOOtech’s Region- of content management systems for dynamic the original founder of iSP, Yvonne Carter, alization Tool to automate the localization product documentation, have announced a will remain on the post-merger manage- of menus for DVDs, interactive games and joint integration and marketing agreement. ment team in her present role. corporate multimedia productions. The tool Under the deal, the companies will use TTranslations.comranslations.com [email protected] automates the previous manual process Web 2.0 technologies to integrate Asto- www.translations.com of creating assets, such as DVD menus, in ria On-Demand with Idiom WorldServer iiSPSP — iinternationalnternational SoftwareSoftware ProductsProducts B.V.B.V. multiple languages. On-Demand. [email protected], www.isp.nl SSDIDI MMediaedia GGrouproup [email protected] IIdiomdiom TTechnologies,echnologies, IInc.nc. www.sdimediagroup.com [email protected], www.idiominc.com McNeil Multilingual part of TIINC Translations International, Inc. (TIINC), Idiom and Astoria Vasont Systems selected by has completed the acquisition of McNeil integrate technology Advanced Energy Industries Multilingual, Inc., a provider of translation Idiom Technologies, Inc., a supplier of Vasont Systems, a provider of content and interpreting services to commercial SaaS (Software as a Service) and on-prem- management software and data services, companies and the US government. The ise server-based globalization management has announced that Advanced Energy McNeil project management team will remain intact and continue to serve clients as part of TIINC. McNeil’s translators will also become a part of TIINC. MMcNeilcNeil MMultilingual,ultilingual, Inc.Inc. [email protected], www.mcneilml.com

TEMIS migration program solution TEMIS, a developer of text analytics software, has announced a migration program for customers and partners potentially impacted by the acquisition of Inxight by Business Objects. With this incentive, TEMIS aims at enabling customers to smoothly and successfully transition to a technology based on the same Xerox predecessor — XFST (Xerox Finite State Transducers) — from the Xerox Labs. Inxight is a spin-off from the Xerox Research Centre, and TEMIS acquired Xerox linguistics products and operations in 2003. TTEMISEMIS [email protected] www.temis-group.com SYSTRAN Premium SAS implements acrolinx tools SAS, a provider of business intelligence, Translator 6 and acrolinx, a developer of quality assurance tools, have announced the deploy- %FTJHOFE GPS 5PEBZµT ment of acrocheck in the SAS Publications Division. SAS approached acrolinx with very 1SPGFTTJPOBM 5SBOTMBUPS detailed linguistic requirements. Seventy- NEW ﬁ ve writers, editors and managers at SAS Streamline the translation workflow and V6 are using the tool, and many of its writers automate the human translation process are said to value acrocheck as an effective to minimize costs. on-the-job training aid or performance 50+ language pairs Optimize translations. support tool. Desktop and server solutions Increase productivity. SSASAS [email protected], www.sas.com New and intuitive Translation Toolbar is Cost-effective. aacrolinxcrolinx GGmbHmbH always available on the desktop [email protected], www.acrolinx.com New Dictionary Lookup provides instant Visit us online at www.systransoft.com access to SYSTRAN, Larousse and SDI automates with ZOOtech tool Chambers dictionaries SDI Media Group, a provider of subtitling Enhanced customization tools to manage and language dubbing services to the enter- dictionaries, TMs, post-editing, and QA tainment industry, has signed an agreement with ZOOtech, a solutions company for the

www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 MultiLingual | 11

08-16 News #89.indd 11 6/27/07 3:00:17 PM News

Industries, Inc., a developer of power and proven to be crucial to growing success. control technologies for high-growth Announced for availability in June 2007, People manufacturing processes, has selected the beta version of PASSOLO 2007 offers the Vasont Content Management System customers new capabilities such as advanced Arancho hires sales director to reduce the complexit y of publishing it s .NET support for bidirectional languages and Arancho, a provider of multilingual docu- customized product manuals. Advanced visual .NET 3.0/WPF localization. mentation management and localization solu- Energy releases approximately 200 man- PPASSASS EngineeringEngineering GGmbHmbH tions, has moved its Rimini, Italy, head offi ce uals per year, each with variations across [email protected], www.passolo.com to larger space within the city. As part of the product lines, multiple delivery channels, expansion, Arancho has hired Lisard Jiménez and publication into eight languages. Record fi rst quarter for Lionbridge as sales director. Jiménez brings over 11 years VVasontasont SSystemsystems Lionbridge Technologies, Inc., a provider of industry experience to the company. [email protected], www.vasont.com of globalization and offshoring services, has AAranchorancho [email protected] announced fi nancial results for the quarter www.arancho.com Financial ending on March 31, 2007. Highlights for the quarter include a revenue of $108.6 ProZ.com appoints PASS Engineering revenue upswing, million — an increase of $7.3 million from advertising sales manager beta version of PASSOLO 2007 the fourth quarter of 2006. The company ProZ.com, an online enabling and sourc- PASS Engineering GmbH, a developer also secured several new client programs ing platform for language professionals, of localization technology for all major from a wide variety of industries during has announced the appointment of Andrew Windows development platforms, closed the quarter and provided an overview of MacFadyen as its advertising sales man- its fi scal 2006 with a revenue increase of its revenue expectations for the second ager. A media sales professional and online approximately 25%, and this upward trend quarter of 2007 with estimated revenue of marketing consultant, MacFadyen previ- has continued in the fi rst quarter of fi scal $114 to $119 million. ously held the top sales position for The 2007. PASS’s concentration on .NET sup- LLionbridgeionbridge TTechnologies,echnologies, IInc.nc. McNeill Group, the national publishers fi rm port in its localization tool, PASSOLO, has [email protected], www.lionbridge.com best known in the globalization industry for driving media revenue for the American Translators Association. PProZ.comroZ.com [email protected] www.proz.com/connect

Lost in the Jonckers adds to senior management team translation shuffle? Jonckers Translation & Engineering, a provider of software, e-learning and mul- It’s time you dealt yourself a winning hand. timedia localization services, has added Ian NCS gives you a dedicated project Butler as vice president of business devel- manager, team members opment for Europe. Butler was previously hand-picked for your the director of global content at PayPal, an specific project, and online ﬁ nance payment solution. JJonckersonckers TTranslationranslation & EEngineeringngineering knowledgeable DTP [email protected], www.jonckers.com specialists. All backed by customer focus and quality Merrill Brink names service. Think of it as a director of operations five-of-a-kind for your business. Merrill Brink International, a provider of language services, has named Noel Finnegan Are you in? Call us to as director of operations. Finnegan is a learn more. We’d love to veteran of the localization industry having get you in the game. worked for companies such as European Language Translations, RR Donnelley Lan- guage Services, Stream Language Solutions, Lionbridge Technologies and Welocalize. MMerrillerrill BBrinkrink IInternationalnternational [email protected] www.merrillbrink.com

Translation that goes beyond words. Tek appoints VP of worldwide sales Tek Translation International S.A., a pro- www.ncs-pubs.com Tel.: 412.278.4590 vider of globalization services, has appointed Ken Behan as vice president of worldwide

12 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

08-16 News #89.indd 12 6/27/07 3:00:42 PM News

sales. He will be responsible for developing Sunda Systems MT Workbench a wide variety of languages and to ensure and implementing the global sales strategies Sunda Systems Oy, a language technology that it can be used for any pair of languages. and programs to accelerate the adoption of company, has developed a new generation It contains all the tools needed for building Tek’s translation, localization and technology of machine translation (MT) technology that a machine translator from scratch. offerings worldwide. Behan joins Tek with over can be used to build machine translators for The company has also pioneered the prin- two decades of experience with high-tech any pair of languages needed. The Sunda ciple of parallel translation. Among the most companies, including Bowne Global Solu- MT Workbench applies a number of key important tangible theoretical and practical tions, Sybex, Premier Information, Memory technologies to guarantee its suitability for benefi ts of this approach is effi ciency as a Computer and Nixdorf Comet. TTekek TTranslationranslation InternationalInternational S. A.A. [email protected], www.tektrans.com Products MadCap Lingo MadCap Software, Inc., a multi-channel content authoring company, has developed Lingo, an XML-based, fully-integrated Help authoring tool and translation environment. Lingo offers an easy-to-use interface, complete Unicode support for all left-to-right languages and a list of industry-fi rst features for assisting through localization tasks. German Localization Provider MMadCapadCap SSoftware,oftware, Inc.Inc. 9 [email protected] www.madcapsoftware.com 9 %NGLISH 'ERMAN Language Weaver SMTS version 4.3 € PER WORD 9 Language Weaver, a software company developing enterprise software for the 9 $ISCOUNTS AVAILABLE FOR automated translation of human languages, LARGE CONTRACTS AND AGENCIES 9 has released the latest version of its statistical machine translation software, SMTS !SK FOR OUR #OMPANY 0RICES BROCHURE 4HINK 'LOBAL 'MB( \ "ERLIN \ 'ERMANY version 4.3. This version provides better 4EL \ MLC THINK GLOBALCOM WWWTHINK GLOBALCOM functionality for translators, localization service providers and information technology administrators of the translation workfl ow process. In addition, Language Weaver is introducing two new bidirectional language pairs to its language modules — Korean<>English and traditional Chinese<>English. LLanguageanguage WWeavereaver [email protected] www.languageweaver.com

Kilgray MemoQ version 2.1 Kilgray, a developer of translation productivity tools, has announced the release of version 2.1 of the Integrated Localization Environment MemoQ. Version 2.1 offers productivity boosters for both corporations and freelance translators and subscribes to the document-centered approach. The translation memory-driven segmentation enables the automatic adjustment of segment boundaries. The contexTM technology is a tool for users who need to translate different versions of similar documents. Upgrades are free of charge for registered users. KKilgrayilgray [email protected], www.kilgray.com

www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 MultiLingual | 13

08-16 News #89.indd 13 6/27/07 3:01:07 PM News

common processor can translate thousands of sentences in a second. This principle also keeps linguistic and computational issues strictly separate. It enables linguists to concentrate on linguistic issues and see the effects of a linguistic change on the system in only a few seconds. SSundaunda SSystemsystems OOyy info@sunda.ﬁ , www.sunda.ﬁ

Lingobit Localizer 5.1 Lingobit Technologies has launched the newest version of Lingobit Localizer. Version 5.1 extends the company’s commitment to .NET Framework by offering improved support. This includes an enhanced parser capable of extracting many properties. Another improvement is the form editor that utilizes a new mechanism to display .NET forms. Localizer 5.1 has a carefully redesigned spell-as-you-type SpellChecker that supports over 80 languages and has a Custom Pseudo Translate function that can simulate translation into any language. LLingobitingobit TTechnologiesechnologies [email protected], www.lingobit.com Resources Latest release from Multilingual Matters Multilingual Matters Ltd. has published Global Issues in Language, Education and Development: Perspectives from Postcolo- nial Countries by Naz Rassool (University of Reading). This book examines the role Any Language. that language-in-education policy, his- torically, has played in shaping possibilities Any Culture. for development within countries in the sub-Saharan and South Asian regions. This discussion takes into account the complex ways in which language, education and development are linked to the changing global labor market. Key questions are raised regarding the impact of international policy imperatives on development possibilities. MMultilingualultilingual MMattersatters LLtd.td. [email protected] www.multilingual-matters.com

ELRA adds speech resources The European Language Resource Asso- ciation (ELRA) has added two new speech resources, one written corpus and one mono- oo lingual lexicon to its Language Resources Catalogue. The ELRA-S0238 MIST (Multi-lingual Inter– AMERICAS EUROPE IRELAND CHINA JAPAN operability in Speech Technology) database is comprised of the recordings of 74 native

14 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

08-16 News #89.indd 14 6/27/07 3:01 27 PM News

Dutch speakers who spoke 10 sentences in market research reports. Now, the research offi cial South African languages. The Afri- Dutch, English, French and German. Dutch fi rm has released an update to the series kaans translation is the work of Translate.org sentences are orthographically annotated. completely focused on internet retailers .za and its volunteer community. Translate The ELRA-S0239 N4 (NATO Native and — who translates their websites, how they .org.za is a nonprofi t organization focusing Non-Native) database is comprised of speech respond (or not) to their web forms and e- on delivering free and open-source software data recorded in the naval transmission mail inquiries, and what to know to get a in local languages. training centers of Germany, The Nether- website ready to sell to this demographic. This is the fi rst offi cial release of Afrikaans lands, United Kingdom and Canada during Three updated reports are included in the translations in the Firefox 2.0 series. The naval communication training sessions. series: “Translation, It’s the Law,” “Reaching team has also been translating Firefox into The ELRA-W0047 Catalan Corpus of News America’s eLatinos Online: Otra Vez” and, the other offi cial South African languages. Articles is comprised of articles in Catalan coming soon, “Strategies for Developing from January 1, 1999, to March 31, 2007. Multicultural Sites.” These articles are grouped per trimester While centered on the US-Hispanic mar- without chronological order inside. ket, these reports should interest anyone in 1UALITYISMORETHANJUSTAWORD The ELRA-L0075 Bulgarian Linguistic government or business, in North America Database contains 81,647 entries in Bulgar- or Europe, who fi nd themselves dealing ian. The data may be used for morphological with residents speaking minority or regional analysis and synthesis, syntactic agreement languages. checking, and phonetic stress determining. CCommonommon SenseSense Advisory,Advisory, Inc.Inc. EELRA/ELDALRA/ELDA [email protected], www.elda.org [email protected] www.commonsenseadvisory.com TM Marketplace offers customized TMs Controlled language website TM Marketplace, LLC has expanded its attracts visitors from 110 countries selection of translation memories (TMs). In www.muegge.cc, a website dedicated to addition to the TM licenses it brokers for demonstrating the value of controlled lan- industry giants such as General Motors, it guage authoring and machine translation now also offers customized TMs that are (MT), has attracted visitors from more than generated from already-published content. 110 countries since its launch in the sum- &SSPS4QZ A company may order specifi c TMs accord- mer of 2006. One of the unique features of ing to language combination, subject mat- this website is the fact that it uses Google 4HE QUALITY ASSURANCE SOFTWARE ter and client. language tools to automatically translate FOR TRANSLATIONS TTMM MMarketplace,arketplace, LLCLLC the site’s content into 15 language pairs (OWCANYOUENSURETHATTHE TECHNICAL [email protected] such as German to English or English to TERMSOFYOURCOMPANYAREUSEDCORRECTLY ANDCONSISTENTLYINAPAGEMANUAL www.tmmarketplace.com Simplifi ed Chinese. The website was created from the ground up for MT, and all text was %RROR3PY CHECKS written in compliance with the CLOUT rule 0ROPER USE OF TERMINOLOGY Author-it donates access for CFTW !CCURACY OF NUMBERS Author-it Software Corporation, a devel- set, a controlled language designed specifi - &ORMAT OF YOUR TEXTS oper of software for authoring, content cally for MT. #OMPLETENESS OF THE TRANSLATION management, publishing and localization, mmuegge.ccuegge.cc [email protected], www.muegge.cc )NTEGRITYOFTAGS ANDMUCHMORE has donated access to its fl agship Author- it product to Communications For The Lingotek and BYU provide %RROR3PY AUTOMATICALLY GENERATES ALISTOFERRORSAND World (CFTW — www.cftw.com). CFTW is a free online dictionary access A CUSTOMIZED EVALUATION OF THE nonprofi t organization whose mission is Lingotek, a provider of software develop- TRANSLATION QUALITY to explore how technology can be used to ment and translation solutions, in conjunc- &ORMATS SUPPORTED foster global learning and communications, tion with Brigham Young University (BYU), !LL4RADOSFORMATS24& 448 such as the development of free online is offering free access to 62 online transla- 4RANSLATION -EMORIES 4-8 4RADOS learning material in different languages. The tion dictionaries for Lingotek’s registered "ILINGUAL TEXT lLES 4RANSIT lLES organization is developing a series of pilot users. Language professionals who use the &REELANCE VERSION € projects utilizing single-source authoring free dictionaries will still be able to import &ULL VERSION € strategies to support global learning initia- their own private dictionaries for use in 0LEASE ADD LOCAL TAXES WHERE APPROPRIATE tives such as One Laptop Per Child (www conjunction with the new dictionaries. 3ERVER BASED VERSION ALSO AVAILABLE .laptop.org). LLingotekingotek www.lingotek.com Author-it SSoftwareoftware CCorporationorporation [email protected], www.author-it.com Mozilla Firefox translated into Afrikaans Multicultural market Already available in more than 41 lan- research report series guages, the Mozilla Firefox web browser $/' $OKUMENTATION OHNE 'RENZEN 'MB( In 2004 and 2005, Common Sense Advi- has been translated into the South African % -AIL INFO DOG GMBHDE WWWDOG GMBHDE s WWWMULTILINGUAL PRODUCTSCOM sory, Inc., released a series of multicultural Afrikaans language. Afrikaans is one of 11

www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 MultiLingual | 15

08-16 News #89.indd 15 6/27/07 3:01:54 PM News

The translations are currently being tested of US businesses report that the lack of compare responses, narrow the search and before release. managing multichannel content into mul- have a better approach to a fi nal decision, TTranslate.orgranslate.org. zaza [email protected] za tiple languages across the global enterprise especially when time is a key issue. www.translate.org.za represents a key problem. The survey found LLanguage123anguage123 LLLCLC http://language123.com that US businesses encounter signifi cant SDL survey and research results diffi culties as they attempt to get their According to a survey conducted by products into global markets quickly. In SDL International, a provider of global fact, 50% of the respondents cited the information management solutions, 68% simultaneous delivery of content in multiple languages as their biggest task when disseminating product information across multiple markets. The study concluded that translation and terminology management are a key focus Global web marketing guide area for US businesses with over 40% of SDL International has launched a guide to respondents saying that they need to make help companies master global brand man- improvements in this area. In addition, agement online. Compiled by SDL OneWeb 40% of those surveyed considered that (www.sdl.com/fi les/oneweb) industry con- their biggest branding challenge was mak- sultants, the strategic delivery of local web ing content culturally and linguistically content guide provides companies with the relevant to new target markets. steps and knowledge required to expand SDL also has announced the fi ndings of their enterprises into a global online market a research project into the use of XML in while avoiding the common pitfalls. SDL delivering global content across multiple also has compiled a list of the top ten tips channels. According to the research, 83% to help companies get started with going of all companies surveyed stated that they global on the web. have already moved to XML or will be SSDLDL IInternationalnternational moving to XML in the coming two years. [email protected], www.sdl.com Yet only 3% of companies surveyed have all their planned content within XML. ENLASO creates Overall, companies see three signifi cant Into-English department benefi ts in moving to XML: cost reduction ENLASO, a provider of localization and (62%), accelerating time-to-market (50%) translation solutions, has created an Into- and driving brand consistency (50%). English translation and localization depart- Furthermore, over 91% of those surveyed ment. Services from the new department see the benefi ts of or would like to know include translating and localizing docu- more about global XML — the use of XML mentation, websites, software, marketing in enabling communication in different collateral, patents and other intellectual languages. property documents; legal and contractual The company is informing corporations content; medical and bio-technology con- that the global implications of moving to tent; fi nancial services content; govern- XML must be considered up-front and is pro- ment regulations and legislative content. viding seven golden rules that the company EENLASONLASO CCorporationorporation hopes will ensure successful implementation [email protected], www.translate.com of XML projects for communicating with global audiences. Contact: [email protected] SSDLDL IInternationalnternational Want more news? and CPSL will offer a translation [email protected], www.sdl.com test free of charge. Subscribe to our free Services electronic newsletter at New Language123.com features www.multilingual.com/news Language123 LLC, an online database of translators and interpreters, has added several new features to its online market- Let us tell you where to go! place for clients and others seeking trans- Our events calendar is now lators. Its new interface and search option allow clients to browse through all of the even easier to search. answers received for each of the post- www.multilingual.com/calendar ings submitted, thus making it easier to

16 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

08-16 News #89.indd 16 6/27/07 3:02:13 PM RReinventingeinventing tthehe WWheelheel rČ’’in-vin-vĒnnt’ingt’ing tthuhhuh wČl [[anan idiom]idiom] ToTo dodo somethingsomething again,again, fromfrom tthehe beginning,beginning, especiallyespecially inin a needlessneedless oror iinefficientnefficient effort.effort.

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17 TMM ad #89.indd 17 6/27/07 3:04:50 PM Harmony and perfection through integrated solutions

For more than two decades, the STAR Group has developed integrated information STAR AG management and deployment solutions. Used by STAR internally, these technologies STAR Group Headquarters and methodologies have been rigorously tested in day-to-day practice and are contin- Wiesholz 35 uously improved and enhanced. A central consideration has always been optimal inte- 8262 Ramsen, Switzerland gration with existing work processes and procedures. Phone: +41- 52 - 742 92 00 Fax: +41- 52 - 742 92 92 With this in mind, STAR's goal is to provide efficient strategies, methods and technolo- E-mail: [email protected] gies to ensure that your most valuable asset – knowledge – can be deployed in a manner that is suitable to your situation and objectives. STAR Group America, LLC 5001 Mayfield Rd, Suite 220 STAR's extensive experience developing technologies and practice-proven methods, Lyndhurst, OH 44124 serves as the basis for the development of optimized solutions. Phone: +1-216 -691 7827 Fax: +1-216 - 691 8910 For us, the role of STAR technologies is, firstly, to achieve harmonious integration in E-mail: [email protected] existing work processes in your business, and secondly to provide precisely targeted assistance by means of perfected tools. www.star-group.net

STAR – Your single-source partner for information services & tools

18-19 STAR ad -Calendar #89.indd18 18 6/27/07 3:05:32 PM July ABRATES II September 14-15, 2007, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. BCLT Summer School Brazilian Association of Translators (Abrates) Calendar July 15-21, 2007, in Norwich, United Kingdom. [email protected], www.abrates.com.br British Centre for Literary Translation, [email protected] www.uea.ac.uk/eas/centres/bclt/summerschool.shtml Localization Project Managers Roundtable CAASL 2007 September 16-18, 2007, in Lake Tahoe, California USA. The Localization Institute, [email protected] July 21-22, 2007, in Stanford, California USA. www.localizationinstitute.com LSA 2007 Linguistic Institute [email protected], www.zoorna.org/CAASL2 CustomerCentric Selling workshop OSCON 2007 September 17-19, 2007, in Lisbon, Portugal. July 23-27, 2007, in Portland, Oregon USA. Common Sense Advisory, Inc., www.commonsenseadvisory O’Reilly Media, [email protected] .com/consulting/customer_centric.php http://conferences.oreilly.com/oscon TAUS Executive Forum ATA-TCD 8th Annual Conference September 21-22, 2007, in Beijing, China. July 26-29, 2007, in San Antonio, Texas USA. TAUS, [email protected] American Translators Association www.translationautomation.com/meetings.php [email protected], www.ata-divisions.org/TCD LRC XII INTERPRETA 2007 September 26-28, 2007, in Dublin, Ireland. July 28-29, 2007, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Localisation Research Centre, [email protected] Interpreta, [email protected] www.localisation.ie/resources/conferences/2007/index.htm www.interpreta2007.org/ing2.htm RANLP 2007 Workshop August September 30, 2007, in Borovetz, Bulgaria. Conference on Language and Technology (CLT07) Expert System Inc., [email protected] www.wlv.ac.uk/~in8113/amml07 August 7-11, 2007, in Bara Gali, Pakistan. University of Peshawar, [email protected], www.dcs.edu.pk/clt Online Educa Moscow IMTT — 5th Language & Technology Conference September 30-October 3, 2007, in Moscow, Russia. August 18-20, 2007, in Cordoba, Argentina. ICWE GmbH, [email protected], www.online-educa-moscow.com IMTT Translation & Training, [email protected] www.imtt.com.ar/en/call_for_papers.asp IPCC 2007 September 30-October 3, 2007, in Seattle, Washington USA. 19th Summer Session of CETRA IEEE Professional Communication Society, [email protected] August 20-31, 2007, in Leuven, Belgium. www.ieeepcs.org/ipcc2007/index.htm CETRA, [email protected] http://fuzzy.arts.kuleuven.be/cetra/index.htm October Interspeech 2007 — Eurospeech EUATC International Conference 2007 August 27-31, 2007, in Antwerp, Belgium. October 4-5, 2007, in Warsaw, Poland. International Speech Communication Association European Union of Associations of Translation Companies [email protected], www.interspeech2007.org [email protected], www.psbt.pl/3rd/index.html

eCoLoTrain Workshop 31st Internationalization & Unicode Conference August 31-September 1, 2007, in Ljubljana, Slovenia. October 15-17, 2007, in San Jose, California USA. eCoLoRe Project, [email protected] Object Management Group, Inc. http://ecolotrain.uni-saarland.de [email protected], www.unicodeconference.org

September Localization World Seattle EST Congress 2007 October 16-18, 2007, in Seattle, Washington USA. September 3-5, 2007, in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Localization World Ltd. European Society for Translation Studies, www.est2007.si [email protected], www.localizationworld.com Machine Translation Summit XI ATA 48th Annual Conference September 10-14, 2007, in Copenhagen, Denmark. October 31-November 3, 2007, in San Francisco, California USA. European Association for Machine Translation, www.eamt.org American Translators Association, www.atanet.org/conf/2007

www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 MultiLingual | 19

18-19 STAR ad -Calendar #89.indd19 19 6/27/07 3:05:48 PM 20 Reviews.indd 20 20 “always-on, always-operating” constant in aworldsped upby thedemands book. Andwhileslowness maybeavirtue to describemyexperienceofreading this word thatcanbeused withanyhonesty expatriates whoformthebackboneofprofession. perhaps tofi insight intothequestions thatplagueeveryone inourindustry and tion andthevery future ofdiversity. Idove intothebookhopingfor claims itsintentiontodiscuss cosmopolitanism, citizenship, migra- ably, everyone touchedinanywayby globalization. that ofevery person livinginmore thanasingleculture —argu- experience ofevery workingtranslator andinterpreter, aswell ingly atbeingoneofthoselatterbooks. Itssubjecttouchesonthe | I ploddedthrough thebook. rather thanusing footnotes orendnotes, hinders thecasualreader. choice ofkeepingreferences parenthetically in-linewithinthetext, impressive bibliography. Interms ofreadability, this is anobstacle:the grounded inacademictradition, withmeticulous references andan tion andTextual StudiesattheDublinCity University. His writingis Makes Everything MakeSense willbewithinitscovers. anticipation whenpickingupabook.Perhaps TheGreat Truth That rare, butjust asthankfullyexistent, allowing every reader thethrillof world andallthefactualinformationinit.Suchbooks are thankfully a changeinthevery pointofviewfrom whichthereader seesthe existing framework andcause alarge andwonderfulparadigm shift, MultiLingual Alas, Ididnotlookbefore takingtheleap. This promise is intensifi Gentle reader, Intent onfi Professor MichaelCronin is thedirector oftheCentre forTransla- Dubliners Michael Cronin’s book In therarest —andbestofcases, reading abookwilltopplethe ing thewayworldis viewed. change his orherframework ofunderstanding, alter- the world.Inafewcases, abookwillhelpthereader can beplacedintothereader’s existing framework of Reviews C vide thereader withinformationnuggetsthat of twothings. Inmostcases, the book willpro- Coming toanonfi nd words todescribe thecommunityofforeigners and nding thatparadigm-shiftable “aha moment,” uyAgs 07 [email protected] July/August2007 plodding Academic textisabumpyride Reviewed byDenaBugel-Shunra Translation andIdentity ed inthetableofcontents, whichpro- Translation and Identity and Translation is the only is theonly ction book,oneexpects a translator and writer for over over for writer and translator a specializing in legal translation. translation. legal in specializing Dena Bugel-Shunra has been been has Bugel-Shunra Dena information technology, sub- technology, information a decade. Her main fi main Her decade. a hintstantaliz- eld is is eld behavior, toshed somelightontheworldwhere onecancarry two uses physics, borrowing the“wave orparticle”questionover light’s same asinotherdimensions —butrather are similartothem.He those entitiesbetweendimensions, where functions are notthe lating intoidentitypoliticsthemathematicalconceptoffractals, interim space intheeither/orviewofnational existence by trans- Huntingtonian viewofaclash ofcivilizations, Cronin fi with therest oftheworldcultures andhistories. Rejectingthe ing thatplaguestheworldoftranslators andinterpreters, along Cronin’s attempttohealtheoppositional,one-or-the-otherthink- different way. through aseriesoflenses, eachofwhichdistorts andreports ina interpreter, professional oraccidental,andtheclientfortheirwork of Alice-in-Wonderlandchangesscale,viewingthetranslator or with inside one’s mind.Cronin takeshis readers through aseries about, tomullover andtoconsider —andreturn toandargue paradigm-refresh whichIhadhoped forinCronin’s book. the words ofthatotherDublinerinsight, wisdom andindeed that rative wouldbemore commonlyexpected.Others have foundin been accused ofposingriddlesforthereader where perhaps nar- haps theproblem wasoneoftranslation. AnotherDublinerhas or she knocks intoit,perhapsseeingonlythosebumpsintheroad. them, observingeachseparately ashe ted withlarge ideaswillbumpalong car, thereader ofabook sorichlydot- different viewthanthatofaspeeding progress ofthepedestriandictatesa point ofthereader. Just astheslow communication, itshifts thevantage tion and Identity and tion Perhaps thestrongest insight Itookawayfrom thebookwas And that,indeed,wasthesense ofthebook:abumpy ride.Per- My biasforstylistic clarityaside,bumpingalongthrough Wholeness throughafractalizedview is arewarding puzzle.There is plentytothink neighborhood, city, nationandworld. greater circles ofpeace—inside one’s family, inside one’s mindcanperhapsleadtoever of confl canceling eachotherout. different identitieswithoutthemopposing or It is avaliant attempt. Settlingtheroar icting identitiesand reaching peace London, 2006,166pages,$39.95. Michael Cronin, Routledge, Michael Cronin,Routledge, Translation andIdentity Transla- ns an nds M 6/27/07 3:07:30 PM . 21 Column | 6/27/07 3:26 25 PM Coca- in the in the avor in the avor in the MultiLingual coca Wash Your Hands Hands Your Wash ce with a promise to to ce with a promise to the company slogan to the company slogan becoming c preferences and tastes, but and tastes, but c preferences Off the Map Off the in Dutch. In 2006, the government of Bolivia in Dutch. In 2006, the government of Bolivia Bite the wax tadpole meaning Food for thought of marketing and produc- often an area are Food products have long been held up as various translations Coca-Cola’s Over in Ireland, an uproar was caused in spring 2006 by the was caused in spring 2006 by the an uproar Over in Ireland, tion that go awry for a number of reasons. Part of the issue of the issue Part tion that go awry for a number of reasons. with foodstuffs is locale-specifi issues with food prod- often than not the geocultural more translation names and the proper to brand in regard ucts are of slogans. spelling the Chinese characters prime examples, from Cola Tom Edwards is owner and principal consultant of Englobe, a and principal consultant of Englobe, a Edwards is owner Tom Seattle-based consultancy for geostrategic content management. and spent 13 years at Microsoft as a geographer Tom Previously, as its senior geopolitical strategist. types, product types, contexts and perceptions. I did take a little perceptions. types, contexts and types, product content to better the scope of cultural liberty in broadening and/or the lack of of oversight effects the far-reaching illustrate the examples by theme or grouped I have loosely active review. and absorb the to read the reader association, but I encourage of the ongoing the nature of impact while considering breadth of content sensitivity. undercurrent Refresh Yourself with Coca-Cola Yourself Refresh with Coca-Cola use of the word against Coca-Cola’s protested name, citing that it doesn’t dignify the well-known leaf that name, citing that it doesn’t dignify the well-known leaf that of cocaine. The coca leaf has a central is the prime ingredient Evo Morales, President and Bolivia’s in Andean culture, role himself, came to offi once a coca grower legalize the crop. a fl when it released brand ice cream Ben & Jerry’s In the United States, this United States called “Black and Tan.” with Guinness and ale; to a drink that is prepared name refers Cultural impacts Cultural the headlines from , geopolitical errors and , geopolitical errors nd their way into the headlines faux pas

ts of thinking geoculturally and acting pro- and ts of thinking geoculturally

For some time now, I’ve been espousing the For some time now, The reality is that cultural is that cultural The reality The vignettes, anecdotes and stories in this column are taken The vignettes, anecdotes and stories in this column are beneﬁ risks of various actively to anticipate the potential The response content types within various locales. and encouraging, to the message has been positive “awakening” and I’ve noticed a continued, gradual liability as this unique type of corporate towards and companies take their products and more more global audience. Admittedly, services to a broader people to the one of the challenges in exposing clear and risk is to present concept of geocultural in examples, many of which I’ve disclosed relevant to hear a this column in the past, but I continue question: How often do these issues persistent in the business world? A terse happen really answer would be something such as “far more than most people realize.” www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 content mistakes happen quite frequently. The issue is whether content mistakes happen quite frequently. only which channels. Usually, and through they get reported issues ﬁ of the worst the worst of US newspapers. In local-market newspapers, however, the however, In local-market newspapers, of US newspapers. because the local impact is prominent issues tend to be more — especially if the offense was committed by a large far greater a new type So, I would like to introduce multinational company. news and relevant recent — through of entry that demonstrates alive and well and geopolitical issues are stories — how cultural the world. affecting businesses all around and are during and all occurred headlines and news wires, from directly of content a wide array months. They represent the past several

Tom Edwards Edwards Tom F 21-23 C Edwards #89.indd 21 Column

but in Ireland the name refers to an infamous auxiliary unit In early 2007, China protested the use of their national anthem, of the British army, soldiers who were known for particularly “The March of the Volunteers,” in a chewing gum advertisement undisciplined and violent behavior in dealing with the local that was broadcast in Russia but produced by US gum manufac- people during the Anglo-Irish war of the early twentieth cen- turer Wrigley. China was indignant about the anthem being used tury — quite the negative historical connection. Ben & Jerry’s so frivolously and perceived it as an insult to national dignity. discontinued the fl avor and issued an apology to the people In another incident, although not related to a food item in par- of Ireland. ticular, a restaurant opened in mid-2006 in Kharghar, India, which is a suburb city of Mumbai. It was called Hitler’s Cross — complete with a swastika on the large exterior sign. The owner of Cultural dissonance in the marketplace the Hitler-themed restaurant felt that since everyone knew who Hitler was, the recognition would aid his business. Instead, he was Three products fl ooded with consternation. After meeting with Jewish leaders, he that cross the line of prudently decided to remove the Hitler theme and swastika and cultural sensitivity. change the name to the Cross Café. Black and Tan ice cream didn’t make Popular media it in Ireland; Target Another area often affected by cultural and political sen- took the Che Guevara sitivity is popular media, including movies, television, music, CD case off the shelves; books and other related products. There is no scarcity of and makers of Bully, issues that arise in relation to such content, as these popular who also produce Grand media types are often the primary carrier of very culture- Theft Auto, are being specifi c issues. pressured to pull their In February 2007, the country of Sierra Leone protested about product from the marke how the nation was portrayed in the Hollywood fi lm Blood by groups concerned Diamond, which depicts how the illegal diamond trade helped about the violence por- support the country’s civil war in the 1990s. The diamond giant trayed in the video game De Beers also objected to the characterization of the diamond © Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings Inc. trade and its role in Sierra Leone at the time. Similarly, the government of Iran objected to the movie 300 and its representation of people from ancient Persia (modern- day Iran). The movie provides a fi ctionalized depiction of the Battle of Thermopylae between the small force of Greek Spar- tans led by King Leonidas against an overwhelming Persian army driven on by Xerxes. Critics, historians, journalists and offi cials of the Iranian government denounced the way Persians were portrayed in the fi lm as barbaric and lacking morals. As these cultural sensitivities often go, one group’s hero is another’s oppressor, and such was the case with a compact disc case produced by Target stores and released in December 2006. This case contained a stylized depiction of the Latin American revolutionary Che Guevara, who was also a key fi gure in the communist revolution of Cuba. His face often appears on © Target Brands, Inc. t-shirts and posters, but customers complained that for Target to use this controversial individual’s depiction on a basic household item was a way for them to open the door to other controversial fi gures and thus further isolate potential consumers. View- ing Guevara as more of a violent mercenary than a hero, some consumers felt this Target-branded item stepped over the line of sensitivity. The cases were pulled from the shelves. In May 2007, the Hamas militant group in Gaza began broad- casting a children’s television program containing an obviously illegal rendition of Mickey Mouse called Farfour. This mouse character preaches to young Palestinians about the evils of the United States and Israel and encourages children to sing along to Hamas anti-Israel fi ght songs. At about the same time, the Children’s Television Workshop announced the return of a version of Sesame Street for Israel (Rechov Sumsum) and one for Palestinian areas (Shara’a Simsim). Both versions stress peace, © Rockstar Games diversity and tolerance, and the Israeli version features an Arab Muppet character for the fi rst time.

22 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

21-23 C Edwards #89.indd 22 6/27/07 3:26:48 PM Column

As a subset of mainstream media, video games also have pressure from the NCAA and Native American groups to retire its had their fair share of attention the past few months in terms school mascot, Chief Illiniwek. of geocultural issues. The late 2006 release of the game Bully Q In April 2007, American actor Richard Gere and Indian ac- drew complaints from parents and educators that it was tress Shilpa Shetty faced arrest warrants in Jaipur, India, due to encouraging negative, violent behavior in a school setting and Gere’s kissing of Shetty at a public function, which was consid- downplaying the serious nature of bullying. The game is from ered to violate India’s strict public obscenity laws. the same maker as the infamous Grand Theft Auto. Some indi- Q The children’s TV channel Boomerang announced in May viduals and organizations attempted to get the game banned 2007 that re-runs of the old Tom & Jerry cartoons will be edited to from store shelves. remove any scenes where Tom and/or Jerry are Meanwhile, in April 2007, the US Army smoking. was under scrutiny for using video games The intersection Q In late 2006, in Fuenlabrada, Spain, the such as America’s Army as supposed town council changed half of its street signs recruiting tools and for a new idea of of culture with the generic people icons to include sponsoring a game channel on the popular skirts so as to depict women. The council felt Global Gaming League website. Opponents and content . . . it was more appropriate to display road signs see the move as a not-so-veiled attempt at is a constant, that are gender-balanced. recruiting. Q In mid-2006 in China, a billboard ad- The German parliament in February dynamic process. vertisement portraying three topless women 2007 considered new legislation to limit to promote women’s health sparked a debate the types of video games that may be sold over the morality of using nudity to promote in the country. Germany a public interest topics. lready has stringent content guidelines for games, particu- Q In April 2007, a spatial data faux pas caused the small larly violent games, but legislators feel the need to further re- hamlet of Villa O’Higgins in Chile to be displayed on the Ar- strict what types of games might be accessed by children. Such gentina side of the border in the Andes. The Chilean govern- games could include titles such as Super Columbine Massacre ment demanded an immediate ﬁ x. The boundary dispute in RPG, which allows players to reenact the 1999 school killings this area was resolved but remains a sensitive issue. at Columbine High School in Colorado. Needless to say, most I could go on and on here with stories and examples, but I groups denounced the game as sick-minded and insensitive, have had to be selective. At the very least I hope to convey to although some game enthusiasts have admired its attempt at readers that the intersection of culture and content within the documentary via the game format. business world and society in general is a constant, dynamic process that is perpetuated regardless of how noticeable some Other recent incidents incidents might become. These examples became “newswor- Other geocultural issues that have cropped up in the last thy.” But for every story of which we’re aware, many other several months are varied and fall into a variety of contexts and nuanced cultural intersections take place where the content business categories. Here are a few in brief: doesn’t meet or derails local expectations, so it’s helpful to Q In May 2007, the University of Illinois ﬁ nally yielded to take these as lessons learned and forge carefully ahead. M

www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 MultiLingual | 23

21-23 C Edwards #89.indd 23 6/27/07 3:27:04 PM 24-25 CFreivalds #89.indd24 24 | a historicalmagazine.History is useful,establishesabaseof IT infrastructure, and,sinceit’s awrittenmedium, itisreally which shouldberenamed to youfast,itmustbegood.I get give theillusionthatwhatyouare gettingis useful—ifitgets and soon.AndtheimmediacyofBlackberriesinternet all thethingsthatmasquerade asinformation —data,content crowd withtheimportanceofreal information.Onedifﬁ this gotabigho-humfrom theaudience.No, itwasano-hum. also gaveaspeechatthereception invitingthe delegates.All stature asthecurrent president oftheMercantile Exchange,he and Texas Instruments.Hegavethekeynote, and, becauseofhis on anumberofcorporate boards includingthoseofCaterpillar and formerheadoftheRepublicanNationalCommittee.He sits former USTrade Representative, USSecretary ofAgriculture — are displayed. and alltheworld’s commoditiesprices—exceptcentsperword Exchange where manyoftheworld’s commoditiesare traded ence reception beheldontheﬂ do thekeynote,andheinturnsuggestedthatconfer- Chicago. Irecommended toLISAthatmyfriendClaytonYeutter failure. Itwasabouttenyears agoataLISAconference in

A Column MultiLingual So, thiscolumnismysecondefforttoreach the globalization Yeutter, nowaprominent Washington, D.C., lawyer, isa Alas, myfi the qualityandnotwhobuyeris. industry” spendstoomuchtimeworryingabout on. Anyonewhosays,“We are theCadillacofour price? Who’s thecompetition?That’s whatIthrive Who’s thebuyer?Who’s theseller?What’s the sold ismerely avehicleforconveyinginformation. that thecommodityorservicebeingboughtand I wasinthecommoditybusiness,andlearned type ofinformationthatcanmakeyoumoney. A longtimeagoIbecameenchantedwiththe World Savvy rst attempttoconveymyenthusiasmwasatotal uyAgs 07 [email protected] July/August2007 Consider thesource Information Weak oor oftheChicagoMercantile Information Week . Itreally deals with magazine, culty is fi John Freivaldsismanagingdirectorofthemarketingcommunications whether thefl how longthefl continent. in Liverpoolandabluefl fl juts outfrom Western England.Whenashipwouldappear, the agent wouldsendoutafl Yankee Clippers wouldsailtoEurope ladenwithgrain. The ship’s itself historywon’tleadtoasale. knowledge andmakesyouaconversationalist, butinandof ourselves withsuperfl ing wavedfrom righttoleftorright.Too oftenweload Wall Street Journal is provided bysomeoneelse,and90%ofwhatweseein By oneestimate,50%ofwhatweread inthedailynewspaper would callandaskwhatthebacklog wasatSantos,Brazil’s main ing anagri-powerwithawfullogistics.TheReuters reporters called byReuters tocommentonBrazil, whichwasjustbecom- they chosethelatter. journalists andteachingthemaboutcommodities.Luckyfor me who knewthebusinessandteachingthemtowrite,orhiring coverage incommoditiesandhadthechoice ofhiringtraders copies. Hecalledmeandexplainedtheywere expandingtheir New York Times able from Alikris).AnexecutiveatReuters read areview in comes from outside. grain business,Iwrote abook called Reuters, perhapstheworld’s largest newsagency. Whileinthe rm JFAandthemarketingrepresentativeforhis nativecountry, Latvia. agman wouldwaveared fl A trader isonlyinterested intheprice.Itisnotofinterest A metaphormightbeinorder. Inpre-revolutionary America, In additiontobeingsuperfl Input comeswithbias With whatthestature ofbeingan“author” brings,Iwasoften I learnedfi rsthand aboutbiaswithmyassociation ag isarectangle orasquare, orifthefl agpole is,theshadeofred orbluebeingused, , ordered it,likeditandbought several hundred , Bloomberg uous input. ag ifitwashigherinAntwerponthe agman tothetipofLand’s Endthat ag ifthepriceofgrain washigh uous, thisinputusuallyhasabias. , Reuters andthe John Freivalds Grain Trade (stillavail- Financial Times ag isbe- The The 6/27/07 3:28:12 PM Column

port. Since it was in our self-interest to say the situation was translation fi rm in Almaty, Kazakhstan. At the time the Hotel bad so that prices would go up, I did. I was always amazed to see Dustyk was the only place Western business people stayed. So, myself quoted in the newswire the next day. the fellow — okay, it was me — gave a retainer to a desk clerk Accordingly, I became skeptical at whatever I read since it who informed him of who was registered. appears with a bias. I like to get my information fi rst-hand A friend of mine, Guido Harchke, did this one better. He — through direct contact with people, going to conferences and worked in the Italian director’s offi ce of the World Bank — there getting introduced and recommended. are 24 directors. This gave him access to all the “missions” that came back from overseas as part of the loan approval process. Who’s in your network? Guido would go, wearing one of his immaculate linen suits, to Of course, the most important information is knowing if see the mission director. He would fi nd out whom the mission change occurs. Did a new localization manager get hired? Did director talked to, how much money was involved, what equip- the company expand into new markets? Is the company being ment preferences did the borrower have and so on ad infi nitum. acquired or merged? Did someone retire or get relocated? Did Once Guido got this information, he would pass this information the company get re-organized? No one person can stay on top on to Italian companies, which gave them a big head start in of all these changes, so it is everyone’s job to pass along infor- making sales. mation about change to people who can take advantage of it. The “offi cial” process of learning about projects is quite For years I had been trying to get the globalization business cumbersome at the World Bank. The projects are announced via of Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). The company motto is “The the yellow paper, green paper and blue paper. I would frequently supermarket of the world,” which you see on those Sunday go to the US director’s offi ce to ask about the loan status of morning talk shows. They did a lot of corporate advertising, projects and would be told, “We can’t reveal that information which they wanted in a number of languages. All the globaliza- until the offi cial announcement.” So, usually by the time you tion work was handled by a Minneapolis advertising agency got the “offi cial announcement,” people such as Guido had al- where I had no chemistry with the advertising manager who ready made the sale. Guido eventually left the bank and formed handled localization. She was willing to have me buy her lunch, a company, Swissintal, which represented 22 Swiss and Italian but it yielded no results. companies that he fed information to. Then one day someone in my offi ce said, “Did you hear that ADM changed agencies?” They moved the account to an agency Substance, not gloss in Decatur, Illinois, the city where the company is headquar- I met Terry Lawlor, vice president of authoring solutions at tered. I was on the plane the next day, established a relationship SDL, at a conference in Minneapolis and asked him, “What is real with the new account manager and got several hundreds of information?” He answered, “Look for substance, not gloss.” Ac- thousands of dollars of business. cordingly, I respond to whispers in the car, messages on the back of business cards and white papers not written on glossy paper. Helping the process along All information that we usually receive comes to us via many So, everyone needs to have a network of people who tell you, fi lters and biases — including this column — so you always have “Did you hear?” Of course, there are people who can help this to evaluate the who, where, what and why it was delivered to process along. I know a fellow who set up the fi rst Western-style your eye and ear. M

www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 MultiLingual | 25

24-25 C Freivalds #89.indd 25 6/27/07 3:28:33 PM 26 Nielsen.indd 26 26 next tothelinkyouclickedon. translation services.” Acaseinpoint: ing offoreign documents, thentryoneofourFREEmachine accuracy andunderstanding, but, ifyouwanttherough mean- improved? Idecidedtotakealookatmyno-cost competition. No machinecanmatchahumanbrain, buthave themachines instant, cost-savingalternative.AmIlosingjobstoamachine? I alsofacestiffcompetitionfrom more freelance contractors. my optionshaveexpandedtoagenciesinShanghaiorMunich, namese. Abudgetmayhavetobespread much thinner. While is nowtranslated intomanylanguagesincluding Urdu orViet- opened up,andwhatwasoncetranslated into afewlanguages through theuserinterfaceorhowtoscroll. Newermarketshave computer savvy, sothere isnoneedtoexplainhownavigate localization hasshrunkinsizeanddetail.Today’s consumeris materials fordubiouswellnessproducts. mini-updates, search keywords andmulti-levelmarketing(MLM) into thenextquarter, and,increasingly, I ﬁ way toconsumersurveys.Bigclientsshelveorpostponeprojects and longertorecuperate. Newtechproduct launcheshavegiven be. Iknowindependencespellsfeastorfamine,butittakesmore building orvolleyballtournaments. I returned happilytomyfr bean the ramblings ofamonolingualnerd. |

B Perspectives MultiLingual ORIGINAL (excerpt):Cachedof thepageisoneoflinks One websitesays,“You canrely onhumantranslation for In thislocalizedglobalage,machinetranslation (MT)isan Changes are inevitable.Documentationoncecontracted for Of late,thetranslation workloadhasnotbeenwhatitusedto His words havecometohauntme.AmonthafteraCarib- The translation wasawful,andIdismissedhisprediction as Spanish, anditcostnothing.Hah!” just translated mypageintoGerman,French and said, “You’ll beoutofajobpretty soon.Look,I’ve worker pokedhisheadabovethecubiclewalland house translator foraCalifornia dot-com,aco- Back in2000,whileIwasworkingasanin- cruise, thedot-combubbleburst, andIwaspink-slipped. Birgit Nielsen quality inanylanguage? Do clients care about uyAgs 07 [email protected] July/August2007 eelance lifewithout nd myselftranslating corporate team- whose workhasbeenpublished by Crown/Random House. web courses, advertisingandscripttranslation.Sheisalsoawriter Birgit Nielsenisafreelancetranslator (En<>Ger),specializinginIT, set. Obrave newworld! links toBabelfi slogan orasoundbite,postbunchoffl where spellingissolastcentury, you’vegottograb themwitha advertising words. Inthisnanosecond-attention-span world make senseofpoorsource textorspendhours on100 snappy by theword isnolongertenablewhenIwaste timetryingto That wouldbemyfi agency threatened tocutmymeagerworkif Iraised myrate. translation isgettingblurred. be intelligible?Thedistinctionbetweenmachineandhuman up version. Ifthesource ishalf-baked,whyshouldtranslation check withtheclient,butnoonebothered tosendacleaned- Taliban. Taliban —acountry?Sincewhen?Iaskedtheagencyto do businesswith—Liberia,Syria,Iraq, Iran, Cuba,Serbiaand claimer listedseveral countriesthatsaidcompanywouldnot do theyactuallyspendtimeontheEnglish?Anonlinedis- that are eagerlychurningoutwebcontentforlocalization,but stands thecompetitiveadvantagebetterthanMLMorganizations individual, itsneedscalculationbasicWeb Designoffertoyou.” tion (SEO)?Askusneverthelesssimplyforit.Gladlywesubmitan on-line Shop?Orare youinterested insearch machinesoptimiza- tion editorship system’s, contentManagementsystem’ansora be realized withouroverall offers. Theywishtheimplementa- international dreams: “TheirconceptionsofaWebsite cannot that youclickedon.”Gotthat? the pagehiddenoneofconnectionsnearconnection ten. eine derVerbindungen nahebeiderVerbindung, dieSieanklick- Whether Iwillsurviveasafreelance translator isunclear. One Cost andspeedmaybetheprimaryconcern.Nooneunder- Do theycare? Do theyknowhowsillythissounds? Here isaGoogletranslation ofaGermanwebdesignerwith MACHINE TRANSLATION intoGerman: The Englishoriginalisn’tpretty, buttheMTisdismal.“From sh orsomesuchmush-producer, andyou’re all rst rate hikeinmore thanadecade.Billing M ags onyourheaderwith Von derSeitecachiert 6/27/07 3:29:11 PM ickin’ goo er l d! ing ” “F ݤ˿ Ⴋ ϧ ¡Lamedura de l ded o b ue na !

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28 Localization World ad #89.ind28 28 6/27/07 3:31 21 PM Translation

What does it take to be a good translator? Jim Healey

Each spring Parade — a weekly supplement to Sunday newspapers throughout the United doctors, translators have no required certifi cation standards that States — dedicates a cover story to what people have to be met in order to practice their craft. The previously mentioned statements from the Parade article indicate that translators/ Eearn. The article lists what people do for a liv- interpreters need no college degree or only “an associate degree or ing and how well they are some kind of vocational training.” But paid. Some are dead (Albert what kind of training should a translator Einstein), some are fi ctional possess? Is knowledge of a second language suffi cient? If not, then what are (Harry Potter) and some the other necessary skills to be a quality are famous (Meryl Streep), translator? And how does one acquire but most are average wage these skills? MultiLingual posed these ques- earners such as a letter car- tions to four individuals involved in rier, ski-lift mechanic, yoga the translation profession, each per- instructor, children’s librar- son representing a different aspect of ian or registered nurse. the industry. Dena Bugel-Shunra and Cliff Landers are freelance translators, The article usually gives other tidbits each specializing in a different fi eld of information such as the hottest jobs, of translation. Lori Thicke is general weekly salaries and steps for changing manager at Lexcelera, a French trans- careers. In this year’s “What People lation provider. And Donald Barabé is Earn” (Parade, 15 April 2007), a sidebar vice president, professional services, titled “The Hottest Jobs (No College at the Canadian Federal Translation Degree Required)” listed the occupation Bureau. Their combined insights of translator: “The need is expected to into translator training reveal the grow 26% by 2014: $43,000-$114,000.” In the article itself John complexity of the profession and the many skills — whether Challenger, president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a global acquired through a formal education or not — so necessary for outplacement fi rm, is quoted as saying that “not all good jobs one to be a quality translator. require a four-year college degree. . . . ‘Some of the best opportunities are for workers with Dena Bugel-Shunra an associate degree or some Dena Bugel-Shunra has been a translator and writer for kind of vocational train- nearly twenty years. Her main fi eld is information technology, ing. One type of worker in with a sub-specialization in legal translation. She is a member particularly high demand is Jim Healey is of the ATA and NAJIT. interpreter/translator.’” the translation Unlike other professions department editor The recent Parade article bandied about the notion that “transla- such as teachers, lawyers and at MultiLingual. tor” is one of those easy professions a person can get into without

www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 MultiLingual | 29

29-36 Healey #89.indd 29 6/27/07 3:32 25 PM Translation

even needing a college degree. Yes, but . . . some thoughts about If the kind of linguistic profi ciency required for translation the “professionalization” of this profoundly “unprofessionaliz- is of the ILR (Interagency Language Roundtable) rankings of 4 able” profession. or 5 (full professional profi ciency or native or bilingual profi ciency), we’re talking about a mastery of grammar, nuance How do you become a translator? and register that takes years to achieve. Many years — four If you haven’t done so, ask some colleagues how they came to or fi ve years possibly — still tend to leave the learner at the be translators. Interpreters have often studied the fi eld at a more lower or 3 ranking, able to conduct some conversation about — or less — illustrious institution and have taken a very focused, particular topics (say, horticultural practices) but fl ummoxed direct path to their careers. Military translators have done the about others (say, popular music or child-raising theories). same, often having had a swift but effec- How long before the speaker’s errors can tive linguistic immersion at the Monterey be characterized as “few” — even when Institute of International Studies. Nearly all we count irregular verbs, outlandish translators who work “in through the eyes, A college vowels and idiomatic uses? out by the hands” tell me that they “kind of degree How long? Long enough for the stumbled into it.” language exposure to be intentional. Often the bilingual or multilingual is so low a How long again? Long enough for the person is called on to do community inter- bilingual person to have stumbled into preting within his or her home and family standard as the role of linguistic bridge — either as settings: helping grandma with the doc- to be almost interpreter or translator — and discovered tors, going to the bank with someone from that it was fl exible, fun and fi nancially church or helping out with kids’ activities irrelevant. . . . What clients viable as a career. and education. These interactions often want far exceeds the For actual work as a translator, one lead to documentation that needs to be must read and write at such a level of communicated, and, if a person fi nds the standards of any college. profi ciency in two languages that one translation process easy, he or she often could have made writing a career. goes searching for a paying job doing just that. A passion for literature is another common entry path into So do you need a college degree? the profession — translating poetry and short stories for a pit- The short answer would be “not really.” tance or for the glory, approaching a publisher with quaking The long answer is that “a college degree is so low a standard knees and being asked to submit a sample translation that leads as to be almost irrelevant” — not that anyone is actually asked to a fi rst book (a novel, a how-to, a pop psychology piece), then about it by most potential clients anyway. another, and another, and another. What clients want far exceeds the standards of any college. Anyone can stumble upon a “Help Wanted” ad in a local Clients who are purchasing a small block of work — a certifi cate, newspaper, usually in the daily press of a large metropolitan a letter, a contract, a short book — want to know if a translator area and come across something such as “English-Czech trans- can produce documents that look, sound, feel and function in the lators needed.” The ad resolves some momentary need for cash; target language exactly as they did in the source language. They isn’t quite as much of a performance art as teaching English or want to know that someone has looked it over and often will his or her other language, depending on the cultural setting; review it themselves for grammatical correctness and complete- and the unsuspecting person with a knack for translation fi nds ness. This isn’t a college skill. It is a mindset born of practical a desk, a screen and a workload that lasts a year or ten years or experience and insatiable, nearly indiscriminate curiosity. a career, complete with a string of business letters, a passel of Similarly, for community interpreters, a client wants to know dubbed or subtitled movies, or a localization project where the that when he or she speaks to the scared-looking child’s parents programmers take care of everything but the text. about the frequency of taking a prescribed antibiotic, the message will get through (“three times every day. Not once a day. Knowing another language is Not once a week” — that sort of message). He or she cares about necessary, but nowhere near enough the sense of understanding, the back and forth of the interpreted It takes considerably more effort than a mere stumble to conversation. He or she cares about empathy, about accuracy acquire another language at a level that makes translation a — about things that can be tested for, but usually are not. viable option. Such mastery of the second language happens if Employers, entering into a longer-term relationship, often — and only if — the linguist dives into a cultural milieu where want to check for college qualifi cations. They want to know the acquired language is used pretty much exclusively and stays that they’re entering into that relationship with someone who in that environment for long enough to have serious physical has at least the stick-to-itiveness to complete a four-year pro- changes to his or her mental processes. gram at an accredited institution. Being prepared to invest in A long visit — say, a month or two — won’t cut it. Such training employees, employers often want to make sure their exposure would not bring a person to the point of profi ciency prospective staff members are trainable. where becoming a translator is an option. This is because that is not enough time to soak up the context in which the “new” Learning to be a translator language is used. The ability to fi nd the bathroom, order in a With these requirements in mind, I hope that no high restaurant or even get bus number 846 at a busy depot is nice, schoolers say, “Well, I’ve had three years of Hebrew school. but it is still far too low for the purpose of translation. I don’t have to go to college. I’ve got a profession already.”

30 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

29-36 Healey #89.indd 30 6/27/07 3:33:16 PM Translation Showcase

That wouldn’t work at all — not the least Cliff Landers because of the gulf between the religious Cliff Landers has translated from Bra- TransSearch Hebrew used at Hebrew schools and the zilian Portuguese novels by such authors actual language as spoken by Hebrew- as Rubem Fronseca, Tereza Albues, José speakers. Neither would an exchange de Alencar and Patrícia Melo. His Liter- year in Japan suffi ciently prepare a ary Translation: A Practical Guide was An Online Bilingual person for a career in translation. published by Multilingual Matters Ltd. For a person who wants to translate in 2001. A professor emeritus at New Concordance Service and already has another language at a Jersey City University, he now lives in An online bilingual concordance service level high enough to make translation Naples, Florida. available on the web, TransSearch offers a career option, I would still recom- databases of past translations that give you mend getting a college education for These remarks, it should be under- the many societal advantages that it stood, are from the perspective of a liter- access to millions of sentences in six corpora. gives. Simultaneously, I would want to ary translator. Literary translation (LT) is • English to/from French see the prospective translator take as a relatively small subfi eld of translation • English to/from Spanish many writing courses as possible and and what I have to say may not apply to • French to/from Spanish get as many certifi cations as possible areas such as commercial, legal, fi nan- • A wide range of solutions to common from professional associations such as cial, scientifi c, medical, and technical translation problems the American Translators Association translation. • A wealth of information (ATA) and the National Association of • Query results displayed alongside their Judicial Interpreters and Translators translation (NAJIT), as well as certifi cation at state Being and federal levels, by the FBI, the State Department and the National Virtual fl uent Translation Center. Professional cer- Terminotix Inc. in two 240 Bank Street, Suite 600 tifi cation is a proof of existing skills, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 1X4 Canada and that is what clients fundamentally languages 613-233-8465 • Fax: 613-233-3995 look for. does not [email protected] • www.terminotix.com Not needing degrees — make one a translator. . . . the ideal staff members Fundamental to the world of most [It] is neither necessary translators is their biculturalism. At one nor suffi cient. time or another, every translator has lived in “another” culture. In many cases, the cultural dislocation involved traumas Obviously, a large portion of what to the ordinary process and the progress it takes to be a translator or interpreter of education. For such people, the school applies pretty much across the board. But Your Polish of hard knocks — with a curriculum that in the nonliterary fi elds I just mentioned, includes such items as Avoiding Land- extensive acquaintance with the subject Production Center mines 101; Advanced Packing for Refu- matter, including a far-reaching vocabu- Since 2000, Ryszard Jarza Translations has been gees; Asylum-seeking Vocabulary; and lary, trumps an all-embracing knowledge providing specialized Polish translation, localization the perennial favorite: Swift Goodbyes, of the source-language culture. (How do and DTP services, primarily for life sciences, IT, Long Partings, with a focus on sharpen- you say greenmail in Urdu?) And here automotive, refrigeration and other technology ing memory — has done what training style, while an added value, is less impor- such a person needs or receives. For most tant than the accurate and readily com- sectors. purposes, someone with that education prehensible conveying of information. We work with multilanguage vendors and will be a brilliant and dedicated commu- While it is true that the need for directly with documentation departments of large nity interpreter. people profi cient in languages other multinational customers. We have built a brilliant Another good hire: bilingual journal- than English is expected to grow in the in-house team made up of experienced linguists ists. They work well under pressure, can coming decade, there are several factors and engineers, who guarantee a high standard of make language sing, and often enough that the Parade article did not take into quality while maintaining flexibility, responsiveness got their work not by dint of a degree account. First, not all languages will be but rather through their ability to com- in equal demand. Because of geopolitics, and accountability. municate in writing. Arabic and Chinese will surely grow in Technical writers and secretaries often importance, though these are notori- Ryszard Jarza Translations translate as part of their regular duties. ously diffi cult languages to learn as an ul. Barlickiego 23/22 Neither profession requires a college adult. Demographic trends will assure 50-324 Wroclaw, Poland degree, and both provide a great deal of that Spanish assumes an increased role 48-601-728018 • Fax: 48-71-3414441 experience in writing. as the number of Hispanics in the United [email protected] • www.jarza.com.pl

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States continues to grow, but so will the translators are academics; they have the States, there are more cultural similarities number of English/Spanish bilinguals, training, the linguistic competence, and between the two than between either and, thus making the competition tougher. the time to engage in an activity that say, Mexico. A second element that many fail to is rewarding intellectually but seldom To add to the problem, a surprising realize is that being fl uent in two lan- fi nancially. number of laypersons are ignorant of the guages does not ipso facto make one a Fluency in two languages, while difference between translators and inter- translator. The widespread myth that beyond doubt a help in making one a preters. As a rule, the former work with bilingualism alone is suffi cient for one translator, is neither necessary nor suf- written texts, transforming language A to be a translator owes to the prevail- fi cient. For example, Ezra Pound, a poet into language B at their own pace. (And ing ignorance among Americans of with consummate mastery of his native the pace can be very, shall we say, delib- language in general and translation in English and no signifi cant knowledge of erate. I have taken over a year to English particular. In this country the majority the source language, produced beautiful one novel.) Interpreters, on the other of people, even among the well edu- and lyrical renderings of Chinese verse hand, whether consecutive or simultane- cated, are monolingual, leading to what with the aid of literal interlineal texts ous, must think on their feet and rapidly I call the “gee whiz” effect. That is, I as a — what some would call a pony. As a convert thoughts from, say, Russian, nonmusical individual tend to overvalue rule, however, a thorough grounding in into coherent English. I stand in awe of musical talent, even the simple ability the syntax and vocabulary of the source interpreters, especially the simultaneous to play a piano, because it is something language is one hallmark of the profes- variety. Needless to say, interpretation is alien to my background. Similarly, to the sional translator. more arduous than translating a busi- monolingual — many of whom may have For the literary translator there is ness document or a love letter, though had a negative experience with study of the further desideratum of a reasonable such tasks may well present their own foreign language in high school or col- acquaintance with the culture in which challenges. lege — a bilingual person must be able the work originates, virtually a sine qua The best preparation for becoming a to translate. non. It seems axiomatic that the more translator or interpreter is one that few In LT I estimate the percentage of like a known culture — not necessarily will fi nd easy to accomplish without a true bilinguals — and I am not one of one’s own — is the culture from which sense of dedication and career commit- them — to be quite small. Why? Because the work to be translated springs, the ment: living in the culture where the it takes more than growing up speaking easier the translator’s task. Thus, famil- source language is spoken. A junior year both languages to equip one for LT. One iarity with the culture of Germany is abroad is a good start, but it is just a needs, inter alia, a fi ne ear for nuance, likely to be of more value in translat- start. Serious translators and interpreters an abiding appreciation of the niceties of ing an Austrian novel than a Dutch devote a signifi cant portion of their lives expression, and a deep love of both the one, and all but useless if the work is to familiarizing themselves not only source language and the target language. from Albania. By the same token, while with their language pair but also, equally It is no accident that so many literary Canada is most certainly not the United important, with the two cultures. And because cultures can sometimes change rapidly (who had ever heard of hippies in 1959?), it is essential to refresh and renew one’s knowledge of them. Finally, I disagree with the Parade article that this is an area that does not require a college degree. In the fi eld of LT at least, I have yet to meet a practi- tioner who was not a college graduate, and most of my colleagues in LT boast a master’s degree or Ph.D. The article does a disservice by promoting the idea that bilingualism alone is suffi cient qualifi cation for pursuing a profession that serves as bridge between languages and cultures. Lori Thicke Lori Thicke co-founded Eurotexte in Paris in 1986. The fi rst French translation provider to obtain ISO 9001:2000 certifi cation, Eurotexte recently changed its name to Lexcelera.

Translator Wanted. Work at home and earn $$$. No diploma needed.

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29-36 Healey #89.indd 32 6/27/07 3:34:09 PM Translation Showcase

Europe’s No. 1 Greek Localizer ISO 9001:2000-certiﬁ ed Medical Translations Since 1986, EuroGreek has been providing high-quality, Translation Services MediLingua is one of Europe’s few companies turnkey solutions, encompassing a whole range of client specializing in medical translation. We provide all needs, for the following language combinations: Idem Translations, Inc., is a full-service translation/ localization company, specializing in the life sciences, European languages (31 today and counting) and • English into Greek Japanese as well as the usual translation-related • Greek into English legal and IT industries since 1983. Our expert translation teams combine linguistic excellence services. Our 100-plus translators have a combined • German into Greek medical and language background. • French into Greek with strong backgrounds in a variety of fields. We maintain specialized client glossaries and memory We work for manufacturers of medical devices, All EuroGreek’s work is produced in our Athens databases to ensure consistent terminology. Our instruments, in-vitro diagnostics and software; production center and covers most subjects: ISO 9001:2000-certified translation and quality pharmaceutical companies; medical publishers; • Technical processes guarantee a service that meets the highest national and international medical organizations; • Medical/Pharmaceutical industry standards. We offer a unique combination and medical journals. • IT/Telecommunications of industry-specific experience, knowledgeable • Economics/Legal Call or e-mail Simon Andriesen or visit our website translation teams and friendly, client-oriented service. for more information. All EuroGreek’s work is fully guaranteed for quality and on-time delivery. Idem Translations, Inc. MediLingua BV EuroGreek Translations Limited 550 California Avenue, Suite 310 Poortgebouw, Rijnsburgerweg 10 EuroGreek House, 93 Karagiorga Street Palo Alto, CA 94306 2333 AA Leiden, The Netherlands Athens 16675, Greece 650-858-4336 • Fax: 650-858-4339 31-71-5680862 • Fax: 31-71-5234660 30-210-9605-244 • Fax: 30-210-9647-077 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] • www.eurogreek.com www.idemtranslations.com www.medilingua.com

Too good to be true? Not really. In our experience, these seven traits defi ne a good translator In the 20 years since I moved to Paris and co-founded Euro- better than any degree: texte (now known as Lexcelera), I have noticed that certain Q Intelligence. Although an IQ score is only one measure of characteristics are shared by virtually all good translators, and intelligence, it doesn’t, for example, measure the type of intelli- that a degree in translation is not one gence it takes to create a work of art, fi x a car of them. engine or just get through life successfully. It “A degree in translation is, somewhat Good does in our experience correlate highly with surprisingly, no real guarantee of an good translating: the best translators are, excellent translator,” agrees Lexcelera translators quite simply, smart people. And they have co-owner, Ros Smith-Thomas. “When inquiring minds. testing, we have found that the ones are good Q Discrimination. You could say the best who have studied translation are just writers. . . . translators are discriminating people because as likely to succeed — or not — at our they are able to distinguish between a literal translation test as anyone else.” often translation and the way we really talk. They At Lexcelera, we test some 40 trans- better writers than the know, for example, that defense d’entrer lators every month with a success rate doesn’t mean Don’t come in but Keep out, of around 15%, which means if we are original authors. and that the marché national refers not to lucky we will graduate six high-poten- the national but the domestic market. And tial translators to the second phase of our testing: short, paid when you read the work of a good translator, you’ll never translations that we go through with a fi ne-toothed comb. As fi nd those sentences that may well be faithfully translated but many as half of the translators we test won’t make it through simply don’t mean a darn thing. this second phase. Q Ethics. Ethics are arguably the most important trait in an “Good translators are a rare breed,” says Smith-Thomas. “An excellent translator. Good translators really care about doing a academic translation background can certainly help, but does fi rst-class job, even though it would be easier to turn in a so-so it mean the candidate can really understand the subtleties of translation. A sense of ethics will compel a translator to search the source text? Does it mean he or she possesses the necessary the internet to get just the right term and to carefully reread his native language writing skills or suffi cient experience in the or her own work to make sure there are no mistakes, omissions fi eld he or she is translating?” or awkward phrasings.

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Q Writing style. Good translators are lived — in the country where the source terms that are the mainstay of commer- good writers. They have to be. And quite language is spoken. For example, cial translations. A translator who is not often they are better writers than the French to English translators who’ve in step with the press might not realize original authors — thankfully so, given never lived in France are less able to that market intelligence is more current the quality of many of the source texts we pick up on local references in a text, than competitive watch for veille con- receive! One of the worst things that can such as the fact that Leader Price is a currentielle. The trade-off here is that happen to a translation is that it sounds store and not a value proposition and while in-country translators are sur- exactly like a translation. A skilled writer that les trente-cinq heures refers to the rounded by their constantly evolving will make sure this isn’t so. French workweek. native languages, they may lose touch Q Experience in the source language Q Continuing access to the target with the latest trends in their source culture. Although the importance of language. A translator who doesn’t read languages. language skills in a translator goes with- extensively in his or her native language, Q Specialized knowledge. Last, but out saying, it is also essential to know particularly newspapers and trade maga- not least, of all the traits of a good the culture of the source language. No zines, is plainly unable to translate con- translator is specialized knowledge. No number of language lessons can take temporary terms credibly, especially the amount of dictionaries in the world will the place of actually living — or having up-to-the-minute business and technical make up for a lack of understanding of how a sump pump works when you are translating the instructions for operating the equipment needed to bail out a ﬂ ooded basement. Oh! And let’s not forget that one single trait that we’ve found characterizes a translator who is not only good but who also earns good money: typing speed. Our highest earners type upwards of 120 words a minute, which allows them to bill over 100,000 euros per annum (more than $130,000). And, yes, most of them don’t have a translation degree. Donald Barabé Donald Barabé began his career in public service as a translator with the Trans- lation Bureau. He holds an honors B.A. in translation from Université Laval. As vice president, professional services, Donald is Ближе не бывает responsible for the delivery of translation So genau wie möglich 䤂േ䤂ࠁ and linguistic services to the various departments and agencies of the Canadian .As Close as It Gets federal government.

не Over the past seven years, the Trans- lation Bureau has coached about 1,500 practicum students under its University Partnership Program and various co-op Turbocharge Your TMs for programs and has recruited close to 600 translators. The Bureau will have Better Matches to recruit a similar number by 2013 in order to replace retiring and departing employees. The Translation Bureau has required a translation degree from its applicants for the past ﬁ ve years. Before that, the only requirement was a university degree. Nearly all of the Bureau’s new recruits are recent gradu- Translator ates of university programs, and very few are established working translators. With its wealth of experience, Try demo at NoBabel.com to learn more the Bureau is well positioned to make signiﬁ cant observations regarding the

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strengths and weaknesses of its new correctly and autonomously without a Bureau’s Training and Evaluation Ser- recruits and practicum students. safety net. vice (TES); and a fi ve-day, one-on-one One of our fi rst observations is that Recruits not having the basic skills consultation session with a TES experi- the language skills of today’s young normally acquired in a three-year uni- enced trainer in the second year of the people are signifi cantly poorer than versity program in translation require Learning Program. those of older generations, given the additional training and supervised A recruit is promoted to the work- deterioration in the teaching of fi rst lan- coaching. They have little or no prac- ing level when he or she meets certain guage skills in Western countries in gen- tical knowledge of the nature of the criteria. The work is done carefully, is eral. This sad fi nding is also confi rmed in work; of the pitfalls to be avoided; of revisable and demonstrates very good the International Adult Literacy Survey the techniques and work methods to be (adults age 16 and over — www.statcan used; of the technical and other tools .ca/bsolc/englishbsolc?catno=89M0022 of a professional translator; and so on. X) conducted in 2003. The survey reports To put it simply, these are the skills the worrisome fact that 48% of Canada’s and the practical knowledge acquired only through a full three-year translation degree curriculum. Because the Bureau must be able to count on its new Recruits not recruits being able to reach required having the performance levels within a short time, it is imperative that new recruits have basic skills the basic professional skills right from normally the start. The Bureau has come to the conclu- acquired sion that only comprehensive, integrated undergraduate programs — a bachelor’s in a three-year university degree in translation for translators program in translation and terminologists, and a postgraduate degree, that is, a master’s degree in require additional training interpretation for interpreters — provide the necessary training for practicing the and supervised coaching. professions of translator, interpreter or terminologist nowadays. Other university degrees in fi elds other than translation population has diffi culty understanding or interpretation do not usually meet prose or reading a newspaper article of the Bureau’s quality standards, par- even a general nature. This explains why ticularly given that the Bureau recruits professions that rely on the written word, young graduates almost exclusively, as I such as law, are struggling with a major explained above. problem these days and why university The Translation Bureau set up a two- degrees in fi elds other than translation year structured Training Program for or interpretation are no longer suffi cient. New Translators in 1999-2000. Recruits In fact, it is no longer possible for young are given progressive objectives to people to practice a language profession meet — quarterly objectives and evalu- unless they have a specialized university ations during the fi rst year, and every degree. six months, the second year — the idea It was clearly demonstrated in an being to help them reach the working analysis of the shortcomings of practi- level in two years through a period of cum students and new recruits that ongoing training with a seasoned trans- certifi cates in translation have limita- lator while working in an operational tions, since graduates with these certifi - translation unit. cates usually require a disproportionate The formal training has three com- amount of training and coaching by ponents: an initial training period of the employer because of the incomplete one week upon entry into the position training they have received. In today’s (a comprehensive orientation program); context of instantaneous communica- specifi c workshops on language and tion, increasingly complex fi elds of translation during the fi rst of the two work, stricter conditions for practicing years of the TR Learning Program — a language professions and the ever grow- total of fi ve days of workshops chosen ing demand for translation, translators on the basis of identifi ed needs from the must be perfectly able to work quickly, list of language activities offered by the

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knowledge of the source and target lan- The employee must have a thorough program and for recruitment. The Trans- guages. The translation is complete. No knowledge of terminological and docu- lation Bureau is not the only employer to major elements are missing — paragraphs, mentary sources and resources. He or have set stricter requirements. Most tables, titles and so on. All the research she plans and organizes his or her work employers of translators in Canada now is done, and the sources are indicated, if in such a way as to meet priorities and require a university degree. In fact, a necessary. The resource persons are con- deadlines and takes into account all other study published in Meta-Journal des tra- sulted to resolve translation problems workfl ow steps — revision, typing and ducteurs, XLIX, 4, 2004 (www.erudit.org/ and provide direction on the research. so on. He or she is able to work under revue/meta/2004/v49/n4/009804ar.html) Nothing is left to chance. The translation pressure (demonstrated ability to remain that analyzed job offers in translation dis- is run through an automatic spelling calm and collected) and to communicate seminated in Canada by employers other checker and carefully reread to eliminate verbally with clients and colleagues than the Translation Bureau found that in spelling and agreement errors and errors (clear and logical statement of ideas and 77.6% of cases employers required a bach- due to distraction. All the stages in the thoughts; complete, accurate message; elor’s degree in translation. An analysis of process are taken into account so as to terminology suited to message recipient). job offers today shows that the percentage meet deadlines. The employee should also have effec- is even higher. The translation is adapted to its end tive interpersonal relations (interpersonal use and end user. The terminology of skills; sensitivity to others; tuned in to the Conclusion clients and of specifi c fi elds is used, needs of others) and is fl exible and open- Formal training? On-the-job training? and terminology is used consistently minded (adaptation to change; availabil- Second-language skills? Specialized know- in texts. The translator follows unit ity for overtime, travel and transfers; team ledge? Academic degree? Second-culture practice and uses The Canadian Style. spirit; willingness to compromise). He or immersion? The four contributors to this There are no mistranslations attribut- she must have a client-oriented attitude article touch upon these items in their able to a lack of understanding of the (tact, courtesy and respect for others; responses to the Parade article, but it source language. There are no major sensitivity to clients’ needs; initiative; becomes clear that there is no single path language errors or errors attributable represents the organization well) and to becoming a qualifi ed and successful to a lack of knowledge of rules and sound judgment (consultation of resource translator. The profession has many ave- usage or to a lack of resources in terms persons as required; proven ability to nues of entrance, not to mention the of vocabulary, expression or writing. assess the impact of his or her decisions; hard work, discipline, dedication, sacri- The revisers’ observations are taken proven ability to make decisions on the fi ce and a love of languages that accom- into account. The vast majority of texts basis of the most important aspects of a pany this career choice. require no revision. situation). In this Babel world of ever-expanding The employee is profi cient in the use The Bureau has therefore tightened up global access, more and more people are of word processing software used in the its selection criteria for practicum students relying on good translators and the quality unit. Texts are properly formatted. Pre- so that only students registered for a jobs they do. No matter how they got to be sentation of the target text is consistent bachelor’s degree in translation are eligi- that way, good translators remain valued with that of the source text. ble for the Translation Bureau’s practicum members of the world community. M

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29-36 Healey #89.indd 36 6/27/07 3:36:16 PM Industry Focus

Creating a framework for saying ‘no’ Richard Sikes

“It was a crazy idea to begin with,” lamented Q did not understand the process and the relevant math; the senior project manager, “and it only got Q did not care about quality; worse from there. Now I have to go back and Q forgot to order a major component on a timely basis; was disconnected from the quality control entity so that focus on extensive damage control with our cli- Q I the company suffered from goal mismatch? ent when I really should be spending my time It is likely that the decision-maker was not the liaison to the on more productive tasks.” vendor. It is also reasonable to assume that a localization project manager on the client side, rather than the decision-maker, His company had received a request from a principal cus- was the one who communicated the parameters of the job to the tomer to translate over 52,000 words in 48 hours. Even an vendor. As before, we have to wonder why the project manager entry-level localization professional knows that this volume is would not object to unreasonable timeframes. the equivalent of roughly 26 translator days. With two days to Perhaps the project manager: deliver, this would mean 13 translators, not even allowing for Q was inexperienced and didn’t recognize the downstream supplier procurement time, terminology synchronization, edit- quality problem; ing and other relevant tasks that are part and parcel of high- Q unquestioningly supported his or her employer’s position quality, professional delivery. Even with the best technological in the request; support, diminishing returns are quickly reached as the addition Q did not object out of fear of reprisal from superiors or of more translators to a job results in terminological and stylis- ridicule by peers; tic diffusion that, in turn, increases editing time. Q adopted an inappropriate, superstar “can-do” attitude Despite the “red ﬂ ag” situation, the company committed because that is what is expected in the corporate culture; to the delivery, found the capacity, and did indeed deliver as Q recognized that the job parameters were unreasonable, but promised against all odds. Instead of being grateful, though, the adopted the tactic of ofﬂ oading responsibility for being the naysayer client complained bitterly about the quality. to another instance in the supply chain to avoid suffering political How could this have happened? Everyone in the client-sup- repercussions within his or her own corporate environment. plier relationship came out a loser, not to mention the client’s end customers who will have to try to make sense of the sub- The vendor perspective standard translation. Why didn’t clearer heads prevail? Why In this particular case, the request was received on the ven- didn’t some clear-minded participant in the transaction chain dor side by a junior project manager. This project manager did stand up and say, “No, we can’t do this”? not escalate the request, but instead jumped right in and began The client perspective We have to wonder what decision criteria led to the request for a volume/timeframe that so dramatically violates common wisdom about delivery parameters. There are probably two key players on the client side — a decision-maker and a project Richard Sikes is a freelance localization manager. management trainer and consultant. He has Could it be that the decision-maker: been immersed in localization since 1989.

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execution. Some reasons that could have prompted this reaction Central to the Abilene Paradox is the concept of manage- are that the project manager: ment of agreement as opposed to management of confl ict. In Q had no time to think and believed that the only hope the case of our vendor/client relationship, the parties were of delivering within the requested timeframe was to begin not initially in a confl ict situation but rather agreed to move immediately; ahead with the translation. No one who was in a position to Q did not fully understand the quality issue or the potential know better or to make a critical assessment of the situation for downstream repercussions on the client-vendor relationship spoke up to block or escalate the project, and so the vendor due to inexperience; and the client found themselves, as Harvey writes, “on the Q did not want to endanger the ongoing client-vendor road to Abilene.” relationship by refusing to accept the job or incurring delays In a management of agreement, it is vital to facilitate expres- through escalation; sion of honest opinions. Most people are by nature disinclined Q succumbed to real or imagined pressure from his or her to say “no,” to argue, to fi ght, to lose business or to otherwise own sales department to deliver regardless of look bad in front of peers and the outside potential downstream issues; world. In extreme cases, poor management of Q proceeded to improvise on a questionable Central to the agreement can result in colleagues or busi- path because an optimistic “can-do” attitude ness partners lying to each other to keep the is expected within the company culture; Abilene Paradox peace. After-the-fact fi nger-pointing to affi x Q wrongly assumed that if a key account blame is also a common symptom. The lat- makes such a request, it must be possible to is the concept ter is what happened in the scenario we are deliver it; of management discussing. Q did not want to be responsible for the Harvey alludes to a phenomenon that he client taking future business elsewhere; of agreement dubs “action anxiety.” Employees can expe- Q had no prearranged escalation path or rience a kind of emotional blackmail within company guideline to rely upon, did not feel as opposed to their environment that inhibits them from suffi ciently empowered to make use of exist- management doing what they know is in the best interests ing escalation infrastructure, or believed that of their employer and the client. To illustrate existing escalation paths were ineffective. of confl ict. his point, Harvey paraphrases Hamlet: “To maintain my sense of integrity and self- Agreement and Abilene worth or compromise it, that is the question. With 20/20 hindsight from an impartial distance, it is easy to Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the ignominy that assign potential blame in numerous localization-specifi c quar- comes from managing a nonsensical research project, or the ters. But the incident described is not unique to the localization fear and anxiety that come from making a report the President industry. There have been notable and even tragic episodes in and V.P. may not like to hear.” a variety of industries for which the saga described here is only This leads us to the question: “What could be different in allegorical. A prominent example of these is the Space Shuttle the environment that would help employees, especially junior Challenger disaster, in which numerous human factors includ- employees, steer clear of compromising situations?” What was ing group-think, peer pressure and a culture of optimism that it about the junior project manager’s interaction with the cus- superseded caution, each of which might have been non-lethal tomer and his or her superiors that did not realistically address in isolation, mixed with one another with deadly results. In the customer’s explicit need for both quantity and quality? Was fact, the Challenger story is an oft-cited case study in organiza- there too little emphasis placed by the project manager’s com- tional-behavior courses. pany on developing the type of questioning skills at the project One approach to understanding such all-too-common types intake level that would have exposed consequences of ensuing of incidents is to look at a phenomenon in human interaction actions? A questioning protocol that ferrets out vital success known as the Abilene Paradox in which members of a group criteria might include: appear to agree but, in fact, do not. Q What is driving the need for this translation? One version of the story goes like this: A family was sitting Q What are the consequences of non-delivery? around on their dusty Texas farm in the middle of a heat wave. Q Is it acceptable if the content is complete, but quality Someone suggested that they drive into Abilene to get ice cream. guidelines have not been followed? The whole family crowded into the car, and off they went. The Q If I have to sacrifi ce quality or timeliness, which one drive was long, dusty and uncomfortable due to the heat. They should it be? bought their ice cream, ate it and headed back home. The drive Q Is there a critical piece or module that could be prioritized? home was worse than the drive into town. Sweat and dust perme- Q What is the intended use of the translated material? ated the atmosphere in the car, and, pressed against one another Q Is staggered delivery acceptable? in the crowded space, the family became very grumpy. Finally, Q What are the critical success criteria that absolutely can- when they arrived home, their mood was worse than before the not be sacrifi ced? trip. One asked another, “Why did we do that, anyway?” They Thorough questioning in this vein could then have been followed looked at one another, perplexed, and each said, “I didn’t like the by “OK, now that I understand your issues, your needs and where idea at all, but I thought that you wanted to go.” For the original, you cannot compromise, we can work together to get it done.” see The Abilene Paradox and Other Meditations on Management Implementation of such a protocol would allow services to by Jerry B. Harvey (John Wiley and Sons, 1988). be built around actual client need and intent, not client fantasy.

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This is an important distinction because, for numerous reasons, Mission as framework clients frequently do not think through their own projects well Existence of a top-level mission statement, for example, enough to be able to distinguish between what they really need “sustained customer satisfaction,” could have provided guid- and what they simply desire. ance for both the client and the vendor in evaluating whether Instead, the vendor and the client both found themselves “on or not to proceed with the project in light of the proposed time the road to Abilene.” This was a classic groupthink communi- constraints. The mission could have provided a framework from cation breakdown. No individual came forward to present an which needs-analysis questions would more naturally fl ow. alternate course of action that would have yielded an outcome Creation of a mission statement is often considered by different to that which every group member outwardly appeared employees who suffer in the trenches to be a touchy-feely waste to favor. There may be a variety of reasons for this: of valuable time that could be better spent being productive. Q A group becomes unconsciously fi xated on a partial, This may be true when it is not done well, but, when a top-level short-term reward (delicious, cool ice cream), forgetting the mission statement is designed in such a way that departmental downstream consequences (the awful return journey that has goals and objectives can easily be derived from it, an infra- no reward at the end). structure against which to measure and objectify decisions can Q Due to group culture, offering differing opinions is dis- be created. A questioning protocol derived from a clear mis- couraged or ridiculed, so group members lack confi dence to sion statement can be a very powerful tool within that decision come forward with dissenting opinions. infrastructure. Q Responsibility for considering long-term outcomes of group initiatives has either not been assigned, or the delegation Saying ‘no’ of such responsibility is unclear so that no one feels that he or Let’s take a step back and see what could have been different she should be the one to step forward. on each side of the vendor-client equation if goals had been Q Due to constant competitive pressure, the group has sim- clarifi ed and a decision infrastructure had been in place. The ply never taken the time to defi ne a desired outcome. Decisions underlying assumption here is that in cases where a decision may sometimes be made in the absence of a clear goal, but, in needs to be made the response to a request for services does not such a situation, the decision-maker is essentially fl ying blind. always have to be “yes” by default.

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37-42 PM Sikes.indd 39 6/27/07 3:37:59 PM Industry Focus

If a knowledgeable and assertive proj- to order a component, a list of options In some corporate cultures a strongly ect manager was outfi tted with a mature can provide face-saving opportunities to worded opinion will be respected, but in questioning protocol and empowered take to superiors for damage-control. others a conditional “no” may be con- to use it, the project could have been Q If quality is immaterial to the deci- sidered too confrontational. Localization bounced back to the decision-maker sion-maker, but important to the project professional Karen Fowlie, director of on either side of the transaction with a manager or other entities within either product services at Cognos Incorporated, request for consideration of options such the client or the vendor corporation, then comments, “My philosophy is to avoid as these: there is a mismatch of corporate goals. saying ‘no’ and to instead say ‘yes, but Q Stop the project altogether and take Q A conditional “no” supports the . . .’ in situations where decision-mak- responsibility for whatever downsides goal of the project manager by dem- ers need to understand that while their might result from non-delivery of the onstrating that the issues have been request to meet aggressive deadlines may work items. objectively thought through and thus be feasible, their request may unwittingly Q Reframe the project in its entirety put quality or other key success criteria to a reasonable delivery time. at risk. Q Divide the project into prioritized An advantage “An advantage of a ‘yes, but . . .’ pieces and provide a staggered delivery response is that it cushions everyone proposal that may represent an accept- of a ‘yes, but . . .’ in the process. Project managers are able compromise to meet the most press- cushioned because they’re not saying ing needs of the client. response is that ‘no’ fl at out to their chain of command. Q Continue the project with the explicit it cushions everyone Decision-makers are not frustrated by understanding that normal quality stan- what they may perceive to be a lack of dards will not be met. in the process. a ‘can-do’ attitude by being told ‘no’ The foregoing options imply out- fl at out. Instead, they’re being told by comes that could be perceived as neg ative their subject matter experts ‘yes, we and that therefore must be evaluated can deliver, but here are the risks and from a business case point of view. mitigates the emotional response or ramifi cations if we proceed with this From a project management point of the potential interpretation by deci- request.’ As with the conditional ‘no,’ a view, a powerful tool that can be used sion-makers that the project manager’s ‘yes, but . . .’ response always needs to be when confronting such a situation is a objections are based on emotion instead accompanied with an alternate solution response that is accompanied by fall- of fact. that addresses the risk or issues and, also back options, which we shall dub a Project managers frequently fi nd like the conditional ‘no,’ it throws the conditional “no.” Four major reasons themselves performing a balancing act power back to decision-makers in such why a conditional “no” can be effec- between a variety of confl icting forces a way that they understand they share tive and can benefi t client relationship and goals, yet not suffi ciently empow- accountability for the decision to take management are: ered to attract visibility to the issue or the now clearly identifi ed risk (the ‘but’ Q If the decision-makers don’t under- to initiate a business case evaluation of the ‘yes, but . . .’). stand the process or the math, the proposed that would result in clear guidelines. “In my view, it’s important to rec- options can serve as vehicles through The tactic of providing a conditional ognize that decision-makers and project which the project manager can provide “no” to superiors can open the door to a managers share accountability if com- education; business-case-based discussion, especially mitment is given to an overly aggressive Q If a client decision-maker has sim- if the options presented contain numeri- deliverable without a prior discussion ply made a mistake, such as forgetting cally based rationale and risk analysis. regarding acceptability of risk. ‘Yes, but . . .’ is a grassroots approach that project managers, as delivery and subject matter experts, can use to ensure decision-makers are aware of the risks associated with their requests and to table alternate solutions that better set the stage for success.” Regardless of whether the approach is confrontational or cushioned, the effectiveness of the “yes, but . . .” or conditional “no” strategy will be undermined if the corporate culture encourages groupthink by tolerating ridicule or inattention to the expression of opinions that buck the mainstream line of thought. Equally dangerous is a culture that rewards a reckless “can-do” approach that

40 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

37-42 PM Sikes.indd 40 6/27/07 3:38:16 PM Industry Focus

ignores common sense and de-empha- of survival of the fi ttest which, in our A junior project manager obviously sizes adequate planning. Project manag- context, can be likened to the ability to cannot be expected to make this kind of ers often fi nd tantalizing the prospect deliver sustained quality with reason- decision. For this reason, a fast escala- of pulling off the impossible and get a able velocity. Localization professionals tion path must exist so that decisions, kind of superstar pleasure out of work- understand that translating too fast or especially negative decisions that affect ing excessive hours to meet unreasonable too long under circumstances that pre- key relationships, can be made at the deadlines. While this type of work ethic is clude terminology harmonization is a corporate level best prepared to bear the prevalent in the localization industry and recipe for quality disaster, whereas some responsibility within the context of the is of value and without doubt laudable in decision-makers frequently do not. overall corporate strategy. This would be certain circumstances such as getting a So, why would a supplier risk enter- fairly high in the organization, possibly at failing project back on track, it does not ing into such a circumstance as exempli- the C-level in the case of a key account. necessarily make good long-term busi- fi ed by the case in point? As well as the An escalation path on the vendor side ness sense and should not be encouraged reasons mentioned earlier in this article, would have similar attributes and corpo- in the absence of pragmatic controls. there is the possibility that they simply rate cultural prerequisites as those previ- didn’t know when to say “no.” ously described for the client. In addition, Supplier pressure A vendor must know “when to hold clear guidelines that project managers The supplier side of the industry is and when to fold,” as a poker player can rely on as triggers for escalation particularly susceptible to falling into a might say. Again, with 20/20 hindsight, should be established. In the case we are reactive position dominated by a short- a stronger strategy for maintenance of examining, either no such trigger existed term view. This is defi nitely a by-product the vendor’s long-term reputation with or the junior project manager was oblivi- of competition and, to a greater or lesser the client might have been to refuse ous to the red fl ags. extent, necessary for survival. Pressure the job, facilitate the client’s taking the abounds to deliver at top throughput impossible job elsewhere and thereby Tactics and risks rates. Nevertheless, corporations must open an opportunity for a competitor to If, after escalation, the appropriate remain aware of the Darwinian principle visibly fail. decision-maker at the vendor chooses

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to refuse the job, conditional “no” tac- from in-the-trenches project managers to sell internally, regardless of the prag- tics can be employed to avoid fl at-out to corporate instances where strategy matic consequences. This underscores refusal. These include: is debated and formalized implies that the necessity to have a pre-existing Q Make the price so high that the cli- forces can become unbalanced without decision framework, built upon a cor- ent will go elsewhere. senior management becoming aware of porate mission statement, to objectify Q Ask the client to sign a waiver regard- the shift. Our case in point appears to be the process, moving it out of emotional ing quality expectations. just such a situation. Smart management zones to more neutral, quantifi able and Q Commit to delivery, but in a time- will take steps to rectify this defi ciency. negotiable territory. frame that is unacceptable to the client. The alternative is clear: the corporation Q Have an executive-level representa- may steer off course. Empowerment infrastructure tive of the vendor speak with an execu- There are other risks as well: Decision-making becomes more diffi cult tive-level representative of the client. Q A competitor might possibly fi nd a when it must address intangibles such as Individually, any of these could fail, way to succeed. This would, of course, relationships and trust, especially with the but in combination they make a convinc- present the original company in a nega- much-lamented lack of commonly accepted ing case. Nevertheless, the stakes are tive light and would be a coup for the metrics upon which to objectify localization admittedly high. The customer might take competitor. industry decisions. In the absence of mea- offense at being require to sign a waiver Q A competitor might take on the job surability, trust becomes hugely important. or might hold the unreasonable job “ran- regardless of downstream damage con- A thorough questioning protocol can go a som” against other, unrelated future work. trol implications and then ask for for- long way toward building trust between Excessive customer strength is one of giveness after the fact. Depending on the vendors and clients by indicating attention Michael E. Porter’s Five Forces (Competi- effectiveness of the subsequent “grovel to detail and clearly identifying transaction tive Strategy, The Free Press, 1980) — buyer factor,” the competitor might come out partner wishes and constraints. But project power, supplier power, substitution ahead in the long run. managers must be given the tools with threats, new entrant threats, and competi- In either case, a relationship between which to build trust. tive threats — that are factors in any busi- the client and a competitor could come Because of the excessive volume-to- ness and which should be kept in balance into existence where none had been timeframe ratio, this case is admittedly through strategic and tactical decisions in present before or an existing relationship at the margin of normality; but, as a the corner offi ces. could be further developed. Proactively case study, it highlights the importance In fact, a primary responsibility of creating motivation for a client to explore of proactively establishing guidelines C-level management is to shape cor- relationships with alternative providers for discussing expectations between porate-wide strategy in such a way would certainly be frowned upon by clients and service providers, as well as as to keep Porter’s forces in balance. senior sales executives, so following this internally on both sides. Both clients and Absence of a functional escalation path course might be politically diffi cult for vendors must remember that the greater for communication of tactical alarms the vendor’s project management offi ce goal of localization is not to serve and compensate each other, but to provide the user base with high-quality products over the long term. Unreasonable pressure created by poor project understanding does not serve this goal. Employees must be able to draw upon a pre-existing, corporate infrastructure for evaluation of what is and what is not reasonable and be empowered to escalate objections upward through the management chain when, in their informed opinion, a strong argument can be made that short-sighted judgment is in play. They must be confi dent that they can do so without jeopardizing their own career stability within their company hierarchy. It is the responsibility of management on both the client and the vendor side to implement communication structures that are in alignment with principles of long-term sustainability that can only be achieved by ongoing customer satisfaction. If corporate management has not fulfi lled this responsibility, then it is up to project managers to educate them by lob- bying hard for constructive change. M

42 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

37-42 PM Sikes.indd 42 6/28/07 10:01:41 AM Industry Focus

Educating the client is part of the project Marta Dalmau Gonzalez

In the six years that I have been involved in “good practices” we are all so used to reading and hearing localization project management, I have come about. But let me describe a few “assignments” I received not across many different projects and met many long ago and how I managed to implement the “educating the Idifferent clients. This article is based on my client” principle of project management good practices. experiences as a senior project The cardboard box manager with two important One of our contacts at a leading inter- clients in the pharmaceutical ‘Oh, and we forgot to national pharmaceutical fi rm gave us a industry and the banking sec- call to ask us to carry out a “rush transla- mention that some tion of lots of documents contained in a tor and on two peculiar and cardboard box.” In a what? In a cardboard quite different assignments. of the pages are box? Yes, that’s right. The fi rst two ques- We’ll see that translation is tions from the client were: 1) How much handwritten, so your will this cost? and 2) When can you have still something of an uncharted translators will have the documents translated by? territory for many of our cli- “Well, I need to have a look at them,” ents. Educating the client is to use a magnifying I said. There was really no need to ask therefore one of the big chal- how many words were there or if they glass and a bit of had them in Word format. The problem is, lenges in project management. imagination to they replied, that they are confi dential, so While this is a time-consum- you can’t have a look at them. Oh! Well, ing task, it is worth spending decipher what is it is quite diffi cult to “blind-quote” or written on them.’ “blind-plan.” some effort on it because, at After a long blah-blah-blah, a solution the end of the day, we will all was found that involved visiting them and benefi t from a more positive having a look at the documents on-site, and profi table experience. without taking them off the premises. I should say that I pointed out to the client that we had already signed a confi dentiality Therefore, one might say that I should be used to peculiari- agreement with them some time ago. ties, strange demands and unusualness (estar curada de espan- tos, as we say in Spanish). However, from time to time, I am still surprised by new assignments that refl ect how uncharted the fi eld of translation is to some of our clients. I always bear in mind the need to educate the clients — that we should not be afraid of saying “no” when we have to, that Marta Dalmau Gonzalez is a project manager we need to ask even the most obvious questions so that nothing at INK Catalunya SA, a provider of linguistic is taken for granted concerning all those project management services and training in Barcelona, Spain.

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43-46 PM Dalmau Gonzales #89.ind43 43 6/27/07 3:39:56 PM Industry Focus

So this is what I did. I visited them and fi nally had the difference between computer-assisted translation and machine pleasure of meeting the cardboard box face-to-face. I was translation. shown a couple of examples and asked to give a quote for the At this point, when the “garbage in, garbage out” principle whole project. In fact, from the look on their faces, I think they came to my mind, I could have said “no,” but I decided to say expected me to weigh the cardboard box and set the price on a “yes — but.” The result was a satisfactory understanding of all bulk basis! After all, that is what we nor- the ifs and buts, which produced a quality mally do when we budget, isn’t it? translation delivered on time and within But there was more. Here the peculiari- budget. Unbelievable, but true. ties I mentioned before came into play. Some of the pages do not need to be The client had The minimum taxi fare translated, they said, but we have not Some time ago, another client from the decided which yet, and it will take a couple taken for granted banking sector asked us to localize a web- of days to decide; also, these photocopies that the translation site into six languages. The project went are our originals, so we will need to get smoothly, and we were all satisfi ed with them photocopied again, and this will take of two words into six the results. After the bulk of the job had two or three more days. been completed, however, they started to Oh, and we forgot to mention that some languages would e-mail us a number of times a day with lit- of the pages are handwritten, so your trans- cost just a few cents. tle updates, sentences without context and lators will have to use a magnifying glass single words that they urgently needed to and a bit of imagination to decipher what is have translated into those six languages. written on them, since we ourselves do not Once we saw that this was not a one- understand some parts of the documents. off situation, we suggested that they We will underline the key words, and we thought that maybe group all the little e-mails together in order to make our you could just summarize the idea. And will you apply a volume work easier and avoid their paying minimum charges and discount? To mention just a few. rush translation surcharges, but they answered that it was too To top it all, the person responsible for the project on the tedious for them. client’s side was about to go on holiday and needed the transla- This answer suggested that the client preferred to pay rush tion in one or two weeks’ time — which included the time he translation surcharges and minimum rates for this extra service, needed for decision-making and photocopying, of course. however nonsensical it may seem. But that was not so, and, I took a deep breath and tried to explain that it was not that indeed, problems arose when we informed them that we would easy because there was a lot of pre-translation work since we start charging minimum rates to cover all the work involved needed to decipher and type up all of the fi les — optical charac- in managing these little translations, since they had taken for ter recognition was not of great help this time (Typed up? Don’t granted that the translation of two words into six languages you translate directly from paper?) — before translating it all would cost just a few cents and nothing more. with a translation tool (Translation tool? Is this a machine that So when, in one of the meetings I had with the client, I translates automatically?). So then, I also had to explain the mentioned the expression minimum charge, they exclaimed, No Complications. No Side Effects. www.fxtrans.com

Medical translations you can trust.

44 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

43-46 PM Dalmau Gonzales #89.ind44 44 6/27/07 3:40:17 PM Project Management Showcase

“But that is like a minimum taxi fare! And for each language pair? We will not pay this for the translation of a single word or sentence. We will fi nd Providing Your Project another provider or ask someone within Project Management Software the company who speaks the language Effi ciency Solutions to do it for us for free!” Please allow me for Translation Agencies to explain briefl y here that most people Beetext provides complete Project Efficiency in Spain are aware and accept that taxis Projetex is mature project management software Solutions (PES) for language service providers and charge a minimum fare, just as most continuously developed and updated by a growing corporate translation departments. With solutions banks charge a given sum for a wire team of professionals since 2001: designed for maximum efficiency, our specialized computer-aided management solutions streamline all transfer, which takes just a few seconds • 150+ installations in small and medium-sized of your organization’s processes: to complete — and our client belonged translation agencies around the world to the banking sector! • current number of project managers in licensees is • Incoming request management At this point, it was vital to make from 2 to 100, with tested capacities up to 500 • Task delegation and request delivery management them aware that they paid for the • you can participate in the development by • Quote and invoice generation work of the six language professionals suggesting new features for new builds and • Detailed reporting (financial and productivity) involved in the translation, plus the versions of software • Customer portal management quality assurance procedures and the • free, fast and intelligent technical support • Complete archive search engine project management tasks required by For demonstrations or information, contact Quote code MULTI35 in your e-mail to us and each assignment. While our company [email protected] or visit was clearly losing money by being paid receive a 35% discount off any number of licenses. www.beetext.com on a word basis, it was imperative for them to trust their translations to pro- Advanced International fessionals — and that meant paying for a Beetext 279 Sherbrooke Street West, Suite 410 quality service to preserve the image of Translations, Ltd. Montréal, Québec H2X 1Y2 their company. Tolstogo 15, Suite 1, 01033 Kyiv, Ukraine 866-423-3839 • 514-598-0406 • Fax: 514-521-8340 In fact, returning to our subheading, 380-44-288-11-45 • Fax: 380-44-288-11-52 [email protected] • www.beetext.com they were not that far off when they com- [email protected] • www.projetex.com pared our minimum charge per language to the minimum taxi fare, and it served me as a good example to show them that each language pair is like a different route: if you have six people who need to get to six different places, you will need six taxis and six taxi drivers who will charge six minimum fares — plus an extra charge for your luggage! Management Solution for Our client fi nally understood the old maxim “you get what you pay for” and Localization Is Translation Companies that our company was not willing to com- Plunet GmbH develops and markets Plunet promise quality by working for extremely More Than Translation... BusinessManager software, the complete management low and unfair prices. This is probably the solution for the translation and documentation industry. thorniest issue because people generally Global challenges require flexible and professional tend to be afraid of losing clients, and service providers. Take advantage of our experience On a web-based platform, the system this fear makes them accept conditions and know-how and make your product a worldwide • includes business management as well as process that they would otherwise never have success! SAM Engineering was established in 1994 and document management accepted. and provides localization as well as translation and • integrates translation software, financial account- I am of the opinion that if your clients engineering services to IT organizations and vertical ing systems and existing software environments are happy with your work, then they will industries through its network of translation partners, • is designed for language service providers, transla- understand and accept your limits — so long specializing in the translation of business applications tion and documentation departments, organiza- as they are reasonable. Cut-rate prices are and technical documentation. SAM Engineering GmbH tions, institutions and government agencies. unsustainable in the long run, and clients is located in Muehltal, near Frankfurt, Germany. For Features include quotation costing; order, job and who are only looking for the lowest prices more information, see www.sam-engineering.de workflow management; schedule, document and contact will wind up leaving sooner or later. management; financial reports; and customer acquisition. In the end, given the nature of the projects we were going to expect from SAM Engineering GmbH our client, we agreed on a three-level Kirchstrasse 1, D-64367 Muehltal, Germany Plunet GmbH minimum charge based on word counts, 49-6151-9121-0 • Fax: 49-6151-9121-18 Marktplatz 24, 97070 Würzburg, Germany which was the fairest invoicing method [email protected] 49-931-32-11-220 • Fax: 49-931-32-11-222 www.sam-engineering.de [email protected] • www.plunet.de www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 MultiLingual | 45

43-46 PM Dalmau Gonzales #89.ind45 45 6/27/07 3:40:43 PM Industry Focus

for both parties. It was indeed true that Wasn’t Aristotle right when he said a good project manager should have. Ana- it was unfair to charge our minimum that virtue is the intermediate condition lyzing clients’ needs and striving to meet rate for just three words, but we could between excess and deﬁ ciency? their expectations do not, however, mean not charge just a few cents for translat- having to consent to their every whim. ing three lost words into six languages, Communication is vital Sometimes we get the feeling that along with “two more words that I forgot I would conclude that communication some clients are trying to test our lim- to send” and “an urgent sentence that I plays a vital role in all human relations its by demanding impossible deadlines need back before the three words I sent and that good communication skills are an or below-market rates. Although some to you a couple of minutes ago.” essential element of the list of abilities that may do it intentionally — at which point we need to play our cards right while letting them know that there is no such thing as a free lunch — many are simply unaware of the procedures encompassed by that familiar word translation. I have met clients who do not know what source and target languages are; clients who are unaware that translations are done by people who translate into their mother tongues; clients who have heard about “computer-assisted translation,” “machine translation” or “automatic translation” and think that all translations are done by machines; and even clients who do not know what a word count is, however unbelievable that may seem. Therefore, good communication with our clients will foster the sometimes painful educating procedure. Clients appreciate educational effort Educating the client is a time-consum- ing task and one of the big challenges of project management. In my humble opinion, however, it is worth taking the time to educate our clients because they play an important role in the success of their own projects, and, at the end of the day, we all end up saving time, money and effort. Moreover, it ensures a positive experience and helps to avoid misunderstandings. Clients will appreciate that we are honest and will understand that quality has a price and that all of the processes involved take time to complete. Experience has taught me that it is good to be forthcom- ing, clear, concise and polite — and to lose sight of the rule of thumb that says that 1) the client is always right and 2) when the client is not right, article 1 applies. Clients are — like ourselves — human beings, and we all make mistakes. The key to a successful relationship is to be positive, enthusiastic and solution-oriented. Most clients will appreciate education, so we do not have to be afraid of helping them. After all, the translation industry is uncharted territory for many of them. M

46 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

43-46 PM Dalmau Gonzales #89.ind46 46 6/27/07 3:41:06 PM Industry Focus

Five tips to achieve global simship Bret Freeman

In today’s fast-paced global marketplace, most their work, the content is then thrown back over the wall to the companies understand that in order to attain documentation group and is then published accordingly. signifi cant market share in North America and In this process are more than a few opportunities for improve- beyond, they must not only localize their product ment. Let’s look at one of them: moving to a structured environ- I ment by breaking down the silos. When we break down the silos offerings, marketing and documentation into the between content creation and content translation, we begin to languages of the target countries, but also must realize signifi cant time savings in the generation of multilingual ensure that everything is delivered simultane- content. When it comes to simship, time–to-translation is one of the major hurdles that organizations must overcome in order to ously in all languages to all regions. actually achieve this goal. The process of localization includes translation, as well as The reality of simship, then, begins with the integration or adapting the information to make the content appear as if it alignment of content creation and content translation. Many were planned and created for the local marketplace. organizations currently achieving simship have not only inte- The timely shipment of products and documentation to vari- grated these two processes through an integrated workfl ow ous countries is critical in order to maintain and/or grow global approach, but have also implemented a structured authoring market share and revenue. For software companies, the simulta- environment to further facilitate the process integration. neous shipment, or simship, of products and documentation is a critical component of global strategy and in avoiding piracy It’s all about the ‘chunks’ in secondary markets. Another key underlying enabler to simship is structured The fi ve tips in this article will assist your organization in authoring — a method of writing content and labeling it accord- achieving simultaneous shipment of your documentation and ing to its purpose so that it can be shared and re-used in other assist in streamlining the global product launch process. communication pieces. As an organization implements a structured authoring strategy, one of the determinations that must be Avoid throwing it over the wall made is how to modularize or “chunk” content. In many companies, the documentation and localization The vendor-neutral, open standard technology that enables processes are distinct, and many times they are even performed writers to create and label modularized content in text fi les is XML. by different departments. This separation of processes contrib- A solid XML implementation strategy enables you to determine at utes to the “throw it over the wall” approach. For companies which level content can be re-used. When determining this level or in the global marketplace, the technical documentation group chunk size, there are many things to consider. If your organization will create information (often in large documents), complete has multilingual requirements (and I’m sure it does or you wouldn’t their workfl ow process and then send the completed documenta- be reading this article), then one of the main considerations should tion out for translation. The translation process is then simply be, “What is the smallest piece of content that can be translated an add-on module to the existing process and on its own without context?” ultimately yields “just another deliverable.” Most Many other factors determine of the time, in fact, the translation process is this chunk size, and it can be dif- somewhat of a “black box” operation, and all Bret Freeman is director of ferent for every company. the while the product documentation group has content life cycle solutions at Chunking content will enable no idea what is happening once the information JustSystems. He is also a speaker your translation process to not has been thrown over the wall. Once the transla- and writer on issues related to only be integrated into the con- tors (or outsourcing company) have completed content management. tent creation process, but will

www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 MultiLingual | 47

47-48 PM Freeman.indd 47 6/27/07 3:41:51 PM Industry Focus

also allow for the translation of pieces of By chunking your content appro- reading, for instance, contains the phrase your documentation prior to completion priately, you can not only re-use these as previously mentioned. That phrase would of an entire document. This process will chunks in multiple documents, but you make this particular paragraph unusable reduce translation cycle time, as chunks can also re-use the translations of those in another article about a different topic of content can be in translation while chunks. Back to our blender example — because it has dependency on something other chunks of the same document are imagine that the documents for the seven mentioned before for context. And while still being created. This approach not blender models include 30% content that this is fi ne for an article in a magazine, it only reduces the production timeline, but is identical. If you are able to re-use that would be unusable as an XML chunk. This also allows for re-use of content chunks content instead of re-translating or paying is particularly important when it comes to in multiple deliverables and, ultimately, unnecessary click charges, you can begin translation and when simship is a goal. reduces translation costs by eliminating to see signifi cant translation savings. Usable multilingual content is re-usable the potential need for re-translation of Translating content at the chunk level multilingual content, and the greater the existing content. instead of at the document level also re-usability the greater reduction you allows subsequent versions of the content will see in both production time and cost Change, please to be analyzed for changes, and then only — ultimately helping you achieve simship As I previously stated, content that changed chunks are sent out for transla- goals with the same resources and budget. has been appropriately chunked can be tion. Once again, in our blender example, if re-used in multiple versions and/or deliv- I have a new version of an existing model Standards erables. If, for instance, you are a small that has only slight (say 20%) changes to A friend of mine has said, “The great appliance company manufacturing seven the documentation, then once again the thing about standards is that there are so different models of blenders, you will translation savings add up quite quickly. many to choose from!” When selecting a have seven versions of documentation to translation vendor, it is important to fi nd support your current product line. Usability and re-usability a vendor or vendors who support XML With most companies, much of the Once an XML strategy has been standards. Just as an effective XML con- information within the product docu- decided and content has been chunked tent strategy is the backbone of an effi - mentation in this scenario is identical accordingly, you can begin to focus on cient multilingual process, a vendor who — introductory sections, cautions and re-using your information. Re-use is one can work with your XML content chunks warnings, common cleaning procedures of the primary reasons organizations is a key element in quickly and cost-effec- and so on. In an environment where you move to XML. Where many companies go tively producing your information in a are producing entire documents and then wrong, however, is that they either chunk timely manner and enabling simship. throwing those documents over the wall at the wrong level or neglect appropriate A translation vendor who supports for translation, chances are much of your content authoring strategies. XML can not only be incorporated into information will go through the transla- Content must be usable before it can be your consolidated workfl ow, but can also tion process several times. Depending on re-usable. As previously mentioned, a key offer invaluable experience in working your vendor, you will at worst be charged component of content chunking is “what with XML and multilingual content. for re-translation of this content and at is the smallest piece of content that can best be charged “click charges” for send- be translated on its own without context?” Conclusion ing information through a translation Once you have determined your chunk Translation is not just another aspect memory (TM) tool that is determined to be size, that same chunk of content must be of content creation and publication that an exact match. These click charges can written in such a way that it is not depen- can benefi t greatly by the use of XML, add up very quickly and will add signifi - dent upon any other chunk of content to but an area where signifi cant cost savings cantly to your translation costs. provide context. This paragraph you are and effi ciency impacts can be gained. The key, of course, is an appropriate implementation strategy that includes integrating your creation and translation process; working with your information at a sub-document or “chunk” level; being able to translate the chunks rather than the entire document; writing usable content in order to promote reusability; and, fi nally, selecting vendors with a deep understanding of XML. Once you start to put all of the pieces together, simship becomes more than an idea. It can become a reality across the organization. And as your organization develops a content architecture and creation strategy that enables simship, it will be better able to increase market share and revenue on a global scale. M

48 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

47-48 PM Freeman.indd 48 6/27/07 3:42:10 PM Industry Focus

Scheduling successful localization projects Andrew Jones

Write down the following four points, tape should ring in your head every time you hear the question, “Can them to your computer monitor and repeat them you get this translated into XX?” The danger is that the word as your morning recitals: translation simpliﬁ es the task too much. 1) Localization isn’t just translation; transla- I’ve recently worked on website localizations for two different W clients. Both clients came to me and said, “We are releasing our tion is just part of localization. website on XX date in XX language. Please can you translate 2) Localization schedule estimates need to and return the content by then?” The answer to such a question factor in all the elements of localization. is always “yes.” It is always possible to translate something 3) Localization cannot be rushed. Risks need quickly. However, if they’d asked, “Please can you localize this to be factored into a realistic schedule. by XX date?” the answer would have been “no.” Why? Because when I asked, “How many stages will the 4) All your resources — in-house and out- review cycle have?” they admitted they didn’t have anyone to sourced — should be booked early and their buy- review it. When I asked, “Will you provide a server for test- in to the schedule sought before you ﬁ nalize it. ing?” they admitted they hadn’t thought that the translation would need to be tested. And so on and so forth. When (not if, Localization is not just translation but when) this situation arises, you have two choices: release a Localization is a critical aspect of any globalization cycle. In poor-quality localized version on the agreed-upon release date order for a product to sell into international markets, there is going or delay the release date, potentially causing internal headaches to be a translation element involved. Since localization is, however, and external embarrassment. Far better to get a localization often the last factor in a global release strategy, too often the details schedule worked out, factoring in all the elements, and then of what this translation process will involve — particularly in terms decide your release-to-market date. of timescales and metrics — are very hazy at the early stages of planning, thus leading to a fraught end to a global release. How long does localization take? Localization is often confused with translation. Even the If I had a quid for every time I am asked, “How long will most savvy clients use the word translate when they mean it take to translate?” or “What metrics can I use to plan my localize. Translation is just one of the elements that will get schedule?” I would not be writing this article. I’d be pleasantly you a version of your product in another language. Alarm bells retired, sipping margaritas on a beach in Cancún. You may think, “Why do I need to know this? Why isn’t the localization vendor planning my schedule for me?” Once you have selected a localization vendor, you will want him or Andrew Jones is senior project manager at her to put together a nuts-and-bolts schedule. Involve your Rubric, where he has worked for nearly localization vendor as early as possible in the cycle; getting nine years. He is also director of music vendor input and buy-in helps make this schedule realistic. But at “Shakespeare’s Church” in there are times when you may be asked for input into a global Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom. release schedule before you actually select your localization

www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 MultiLingual | 49

49-51 PM Jones.indd 49 6/27/07 3:42:59 PM Industry Focus

vendor. Or you may need to give a quick Q Have you considered that quality up the process is not really a wise move answer to an internal question — an translators are always based in-country because it will also encourage them to answer that could be critical in a global and therefore there are time zones to be compromise quality. Moreover, the sub- release decision. So, it’s not a bad idea considered? tasks involved in translation are not to have some loose concept for working As you can see, the “translation” easily resolved with more translators. out how long a localization schedule is task alone — and we haven’t even con- Can prepping the fi le for translation be going to take. sidered layout and graphic work that speeded up by dividing it into ten, hav- Metric-based guidelines for how long may or may not be needed as well — is ing each of ten people prep a little sec- tasks take are a useful starting point in actually a set of tasks with interdepen- tion and then sticking it back together? planning. The problem with metrics is dencies, which defy simple metrics. A Not really. If you plan your localization that there is a lot more to each individual schedule with sub-tasks factored in, task in the localization process than is then not only will you feel in control apparent at fi rst sight, and such metrics The sub-tasks of the schedule from the outset, but don’t take into account necessary buf- you will not be risking quality at the fers. Chant once again — localization is involved in expense of speed. not just translation. So, rather than just adding a single For example, you may hear that an translation task such as “translation” to your esti- individual can translate about 2,500 words are not easily mate, break it down into the real ele- a day. So, if you have a documentation ments involved. Break down tasks by fi le with 5,000 words to translate, it can resolved with asking yourself questions. be delivered in two days, right? more translators. Take software testing, for example. Q Have you considered that it is not just You know that the localized versions will a question of the translator sitting down need to be tested. Here are some ques- immediately and typing 2,500 words? tions to consider: Q Have you considered the time taken second problem with metrics is that Q Does the software take a long time for the translator to research the material they are effectively meaningless unless to build? being translated and to assemble essential you have control over the number of Q Do you have easy reliable access to glossaries and reference material before resources that are going to be used. For a testing server? starting? example, with your 5,000 words of doc- Q Do you have a test script or does Q Have you considered that the fi le umentation, ten translators are going to one need to be written? may need to be prepared for translation complete it in much less time than one Q Do you want the vendor to do a full so that it is in a format that the transla- translator. Your localization vendor, test or just a smoke test? tor can work with? however, and not you, will likely con- Q How many platforms do you need Q Have you considered that the trans- trol the number of people working on to test on? lation needs to be proofread and edited your translation. Encouraging vendors Q How many internal groups will want as well? to throw resources at the job to speed to test the software? Q Have you factored in a regression test once bugs are fi xed? Each of these questions is probably George E. Bell’s going to lead to a task — and therefore time — on your schedule. ndex of Th ree completely searchable Index of Chinese Characters W th Attributes Factoring in risks I fully sea chable pdf fo mat and including Unicode Chinese volumes delivered on A quick and When using global teams — which easy index one compact disc (FPSHF & #FMM X UI +PZ ;IBP 3PV[FS Characters most localization projects do — there are With added, compounded complications and MultiLingual Press À risks. It is possible that none of the risks © George E Be • A r ghts eserved Attributes will materialize, and often they don’t, but it is worth creating schedule buffers in case they do. For example, have you taken public holidays into account? Some countries from take holidays more seriously than others, but in many countries certain festivals MultiLingual Press and holidays are sacrosanct. Have you taken into account e-mail problems and servers going down? Sure, it happens to everyone from time to time, but it’s not Order yours at www.multilingual.com/eBooks just your own e-mail service you have to worry about. It is the e-mail service

50 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

49-51 PM Jones.indd 50 6/27/07 3:43:12 PM Industry Focus

of every translator, project manager Q Do you have people available to fi x product is released in the new market, and software tester in the localization bugs in a timely manner? and do you have the budget and a time- process. When you get a few words Q Are you going to have your own scale for this? translated into Japanese, those words quality assurance checks before the These are all questions to consider at will actually travel around the world product is released? the beginning of a global release cycle, several times, through any number of Q If so, how long are you going to as the answers to these questions will e-mail systems, before they return to allow for this? Who is going to do them? impact the date when you realistically you in Japanese. Only one computer Internal reviewers. You’ve been asked release to market with the best experi- somewhere on the planet — perhaps in by your marketing team to produce a ence for the end user. Remember that an “electricity optional” locale — has to version in a new language because they the end user buying in his or her native fail in order to break the chain and your think it will sell well in that marketplace. language will be doing so for a reason localization schedule. Three words can It is critical that you get your product — and will be expecting the highest- end up taking two days to be returned to reviewed by an in-country representative quality, most user-friendly experience in you, even if the typing of the words only of your company — or a local partner his or her own language. took 30 seconds. — so that you can be sure that it meets Most of the time these things don’t their preferences and corresponds to their A few last pointers happen. But it’s better to be prepared marketing effort. Do you have anyone? Scheduling a localization effort can be when they do. Sip some tea and recite to Is he or she booked? These people need tough, but it is much easier than keeping yourself, Add buffer to the schedule for to be booked early and for a specifi c time an underplanned project on schedule. unexpected glitches. period, not once the localization is com- Here are some parting points to add to plete. Even a day’s delay in review can your computer monitor: Booking resources early throw an otherwise coherent schedule Q First of all and most importantly, Internal project coordination. It is completely off-track. never be tempted to think of localization always good to involve the localiza- You need to consider how the new as just translation. If you do, you will be tion vendor as early in the scheduling version is going to be assessed. Does thinking too simply. process as possible, rather than hand- the marketing team have resources, Q Try to plan localization before your ing them a predetermined schedule in-country, to review the localized ver- release-to-market date, not the other with zero fl exibility. The vendor will sion before it is released? Do they have way round. have realistic feedback on what can be the capacity to liaise with linguists on Q Allow a buffer into your plans, and achieved. They should help you with preferred terminology? Do you need to think of each task as several sub-tasks. the breakdown of tasks and think of book other types of external reviewers? Q Make sure you consider all your questions and issues relating to the Are you going to factor in the incor- in-house resources needs as early as schedule. A good vendor will also pre- poration of end-user feedback once the possible. M book the best resources to produce the best-quality end product. You are likely to outsource much of the localization effort to a vendor. Don’t fool yourself into thinking this means your staff will not be involved. At the very least you will need an internal contact who has time to liaise with external resources and can answer or fi eld questions in a timely manner without delay- ing the project. Here are some questions to consider in this regard: Q If you are outsourcing testing of your product to external vendors, can the localized version be built and tested externally? If yes, do you have someone who can explain and assist this? Book that person early and make sure that he or she has the time to help. This person won’t necessarily need to be dedicated to this task, and it might not take more than 10 minutes; but, if he or she is not available when needed, the entire localization schedule can be lost. If no, do you have someone who can set up a staging server internally for testing and who can provide any support during the testing?

www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 MultiLingual | 51

49-51 PM Jones.indd 51 6/27/07 3:43:47 PM Managing communication and politics on virtual teams Colleen Garton Industry Focus

One of the biggest differences between tra- effective and productive meetings. You must teach your team ditional and virtual management is in the way members that it is just as easy to be understood when speak- we communicate with one another. Experts ing in a normal tone of voice and being respectful to others. agree that over 80% of our communication is It is especially important to remember this when working on O global teams. Some cultures consider it to be impolite and very non-verbal. Therefore, in a virtual environment disrespectful to interrupt or to raise one’s voice. we must fi nd ways to communicate that help Tone of voice is not just how loudly you speak. Listen care- us fi ll the gap left by the non-verbal elements fully to infl ections in the voice to give you a clue as to how of communication such as gestures and facial someone really feels about what is being discussed. Keep things expressions. under control in your meetings, and ask people to wait their turn before speaking rather than interrupting others. Request Knowing what is missing from virtual communication is not that participants not raise their voices if they feel they are not going to help you to be successful unless you also recognize the being understood. You do not want other team members to feel value of the things that you do have to work with. One aspect of intimidated, afraid to speak or insulted by impolite behavior. communication that is available to you when working virtually You most certainly do not want people to stop calling in to is tone of voice. With a little practice it is possible to learn to your meetings because they cannot understand what is being recognize and decipher the subtle changes in tone of voice that discussed. can be as valuable to you as visual clues. Express your enthusiasm Voices: tone, volume, etiquette To make sure that you are understood, you can learn to use Don’t forget that your tone of voice is also communicating your voice in the same way you would use body language. Most information about you to others. Tone of voice can communi- of us do this unconsciously at least to some extent. It is impor- cate many things. It can indicate what kind of mood you are in, tant to be aware not only of what you say but how you say it. how you feel about a situation or how you feel about an idea or If you feel enthusiastic about something, make sure your voice suggestion. It can also be very deceptive. A loud tone of voice refl ects this. Try to make your voice match your emotions so may indicate that you are angry when you may just be a little that your message is congruent. overexcited about what is being discussed. A quiet tone of voice If you are communicating via the phone, make sure that may imply that you are very calm or are uninterested in what is you are paying attention to what is being said. If you are read- being discussed when in reality the opposite may be true. ing e-mails or typing a report while conversing on the phone, In meeting rooms all across America, you can hear people you are not giving your full attention to the person or people raising their voices if they think they are not being understood or heard; interrupting one another because they do not have the patience to wait until the other person has fi nished speaking; and talking over one another when no one wants to relinquish the role of “speaker.” This type of communication is not polite Colleen Garton is a management consultant or professional, but in many companies it is tolerated. and co-author of Managing Without Walls: If you are conducting meetings via phone conferencing, this Maximize Success with Virtual, Global, and lack of meeting etiquette will make it almost impossible to run Cross-cultural Teams published by MC Press.

52 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

52-54 PM Garton.indd 52 6/27/07 3:44:40 PM Industry Focus

on the phone, and they will hear this in will be present. A culture that encour- to get ahead, at any cost. Others are your voice. When you do speak, you will ages open and honest discussion and focused on doing a great job and getting sound uninterested or, even worse, con- feedback without fear of retribution is personal recognition or rewards. Some fused because someone has asked you a going to have less visible politics than people just want to do their work every question that you are unable to answer one that does not. day, go home, relax and not get involved because you have not been paying atten- in any confl ict. Politics derive from these tion to what is being discussed. Just because personal agendas. Keep in mind that it This lack of attention in virtual com- is not just highly ambitious people who munication is akin to holding a meeting a team is virtual contribute to company politics. Anyone in your offi ce, completely ignoring the on your team is capable of creating or other participants and writing e-mails does not mean exacerbating politics. Company politics instead of listening to what they are say- that you will avoid are about getting what you want and ing. This behavior would be completely infl uencing others to want the same unacceptable in a face-to-face commu- company politics. things so that you have a better chance nication, and it should also be unaccept- of getting what you want. able in virtual communication. It is important to understand that just The biggest problem for the manager Strive to behave in the same way when because the politics are not immediately of a virtual team is that it is not easy to someone is not looking as you would if obvious, this does not mean they do not see what is going on “behind the scenes.” someone were. This will improve the exist. Covert politics can be as detri- If your team is virtual and your team quality of your virtual communication mental to a company or team as overt members do not interact face to face on signifi cantly. It is easy to get distracted politics, and that which is more diffi cult a daily basis, this does not mean that and very tempting to take a quick look to quantify is more diffi cult to manage politics will not be a part of daily work at something else when no one can see and control. life. It might take longer for the alliances you, but these behaviors are far more On a virtual team you are more likely to form and for the impact of those alli- detrimental to virtual communication to encounter covert, manipulative poli- ances to become apparent, but they will than the lack of eye contact or inability tics than the more obvious type. This is form, and they will shape the face of to see facial expressions. because virtual teams generally have a politics on your team. less rigid hierarchy and less top-down Practice active listening management. What is the spirit of the team? To further enhance virtual communi- If the spirit of your team is one of cation, practice active listening in your Personal agendas everyone looking to get noticed for his everyday work life. Repeat back what Everyone has his or her own agenda, or her individual contributions, over you have heard to validate and verify and members of a virtual team are no time team members will start to feel that what you heard is what the person exception. Some people’s agendas are insecure and self-conscious about their meant. If you hear something in the tone of voice that indicates that perhaps there is something not being said, ask probing questions to ensure that you get all the information that you need. Pain # 43: I don’t know where to start. Be polite and respectful at all times but make sure that you ask direct questions and not open-ended or leading questions. Active listening will enhance your verbal communication in addition to assuring the person to whom you are speaking that you are giving your full attention to the conversation. Virtual politics Politics are a way of life in most organizations regardless of the size or type of company. Just because a team is virtual and its members do not interact face to face on a regular basis does not mean that you will avoid company Design by Jorge Marinho - 2tr So uções G obais politics. Company culture is a major Common Sense contributor to company politics, and Advisory the type of culture will defi ne the type of politics. The more rigid the hierarchy, Call +1.+1.978.275.0500 . . 0 or visit www.commonsenseadvisory.com the more overt political maneuvering

www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 MultiLingual | 53

52-54 PM Garton.indd 53 6/27/07 3:45:00 PM Industry Focus

work. Your team members will feel as if the creative ideas and feelings of unhap- its authenticity. We all know at least one they are in competition with each other. piness and anger among team members. person who fi ts this category. It could When the driving force on a team is be a co-worker, family member, friend the competitiveness among team mem- Politics and gossip or neighbor. This is the person you go bers, people can get amazingly creative. Some people are more apt to politick- to if you want to know anything about Unfortunately, this creativity is not usu- ing than others. Some personality types anyone. If that person doesn’t know, you ally channeled into doing great work; it thrive on gossip and rumors. They can- can rest assured that nobody else does, is channeled into getting noticed. This not wait to tell anyone who will listen either! can result in little business benefi t from information about others regardless of These people give you lots of information that you really shouldn’t know about people, and it is easy to fi nd yourself having fun and enjoying hearing all the gossip about others. These people are, however, fueling the fl ames of dis- content, exacerbating negative situations and increasing the political unrest within their environment. Remember, they are probably talking about you when you SAVE THE DATE: are not there. If someone like this works on your team, you are going to have a lot of virtual politics distributed via your virtual private network. Managing to strengthen October 15–17, 2007 • San Jose, California the team as a whole To build and maintain a non-politi- Immerse yourself in cutting-edge topics cally motivated team, you should avoid and new technologies, all geared for the competing against your team members. It doesn’t matter if you have an idea internationalization community. that is better than someone else’s. As The Internationalization & Unicode® Conference, sponsored by Gold Sponsor the manager, it is not your job to always Adobe, is the premier annual technical conference focusing on multilingual, have the right solution. It is your job to global software and Web internationalization. Each IUC conference features a grow and develop your team members, variety of tutorials and conference sessions that cover current topics related to help them come up with the best ideas. to Web and software internationalization, globalization, and Unicode. Give them clues to keep them on the right The three-day conference will feature a keynote by Robert Bringhurst, noted poet, track, rather than correcting or pointing book designer, typographer, historian and linguist. The conference includes a full out where they went wrong. Let your day of tutorials followed by two days of presentations, panels and discussions, team members take credit for great ideas, plus, for the first time, the Unicode Technical Committee Meeting will be even if you helped to develop them. co-located. There will also be technology exhibits and demonstrations. Celebrate team successes publicly and applaud individual results privately. This The conference attracts industry leaders from across the globe including Unicode will help to avoid “superstar” behavior experts, implementers, clients and vendors. The unique interactive format and the feelings of inequality among makes the Internationalization & Unicode Conference the best place to meet your team members. One team member’s and exchange ideas with the experts, discover the needs of potential clients, strength should strengthen the entire and gather information about new and existing Unicode-enabled products. team. If you cultivate this on your www.unicodeconference.org/ml team, your team members will not feel threatened by each other. They will be MEDIA SPONSOR: GOLD SPONSOR: motivated to support each other and help ® each other grow and develop. You can build even stronger teamwork by enabling and encouraging high-quality communication among your team members, as well as between team members For up-to-date information or to register: and you. Good quality teamwork leaves VISIT: www.unicodeconference.org/ml very little room for politics to squeeze EMAIL: [email protected] their way in. Managing without politics Unicode and the Unicode Logo are trademarks of Unicode, Inc. All other marks are the p operty of their respective owne s. will enable you to successfully manage without walls. M

54 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

52-54 PM Garton.indd 54 6/27/07 3:45:16 PM BitextBitext or or TM? TM?

WhyWhy not not both? both?

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55 Multicorpora ad #89.indd 55 6/28/07 10:12:37 AM Localization World takes Berlin by storm Business Laurel Wagers

Midsummer week in Berlin was alternately warm and sunny and gray and rainy, ending with thun- derstorms as heavy rains swept across northern MEurope. But nothing dampened the spirits of the more than 500 professionals from 37 countries — the most ever — working throughout the language industry who converged on the Berliner Congress Center (BCC) on June 19-21, 2007, for the ninth Localization World.

Major sponsors for the event, which is a co-production of MultiLingual Computing, Inc., and The Localization Institute in cooperation with the Globalization and Localization Association Joachim Wuermeling, administrative secretary of state, German Federal (GALA), were Lionbridge (platinum); SDL International (gold); Ministry of Economics and Technology, welcomes attendees in Berlin. across Systems GmbH and Welocalize (silver); and Acclaro, Inc., Idiom Technologies, Inc., PASS Engineering With Ulrich Henes as moderator and Combe, Tilman Hartenfels GmbH and Translations.com (bronze). and Pyne sharing their experiences, “Local Language First: On The program development committee which grounds do we decide to add a new language?” ended the included Kevin Bolen, Lionbridge; Chris ﬁ rst day. Boorman, SDL International; Jonathan Bow- Conference sessions were organized on three concurrent tracks, ring, Canon; Matthias Caesar, GALA and with each session having one of three formats: Praxis (hands-on Locatech GmbH; Karen Combe, PTC; Andreas solutions); Point/Counterpoint (debates on localization topics); Dürr, across Systems GmbH; Thomas Hecht, and Perspectives (nontechnical, business-focused) sessions in the Siemens; Fred Hollowood, Symantec; Sylvia categories of Translation Automation, Standards, Localization Idström, Sony Ericsson; Conrad Pokorny, Process, Industries, Geographies and Localization Business. Semantix; Christopher Pyne, SAP; and Elisa The three-session series “Introduction to Localization” was Tormes, Tek Translation International. one of the most successful parts of the conference, according to BCC (top), Bode Museum several professionals who attended. Conference highlights and “Toothpick” TV tower. Four vendor-sponsored sessions on products and services Joachim Wuermeling, administrative secre- also were available, and GALA offered an intro- tary of state in Germany’s Federal Ministry of ductory session for prospective members. Economics and Technology, welcomed attendees before the ﬁ rst plenary session in brief speech Preconference (June 19) that, as one listener said, “showed that he under- Laurel Wagers Preconference-day events at the high-rise con- stands what localization is about.” The follow- is managing ference hotel, the Park Inn Hotel Alexanderplatz, ing session, “Local Language First” with Jaap editor of included workshops and round tables on transla- van der Meer, set the theme for the conference. MultiLingual. tion automation, general and games localization

56 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

56-57 Biz LocWorldBerlin.indd 56 6/27/07 3:49:17 PM Business

At Localization World Berlin, three tracks of sessions provided information valuable to localization novices and professionals alike. Networking opportunities in both casual and business settings were plentiful.

Dinner at the BundesPresseStrand included beach volleyball and barbecue plus a bit of rain that failed to put a damper on the fun. topics, introduction to localization, and medical topics. GALA also Alchemy welcomed the partygoers to what he called an “Irish conducted a meeting on the preconference day and sponsored barbecue” — preparing food with an umbrella in one hand, grill- two members-only sessions (“M&A Uncovered” and “Practical ing tools in the other. Standards”). The conference ended Thursday afternoon with a brief GALA session followed by prize drawings that included artwork, noise- Special events cancelling headphones, iPods (one with video) and a yukata (sum- Participants mingled on Tuesday evening at an opening recep- mer kimono). tion in the preconference area, some stepping out onto the deck that overlooked the Platz with its fountain and a glimpse of Next Localization World conferences Berlin evening life. The next Localization World will take place at the Bell Harbor The artiﬁ cial beaches scattered along the river Spree in various Conference Center in Seattle, Washington, on October 16-18, parts of the city are currently popular destinations for Berliners. again with the theme “Local Language First!” The call for papers Moravia Worldwide and Alchemy Software Development spon- for the Seattle conference is now closed. A spring 2008 confer- sored the Wednesday evening dinner at the BundesPresseStrand ence in Asia is in the planning stages. Additional information is with its dining pavilion and volleyball courts. Tony O’Dowd of available at www.localizationworld.com M

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56-57 Biz LocWorldBerlin.indd 57 6/27/07 3:49:46 PM XTech 2007: Tech a conference report Yves Savourel

“The Ubiquitous Web” was the theme of XTech 2007, a conference that took place in Paris, France, from May 15 to May 18. It included four Tsession tracks: Core Technology, Open Data, Browser Technologies and Applications. While only a few presentations were related directly to localization — at least in the sense the localization industry uses that term — there were many where the combined data are re-packaged to be presented in the sessions discussing technologies affecting the way that makes sense for the application. source material that will end up in the hands A good example of a common type of mashup is the integra- of translators and localization engineers in the tion of Google Maps cartographic data into another application near future. using an API. For instance, the web page showing the campus map of the University of Florida (http://campusmap.ufl .edu) Almost all examples used in the presentations were done provides interactive campus-specifi c information along with using English data, so it was diffi cult to judge the degree of the different data and interaction provided by Google Maps. readiness the new web and XML technologies have as far as Mashups are likely to become more and more used as new internationalization. It seems to indicate that, for now, the focus specialized services become accessible from the internet through is on getting things to work properly rather than tackling pos- standardized web technologies. Mashup techniques are already sible internationalization-related issues. used to some extent in translation tools when, for example, an The main topic of the conference was about how the web and application consolidates the results of multiple searches from its related technologies are becoming pervasive in our everyday different engines. But the level of integration of such features is life. The term everyware used by Adam Greenfi eld, one of the likely to increase along with the evolution of the technologies. keynote presenters, is a good one-word summary to describe From an internationalization point of view, mashups open this emerging phenomenon. More and more aspects of our lives the door to challenges such as identifying the language and the are directly connected to the internet and, one way or another, locale of the different data, in an environment where the appli- meshed with web-related technology. cation has very little control. Technologies related to automated Several main points seemed to emerge from the conference. language detection, encoding guessing, machine translation They can be illustrated through a few key words. (MT) and much more will probably benefi t from the growing Mashup The term mashup was used many times throughout several presentations. In this context, a mashup is content that is combined from more than one source and is integrated and deliv- Yves Savourel is a localization solution ered as a single experience. This can take the form of a simple architect at ENLASO Corporation in compilation of search results as in the Dogpile website (www Boulder, Colorado, and chairs the W3C .dogpile.com) or can go in much deeper levels of integration Internationalization Tag Set Working Group.

58 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

58-60 Tech Savourel.indd 58 6/27/07 3:50:44 PM Tech 10th Annual interest in this fi eld. We can already see data so that they can take advantage of Localization this through the recent addition of trans- them across different applications and lated searches in Google (http://translate environments. Project Managers .google.com/translate_s). Open data is an interesting concept A side aspect of mashup is the creation from the viewpoint of localization. The Roundtable of compound XML documents — docu- idea of sharing translation memories ments that are built from different parts (TMs), for instance, is not new. The not always meant to be placed together VLTM (Very Large TM) project of Word- in a single fi le. Compound documents fast (www.wordfast.net) or the more seem to be used more and more, and recent Lingotek Open TM Vaults (www various techniques have been up in place .lingotek.com) are examples of open to provide validation of such material. data for localization. They have the New methods such as Creole and NVDL caveat, however, that they work only (Namespace-based Validation Dispatching with specifi c translation tools — a good Language) were presented. They allow the illustration of the accessibility issue such 16-18 September 2007 validation of composite documents even data often run into. when the original DTD or schemas of the TMX is an obvious example of a Lake Tahoe, California different vocabularies were not designed standard that can help the accessibil- Conference Fee: $900 initially to be put together. ity of open data for localization, but in From the localization viewpoint, com- the long run, something allowing more Translation Management pound XML documents require transla- dynamic access (through a Web Service Systems tion tools that are capable of correctly API, for example) would also be useful A double session focusing on: handling XML namespaces and do not for the industry. This could also be ben- Critical functions within TMS solutions, require different settings for each differ- efi cial to more commercial endeavors attributes of TMS products, TMS gaps. ent combination of formats. Not many such as TM Marketplace (www.tmmarket tools currently provide such fl exibility. place.com) that also share translation Types of Localization This should be an incentive to implement data, albeit not for free. How localization project managers’ work in medical industries differs from that the W3C Internationalization Tag Set In other words, what would be quite of other participants’ industries. (www.w3.org/TR/its), which can easily useful now is a standard way to query deal with the mixing of namespaces. a TM or an MT engine — something to Agile Development think about for LISA, GALA, TAUS and Methodologies and Localization Open data other related organizations. It also would Is there such a thing as Agile Localization? Another prominent term used at be wise to involve the open-source com- XTech 2007 was open data. While most munity in such standardization efforts Perspectives on Quality of us are now familiar with the notion because a large volume of translation Differentiation between the types of of open source, we are usually a bit less is being done and collected through localization QA & QC. knowledgeable about the idea of open projects such as Pootle (http://pootle data — simply, the idea that certain data .wordforge.org). Open sessions should be freely available to everyone Focus on one or more topics of your choice. without restriction related to patents or Metadata Special Pre-roundtable copyright. In the cases of both mashups and TMS Workshop featuring: The conference track had several ses- open data, it is clear that metadata — sions discussing digital rights as well as data about the data — is becoming more across Language Server licensing issues and mechanisms, but and more important. While metadata Idiom® WorldServer™ most of the presentations were about has always been around, the interesting how to access, organize and manipulate trend we can see emerging now is the Agenda topics subject to change without notice. data in a shared environment. creation of such information directly by For example, the presentation “Atom- end users. ization and Open Data” by Jo Walsh and The massive and quickly growing Rufus Pollock from the Open Knowledge collection of content available from the Foundation touched on an interest- web is in dire need of being categorized, ing idea: treating data like software labeled and disambiguated. One of the components so that it could be re-used, most practical ways to achieve this is to distributed and managed much more put the providers of the data in charge The effi ciently. The concept of versioning and give them the means to attach infor- Localization data and packaging it through com- mation along with the content they post. mon interfaces still has some way to Attributes defi ned in Google Base, tags Institute go, but there is clearly a growing need used in image/video repositories such for many people to have raw informa- as Flickr, or the bookmarks generated 608.233.1790 tion or objects enriched with additional through compendia such as del.icio.us www.localizationinstitute.com

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58-60 Tech Savourel.indd 59 6/27/07 3:51:00 PM Tech

are examples of such metadata directly during the conference was geolocation. the web itself — through the metadata entered by the end users. Geolocation information comes often in associated with them or the material they In addition to those simple metadata, the form of the longitude and latitude place in the web — was touched on during more complex forms of them are cre- coordinates associated with a piece of several presentations and the keynotes. ated using microformats, RDF (resource data or a user. But much more informa- In some ways, this notion is eerily remi- description framework), OWL (web on- tion can be derived from this — which city niscent of several fantasy novels such as tology language), and other classifi ca- you are in, what language you are likely Eragon, where each thing has a secret tion-related systems. The Semantic Web to read, what other users are around, name and knowing a name allows you (www.w3.org/2001/sw) — a web of data what type of resources are nearby and to control whatever wears it. Think RFID where automated agents can organize much more. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RFID). knowledge and take advantage of the The fi rst use of it is obvious: tar- The conference gave a glimpse of the relations between objects — is slowly geted advertisement. But beyond that, future web that underlined how essential coming to life. the capability to infer a large amount the respect of privacy and ethical con- The creation of metadata in different of information about the user based on ducts are for the protection of the users. languages and using various locales has his or her current location in the world This is something the localization indus- an impact on how applications can use is bound to change the way we interact try should also embrace and promote them. Here again, MT, cross-language with the web’s resources in general. It more actively. matching of tags and other multilingual will make the web user a much more tan- data mining technologies are likely to gible entity. Whether this is a good thing Ubiquitous web be improved as more effort is put into or not is probably debatable, as several The more interesting part of the developing them. attendees commented during various conference was discovering the differ- presentations. ent impacts that a “ubiquitous web” is Geolocation This topic of risks associated with a starting to have. Judging by the presen- One specifi c type of metadata that pervasive web and especially with the tations, there is a sense that the time is received a bit more attention than others growing notion of users being part of close when the web will be at our fi n- gertips in our kitchens or on our coffee tables (see Microsoft Surface, for example — www.microsoft.com/surface). We will be interfacing with the internet, often without realizing it, in many aspects of our everyday life. As more applications and services are developed, more adaptations for different cultures will be needed. But looking at the type of development platform and languages currently used for the creation of these applications, the prospect is not necessarily enticing. As different technologies become more and more inter- twined, the material to internationalize and localize is becoming commensurably more complex. In many of the applications demonstrated at the conference, the source code, the interface and even sometimes the data seemed very much mixed. The adoption of internationalization best practices during development, as well as the implementation of standards such as the Internationalization Tag Set, are key to more effi cient and less costly localization processes. Ultimately, a ubiquitous web most likely means some progress in natural language processing technologies. It also means simpler interfaces for the users but more complicated applications to deal with for the localization industry. The proceedings of the XTech 2007 conference are available at http://2007 .xtech.org M

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58-60 Tech Savourel.indd 60 6/27/07 3:51:17 PM Business

Resolving a user-acceptance problem Andrew Joscelyne

When we are designing effi cient localization One high-tech step forward in one function can mean two workfl ows, it is vital not to simply throw tech- steps back at another link in the chain, as NACCO Materials nology at the problem. User acceptance of that Handling Group (NMHG) discovered. NMHG manufactures technology is also a critical aspect of the equa- forklift trucks under the Hyster and Yale brand names and W is one of the global top three companies in its industry. For tion. It is all too easy to presume that in the some time, the company worked with a localization solution fi nal analysis translation management tech- that boosted some aspects of translation productivity but nologies are very similar and that everyone in also caused serious user-acceptance problems that played havoc with reviewer effi ciency. In 2006, NMHG sought a new the chain — from authors and project manag- approach that would make it easier for both translators and ers to translators and reviewers — should be reviewers to accept the system and use it more effi ciently. expected to adopt them quickly and quietly. NMHG uses as many as seven vendors to localize documentation into anything from four to 26 languages, the largest This is an error. Unless the entire production population has language spread being reserved for operator manuals. The accepted the proposed solution, it can and often will fail. This company’s content types also include service manuals (up to means looking carefully at what causes friction. Authors, for 120,000 words), training material (often PowerPoint based) example, operate best in very different interfaces and environ- and four-page product and service bulletins, amounting to a ments to those preferred by engineers or project managers, total of some 10,000,000 words translated in 2006. even though they may well be adapting to the new dynamic Two years ago, says Ken Shaw, senior localization manager at of authoring memories. Trying to force them to work in the NMHG’s Nijmegen center in The Netherlands, he decided to put wrong sort of interface environment will very likely reduce his arms right around his translation community and install a productivity and quality and cause further pain at each hand- commercial translation management solution (TMS) to central- off down the line. ize assets and especially to leverage the considerable repetitions In the same way, translators, although strongly encour- in successive versions of manuals. “We later extended memory aged to use memory technology, have often been uncomfort- deployment to some sales and marketing content,” he says, “but able with the functionality and interface features that were ran up against serious user-acceptance problems from both originally designed for them. And subject-matter reviewers or translators and reviewers” — especially the latter. proofreaders working with electronic copy have been largely The user-acceptance holdup was partly due to the disciplines ignored as a community of localization system users that inevitably imposed on users when using a TMS but was made needs an appropriate interface for effective work. worse by poor “look and feel” of the user interface and by the complexity of the process — seemingly secondary issues, but critical ones when it comes to streamlining a workfl ow. The Andrew Joscelyne has written about and success of enterprise language software deployment depends evangelized for language technology for two entirely upon the acceptance and cooperation of all the users, decades, covering the emergence of the localiza- including external vendors. Without their cooperation, the tion and translation industry. He has also worked deployment will stall and possibly fail. as a consultant and analyst for the European By switching to an alternative solution, Shaw now feels he Commission. Today, he is a consultant for TAUS. has overcome most of the user acceptance bottlenecks generated

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61-62 PM Joscelyne.indd 61 6/27/07 3:52:15 PM Business

by his initial workfl ow technology. A time a review job arrived after three or New reviewers brought into the process critical factor in choosing a new solution sometimes six months, these people had will receive training from a few “how to for NMHG was to simplify the reviewing to change not just hats but habits and, proofread” Flash movies in the future. process. As with many documentation- above all, technology interfaces. “Speed of acceptance and take-up was producing units, the company’s approxi- Since it was important for NMHG to particularly important,” says Cross Lan- mately 35 in-house reviewers and/or broaden this group of available reviewers guage localization engineer Joeri Van de proofreaders divide roughly into two to share the workload over an increasing Walle, “since NMHG wanted to push out groups: regulars and occasionals. The volume of localized content, they ended a new company-wide training action on regulars spend a considerable amount of up with a bottleneck of disgruntled people a multimedia sales tool and needed the their time reading the localized content who found it hard to accept the worksta- content localized simultaneously in time of manuals, and under the old workfl ow tion environment. The introduction of for the launch.” This project turned out regime they grew fairly familiar with the one technology to speed up translation to be both the pilot and full production editing interface through which com- was having the contrary effect of slowing test for NMHG’s new solution. ments and modifi cations were marked down the review process and impacting A related requirement was the need for up in the copy. the effi ciency of the entire workfl ow. an open or customizable solution. NMHG The occasionals, on the other hand, The recommended solution was to did not wish to be locked into an overly tend to be in-locale people who would deploy a different technology platform proprietary localization environment since spend only some of their time — perhaps and completely abandon the previous it was looking at various longer-term a day or so every three months — reread- TMS technology. Idiom’s WorldServer was options for optimizing its localization ing translated marketing and sales mate- chosen for globalization management and process, one step at a time. WorldServer’s rial and sending marked-up copy back the same vendor’s Desktop Workbench for extendable toolbox and a software devel- into the workfl ow. Their “day jobs” were the 60 or so in-locale translators who work opment kit layer allow users to use special usually unrelated to the actual process of for the fi ve vendors that were set up in the plug-ins or interface with other content reviewing or of using client-server tech- system. Heidi Depraetere of Cross Language management modules. nology in general. This meant that each says the new platform was selected primar- In NMHG’s case, it was also important ily for “its browser environment, which to streamline linkage for yet another link in made the interface far more intuitive for the chain, the user constituency of authors. translators and above all reviewers, occa- The company outsources authoring to a US sional or otherwise.” The new integration documentation agency where three full- automates all of the data exchange needed time employees are kept busy. The agency between NMHG’s content management has developed an XML-based approach to system (CMS) and WorldServer. assembling manuals, pulling them together Implementation was achieved in a as pieces from a CMS to be completed by the relatively short time since NMHG and the author and then exported for translation. In integrator had worked together previously. the old workfl ow, the interface from XML Migration to the new model took place to local format proved extremely cumber- over one working month at the beginning some. The lack of open API meant that they of 2007 and included mapping the old had been unable to automate the transfer confi guration to the new system, testing of XML fi les between the authoring CMS formats and data migration and running approach and the localization technology. the setup demonstration. A month of The new GMS solution ensures that the implementation followed, covering instal- authoring teams can automate the handoff lation, confi guration, actual data migra- of manuals due for translation far more tion and user training. The integrator easily and naturally. There is also a plan provided training for the internal project to add a web CMS to manage the work- managers at Nijmegen, as well as the dis- fl ow for sales and marketing-type content tributed translator user base and reviewer within the same overall system. This user- teams. It was important to carefully man- centric approach that shows sensitivity age the changeover for potential users to and openness to all teams involved in the ensure that there was no interruption to workfl ow makes it easier to gain end-user ongoing translation fl ows. Gaining user buy-in. As Shaw puts it, “if you want all acceptance of the tool set was vital to a users, including your authors and review- successful migration. ers, to accept your localization system, you The reviewers needed just half a day’s need to be careful that you do not focus online training on the online Webex facil- everything on memory leverage alone.” ity to get up to speed on using the browser User acceptance in a localization work- interface to mark up localized documents. fl ow means ensuring that people at each They no longer needed to install clients functional link in the chain can work but opened the Workbench to see source effectively in their own natural environ- and target texts side by side on the screen. ments. M

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61-62 PM Joscelyne.indd 62 6/27/07 3:52:38 PM Basics Basic terminology

This section offers terminology, abbreviations, acronyms and other resources, especially as related to the content of this issue. For more definitions, see the Glossary section of MultiLingual’s annual Resource Directory and Index (www.multilingual.com/resourceDirectory).

Abilene Paradox. A paradox in which a group of people Globalization (g11n). In this context, the term refers to collectively decides on a course of action that is counter the process that addresses business issues associated with to the preferences of any of the individuals in the group. launching a product globally, such as integrating localiza- It involves a common breakdown of group communication tion throughout a company after proper internationaliza- in which each member mistakenly believes that his or her tion and product design. own preference is counter to the group’s and, thus, the person does not raise objections. Globalization management system (GMS). A system that focuses on managing the translation and localization Bodyshopping. The practice of using offshored resources cycles and synchronizing those with source content man- and personnel to do small disaggregated tasks within a business environment without any broader intention to agement. Provides the capability of centralizing linguis- offshore an entire business function. tic assets in the form of translation databases, leveraging glossaries and branding standards across global content. BRIC. Term used to refer to the combination of Brazil, Russia, India and China. HTML (HyperText Markup Language). A markup language that uses tags to structure text into headings, para- Captive center. A company-owned offshore operation. graphs, lists and links, and tells a web browser how to The activities are performed offshore, but they are not outsourced to another company. display text and images on a web page. Computer-aided translation (CAT). Computer techno- Internationalization (i18n). Especially in a computing logy applications that assist in the act of translating text context, the process of generalizing a product so that it can from one language to another. handle multiple languages and cultural conventions (currency, number separators, dates) without the need for redesign. Content management system (CMS). A system used to store and subsequently find and retrieve large amounts of Latin America. The region of the Americas where Romance data. CMSs were not originally designed to synchronize trans- languages — those derived from Latin, namely Spanish and lation and localization of content, so most of them have been Portuguese — are officially or primarily spoken. partnered with globalization management systems (GMS). Lingua franca. A language that is adopted as a com- Double-byte character set (DBCS). This term has two mon language between speakers whose native languages basic meanings. In CJK (Chinese-Japanese-Korean) comput- are different. ing, the term traditionally means a character set in which Localization (l10n). In this context, the process of adapting every graphic character not representable by an accompa- a product or software to a specific international language or nying SBCS (single-byte character set) is encoded in two culture so that it seems natural to that particular region. True bytes. Han characters would generally comprise most of localization considers language, culture, customs and the char- these two-byte characters. The term can also mean a characteristics of the target locale. It frequently involves changes acter set in which all characters — including all control to the software’s writing system and may change keyboard use characters — are encoded in two bytes. and fonts as well as date, time and monetary formats.

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Machine translation (MT). A technology that trans- Simship. A term used to refer to the simultaneous ship- lates text from one human language to another, using ment of software products in different languages or with terminology glossaries and advanced grammatical, syntac- other distinguishing differences in design. tic and semantic analysis techniques. Source language. A language from which text is to be Morpheme. The smallest linguistic unit that has seman- translated into another language. tic meaning. South America. A continent of the Americas, situated Nanosyntax. A term used to describe an approach to syn- entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the South- tax in which syntactic trees are built up out of a large num- ern Hemisphere. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific ber of elements. Each morpheme may correspond to several Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean; such elements, which do not have to form a subtree. North America and the Caribbean Sea lie to the northwest. Syntax. The study of the rules whereby words or other Nearshoring. A form of outsourcing in which an activity elements of sentence structure are combined to form gram- — for example, business processes or software development matical sentences. — is relocated to locations which are, generally, cheaper and yet geographically nearer than offshore locations. Translation. The process of converting all of the text or words from a source language to a target language. An Offshoring. The practice of engaging a third-party pro- understanding of the context or meaning of the source lan- vider in another country — often on another continent or guage must be established in order to convey the same mes- “shore” — to perform tasks or services often performed in- sage in the target language. house. The terms offshoring and outsourcing are used inter- Translation memory (TM). A special database that stores changeably in public discourse despite important technical previously translated sentences which can then be re-used differences. Offshoring represents a relocation of an orga- on a sentence-by-sentence basis. The database matches nizational function to a foreign country, not necessarily a source to target language pairs. transformation of internal organizational control. In a cor- Translation Memory eXchange (TMX). An open stan- porate context, outsourcing represents an organizational dard, based on XML, which has been designed to simplify practice that involves the transfer of an organizational and automate the process of converting translation memo- function to a third party — the sharing of organization con- ries (TMs) from one format to another. trol with another organization. Unicode. The Unicode Worldwide Character Standard Open-source software. Any computer software distrib- (Unicode) is a character-encoding standard used to represent text for computer processing. Originally designed to uted under a license that allows users to change and/or support 65,000 characters, it now has encoding forms to share the software freely. End users have the right to mod- support more than 1,000,000 characters. ify and redistribute the software, as well as the right to package and sell the software. Resources Outsourcing. Refers to the delegation of a company’s ORGANIZATIONS non-core operations from internal production to an external entity specializing in the management of that opera- American Translators Association, www.atanet.org tion. The decision to outsource is often made in the interest Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs / International of lowering firm costs, redirecting or conserving energy Federation of Translators, www.fit-ift.org directed at the competencies of a particular business, or to The Localization Institute, www.localizationinstitute.com make more efficient use of worldwide labor, capital, tech- Project Management Institute (PMI), www.pmi.org, manages the nology and resources. Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Return on investment (ROI). In finance, return on invest- PUBLICATIONS ment is the ratio of money gained or lost on an investment MultiLingual (formerly MultiLingual Computing & Technology). relative to the amount of money invested. The amount of Additional resources available at www.multilingual.com money gained or lost may be referred to as interest, profit/ The Guide to Translation and Localization, published loss, gain/loss or net income/loss. by Lingo Systems, www.lingosys.com Search engine. A program designed to help find informa- WEBSITES tion stored on a computer system such as the worldwide Answers.com: Project Management, web or a personal computer. A search engine allows a user www.answers.com/topic/project-management to ask for content meeting specific criteria — typically those Free Management Library: Project Management, containing a given word, phrase or name — and retrieves a www.managementhelp.org/plan_dec/project/project.htm list of references that match those criteria. PMForum, www.pmforum.org

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63-64 Basics #89.indd 64 6/27/07 3:53 26 PM Buyer’s Guide A SSOCIATIONS CONFERENCES ASSOCIATIONS 65 AUTOMATED TRANSLAT ON 65 AILIA Association de l’industrie de la langue/Language Industry Association CONFERENCES 65 Description AILIA is the voice of the Canadian language indus- ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS 65 try, bringing together organizations and professionals from three sectors: translation, language technologies and language train- INTERNAT ONALIZAT ON TOOLS 66 ing. Through a single point of contact, AILIA members can access key resources to stimulate their growth around the world. Localization World LOCALIZAT ON SERVICES 66 AILIA 65 Sherbrooke Street East, Suite 110, Montréal, QC, Canada Description Localization World conferences are dedicated H2X 1C4, 514-285-6596, E-mail: [email protected], Web: to the language and localization industries. Our constituents LOCALIZAT ON TOOLS 69 www.ailia.ca are the people responsible for communicating across the PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS 70 boundaries of language and culture in the global marketplace. International product and marketing managers participate in RESEARCH 70 Localization World from all sectors and all geographies to meet language service and technology providers and to network TM BROKERS 70 with their peers. Hands-on practitioners come to share their RAINING EMINARS 70 knowledge and experience and to learn from others. See our T & S Globalization and Localization Association website for deta ls on upcoming and past conferences. TRANSLATION SERVICES 70 Description The Globalization and Localization Association Localization World Ltd. 319 North 1st Avenue, Sandpoint, ID 83864, (GALA) is a fully representative, nonprofit, international indus- 208-263-8178, Fax: 208-263-6310, E-mail: info@localizationworld TRANSLATION TOOLS 72 try association for the translation, internationalization, localiza- .com, Web: www.localizationworld.com See ad on page 28 tion and globalization industry. The association gives members WORKFLOW SOLUTIONS 73 a common forum to discuss issues, create innovative solutions, promote the industry, and offer clients unique, collaborative value. Globalization and Localization Association 23 Main Street, Andover, MA 01810, 206-329-2596, Fax: 815-346-2361, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.gala-global.org

The Internationalization & Unicode Conference AUTOMATED TRANSLATION Description The Internationalization & Unicode Confer- ence (IUC) is the premier technical conference focusing on STAR Group multilingual, global software and web internationalization. Multiple Platforms Each IUC conference features a variety of tutorials and con- Languages All Description STAR is a leader in information ference sessions that cover current topics related to web and management, localization, internationalization and global- software internationalization, globalization and Unicode. ization solutions as well as a premier developer of language Internationalization and Unicode experts, implementers, technology tools such as Transit/TermStar, WebTerm and clients and vendors are invited to attend this unique confer- of our information management system, GRIPS. For more KCSL Inc. ence. The interactive format makes the IUC a great place than 22 years, STAR has specialized in information man- Languages All Description NoBabel Translator is based on 25 to meet and exchange ideas with leading experts during agement and publishing, multilingual processing including years of KCSL research and development in multilingual spell- birds-of-a-feather gatherings, find out about the needs of translation services, terminology management, software ing and grammar correction, data compression, and search potential clients, or get information about new and existing localization/internationalization, software development technology. It not only provides automated, multi-document Unicode-enabled products in the exhibit hall. and multimedia systems engineering. With 38 offices in 28 alignment but also offers a powerful way to improve translation The Unicode Consortium P.O. Box 391476, Mountain View, CA countries and our global network of pre-qualified freelance memory (TM) creation and leveraging. NoBabel’s strength 94039-1476, 781-444-0404, Fax: 781-444-0320, E-mail: dana@ translators, STAR provides a unique combination of infor- lies in its unique ability to draw upon a variety of sources to omg.org, Web: www.unicodeconference.org See ad on page 54 mation management tools and services. synthesize newly matched, high-quality translation units with STAR Group America, LLC 5001 Mayﬁ eld Road, Suite 220, optimal relevance to source material. Without human inter- Lyndhurst, OH 44124, 216-691-7827, 877-877-0093, Fax: 216-691- action, NoBabel maintains TM integrity wh le lowering costs ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS 8910, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.us.star-group.net and increasing productivity. Designed originally for large See ad on page 18 enterprises, today NoBabel is equally beneficial to corporations and individual translation service providers. KCSL Inc. 5160 Yonge Street, Suite 1012, Toronto, ON, Canada M2N 6L9, 416-222-6112, Fax: 416-222-6819, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.kcsl.ca See ad on page 34 Idiom Technologies, Inc. Multiple Platforms Languages More than 120 Description Idiom Technologies XTRF Management System optimizes the globalization supply chain by aligning global Multiple Platforms enterprises, language service providers and translators. Award- Languages All Description XTRF is a global management winning WorldServer™ software solutions expand market system for translation agencies. Built-in cutting-edge Java technology, XTRF is a flexible, customizable and web-based Language Weaver, Inc. reach and accelerate mult lingual communication with a proven platform for automating translation and localization processes. software enabling web access for a company’s suppliers and Languages All Description Language Weaver’s statistical Idiom works with global organizations including Adobe, Au- customers. It’s designed to help translation companies to automated translation software is designed for companies todesk, Continental Airlines, eBay, Motorola and Travelocity streamline all their da ly activities, and it guarantees smooth interested in leveraging existing translation resources to to cost-effectively translate global websites and applications, management of the company while reducing administra- increase translation efficiency and productivity. Language streamline software localization and delivery, and speed time- tive costs. Project management, invoicing, quotations, ISO Weaver has proven success delivering productivity im- to-market for international product documentation. Idiom 9001 reports and CRM are the main fields covered by the provements and time savings to large corporations, LSPs also partners with consulting firms, systems integrators and system. Designed by translation and localization profes- and translation solution providers by quickly creating cus- technology vendors to help customers achieve high-quality re- sionals and created by the best IT team, this powerful tool tomized translation systems using each company’s existing sults and maximize existing enterprise infrastructure. will reduce the time spent on repet tive tasks and increase translated data. These systems produce high-quality transla- Idiom Technologies, Inc. 200 Fifth Avenue, Waltham, MA 02451, the company’s effectiveness. tions of domain specific data. Language Weaver software can 781-464-6000, Fax: 781-464-6100, E-mail: [email protected], XTRF ul. Walerego Slawka 3, 30-653 Krakow, Poland, 48-12-2546- be easily integrated into customer support tools, knowledge Web: www.idiominc.com See ad on page 4 126, Fax: 48-12-2546-122, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.xtrf.eu bases and translation workflow applications for added efficiency. Find out how Language Weaver can meet your translation needs. Contact us to set up a p lot project. Language Weaver, Inc. 4640 Admiralty Way, Suite 1210, Marina del Rey, CA 90292, 310-437-7300, Fax: 310-437-7307, E-mail: info Stay current. Stay informed. @languageweaver.com, Web: www.languageweaver.com See ad www.multilingual.com/multilingualNews on page 42

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ALC offers document, website and software translation and lo- translators and revisers are trained to solve today’s challenges INTERNATIONALIZATION TOOLS calization, desktop publishing, and interpreter services. We fo- of translation/localization projects, regardless of text length cus on English, German and other European languages to and or the software tools to be used. Fields of expertise are soft- from Chinese, Japanese, Korean and other Asian languages. ware, hardware, telecommunications, finance, training, web We use TRADOS, CATALYST, SDLX, Transit and other CAT and marketing. tools, as well as DTP tools including CorelDraw, FrameMaker, Binari Sonori srl Viale Fulvio Testi, 11, 20092 Cinisello Balsamo, FreeHand, Illustrator, InDesign, PageMaker, Photoshop and Milano, Italy, 39-02-61866-310, Fax: 39-02-61866-313, E-mail: QuarkXPress. Our customer-oriented approach is supported [email protected], Web: www.binarisonori.it See ad on by strong project management, a team of specialists, a large page 13 across Systems GmbH knowledgebase and advanced methodologies. We always pro- Windows vide service beyond our customers’ expectations at a low cost Languages All Description across Systems GmbH is a spin-off and w th high quality, speed, dependab lity and flexibil ty. of Nero AG w th its world’s leading CD/DVD application. across Alliance Localization China, Inc. Suite 609, Building B, Number 10 includes TM and terminology system as well as powerful tools Xing Huo Road, Fengtai Science Park, Beijing 100070, P.R. China, 86- to support the project and workflow management of transla- 10-8368-2169, Fax: 86-10-8368-2884, E-mail: customer_care@ tions. Product manager, translator and proofreader all work allocalization.com, Web: www.allocalization.com CPSL together w thin one system, either in-house or smoothly inte- Languages All Description CPSL offers all the standard lo- grated with translation service providers. across provides sev- calization services, yet so much more. With over 40 years of eral partner concepts and the Software Development K t (SDK) global experience, CPSL provides ts customers w th best for system integrators and technology partners, to allow the practices consultancy, event planning, translation, localiza- translation desktop to be integrated directly, in order to include tion, publishing and interpreting services. CPSL focuses on both preliminary and subsequent process steps. This results in localization services for life sciences, technical, automotive, IT and energy industries, and is renowned for its ability to re- more flexible and transparent processes that benefit all sides. Alpha CRC — Translating Excellence across Systems GmbH Im Stoeckmaedle 18, D-76307 Karlsbad, tain long-term relationships with its clients. These attributes, Germany, 49-7248-925-425, Fax: 49-7248-925-444, E-mail: info@ Languages All Description You benefit from 19 years of paired with its reputation for outstanding customer care, across.net, Web: www.across.net See ad on page 2 experience in software localization when choosing Alpha competence, quality and state-of-the-art technology, make CRC. A private company, we pride ourselves on meeting the CPSL an industry leader. While other translation businesses individual needs of customers. Our in-house staff includes have come and gone, CPSL has consistently grown to become LOCALIZATION SERVICES translators covering 17 languages plus experts in software en- the largest Spanish-owned localization company. gineering, DTP, QA and testing, voice recording and project CPSL Torre Llacuna, Llacuna 166, 9ª, 08018 Barcelona, Spain, 34- management. This means we always have people available to 902-363-085, Fax: 34-933-000-040, E-mail: [email protected], Web: discuss and deliver your requirements. When selecting Alpha, www.cpsl.com See ad on page 16 you have the added confidence of knowing that top technology companies do the same. Our customers include SAP, Sun and Symantec. Whether you’re an experienced global player or starting, Alpha has the solution for you. Adams Globalization Alpha CRC Ltd. St. Andrew’s House, St. Andrew’s Road, Cambridge, Languages All major European and Asian languages De- CB4 1DL UK, 44-1223-431011, Fax: 44-1223-461274, E-mail: scription For over 22 years, Adams Globalization has [email protected], Web: www.alphacrc.com EuroGreek Translations Limited provided comprehensive turnkey solutions for globaliza- Language Greek Description Established in 1986, Euro- tion. We deliver software localization and testing, technical Greek Translations Limited is Europe’s number one Greek translation, web globalization and desktop publishing w th superior qual ty, and we do it on time. Our team of experienced and efficient project managers, technically proficient native-speaking linguists, technical experts and desktop publishers using the latest software tools and technology will work to expand your boundaries and offer you a world Beijing E-C Translation Ltd. of possibilities. Please contact us today for a free estimate. Languages Asian Description Beijing E-C Translation Ltd., Adams Globalization 10435 Burnet Road, Suite 125, Austin, TX one of the largest localization and translation companies 78758, 800-880-0667, 512-821-1818, Fax: 512-821-1888, E-mail: in China, focuses mainly on software and website localiza- [email protected], Web: www.adamsglobalization.com tion; technical, financial, medical, patent and marketing translations; and desktop publishing services. We use TRADOS, SDLX, CATALYST, TTT/PC, STAR Transit, Robohelp, Frame- Maker, PageMaker, InDesign, QuarkXPress, MS Office and other graphic and DTP tools. Having more than 150 full- time employees located in Beijing, Taipei, Singapore, Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenyang and Chengdu, we can han- ADAPT Localization Services dle English/German into and from Simplified Chinese/Tra- Languages More than 50 Description ADAPT Localization ditional Chinese/Japanese/Korean/Thai. We guarantee that Services (founded in 1999 as transline Localization) offers clients’ projects will be handled not only by native speakers, the full range of services that enables clients to be successful but also by topic specialists. Clients can expect and will re- in international markets, from documentation design through ceive high-quality services, on-time delivery and low cost. translation, linguistic and technical localization services, pre- Beijing E-C Translation Ltd. 2nd Floor, Hua Teng Development press and publication management. Serving both Fortune Building, No. 23, Xi Huan Bei Road, BDA, Beijing Economic- 500 and small companies, ADAPT has gained a reputation Technological Development Zone, Beijing 100176, P.R. China, 86- for qual ty, reliabil ty, technological competence and a com- 10-67868761, Fax: 86-10-67868765, E-mail: service@e-cchina mitment to customer service. Fields of specialization include .com, Web: www.e-cchina.com diagnostic and medical devices, IT/telecom and web content. With offices in Bonn, Germany, and Stockholm, Sweden, and a number of certified partner companies, ADAPT is well suited to help clients achieve their goals in any market. ADAPT Localization Services Clemens-August-Strasse 16-18, 53115 Bonn, Germany, 49-228-98-22-60, Fax: 49-228-98-22-615, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.adapt-localization.com See ad on page 60 Binari Sonori Languages From all European languages into Italian Descrip- tion Binari Sonori has served the localization and translation market since 1994. Binari Sonori has been awarded a number of crucial projects and has become one of the major players in the Italian localization industry. Our goal is to guarantee high quality, timeliness and flexibility. We are accustomed to Alliance Localization China, Inc. (ALC) working for clients throughout the world who need to reach Languages Major Asian and European languages Description the Italian market with their products. Our project managers,

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localizer, specializing in technical and medical transla- it end-to-end — from servers to handhelds, from ERP to tions from English into Greek and Greek into English. automotive solutions and from interface specifications to EuroGreek’s aim is to provide high-quality, turnkey solu- legal notices. Janus is ISO 9001:2000 certified. Company actions, encompassing a whole range of client needs, from tivities including translating, localizing, DTP and linguistic plain translation to desktop/web publishing to localiza- consulting were subjected to audit. tion development and testing. Over the years, EuroGreek’s Janus Worldwide Inc. Derbenevskaya nab., 11B, Ofﬁ ce 113, Moscow services have been extended to cover most subject areas, 115114, Russia, 7-495-913-66-53, Fax: 7-495-913-66-53, E-mail: LocHouse Translation & DTP Languages Translation: Brazilian Portuguese; DTP: All Euro- including German and French into Greek localization ser- [email protected], Web: www.janus.ru pean Description Translation, DTP and project management vices. All of EuroGreek’s work is produced in-house by a — this is what we do well and what we focus on doing. We team of 25 highly qualified specialists and is fully guaran- work w th experts, under strict quality control, respecting teed for quality and on-time delivery. deadlines and offering customized services. Our translation EuroGreek Translations Limited team specializes in software, online applications, technical London 27 Lascotts Road, London, N22 8JG UK Athens EuroGreek House, 93 Karagiorga Street, Athens 16675, documentation and e-learning. Our DTP team has proven Greece, 30-210-9605-244, Fax: 30-210-9647-077, E-mail: production@ expertise in working as a low cost center, dealing with multi- eurogreek.gr, Web: www.eurogreek.com See ad on page 33 language DTP projects under strict deadlines and w th su- Jonckers Translation & Engineering s.a. perior qual ty results. For more information, visit us at www Languages All Description Jonckers is focused on delivering .loc-house.com or call or e-mail us, and you have our word software, e-learning and multimedia localization services. We that we will do the utmost for you to achieve success. support the globalization strategies of industry leaders such LocHouse Translation & DTP Av. Rio Branco, 277/301, Rio de as Adobe, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft and SAP. Our Janeiro - RJ, Brazil 20040-009, 55-21-2533-6051, E-mail: info@ service range covers the complete localization value chain, loc-house.com, Web: www.loc-house.com including linguistic, publishing, engineering and testing ser- iDISC Information Technologies vices. With headquarters in Brussels, Jonckers has local offices Language Spanish Description iDISC, established in in the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Japan, South 1987, is a leading independent localization company Korea, Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China. Jonckers based in Barcelona, Spain. Services range from localiza- is a founding member of LCJ EEIG and a Microsoft Premier tion to DTP, from compiling to product testing. We are Vendor. To learn more, please visit www.jonckers.com backed by a team of in-house, full-time professionals and Jonckers Translation & Engineering s.a. Avenue Herrmann- a carefully selected and assessed freelance database which Debroux 15a, B-1160 Brussels, Belgium, 32-2-672-80-30, Fax: 32- Logrus International Corporation allows us to tackle any size of project in our areas of exper- 2-672-80-19, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.jonckers.com See ad on page 27 Languages EE, EA, ME, WE, rare languages Description tise, mainly software localization, technical and telecom Logrus offers a full set of localization and translation ser- documentation, ERP and marketing. As a single-language vices for various industries, including top-notch software localization company, we leverage from long-time experi- engineering and testing and DTP for all languages, including ence using TRADOS, IBM Translation Manager and other bidirectional and double-byte ones. The company is proud translation tools. Highly technical capab lities, in-house know-how and professional support are guaranteed by of its unique problem-solving skills and minimal support iDISC’s Support and Development Department. Contact requirements. The company offers all European and Asian us for a quote or other details. languages as well as many rare languages through its offices iDISC Information Technologies Passeig del progrés 96, 08640 Lingo Systems, Translation & Localization and established long-term partners. With ts production s te Olesa de Montserrat, Barcelona, Spain, 34-93-778-73-00, Fax: 34- Languages 100+ Description Lingo Systems, a division in Moscow, Russia, Logrus provides a winning combination 93-778-35-80, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.idisc.es of Coto Global Solutions, provides customer-focused of quality, experience and affordability. With over 14 years solutions for global companies in 100+ languages. We in business, the company has received multiple awards for specialize in the translation and localization of technical excellence from its long-time customers, including IBM, documentation, software, multimedia applications, train- Microsoft, Novell, Oracle and others. ing materials, e-learning solutions and online applications. Logrus International Corporation Suite 305, 2600 Philmont Ave- Other globalization services include quality assurance nue, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006, 215-947-4773, Fax: 215-947-4773, testing (hardware and software), integration of content E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.logrus.ru See ad on page 23 management solutions, interpretation (170+ languages), iSP — The Localization Experts cultural training and assessment and internationaliza- Languages From English into all major languages Descrip- tion consulting. Lingo Systems has never caused a late re- tion iSP (international Software Products) is a distinct pro- lease. No other firm makes this claim. For a free copy of vider of localization services. For 20 years iSP has served its our award-winning book, The Guide to Translation and clients with the principles of honesty and customer-centric Localization — Communicating with the Global Market- services. Not surprisingly, first-time customers and new place, visit www.lingosys.com or call 800-878-8523. Loquant Localization Services customers have always stayed with iSP. We are dedicated to Lingo Systems 15115 SW Sequoia Parkway, Suite 200, Portland, OR Languages English, Brazilian Portuguese Description Lo- delivering the highest qual ty localized products. Our flat, 97224, 503-419-4856, 800-878-8523, Fax: 503-419-4873, E-mail: quant bases ts operations on the experience of its foundin-house organizational structure means decision-making [email protected], Web: www.lingosys.com See ad on page 9 ers and collaborators, professionals who closely follow the and action-taking are quick and simple. We are located near ongoing evolution of technology and the latest processes in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where we surround ourselves internationalization and localization of information. Ad- with languages. Our services cover all aspects of localiza- hering to rigorous processes that were developed by the tion. We are in the heart of Europe. We are iSP. We are the software localization industry during the last few decades, localization experts. Loquant is able to prepare the most diverse products for iSP — international Software Products B.V. Dorpsstraat 35-37, the primary world markets. To do this, Loquant counts on 1191 BH Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, The Netherlands, 31-20-496-5271, Lionbridge Software and Content Localization Fax: 31-20-496-4553, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.isp.nl the best project managers, native translators, engineers and Languages All Description Lionbridge provides globaliza- desktop publishers to guarantee a qual ty control recog- tion and offshoring services that enable clients to develop, nized internationally by the main international standards localize, test and maintain their enterprise content and tech- organizations. nology applications globally. Through its globalization ser- Loquant Localization Services Rua Luís Carlos Prestes, 410/114, vice offerings, Lionbridge adapts client products and content 22775-055, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 55-21-2104-9597, Fax: 55-21- New markets for your products and solutions to meet the linguistic, technical and cultural requirements of 2104-9597, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.loquant.com customers, partners and employees worldwide. Lionbridge Janus Worldwide Inc. offshoring services include the development and mainte- 2G Localization Alliance Languages Russian, ex-USSR and Eastern European lan- nance of content and applications as well as testing to ensure Languages All Description m lengo Inc. is a global provider guages Description Janus provides translation, localization, the quality, interoperability, usab lity and performance of for localization, engineering and testing services for the high- DTP and linguistic consulting for Russian, Ukrainian and clients’ software, hardware, consumer technology products, tech industries. It is the largest 2nd Generation (2G) Localiza- other European languages. Our deep expertise, flexib lity, websites and content. Lionbridge offers its testing services tion Alliance in the market, formed by 16 leading localization diversity and exceptional value of services are recognized by under the VeriTest brand. Lionbridge has more than 4,000 companies located in the most important global ITC markets many industry-leading customers and partners worldwide. employees based in 25 countries worldwide. spanning Europe, the Americas and Asia. Our uniqueness is a solid team of the best professionals in all Lionbridge 1050 Winter Street, Waltham, MA 02451, 781-434- milengo Inc. 1001 Fourth Avenue, #3200, Seattle, WA 98154, relevant areas — localization engineers, language specialists, 6111, Fax: 781-434-6034, E-mail: [email protected], Web: 877-224-8740, 49-30-2248-7681, Fax: 866-203-1685, E-mail: QA officers, DTP and software engineers, and more. We do www.lionbridge.com See ad on page 3 [email protected], Web: www.milengo.com See ad on page 10

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engineering, electronics, training, publishing, software development, manufacturing, semiconductors and consumer products. TOIN has worked w th clients such as IBM, Microsoft, NEC, Panasonic, SAP, Sun, Sybase, Toshiba and others. TOIN Corporation Japan Shiba 1-chome Building, 1-12-7 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo Moravia Worldwide SDL International — E-nabling Global Business 105-0014 Japan, 81-3-3455-8764, Fax: 81-3-3455-6514, E-mail: Languages All Description Moravia Worldwide is a leading Languages All Description SDL International is the leader in [email protected], Web: www.to-in.com globalization solution provider, enabling companies in the in- global information management (GIM) solutions that em- Europe Dodaarslaan 55, 3645 JB Vinkeveen, The Netherlands, formation technology, e-learning, life sciences and financial in- power organizations to accelerate delivery of high-quality mul- 31-297-212-091, Fax: 31-297-212-086, E-mail: rene-savelsbergh@ dustries to enter global markets with high-qual ty multilingual tilingual content to global markets. Our enterprise software to-in.co.jp, Web: www.to-in.com products. Moravia’s solutions include localization and product and services integrate w th existing systems to manage global USA P.O. Box 19407, Minneapolis, MN 55419-0407, 612-926-0201, testing services, internationalization, multilingual publishing information from authoring to publication and throughout E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.to-in.com and technical translation. Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, the distributed localization supply chain. Global industry lead- Oracle, Sun Microsystems and Symantec are among some of ers rely on SDL to provide enterprise software or full outsourc- the companies that depend on Moravia Worldwide for ac- ing for their GIM processes. SDL has implemented more than curate, on-time localization. Moravia Worldwide maintains 150 enterprise solutions and has over 130,000 software licenses global headquarters in the Czech Republic and North Ameri- deployed across the GIM ecosystem. Our global services infra- can headquarters in California, w th local offices and produc- structure spans over 50 offices in 30 countries. tion centers in Ireland, China, Japan and throughout Europe. SDL International 5700 Granite Parkway, Suite 410, Plano, TX Ushuaia Solutions To learn more, please vis t www.moraviaworldwide.com 75024, 214-387-8500, Fax: 214-387-9120, Web: www.sdl.com Languages Spanish (all varieties), Portuguese (Brazil) De- See ad on page 76 Moravia Worldwide scription Ushuaia Solutions is a fast-growing Latin American USA 199 East Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360, company providing solutions for translation, localization and 805-557-1700, 800-276-1664, Fax: 805-557-1702, E-mail: info@ Studio Gambit Sp. z o.o. globalization needs. Ushuaia Solutions is focused on being cre- moraviaworldwide.com, Web: www.moraviaworldwide.com Languages Central and Eastern European Description ative and proactive to meet tight time frames with a high-qual- Asia 86-25-8473-2772, E-mail: [email protected] Studio Gamb t, a regional vendor of choice for many re- ty level and a cost-effective budget. Customizing its processes, Europe 420-545-552-222, E-mail: [email protected] nowned global companies, has helped clients to get their Ireland 353-1-216-4102, E-mail: [email protected] Ushuaia assures project consistency and technical and linguis- Japan 81-3-3354-3320, E-mail: [email protected] message across to Central and Eastern Europe for the past tic accuracy, thus reducing clients’ time-to-market. Ushuaia See ad on page 14 14 years — always on time, on target and within budget. The combines state-of-the-art technology with top-notch experi- fields of our subject matter expertise include IT, life sciences, enced native translators, editors and software engineers. Our consumer electronics, financial services, automotive and en- mission is to work together with our clients, thereby creating a gineering industries. Streamlined ISO 9001:2000-certified flexible, reliable and open relationship for success. processes, advanced engineering capabil ties and value-added Ushuaia Solutions Rioja 919, S2000AYK Rosario, Argentina, 54-341- project management create a solid foundation of our services 4493064, Fax: 54-341-4492542, E-mail: [email protected], which go far beyond translation. We provide a full range of Web: www.ushuaiasolutions.com See ad on page 48 quality localization engineering and DTP services that every day yield tangible benefits to our customers’ bottom line. PTIGlobal Studio Gambit Sp. z o.o. ul. Matejki 6, 80-952 Gda´nsk, Poland, 48- Languages All commercial languages for Europe, Asia and the 58-345-3800, Fax: 48-58-345-1909, E-mail: gambit@stgambit Americas Description PTIGlobal is committed to developing .com, Web: www.stgambit.com ongoing, long-term partnerships with its clients. This means a dedication to personal service, responsiveness, high-qual- VistaTEC ity output, and sensitivity to clients’ cost goals and timelines. Languages All Description VistaTEC is a leading provider Backed by over 30 years of experience in technical transla- of globalization services and specializes in the localization tion, PTIGlobal provides turnkey localization services in and testing of enterprise, mobile and desktop applica- 27 languages simultaneously for software, web applications, tions. VistaTEC provides translation, technical consulting, embedded devices, wireless applications and gaming tech- engineering and testing during the design, development Tek Translation International and marketing cycles of software products. VistaTEC has nology. Projects are customized to fit client needs and feature Languages European, Scandinavian, Latin American, Middle our expertise in end-to-end project management; interna- headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, and satellite offices in the Eastern, Asian Description Tek Translation has over 40 years United States. Additional information on VistaTEC is avail- tionalization consultation; glossary development; native- of experience in working worldwide for the leading technol- able at www.vistatec.ie language translation; multilingual web content management; ogy companies. Now, thanks to the web, we operate globally translation memory maintenance; localization engineering; VistaTEC from one production center offering a complete transla- Europe VistaTEC House, 700 South Circular Road, Kilmainham, linguistic and functionality QA; desktop publishing, graphics tion, web and software localization service into more than Dublin 8, Ireland, 353-1-416-8000, Fax: 353-1-416-8099, E-mail: localization, complete multilingual video and audio services, 50 languages at lower prices than our major competitors. [email protected], Web: www.vistatec.ie as well as on-site managed services. Our English-speaking project managers, specialist transla- USA East 2706 Loma Street, Silver Spring, MD 20902, 301-649- PTIGlobal 9900 SW Wilshire, Suite 280, Portland, OR 97225, 888- tors, linguistic controllers and engineers are all connected via 3012, Fax: 301-649-3032, E-mail: [email protected] USA West 131 Shady Lane, Monterey, CA 93940, 831-655-1717, Fax: 357-3125, Fax: 503-297-0655, E-mail: [email protected], Web: Tek’s exclusive Project Web, which provides clients with their www.ptiglobal.com 831-372-5838, E-mail: [email protected] See ad on page 11 latest information online, schedules and query logs and allows them to keep track of their projects at all times. To learn more about Tek, contact: Tek Translation International C/ Ochandiano 18, 28023 Madrid, Spain, 34-91-414-1111, Fax: 34-91-414-4444, E-mail: sales@ tektrans.com, Web: www.tektrans.com See ad on page 14 RusLoc Ltd. Welocalize Languages Russian, Ukrainian, other ex-USSR, major Euro- Languages More than 40 European, Middle Eastern and pean languages, Traditional and Simplified Chinese Descrip- Asian languages Description Welocalize offers integrated tion RusLoc Ltd. is a Seattle-based corporation specializing globalization services for the fluid and rapid deployment of in the translation and localization of software and other enterprise content and applications to international markets. IT materials, scientific and technical publications, medical In response to unique customer needs, we provide globaliza- instrument manuals, web content, tests and tutorials. We TOIN Corporation tion consulting, translation, localization and testing solutions provide in-country quality assurance and testing; quality Languages Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Japanese, that manage risk, improve repeatability and ensure transfer graphic design; and multilingual DTP (PC and Mac). We Korean, Malay, Thai, Vietnamese and European languages of knowledge from project to project. Our Hybrid Delivery have a proven ab lity to meet tight deadlines at compet tive Description TOIN Corporation is a full-service localization ModelSM offers a flexible mix of onshore expertise and off- rates maintaining the highest possible quality with virtually provider with services encompassing authoring, localiza- shore production to create a scalable, cost-efficient solution unlimited capacity due to the online nature of the enterprise. tion, content management and workflow/process consulting. that delivers predictable business outcomes in a shorter time RusLoc is reliable, financially secure, NATO Commercial and TOIN offers global reach and exceptional strength in Asia, frame. Welocalize has over 250 employees worldwide and Government Entity (NCAGE), CCR and D&B registered. with headquarters in Tokyo and additional operations in the offices in the US, Germany, Ireland, Japan and China. RusLoc Ltd. 20310 53rd Avenue West, Suite A, Lynnwood, WA 98036, Un ted States, Europe and China. The company has more than Welocalize 241 East 4th Street, Suite 207, Frederick, MD 21701, 888-578-7562, Fax: 425-673-1322, E-mail: [email protected], Web: 40 years’ experience helping Global 1000 companies in indus- 301-668-0330, Fax: 301-668-0335, E-mail: [email protected], www.rusloc.com See ad on page 25 tries such as automotive, information technology, life sciences, Web: www.welocalize.com See ad on page 46

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free evaluation copy is available at www.visloc.com LOCALIZATION TOOLS AIT — Applied Information Technologies AG Leitzstrasse 45, D-70469 Stuttgart, Germany, 49-711-49066-431, Fax: 49-711- 49066-440, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.visloc.com Idiom Technologies WhP Multiple Platforms Languages All European and major Middle Eastern and Languages More than 120 Description Idiom Technologies Asian languages, including local variants Description WhP, optimizes the globalization supply chain by aligning global a major supplier for the industry-leading corporations, lo- Alchemy Software Development Ltd. enterprises, language service providers and translators. Award- calizes software, documentation and web content. WhP has Multiple Platforms winning WorldServer™ software solutions expand market been benchmarked “Best Localization Vendor” by Compaq. Languages All Description Alchemy Software Development reach and accelerate multilingual communication with a proven Clients specifically appreciate WhP’s dedication to high is the market leader in localization technology. W th over platform for automating translation and localization processes. qual ty and strict respect of deadlines and, consequently, 8,000 licenses worldwide, Alchemy CATALYST is the domi- Idiom works with global organizations including Adobe, Au- entrust WhP with their most sensitive projects. WhP also nant choice among professional development companies, todesk, Continental Airlines, eBay, Motorola and Traveloc ty helps many fast-growing companies to get their first local- localization service providers and global technology leaders to cost-effectively translate global websites and applications, ization projects smoothly off the ground. WhP’s flexible that need to accelerate entry into international markets. Al- streamline software localization and delivery, and speed time- and open workflow technology adapts to any production chemy CATALYST 5.0 boosts localization velocity, improves to-market for international product documentation. Idiom process. WhP’s high standards satisfy the most demanding qual ty and reduces localization cost. Supporting all Microsoft also partners with consulting firms, systems integrators and globalization requirements. platforms and development languages (VB, .NET, C++, C#), technology vendors to help customers achieve high-quality re- WhP Espace Beethoven BP102, F06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, Borland C++Bu lder and Delphi, XML/XLIFF and databases sults and maximize existing enterprise infrastructure. France, 33-493-00-40-30, Fax: 33-493-00-40-34, E-mail: info@ (Oracle, MS-SQL), it is an indispensable solution for soft- Idiom Technologies, Inc. 200 Fifth Avenue, Waltham, MA 02451, whp.fr, Web: www.whp.net, www.whp.fr See ads on pages 39, 41, 51 ware localization, helping clients achieve near-simultaneous 781-464-6000, Fax: 781-464-6100, E-mail: [email protected], release of their translated applications. Corel Corporation Web: www.idiominc.com See ad on page 4 holds a 20% equity stake in Alchemy Software Development. Alchemy Software Development Ltd. Block 2, Harcourt Business Centre, Harcourt Street, Dublin 2, Ireland, 353-1-708-2800, Fax: 353-1-708-2801, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www .alchemysoftware.ie See ad on page 75

PASSOLO Version 6.0 for Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP WORDSTATION GmbH Languages All, including Eastern European, Asian and bi- Languages British and US English, German, French (other directional languages using Unicode support Description European languages are available upon request) Description PASSOLO offers cutting-edge localization technology for all Since its founding in 1991, WORDSTATION has become a Visual Localize major Windows development platforms to process Windows superior quality provider of localization services, including software, Microsoft .NET, Borland Delphi/C++ Builder, Windows 98, NT, 2000, XP terminology work, software and documentation transla- Java, XML, XLIFF, HTML, text files and databases. The in- Languages All, including Eastern European, Asian and bi- tion, electronic publishing and film production — starting tegration of translation memory systems (for example, SDL directional languages using Unicode support Description from the bytes of the software down to the final deta ls of Trados), terminology databases, spell checkers and WYSI- the documentation. We also conduct prototype translations Visual Localize is a leading application that fully supports WYG editors guarantees high-quality and short turn-around to ensure translatability of software and documentation. the software localization process of Microsoft Windows cycles. PASSOLO offers fuzzy-matching, pseudo-translation, WORDSTATION is large enough to ensure security and applications (including .NET applications), databases numerous check functions, statistical reports, and experts for continuity, yet small enough to provide numerous advan- and XML files. It dramatically reduces cost, effort and project setup, alignment and update processes. The optional tages: no administrative overhead, short communication complexity of software localization. With its MS Explorer Layout Engine can automatically re-size Windows dialogs channels, fast and efficient feedback, short production cycles, “look and feel,” it is user friendly and intuitive to use. After and so reduces engineering costs. Automation and integra- high motivation and excellent team spirit. Updates and fol- a very short introduction time, you will be able to handle tion technologies provide users the means to adapt quickly to low-up versions are done by the same specialists. all kinds of localization projects. Visual Localize remem- special requirements and non-standard file formats. WORDSTATION GmbH Max-Planck-Strasse 6, D-63128 Dietzen- bers all previous translati ons and thus maximizes re-use. PASS Engineering GmbH Remigiusstrasse 1, D-53111 Bonn, bach, Ge many, 49-6074-91442-0, Fax: 49-6074-91442-29, E-mail: With Visual Localize, no programming skills are required Germany, 49-228-697242, Fax: 49-228-697104, E-mail: info@ [email protected], Web: www.wordstation.com for localization. This makes it applicable for everyone. A passolo.com, Web: www.passolo.com See ad on page 7

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tion professionals and promote the sharing of experience that’s why companies such as Intel have chosen to partner PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS and information. Seminars include “Multilingual Websites,” w th Arial Global for more than a decade. “Writing and Designing for an International Audience,” Arial Global, LLC 1820 East River Road, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ Projetex: Project Management Software “Localization Project Management,” “Advanced Localiza- 85718, 307-587-2557, Fax: 307-587-7448, E-mail: globalsales@ for Translation Agencies tion Project Management,” “Designing International Web arialglobalreach.com, Web: www.arialglobalreach.com Windows and User Interfaces,” “Writing Software for Win32API,” Language English Description Projetex 2006 is time-tested, “Introduction to Localization,” “Tools and Technologies for Celer Soluciones, S.L. multiuser project management software for translation Localization/Internationalization,” “QA of Global Products,” Translation — Technology — Quality agencies. It is effectively used by managing directors, proj- “Implementing a Translation Memory Process” and “Intro- Languages All major European languages Description Celer ect managers, accountants, in-house translators, human duction to Unicode.” See our website for details. Most semi- Soluciones provides su table solutions to ensure we meet our resources managers and sales managers in 150+ small and nars are ava lable in-house. clients’ objectives. We study their documentation require- medium-sized translation agencies around the world. Cur- The Localization Institute 4513 Vernon Boulevard, Suite 11, ments; produce translations that are adapted to specific rent deployments range from 2 to 100 workstations, w th Madison, WI 53705, 608-233-1790, Fax: 608-441-6124, E-mail: markets and cultures; and prepare an end product in DTP or [email protected], Web: www.localizationinstitute.com tested capacities of up to 500. Does not require additional See ad on page 59 printed format in accordance with the demands of each proj- components. Includes built-in AnyCount (word and char- ect. Specialized fields include software localization; engineer- acter count software) and CATCount (computer-assisted ing and technology; life sciences; and institutional-corporate translation tool for easy word count). Reasonable pricing, RANSLATION ERVICES sector. Three elements of fundamental importance are devel- fast implementation time and free technical support. T S oped and combined at Celer Soluciones: translation — good Advanced International Translations, Ltd. Suite 1, Tolstogo 15 translation practice; technology — use of suitable computer- Street, 01033 Kyiv, Ukraine, 380-44-288-11-45, Fax: 380-44-288- assisted translation, file-handling and management tools; 11-52, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.projetex.com quality — quality in our client relations, quality of project See ad on page 45 management and quality of the documentation produced. Celer Soluciones, S.L. Plaza de España, 12, 28008 Madrid, Spain, 34- ESEARCH 91-540-0540, Fax: 34-91-541-9259, E-mail: [email protected], Web: R 2tr Soluções Globais www.celersol.com See ad on page 34 Language Brazilian Portuguese Description Firmly committed to providing top-quality services, 2tr is backed by the proven track record of its founders, Adriana Ferreira and Jorge Marinho, with over ten years’ experience in the localization industry. We specialize in technical translations, from a few words on a label to complex million-word projects involving TEP, DTP, QA and testing of web, mobile and Make Our Knowledge Your Power desktop applications and documentation in fields ranging Description Common Sense Advisory is a research and con- from IT, telecom, energy and pharmaceuticals to business, Conversis Languages All Description Founded in 2003, Conversis is a sulting firm committed to improving the quality of interna- finance and legal affairs. We are fully qualified in related lo- UK-based leading provider of globalization, international- tional business and the efficiency of the online and offline calization services, such as DTP, engineering and testing in ization, localization and translation (GILT) services, tailoring operations that support t. We provide independent research, Western European languages. For additional information, business needs to each company’s relevant markets world- executive sales and management workshops, and business please contact us. wide. Conversis offers a full range of global linguistic ser- consulting to help companies make informed decisions 2tr Soluções Globais Ltda. Rua Voluntários da Pátria, 45 Sala 401, about the technology, business services and organizational Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22270-000, Brazil, 55-21-2266-6449, Fax: 55-21- vices, from high-quality translation of marketing collateral structures on which a global enterprise depends. Of course, 2286-1694, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.2tr.com.br and technical documentation to localization of software and keeping abreast of the fast pace of a global economy, whether websites. Serving clients in more than 30 markets worldwide, you are a vendor or a buyer, is difficult, at best. Get accurate Conversis partners w th industry and linguistic experts to de- information. Profit in a global market. Contact Common liver return on investment for clients’ global business needs. Sense Advisory today. Conversis Bignell Park Barns, Chesterton, Bicester, Oxfordshire, Common Sense Advisory, Inc. 100 Merrimack Street, Suite 301, OX26 1TD UK, 44-845-450-0805, Fax: 44-845-450-0806, E-mail: Lowell, MA 01852, 866-510-6101, E-mail: info@commonsenseadvisory ACP Traductera [email protected], Web: www.conversisglobal.com .com, Web: www.commonsenseadvisory.com See ad on page 53 Languages From all the world languages to languages of Central and Eastern Europe Description ACP Traductera is a translation agency based in the Czech Republic. Our TM BROKERS local experience in Central Europe and our strong focus on appropriate language use make us the reliable partner for providing high-quality translations into Bulgarian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Roma- Decoder Plus Ltd nian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian and Ukrainian. Document Languages All Asian languages Description Decoder Plus is translation service, translation, proofreading, review, inde- a highly trusted language service provider in Hong Kong, the pendent specialist review, legal certification of translated gateway to mainland China and Asia. Since our establishment The Translation Memory Brokers documents, webs te and software localization, localization in early 2000, we have provided solutions for Asian language Languages All Description Central to most translation pro- engineering, testing, documentation localization, graphic requirements to translation/localization companies, multi- cesses today is the database that contains previously translated design, DTP operations and pre-press review and print- national corporations, listed companies and government data: the translation memory (TM). The consistently growing ing. Our team of more than 1,000 professional translators, departments from over 25 countries in Asia Pacific, North size of the TM represents an ever-increasing value to you as its proofreaders, terminology specialists, graphic designers, IT America and Europe. We offer translation, editing, proof- owner. By the same token, it becomes increasingly attractive engineers and, last but not least, experienced project man- reading, web localization, software localization and multilin- to TM buyers from the same industry to either jump-start a agers is our most significant asset. gual DTP services at compet tive prices. Fields of expertise TM or complement it with proven, industry-specific transla- ACP Traductera Na Vysluni 201/13, Prague 10, Czech Republic, 420- include IT, telecommunications, business, finance, banking, tions. Through TM Marketplace, this asset can now provide 384-361-300, Fax: 420-384-361-303, E-mail: info@traductera legal affairs/contracts, marketing, education and manufac- an immediate return on investment through licensing to other .com, Web: www.traductera.com See ad on page 62 turing as well as all areas of science and technology. parties. As TM brokers, TM Marketplace connects corporate Decoder Plus Ltd 16/F Cheung Kong Center, 2 Queen’s Road, Cen- owners of translation assets with parties who want to license tral, Hong Kong, 852-2992-0656, Fax: 852-2992-0434, E-mail: and benefit from those linguistic resources. [email protected], Web: www.decoderplus.com TM Marketplace LLC 319 North 1st Avenue, Sandpoint, ID 83864, 208-265-9465, 888-533-7886, Fax: 208-263-6310, E-mail: info@tm marketplace.com, Web: www.tmmarketplace.com See ad on page 17 Technology Translations and Software Localization TRAINING & SEMINARS Languages Chinese, Japanese, Korean and major European languages Description Arial Global is a US-based localiza- The Localization Institute tion company. Since 1993, we have translated and localized Eriksen Translations Inc. Languages All Description The Localization Institute pro- technical manuals and software for some of the best-known Languages All Description Eriksen Translations Inc. is a lead- vides training, seminars and conferences for the global US and European technology firms in the world, all with the ing provider of mult lingual services, including translation, localization community. Best known for ts four annual greatest precision, on time and on budget. We are known for interpreting, typesetting, project management, web localiza- localization roundtables, the Institute’s events train localiza- our meticulous quality and uncompromising standards, and tion and cultural consulting. For 20 years, Eriksen has helped

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a broad range of organizations in both the public and private language combinations. Our global network of more than 1,000 sectors excel across print, desktop and web environments approved and highly qualified translators, our comprehen- in the domestic and global marketplace. With a worldwide sive project management processes which cover translations, network of over 5,000 linguists, a commitment to leading proofreading, editing and desktop publishing (QuarkXPress, technologies, and an in-house staff dedicated to tailoring our InDesign, PageMaker, FrameMaker), and our experience with proven project management process to the individual needs Hermes Traducciones y CAT Tools (TRADOS, SDLX) allow us to provide a premium of each client, Eriksen is your globalization partner. Servicios Lingüísticos, S.L. quality service in accordance with the provisions of ISO Eriksen Translations Inc. 32 Court Street, 20th Floor, Brooklyn, Languages Spanish, Portuguese (Continental and Braz lian), 9001:2000 standard to which we were certified in May 2005. NY 11201, 718-802-9010, Fax: 718-802-0041, E-mail: info@er ksen English, French, Italian, German and other languages on Lido-Lang Technical Translations ul. Walerego Slawka 3, 30-653 inc.com, Web: www.erikseninc.com demand Description Established in 1991, Hermes Traduc- Krakow, Poland, 48-12-2546-123, Fax: 48-12-2546-122, E-mail: ofﬁ [email protected], Web: www.lidolang.com ciones is a leading Spanish translation company, specializing in software and hardware localization and also undertaking a broad range of other translation projects. Comprehensive in-house translation teams include translators, reviewers and linguists w th an expertise in Spanish and Portuguese, a knowledge of CAT tools, and a commitment to deliver EuroGreek Translations Limited cost-efficient, reliable and high-qual ty services to customers. LinguaLinx Language Solutions, Inc. Language Greek Description EuroGreek Translations Lim- Hermes Traducciones is a member of the International Com- mittee for the creation of the European Quality Standard for Languages All Description LinguaLinx is a full-service trans- ted is Europe’s number one Greek production house, spe- lation and localization agency specializing in the adaptation cializing in technical and medical translations from English Translation Services. Hermes Traducciones also organizes university courses on localization and translation. of marketing and communications materials into most of the into Greek and from Greek into English. EuroGreek’s aim is world’s languages. Our enterprise language solutions range to provide high-qual ty, turnkey solutions, encompassing a Hermes Traducciones y Servicios Lingüísticos, S.L. C/ Cólquide, 6 - planta 2 - 3.oI, Ediﬁ cio “Prisma”, 28230 Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain, 34- from glossary development and maintenance to translation whole range of client needs, from plain translation to desk- 916-407640, Fax: 34-916-378023, E-mail: hermestr@hermestrans memory deployment and global content management. In top/web publishing to localization development and testing. .com, Web: www.hermestrans.com See ad on page 40 today’s highly competitive, global environment, t is becoming Over the years, EuroGreek’s services have been extended to increasingly difficult to differentiate one translation agency cover most subject areas, including German and French into ISO 9001:2000-Certified Translation Services from another. We stand apart by taking the most proactive Greek translation services. All of EuroGreek’s work is proof- Languages All major languages Description Idem Transla- approach to quality in the industry, utilizing stringent project read by a second in-house specialist and is fully guaranteed tions, Inc., is a full-service translation/localization company, management procedures, offering one of the most aggressive for quality and on-time delivery. specializing in the life sciences, legal and IT industries since rate structures available and applying a sincere dedication to EuroGreek Translations Limited 1983. Our expert translation teams combine linguistic excel- providing the best possible service. London 27 Lascotts Road, London, N22 8JG UK lence with strong backgrounds in a variety of fields. We main- LinguaLinx Language Solutions, Inc. 650 Franklin Street, Suite 502, Athens EuroGreek House, 93 Karagiorga Street, Athens 16675, tain specialized client glossaries and memory databases to Schenectady, NY 12305, 518-388-9000, Fax: 518-388-0066, E-mail: Greece, 30-210-9605-244, Fax: 30-210-9647-077, E-mail: production@ ensure consistent terminology. Our ISO 9001:2000-certified [email protected], Web: www.lingualinx.com eurogreek.gr, Web: www.eurogreek.com See ad on page 33 translation and quality processes guarantee a service that meets the highest industry standards. We offer a unique combination of industry-specific experience, knowledgeable translation teams and friendly, client-oriented service. Idem Translations, Inc. 550 California Avenue, Suite 310, Palo Alto, CA 94306, 650-858-4336, Fax: 650-858-4339, E-mail: info@idem translations.com, Web: www.idemtranslations.com See ad on page 33 McElroy Translation Follow-Up Translation Services Languages All Description If you could design one, what Languages English, Brazilian Portuguese, Latin American would your ideal translation vendor be like? Your ideal trans- Spanish Description With more than 17 years of experi- lation vendor would, above all, give you more peace of mind ence, we know exactly how to help your products and docu- at the end of the day. Maybe your ideal translation vendor ments penetrate South American markets faster and more focuses on helping you use translation to achieve a competi- efficiently. Trust our expertise and leave your software/web- KERN Global Language Services tive advantage in the global marketplace by improving turn- site localization with us. Follow-Up gathers a select group Your language partner around times, cost savings, communication, product quality of translation, localization, DTP, engineering and project Languages All Description KERN Global Language Services and workflow processes? McElroy empowers you to design management specialists to always exceed your company’s is a leading provider in the area of global communica- communication and processes around schedules and proj- requirements of high quality and time-to-market. Our areas tion with over 35 offices worldwide. With more than 30 ect benchmarks that optimally meet your needs. McElroy’s of expertise include IT, telecom, finance, ERP, marketing, years of experience, our services include translation and clients have found their expectations met and exceeded for medicine and pharmaceuticals. interpreting in all languages; software, multimedia and almost 40 years. Now, that’s peace of mind. Follow-Up Av. Presidente Wilson 165, Sala 1308, Rio de Janeiro, website localization; terminology management; multi- McElroy Translation 910 West Avenue, Austin, TX 78701, 800-531- RJ 20030-020 Brazil, 55-21-2524-2994, Fax: 55-21-2210-5472, lingual desktop publishing; and individual and corporate 9977, 512-472-6753, Fax: 512-472-4591, E-mail: quotes@mcelroy translation.com, Web: www.mcelroytranslation.com See ad on page 32 E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.follow-up.com.br See language training in all major languages. KERN has es- ad on page 36 tablished itself as a preferred insourcing and outsourcing solution provider for language services. We serve clients in all industry sectors, including the automotive, medical, pharmaceutical, chemical, IT and financial services industries. To learn more about us, please visit www.e-kern.com KERN Global Language Services USA 230 Park Avenue, Suite 1517, New York, NY 10169, 212-953- Medical Translations Only ForeignExchange Translations 2070, Fax: 212-953-2073, E-mail: [email protected] Languages All European languages and Japanese Description Languages 42 languages and growing Description ForeignEx- Europe Kurfuerstenstrasse 1, 60486 Frankfurt/Main, Germany, 49- MediLingua is one of the few medical translation special- change is the global leader in providing translation services 69-7560730, Fax: 49-69-751353, E-mail: [email protected] ists in Europe. We only do medical. We provide all European China Right Emperor Commercial Building, Unit B, 11/F, 122-126 to life sciences companies. We work with many of the biggest Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong, SAR China, 852-2850-4455, languages (31 today and counting) and Japanese as well as pharmaceutical companies, medical-device manufacturers, Fax: 852-2850-4466, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.e-kern.com translation-related services to manufacturers of medical de- biotech companies and CROs. Our proprietary Mult lingual vices, instruments, in vitro diagnostics and software; pharma- Compliance Process combines expert linguists, best-of-breed ceutical and biotechnology companies; medical publishers; technology and measurable translation quality in a process national and international medical organizations; and other that is both robust and completely scalable, ensuring your customers in the medical sector. Projects include the translation of documentation for medical devices, surgical instruments, projects are finished on time and within budget. For more in- hosp tal equipment and medical software; medical information formation on how we can help meet your translation require- for patients, medical students and physicians; scientific articles; ments or for a quote on your next translation project, please Lido-Lang Technical Translations press releases; product launches; clinical trial documentation; contact us directly or visit our website at www.fxtrans.com Languages All Description Established in Poland in 1991, medical news; and articles from medical journals. Lido-Lang has expertise in technical translations into Central ForeignExchange Translations 411 Waverley Oaks Road, Suite 315, MediLingua Medical Translations BV Poortgebouw, Rijnsbur- Waltham, MA 02452, 866-398-7267, 781-893-0013, Fax: 781- and Eastern European languages. We also possess in-depth ex- gerweg 10, 2333 AA Leiden, The Netherlands, 31-71-5680862, Fax: 893-0012, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.fxtrans.com perience in the following fields: economics, law, medicine and 31-71-5234660, E-mail: [email protected], Web: See ad on page 44 IT, providing translations in nearly all European and Asian www.medilingua.com See ad on page 33

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guarantee a high standard of quality while maintaining flex- nonprofit organizations. Using a total qual ty management ibility, unparalleled responsiveness and reliabil ty. process and state-of-the-art software and equipment, our team Ryszard Jarza Translations ul. Barlickiego 23/22, 50-324 Wroclaw, of foreign language professionals delivers the highest quality the medical information company Poland, 48-601-728018, Fax: 48-71-3414441, E-mail: info@jarza translations in a cost-effective and time-efficient manner. .com.pl, Web: www.jarza.com.pl See ad on page 31 TripleInk 60 South 6th Street, Suite 2600, Minneapolis, MN 55402, 612-342-9800, 800-632-1388, Fax: 612-342-9745, E-mail: info@ mt-g — the medical information company tripleink.com, Web: www.tripleink.com Languages All Description mt-g is the leading provider of translations and global information services dedicated to the medical science. We specialize primarily in medical technol- RANSLATION OOLS ogy and diagnostics, regulatory affairs, dental medicine and T T other specialist medical fields. We offer a range of professional Skrivanek Translation Services services covering translation, information production, global Languages All, with a focus on Central and Eastern Europe information management and XML documentation applica- Description Skrivanek is a world leader in the provision of tions. At ts head office in Ulm and ts branch in Munich, 31 language services, specifically translations spanning a mul- salaried staff deliver solutions for information processes in titude of languages and the localization of products for medical science. More than 450 medical and pharmaceutical maximum effect and achievement on international mar- Applications Technology, Inc. experts in over 100 countries are engaged in translating, pro- kets. Established in the Czech Republic in 1994, it quickly Multiple Platforms ducing, managing and documenting medical information. dominated the Central European translation market, creat- Languages All Description Machine Translation (MT) sys- mt-g medical translation GmbH & Co. KG Eberhard-Finckh- ing a network of outlets stretching across 51 cities around tems (TranSphere): Fully automated (parsing + statistics), Strasse 55, 89075 Ulm, Germany, 49-731-17-63-97-0, Fax: 49-731- the world. Its staff of professional translators, experienced special-domain dictionary stacking/update. Language pairs: 17-63-97-50, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.mt-g.com English, Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Dari, Pashto, Korean, Chi- project managers and dedicated software engineers and pro- nese, Japanese, Hebrew, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Por- grammers have enabled Skrivanek to provide translation and tuguese, Russian, Polish, Ukrainian and Dutch. Cross language localization services in any conceivable language, building pairs new releases: Arabic-French/Arabic-German/Turkish- up, in the process, an enviable clientele. Skrivanek’s quality of German. Translation Memory: Statistical parallel corpora- service is backed by EN ISO 9001:2001 certification. based system decoupled/integrated w th MT. Webtrans: Web Skrivanek Translation Services, Ltd. Nad Zaloznou 499/6, 180 00 page translation — target language page reconstructed with Prague 8, Czech Republic, 420-233-320-560, Fax: 420-224-321- 556, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.skrivanek.com hyperlinks, images, applets, objects and embedded scripts. MT NCS Enterprises, L.L.C. API: For MT system integration (all languages with various so- Languages All Description Wth NCS you’ll find that the focus lutions). NameFinder: Proper noun detection (languages with is on our clients and their translation projects. From the small- no capitalization). MLIR (Multilingual Information Retrieval): est product label requiring desktop publishing to the largest, retrieval of mult lingual content, including query translation, mult lingual, online help text, our project managers w ll make morphological and thematic searches (geographic, personal, the process smooth and painless. We find the right team of corporate) name/event combinations. native-speaker professional translators and editors w th indus- Applications Technology, Inc. 6867 Elm Street, Suite 300, try-specific knowledge for each project. Our working knowl- Syntes Language Group, Inc. McLean, VA 22101, 703-821-5000, Fax: 703-821-5001, E-mail: edge of all types of software makes sure the translations are Languages All Description Syntes Language Group is a lead- [email protected], Web: www.apptek.com delivered as required. Even with being ISO 9001:2000-coming quality provider of customized language solutions to pliant and using the latest technology, t’s about the people, business, government and professional clients. We deliver a Quality Assurance Software for Translations communication and commitment to service. Call us at 412- full line of services in translation, interpreting and conference Windows Languages All/Unicode Description ErrorSpy, a quality assur- 278-4590 to see how this translates into quality. coordination; product, software and website localization; ance software for translations, generates automatically a list of NCS Enterprises, L.L.C. 1222 Hope Hollow Road, 2nd Floor, desktop publishing; multimedia production and voiceovers; potential errors (terminology, numbers, completeness, tags, Carnegie, PA 15106, 412-278-4590, Fax: 412-278-4595, E-mail: and consultation in both project-specific and long-term plan- [email protected], Web: www.ncs-pubs.com See ad on page 12 consistency and so on). The formats supported are bilingual ning for the incorporation of foreign language elements into f les, all TRADOS formats, TMX (translation memories) and your business. For 19 years, we’ve offered proven expertise in Trans t. An evaluation report of the translation quality can be all major fields of industry, delivered by accomplished, experi- customized. ErrorSpy is also ava lable as a server-based version enced professionals. All of this means that you get the ultimate and can be integrated into individual workflows. in customer care and the best value for your project dollars. D.O.G. Dokumentation ohne Grenzen GmbH Neue Ramtelstrasse Syntes Language Group, Inc. 7465 East Peakview Avenue, Centen- 12, D-71299 Leonberg, Germany, 49-7152-354-11, Fax: 49- nial, CO 80111, 888-779-1288, 303-779-1288, Fax: 303-779-1232, 7152-354-11, E-mail: [email protected], Web: One Planet E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.syntes.com www.multilingual-products.com See ad on page 15 Languages All Description What makes One Planet different? A deep understanding of corporate culture. Our clients German Localization Provider require accuracy, measurable productivity and excellence in Idiom Technologies, Inc. Languages German Description At Think Global we are ex- Multiple Platforms communication. How can one firm specialize in areas such perts in German translation and localization for the IT and Languages More than 120 Description Idiom Technologies as high technology, medical products and technical manu- telecom industries with more than 15 years of experience optimizes the globalization supply chain by aligning global facturing? By blazing the path in translation since 1979, we and blue-chip references. Our team of more than 30 in-house enterprises, language service providers and translators. Award- utilize knowledgeable translators in the United States, Europe translators and ed tors assures ready-to-publish quality transla- winning WorldServer™ software solutions expand market and Asia in every field and every specialty. Services include tion, editing and proofing. English > German translations start reach and accelerate multilingual communication with a proven technical translation, software localization and multilingual € at 0.13 per word, w th discounts for large contracts and agen- platform for automating translation and localization processes. website development. Our customers from Ametek to Unisys cies. DTP, engineering and testing services are also ava lable. Idiom works w th global organizations including Adobe, Au- like the fact that we function as an extension of their teams. Think Global GmbH Schwedter Str. 9a, 10119 Berlin, Germany, todesk, Continental Airlines, eBay, Motorola and Travelocity One Planet 820 Evergreen Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15209, 888- 49-30-22-48-93-48, Fax: 49-30-22-48-93-52, E-mail: mlc@ to cost-effectively translate global webs tes and applications, 677-1010, Fax: 412-632-1071, E-mail: [email protected], Web: think-global.com, Web: www.think-global.com See ad on page 13 www.one-planet.net streamline software localization and delivery, and speed time- to-market for international product documentation. Idiom also partners w th consulting firms, systems integrators and technology vendors to help customers achieve high-quality results and maximize existing enterprise infrastructure. Idiom Technologies, Inc. 200 Fifth Avenue, Waltham, MA 02451, TripleInk Multilingual Communications 781-464-6000, Fax: 781-464-6100, E-mail: idiom_info@idiominc Languages All major commercial languages Description As a .com, Web: www.idiominc.com See ad on page 4 Translation and localization into Polish multilingual communications agency, TripleInk has provided Language Polish Description Ryszard Jarza Translations is an industrial and consumer products companies with precise established provider of specialized Polish translation, local- translation and mult lingual production services for audio- ization and DTP services, primarily for life sciences, IT, auto- visual, online and print media since 1991. Our experience in motive, refrigeration and other technology sectors. We work adapting technical documentation and marketing communi- with mult language vendors and directly w th documentation cation materials covers a wide range of industries, including departments of large multinational customers. Our in-house biomedical and health care; building and construction; finan- TextBase meets Translation Memory team (12 full-time specialists) is comprised of experienced cial services; food and agriculture; high-tech and manufactur- Multiple Platforms linguists with medical, engineering and IT backgrounds. We ing; and hospital ty and leisure, as well as government and Languages All Unicode languages Description MultiTrans 4

72 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

65-73 Buyer'sGuide #89.indd 72 6/27/07 3:56 22 PM Buyer’s Guide

is an innovative software solution integrating TextBase Internal and external repetition detection and pretransla- Translation Memory (TM) with best-in-class terminology tion. The web version allows access to your terminology, management. The unique and revolutionary text alignment bitexts and documents by translators, writers and subcon- capabilities of the TextBase TM allow unlocking linguistic tractors from anywhere in the world. assets by rapidly creating very large TextBase TMs and ex- Terminotix Inc. 240 Bank Street, Suite 600, Ottawa, ON, Canada tracting relevant terminology. MultiTrans 4 deploys linguistic SYSTRAN K2P 1X4, 613-233-8465, Fax: 613-233-3995, E-mail: termino@ assets through desktop and centralized enterprise applica- Multiple Platforms terminotix.com, Web: www.terminotix.com See ad on page 31 tions for authors, project managers, in-house translators and Languages 52 language combinations Description SYSTRAN revisors, LSPs and freelancers. MultiTrans 4 is a value-added is the market leading provider of language translation software alternative to conventional TM and is widely adopted by cor- products for the desktop, enterprise and internet that facilitate WORKFLOW SOLUTIONS porations, inst tutions, governments, LSPs and freelancers in communication in 52 language combinations and in 20 do- over 30 countries, including the Translation Bureau of the mains. With over three decades of expertise, research and de- Government of Canada, several United Nations’ organiza- velopment, SYSTRAN’s software is the choice of leading global tions, Ford, Pfizer and Kraft. corporations, portals and public agencies. Use of SYSTRAN MultiCorpora 102-490 St. Joseph Boulevard, Gatineau, QC, Canada, products and solutions enhances mult lingual communication J8Y 3Y7, 819-778-7070, 877-725-7070, Fax: 819-778-0801, E-mail: info and increases user productivity and time-savings for B2E, B2B @multicorpora.com, Web: www.multicorpora.com See ad on page 55 and B2C markets as they deliver real-time language solutions LTC Worx for search, content management, online customer support, in- Multiple Platforms tra-company communications, and e-commerce. Languages All Description LTC Worx and ts time-saving SYSTRAN philosophy of “automate what you can, control what you North America 9333 Genesee Avenue, Plaza Level, Suite PL1, San need” mean that the software adapts to the user’s needs, not Diego, CA 92121, 858-457-1900, Fax: 858-457-0648 the other way around. Users themselves define company- Europe Paroi Nord - La Grande Arche, 1, Parvis de la Défense, 92044 wide and project-specific workflows to save significant time Paris La Défense Cedex, France, 33-825-80-10-80, Fax: 33-1-46-98- SDL TRADOS Technologies and money on every step of every project from the quotation 00-59, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.systransoft.com right through to the invoice. LTC Worx is su table for any Languages All Description SDL TRADOS Technologies, See ad on page 11 a division of SDL International, is the world’s largest pro- size LSP or language department, and its powerful multi- vider of trusted technology solutions for global information site, multi-currency and time zone management means it management (GIM), which benefit corporations and insti- will also satisfy the largest players. tutions, language service providers and freelance translators The Language Technology Centre Ltd. 5-7 Kingston Hill, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, KT2 7PW UK, 44-20-8549-2359, Fax: 44-20- worldwide. SDL has over 130,000 software licenses deployed 8974-6994, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.langtech.co.uk across the translation supply chain and has demonstrated See ad on page 35 proven ROI in over 150 enterprise solution installations. SDL delivers innovative software products that accelerate Solutions for Terminology, global content delivery and maximize language translation Full-text and Bitext Management productivity. The new launch of SDL Trados Synergy 2007 Windows and Web Index of Chinese Characters empowers enterprises to efficiently manage translation proj- Languages Windows: All Roman alphabet; LogiTermWeb- ects across multiple suppliers and ensures total visibility of all Plus: Unicode Description A single software package to With Attributes project elements across the entire translation supply chain. manage your terminology and databanks. Efficient and SDL International 5700 Granite Parkway, Suite 410, Plano, TX effective consultation of terms and texts. The most robust 75024, 904-683-9259, Fax: 904-683-9259, E-mail: productsales@ alignment tool on the market. More consistent use of ter- www.multilingual.com/ebooks sdl.com, Web: www.sdl.com See ad on page 76 minology and phraseology in-house and by freelancers. COMPANIES ADVERTISING IN THE GUIDE TO SOUTH AMERICA IN THIS ISSUE across Systems GmbH...... www.across.net LocHouse Translation & DTP ...... www.loc-house.com Ccaps Translation and Localization ...... www.ccaps.net Logrus International Corporation ...... www.logrus.ru Effective Translations ...... www.effectivetranslations.com MultiLingual Press ...... www.multilingual.com/eBooks Enfoque Global S.R.L...... www.enfoqueglobal.com.ar SpanSource S.R.L...... www.spansource.com Idea Factory Languages, Inc...... www.iﬂ ang.com Translated in Argentina ...... www.translated-in-argentina.com Lionbridge ...... www.lionbridge.com TripleInk ...... www.tripleink.com

ADVERTISER INDEX ACP Traductera 62 Internationalization & Unicode Conf. 54 Plunet GmbH 45 across Systems GmbH 2 Jonckers Translation & Engineering 27 RusLoc Ltd. 25 ADAPT Localization Services 60 KCSL Inc. 34 Ryszard Jarza Translations 31 Advanced International Translations Ltd. 45 The Language Technology Centre Ltd. 35 SAM Engineering GmbH 45 Alchemy Software Development Ltd. 75 Language Weaver, Inc. 42 Schaudin.com 69 Beetext 45 Lingo Systems 9 SDL International 76 Binari Sonori srl 13 Lionbridge 3 STAR Group America, LLC 18 Celer Soluciones, S.L. 34 The Localization Institute 59 SYSTRAN 11 Common Sense Advisory, Inc. 53 Localization World Ltd. 28 Tek Translation International 14 CPSL 16 Logrus International Corporation 23 Terminotix Inc. 31 Dokumentation ohne Grenzen GmbH 15 McElroy Translation 32 Think Global GmbH 13 E4NET 66 MediLingua BV 33 TM Marketplace 17 EuroGreek Translations Limited 33 milengo Inc. 10 Ushuaia Solutions 48 Follow-Up 36 Moravia Worldwide 14 VistaTEC 11 ForeignExchange Translations 44 MultiCorpora 55 Welocalize 46 Hermes Traducciones 40 MultiLingual Press 50 WhP 39, 41, 51 Idem Translations, Inc. 33 NCS Enterprises, L.L.C. 12 Idiom Technologies, Inc. 4 PASS Engineering GmbH 7

www.multilingual.com July/August 2007 MultiLingual | 73

65-73 Buyer'sGuide #89.indd 73 6/27/07 3:56:39 PM Nancy A. Locke

Localization education: one step forward, two back

Takeaway Five years ago, the Faculty of Continuing Education sector, public and private, is also partly to blame thanks to a startling (FCE) at the Université de Montréal launched with great lack of consistency between its public discourse, detailed in countless fanfare a new program, the Certifi cate in Localization. The studies and reports since 1999, and its current business practices. program was proof positive that the FCE recognized the The reasons the Certifi cate failed are doubtless multiple and Fimportant relationship that exists between the language complex. Inevitably, however, the FCE decision will lower the level of arts, primarily translation, and innovations in information expertise offered by its graduates and divorce them from the realities technology. The fruit of the collaboration between academia of the workplace. and language services professionals in both the private and In a political and economic climate when globalization has become a synonym for commoditization of work, including knowledge work, public sectors, the certifi cate would be the fi rst interdisciplin- the FCE decision doesn’t bring the relevance of the Certifi cate into ary program in the world. In addition, it would be the fi rst question but raises questions about the relevance of continuing French-language program of its kind. All of the program’s education faculties and universities as incubators for new ideas, ap- instructors, some with master’s degrees, some recognized proaches and solutions. internationally as experts, worked in the industry. As the bottom line becomes a top priority, will universities become The stated objective of the FCE is published on its website: “cen- sterile conservatories for accepted ideas? Will continuing education tered on the needs of the milieu, state-of-the-art training offered by faculties become factories and trend-chasers whose sole objective is the FCE can help you ensure your employment or allow you to gain churning out instantly productive professionals like so many human access to the domain of your choice.” The FCE’s cleverly worded motto widgets? And if the goal of business in the Canadian knowledge sector — La faculté d’évoluer — translates roughly as “the faculty to evolve.” is to compete with multinationals in the United States and elsewhere, So, in theory, and despite a meager budget, the Certifi cate’s man- can this be realized without a concrete and sustained investment in date was to respond to needs of the language industry, which has the raw materials, the human resources? undergone a rapid evolution in the last 15 years, to bring students The abolition of the Certifi cate in Localization — despite the good currently working in the industry up to speed on new technology and will and exemplary efforts of its last director, Claudine Bertrand; de- processes and to prepare students interested in changing careers for a spite Rita Damiani, the director of the Translation Certifi cates who was transition into the language industry. instrumental in the development of the Certifi cate in Localization; The needs that served as the impetus to create the Certifi cate have despite the small but steadily growing student body who, often driven not evaporated. On the contrary, the language services sector con- by simple curiosity, dared to enroll and are now left high and dry for tinues to evolve dramatically and at an astonishing or, as one could their courage; and despite the unfl agging support of the administra- say, revolutionary speed. According to the Action Plan for Offi cial Lan- tive staff — is indeed disappointing. guages, a document that elaborates Canada’s federal language policy, The failure of the Certifi cate, however, is but one symptom of a the needs of the language industry are more glaring today than ever. larger problem that merits more than temporary, tear-soaked hand- Despite the relevance of the subject matter, however, the dean of wringing. When students become “clients” and diplomas products; the FCE recently decided to abolish the Certifi cate. On May 16, 2007, when the competition for these same clients and for shrinking this time without any fanfare, without warning or consultation — and fi nancial resources undermines intra-university and inter-university most disturbingly, without offering any explanation — the instructors collaboration efforts; when certifi cates and diplomas are tickets to were informed of the decision. If the shocked reaction of students nowhere; when employers abdicate their responsibility to educate and enrolled in the Certifi cate program and present for a class held the train their employees and cease hiring in favor of short-term con- following Saturday may be trusted, the university had not seen fi t to tracts; fi nally, when the upper management of universities becomes notify them at all. A visit to the website confi rmed that pages related so blinded by bean counting that short-term profi tability serves as the to the certifi cate had simply disappeared, in itself astonishing given sole measure of a curriculum’s value, the entire university system and the glacial speed which characterizes most university initiatives. the future of its students are in jeopardy. M In the absence of any explanation, and taking into consideration Nancy A. Locke, a freelance writer, speaker, translator, editor and the grim funding climate that plagues universities in general and, in member of the MultiLingual editorial board, has taught “Langues et particular, the role of “cash cow” that the FCE plays in the Université mondialisation/Language and globalization” in the localization and de Montréal system, one might conclude that the decision had little translation certifi cate program at the Université de Montréal. to do with the quality of the curriculum and somewhat more to do with the Certifi cate’s profi tability. The responsibility for the decision Takeaway is an opportunity to comment on language-industry issues. ultimately rests with the dean of the FCE, but the language services Contributions are welcome. Send them to [email protected]

74 | MultiLingual July/August 2007 [email protected]

74 Takeaway #89.indd 74 6/27/07 3:57:55 PM 75 Alchemy #89.indd 75 6/27/07 3:58:32 PM Introducing: The new way of working faster easier more powerful www.sdltrados.com/2007

76 SDL ad #89.indd 76 6/27/07 3:59:07 PM SOUTH AMERICA July/August 2007 GGETTINGETTING SSTARTEDTARTED:Guide

Is It Time for a ® South American Strategy?

Localization Outsourcing ® and Export in Brazil

Doing Business ® in Argentina

The Tricky Business ® of Spanish Translation

Training Translators ® in South America

01 Guide SoAmerica.indd 1 6/27/07 4:13:40 PM SOUTH AMERICA Guide: GGETTINGETTING SSTARTEDTARTED

Getting Started: Have you seen the maps where the Southern Hemisphere is at South America the top? “South-up” maps quite often are — incorrectly — referred to as “upside-down,” and it’s easy to be captivated by them. They Editor-in-Chief, Publisher Donna Parrish remind us in the Northern Hemisphere how region-centric we are. Managing Editor Laurel Wagers In this Guide to South America, we focus on doing business and work in Translation Department Editor Jim Healey South America. Greg Churilov and Florencia Paolillo address common trans- Copy Editor Cecilia Spence News Kendra Gray lation misconceptions in dealing with Spanish in South America. Jorgelina Illustrator Doug Jones Vacchino, Nicolás Bravo and Eugenia Conti describe how South American Production Sandy Compton translators are trained. Charles Campbell looks at companies that have Editorial Board entered the South American market with different degrees of success. Jeff Allen, Julieta Coirini, Teddy Bengtsson recounts setting up a company in Argentina. And Bill Hall, Aki Ito, Nancy A. Locke, Fabiano Cid explores Brazil, both as an outsourcing option and an Ultan Ó Broin, Angelika Zerfaß opportunity for exporting. Advertising Director Jennifer Del Carlo CONTENTS All in all, the cases are strong for considering the opportunities Advertising Kevin Watson, Bonnie Merrell and resources at the south-up top of the map! — The Editors Webmaster Aric Spence Assistant Shannon Abromeit Intern Callie Welch Is It Time for a South American Strategy? Circulation Terri Jadick page 3 Charles Campbell Advertising: [email protected] Charles Campbell is president of spanishbackofﬁ ce SA, a provider of www.multilingual.com/advertising project management, translation and localization services in Córdoba, Argentina. 208-263-8178 Localization Outsourcing and Export in Brazil Subscriptions, customer service, back issues: [email protected] page 10 Fabiano Cid www.multilingual.com/subscribe Fabiano Cid is managing director of Ccaps Submissions: [email protected] Translation and Localization in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Editorial guidelines are available at Doing Business in Argentina www.multilingual.com/editorialWriter page 14 Teddy Bengtsson Reprints: [email protected] Teddy Bengtsson is founding partner and CEO of Idea Factory Languages, This guide is published as a supplement to which has its main production center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. MultiLingual, the magazine about language technology, localization, web globalization and The Tricky Business of Spanish Translation international software development. It may be page 16 Greg Churilov and Florencia Paolillo downloaded at www.multilingual.com/gsg Greg Churilov is founder of Effective Translations, which specializes in Spanish and Portuguese. Florencia Paolillo is quality assurance manager at Effective Translations. Training Translators in South America page 18 Jorgelina Vacchino, Nicolás Bravo & Eugenia Conti Jorgelina Vacchino is junior team leader; Nicolás Bravo is engineering lead; and Eugenia Conti is a junior in-house translator, all at Ushuaia Solutions in Rosario, Argentina.

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02 #89GSG TOC.indd 2 6/27/07 4:14:37 PM SOUTH AMERICA

GGETTINGETTING SSTARTEDTARTED:GuideSOUTH AMERICA Is It Time for a South American Strategy?

CHARLES CAMPBELL

outh America is often thought of as a television soap operas (telenovelas), lit- Linguistic unity has undoubtedly con- “Spanish-speaking region.” Indeed, erature and internet content can reach tributed to South America’s achieving Seleven of the twelve independent continent-wide popularity and be almost a certain degree of political unity and countries in the continent speak Spanish. universally understood without requir- finding a cultural common ground, help- The odd country out is Brazil, where Por- ing translation — something impossible ing avoid continent-wide conflicts on the tuguese is spoken. But Brazil is quite an on every other continent in the world. scale of the World Wars. While frictions exception, with just under half the territory Unless gringos are involved, South Ameri- remain over some unresolved territorial and half the population of the continent. cans will invariably conduct international issues, there are few, if any, true deeply For an in-depth look into the complexities business meetings or political gatherings held long-term animosities between of Brazil, see Fabiano Cid’s article on page entirely in Spanish. Indeed, the theme of neighboring countries. Indeed, South 10 in this guide. the recent 4th International Congress of Americans feel a certain collective identity Indigenous languages remain strong the Spanish Language that I attended in — and, on a wider level, a Latin American and are in everyday use in many parts Cartagena, Colombia, was “Unity in Diver- identity — based on common geographi- of the continent, particularly Quechua, sity.” More than 1,500 Spanish speak- cal, historical and cultural factors. This Aymara and Guaraní. Although Microsoft ers attended from all around the world, unity only goes so far and does not nec- and some other companies have had some and everyone understood one another essarily translate into common govern- of their products localized into indigenous (almost) perfectly. ment policies. US fears of South American languages, the main focus of this article will be on the Spanish-speaking countries of South America. Moreover, the former South America: A Few Definitions British colony and current member of the Commonwealth, Guyana (population to Get Things Straight 751,000), the former Dutch colony of Suri- name (pop. 438,000), and French Guiana South America is often confused with Latin America, a region that includes all countries in the Americas where Spanish, Portuguese and French are spoken. In contrast to Latin America is Anglo (pop. 202,000), an “overseas department” America, where English is spoken (principally the United States and Canada, but also Jamaica, Belize of Metropolitan France that uses the euro, and so on). Many people in the United States and Canada mistakenly presume, however, that Latin will not be covered in any detail either. America refers to “everything south of the Rio Grande” and that everyone speaks Spanish, wears huge hats, eats spicy food and physically resembles Antonio Banderas (who is actually from Spain). Unity in diversity? A special case Many Europeans, meanwhile, are piqued when they find paella is not on the menu in Bolivia, Peru This article will exclusively refer to or Venezuela. South America, the fourth largest and fifth In reality, Latin America is a highly diverse and complex region that confounds generalization, most populous continent in the world that and, although it may appear to be constantly on the economic, political and cultural boil, “Latin stretches all the way from the dense jun- music,” “Latin culture,” “Latin lovers” and even “Latin weather” are not nearly as hot and homo- gle border between Colombia and Panama geneous as Hollywood is telling us. Spanish is, in fact, not even the universal language of Latin in the north to the windswept and frigid America. 180 million people in Brazil speak Portuguese, and French is the official language of Haiti, French Guiana, Martinique and elsewhere. Chilly Québec is even technically considered part of island of Tierra del Fuego, shared by Chile Latin America. and Argentina, in the south. It will not cover Latino is another term that requires definition for the purposes of moving forward coherently Latin America or Latinos in any detail. in this guide. While almost certainly derived from Latin American, Latino means something quite What sets Spanish-speaking South different. For many Americans, Latino basically refers to everyone and everything from Latin America apart from all other continents America, although it is not normally understood to include Brazilians. The US Census Bureau in the world is its linguistic and cultural deems Latinos to be people who classify themselves as “Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino. Origin can unity. Business people, tourists and poli- be considered as the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth of the person or ticians alike can cross borders among 11 the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. People who identify different countries without even having their origin as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino may be of any race.” Latino is thus a cultural term and to change languages. In Europe or Asia may include second, third or fourth generation descendents of Latin American immigrants, as compared to “Latin Americans” who actually live in Latin America. An example can be found in that the language of international communica- some Latinos in the United States actually speak English as their primary language rather than tion is English. In South America, on the Spanish. Well-known cases are Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who was born in East other hand, Spanish is the lingua franca of Los Angeles and whose Spanish is at best considered “patchy,” and Cruz Bustamante, a former the entire continent. Brazilian politicians Lieutenant Governor of California, who himself admitted his own Spanish was “very rusty.” By and business people make considerable contrast, however, many Latinos use Spanish as their primary language of communication and efforts to learn passable Spanish. Music, have only very limited English language skills.

July/August 2007 • www.multilingual.com/gsg page 3

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countries falling like dominoes under the impeachments. Some countries, namely located in the center of Argentina), local influence of Venezuelan President Hugo Argentina and Brazil, pegged their curren- politicians have flashed Cheshire-cat Chávez’s anti-Washington tune are likely cies to the US dollar to elude inflation, only grins at the cameras at recent openings overstated. Let’s not get distracted from to see these “fiscal straitjackets” fall apart of software and outsourcing centers of the real issues and challenges by a color- a few years later. South America was industry leaders such as IBM, Motorola ful and verbose foreign strongman. demonized by Hollywood and Washington and EDS, projected to reach 1,000 to The real issues and challenges at stake alike, and, despite pockets of apparent 1,500 employees apiece. Google — so hot in South America right now are the tremen- stability (Chile and Uruguay), by and large right now — has announced plans to hire dous opportunities for increased business the whole continent appeared to have 1,200 employees in Buenos Aires, adding for global corporations — as long as these “missed its chance” entirely. to its existing South American offices in companies localize their products appropri- Times are changing fast, however. A Belo Horizonte and São Paulo. According ately and provide rich backup content. After highly repetitive lesson on sunk costs — to Gonzalo Alonso, Google’s general man- all, people don’t buy what they can’t read! unrecoverable past expenditures — comes ager for Spanish-speaking Latin America,

Name of territory Area (sq km) Population (1 July 2005 est.) Population density (per sq km) Capital Argentina 2,766,890 39,537,943 14.3 Buenos Aires Bolivia 1,098,580 8,857,870 8.1 La Paz, Sucre Brazil 8,514,877 187,550,726 22.0 Brasília Chile 756,950 15,980,912 21.1 Santiago Colombia 1,138,910 42,954,279 37.7 Bogotá Ecuador 283,560 13,363,593 47.1 Quito Falkland Islands (UK) 12,173 2,967 0.24 Stanley French Guiana (France) 91,000 195,506 2.1 Cayenne Guyana 214,970 765,283 3.6 Georgetown Paraguay 406,750 6,347,884 15.6 Asunción Peru 1,285,220 27,925,628 21.7 Lima South Georgia and South 3,093 0 0 Grytviken Sandwich Islands (UK) Suriname 163,270 438,144 2.7 Paramaribo Uruguay 176,220 3,415,920 19.4 Montevideo Venezuela 912,050 25,375,281 27.8 Caracas (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_america) South American countries and territories by size and population.

The business environment in South from the adroitly named Puerto Rican reg- “Due to the fact that the number of inter- America: ‘Lo que pasó, pasó’ gaeton rapper, Daddy Yankee, with his net users continues to grow in Spanish- For many years South America was popular hit “Lo que pasó, pasó.” History is speaking South America, it is important almost a bad word, with the continent only the past. The future is yet unwritten, for Google to establish a local presence seemingly permanently stuck halfway and in the case of South America it looks to support growth and market demands.” down the road to economic development, decidedly promising. Favorable economic Javier Cordero, managing director for overtaken by Asia and forgotten by the and political winds now propel the conti- Oracle in Latin America, adds that South United States and Europe. The 1960s and nent forward with a self-confidence not felt America accounts for about half of all Latin 1970s saw the region immersed in brutal in the region in living memory. Throughout American revenue for the company and military dictatorships, almost without the continent, high commodity prices have has “one of the highest growth rates in exception. A good part of the 1980s was brought about a dramatic surge in exports the last three years.” Oracle sees “huge lost to inflation, foreign debt crises and of oil, minerals, food products, manufac- potential” due to “a dispersion of small spiraling violence, including full-fledged tured goods and even services exports. and medium-sized businesses willing to narco-guerrilla movements, kidnappings Generally speaking, important gains have automate their processes to participate and extortion. Intimidation of the local and been made in terms of free and indepen- in global markets.” international business and political com- dent elections, freedom of the press, debt munities was not uncommon. Successive renegotiation and access to technology, A selected sprinkling of localization economic and political shocks hit the especially broadband internet access and case studies in South America region in the 1990s, with several presidents mobile phones. At first glance, with just two main lan- being pushed out of power by military In Córdoba city, from where I am writ- guages and a notable degree of cultural coups, popular revolts or congressional ing this article (population 1.2 million, unity, South America should be the place

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where localization companies get it right. It is potentially less challenging on a localization front than Africa (low density of potential real buyers of products spread over many countries and language groups), the Middle East (skyrocketing costs due to the short supply of expert localizers and the Microsoft has divided the continent into three sections, each with its own “look”: Brasil (left); Argentina, geopolitical situation), and Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay (center); and Peru, Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador (right). Europe and Asia (so many languages and such high prices). Microsoft. The world’s largest corpora- again. On the downside, I found a basic After taking a closer look, however, tion, Microsoft, has its flagship website spelling mistake on the www.microsoft even the largest corporations in the world www.microsoft.com in English and ori- .com/colombia website: Lidera Tú Camino, seem to struggle with how to deal with ented to the United States, with the com- confusing Tú and Tu. South America. I often wonder if corpora- pany’s new Zune product (not yet actively United Airlines. United Airlines has sig- tions think that South Americans simply marketed in South America) featured in nificant online content in Spanish. www “won’t notice” their localization mistakes, the center of the web page. Websites for .united.com.uy immediately shows well- and, if they do, “it won’t influence whether South American countries are accessed localized content such as Uruguay-specific they’ll buy our product or not, will it?” Nei- by typing microsoft.com and the country flights — Montevideo to Buenos Aires for ther notion will fly, of course. In a recent name, that is, microsoft.com/ecuador $75, for example. This is evidence that white paper published by Common Sense and so on. Presumably for marketing rea- the content has actually been localized Advisory titled “Moving from Transla- sons, Microsoft appears to have split the for the local market and has not just been tion to Successful Translations on Global continent into three groups, with Argen- simply translated. As so often happens Websites,” Donald A. DePalma stated tina, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay with localized websites, however, there that 85.3% of the 2,400 respondents to an having almost exactly the same content, is almost always something that remains eight-nation survey considered that pur- while Peru, Venezuela, Colombia and unlocalized in English. If you want to make chase information in their own language Ecuador have quite a different look. www a multi-city flight reservation on www was a critical factor when buying online. .microsoft.com/brasil is logically in Por- .united.com.ar, for example, you have to So let’s take a look at what’s out there. tuguese and has different visual content click the “multicity” link, which flips to a

The www.united.com Argentina front page is well-localized; but click on the “multicity” link, and the page comes up in English.

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Rank in world Country GDP 9 Brazil 1.5 trillion dollars 22 Argentina 533.7 billion dollars 29 Colombia 337.2 billion dollars 43 Chile 193.2 billion dollars ,/#!, 50 Peru 167.2 billion dollars 51 Venezuela 163.5 billion dollars ).3)'(4 70 Ecuador 57.0 billion dollars 90 Uruguay 34.3 billion dollars ',/"!, 96 Paraguay 28.3 billion dollars +./7,%$'% 101 Bolivia 25.6 billion dollars 157 Guyana 3.4 billion dollars 162 Suriname 2.8 billion dollars ,/#!,):!4)/. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita) #/.4%.4 South American gross domestic product (GDP) 2005.

#2%!4)/. Rank in world Country GDP per capita

%80%24)3% 30!..).' 48 Argentina $14,838 s 4ECHNOLOGY 54 Chile 12,254 s -OBILE $EVICES 63 Uruguay 10,103 s ,IFE 3CIENCES s %LECTRONICS 69 Brazil 8,826 s #ONSUMER 2ETAIL 80 Colombia 7,630

&5.#4)/.!, #/6%2!'% 93 Peru 6,173 s $OCUMENTATION 95 Suriname 5,883 s -ARKETING 7EB s 4RAINING 96 Venezuela 5,777 s ,EGAL (2 105 Paraguay 4,799 s 0ATENTS 106 Guyana 4,799 6ISIT US AT 110 Ecuador 4,475 WWWLIONBRIDGECOM 122 Bolivia 2,945 (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita) South American gross domestic product (GDP) per capita 2006.

Rank in world Country HDI !ND INTRODUCING 36 Argentina 0.863 (-2) &REEWAY 38 Chile 0.859 (-1)

/UR &REE WEB BASED TRANSLATION 43 Uruguay 0.851 (+3) DELIVERY PLATFORM 69 Brazil 0.792 — s )NSTANT COLLABORATION AMONG 70 Colombia 0.790 CLIENTS 0-S AND TRANSLATORS 72 Venezuela 0.784 s 'REATER 4- AND TERMINOLOGY 82 Peru 0.767 LEVERAGE FOR THE ENTERPRISE 83 Ecuador 0.765 s #ONNECTIVITY WITH LEADING #-3 PRODUCTS 89 Suriname 0.759 91 Paraguay 0.757 103 Guyana 0.725 115 Bolivia 0.692 (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index) South American rankings in terms of human development index (HDI) — the arrows show the change in HDI from 2005 values. WWWLIONBRIDGECOM

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web page entirely in English. www.united CNN. CNN en Español represents a .com.br has a mix of English and Portu- particularly interesting case study. CNN guese on its main home page. en Español has three separate feeds: one Ford Motor Company. The main website for Mexico; one for South America that of the world’s third largest automaker, is actually heavily oriented to the South- Ford, is entirely in English, but with coun- ern Cone countries (Argentina, Uruguay, try-specific options for six countries in Chile and surprisingly Brazil, where South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, thousands of viewers tune in to the all- Chile, Colombia and Venezuela. It is not Spanish feed); and a general feed. Most clear what Ford owners who live in other of the time the general feed is used, but countries such as Peru or Ecuador are sup- at certain times of the day the network posed to do. splits the feed in three to provide more Nestlé. Nestlé is one of the largest food local content. Chris Crommett, senior Consumers may not identify with Nordic-looking producers in the world, and its products vice president, comments that CNN en people pictured on the Argentinian Nestlé site. are readily available in every country in Español has a large in-house “trans- South America. Content varies notably deption” department responsible for all among the different country-specific web interpreting, translation, adaptation and pages and has clearly been localized localization needs which endeavors not for the local markets in accordance with to “over-neutralize” content in Spanish, Nestlé’s product portfolio and focus in while still aiming for “universal” Span- those markets and the perceived needs of ish. Having recently celebrated its tenth its customers. This is where it gets messy. anniversary and with existing production www.nestle.com.ar flagrantly mixes the studios in Buenos Aires and correspon- usted and tú forms in the same sentence: dents throughout the continent, CNN en Nestlé con usted: sentite bien. www.nestle Español is expecting robust growth in .com.co shows one very Nordic-looking the future and currently appears to have blond woman, one white child and one no competitors at all. pale white baby — a questionable choice Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola is a ubiquitous for a multi-ethnic Caribbean country where product, and its localization strategy Anglo/Nordic people are less than 1% of clearly reflects this fact. www.coca-cola the population. www.nestle.com.ar mixes .com is not an all-English web page, the tú, usted and vos forms, sometimes but rather it has a simple “Select your CNN’s South American site is in Spanish, but even in the same sentence. region” option (in English), listing the Portuguese-speaking Brasilians log on en masse. The award for the worst case I can per- following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, sonally think of goes to a major Japanese Brasil/Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, carmaker that has this sentence etched Paraguay, Perú/Peru, Uruguay and Vene- into the rear-vision mirror of its light SUVs zuela. The country-specific links are easy in English: OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER to find, well localized and rich in interest- THAN THEY APPEAR. Obviously that safety ing “hip” content for young consumers. notice is lost on South American drivers. The Argentine website is localized in the Intel. www.intel.com/espanol, mean- informal vos form of Spanish particu- while, has been created entirely in Latin lar to Argentina and Uruguay, while the American Spanish. According to Mao other links are correctly and uniformly Guimaraes, Latin America internet marketing manager for Intel Corpo- ration, Intel understands it is essential for its business in the region and for its customers “to have locally- relevant content available in local languages. Intel makes sure that all the information and tools they need to sell more of and to be successful selling Intel products is available in Spanish. Intel focuses on fulfilling the local needs (versus just automatically localizing what comes from the headquarters)” and has “the freedom to create local content — whether it’s promotions, cam- Ford Motor Company’s multiple South paigns or full websites.” American sites are strikingly different.

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expressed in the tú form. Details have been do not have a South American presence, bought and sold. It is simply less risky to duly noted, with the slogan toma lo bueno and many may not even have a South grit your teeth and follow the prevailing carefully and appropriately reworked as America strategy. Some exceptions are business model of outsourcing all the tomá lo bueno for Argentina and Uruguay. Lionbridge, which has had offices for Spanish and Portuguese translations and Coca-Cola scores top marks for its local- several years in Santiago, Chile, and São localizations to the right vendor or army of ization achievements in the South Ameri- Paulo, Brazil; and Moravia Worldwide, freelancers. can market. Better localization must surely which recently opened an office in Rosa- translate into better sales. Poorly local- rio, Argentina. STAR has an office in São Conclusion: it may be time ized products, on the other hand, frustrate Paulo. Oddly enough, Moravia’s Argen- to take a (calculated) chance potential buyers and turn them away. tine office is not listed on its home page Nevertheless, change is in the air. Given with the company’s other international the less-than-optimal state of localized Wake up and smell the coffee! locations. Nobody seems to be selling material in South America, highly promis- The localization industry in South America his or her company as “The door to South ing recent economic trends in the region It is common wisdom these days that America” or as “The authoritative source and future population projections (expec- every major company in the world has a for South America.” ted to reach 600 million inhabitants by China strategy and that it is usually man- Indeed, the fanfare of recent mergers 2030), it may be time for international trans- aged at the very top echelons of the corpo- and acquisitions activity in the industry lation and localization companies to rethink rate ladder. This is true in the localization appears to have passed the continent over their “South America strategies.” For those industry as well, and several of the major — at least for the moment. Local transla- who have no South America strategy, now players have recently acquired local Chi- tion and localization companies may not would be a good time to get one. nese companies (such as Welocalize’s be ready for acquisition for a variety of The outsourcing model of using South much heralded acquisition of Transco) or reasons, perhaps most notably because of American vendors without actually hav- have developed their own offices in China the relative scarcity of legitimate and ing a South American presence may have (Lionbridge, SDL, CLS, Moravia Worldwide, transparent accounting records and pro- reached its limits, and several South TransPerfect, thebigword, TOIN, Jonckers, fessional non-linguistic management. The American translation and localization com- STAR and so on). Several translation and local industry is also highly atomized. Most panies are well on the road to reaching a localization companies tout themselves as South American translation and localiza- degree of maturity that could well awaken “Your gateway to Asia” or “Your partner tion companies fly well under the $1-mil- the interest of industry leaders — or per- for China” and so forth, and the industry’s lion-of-annual-sales radar that is so easily haps disturb their sleep. regional health was given a clear thumbs- passed in the United States, Europe and The best harvests are always reaped by up by the crowd of more than 300 people Asia. International translation and local- those who anticipate market shifts rather who attended the Localization Worldcon- ization companies may also be reticent to than follow them. This is something that ference in Shanghai last March. invest in a potentially unstable region that will certainly merit discussion over café The same cannot be said, however, is far from the major centers in North negro at a future possible, but as yet for South America. The vast majority of America and Europe where the bulk of unplanned, Localization World event in translation and localization companies translations and localizations are actually South America. G

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GGETTINGETTING SSTARTEDTARTED:GuideSOUTH AMERICA

South America has an area of 17,840,000 sq km (6,890,000 sq mi). In 2005, its population was estimated at 371,000,000. Among the world’s continents, South America ranks fourth in area and fifth in population.

Map source: Central Intelligence Agency

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09 SA Map.indd 9 6/27/07 4:18:13 PM SOUTH AMERICA Guide: GGETTINGETTING SSTARTEDTARTED Localization Outsourcing and Export in Brazil

FABIANO CID

he Brazilian Institute of Geography in March 2007 analyzes the impact of com- Mercantile and Futures Exchange is the and Statistics recently applied a new munication and information technologies fifth largest in the world. Perhaps because Tmethodology to calculate the coun- on corporate competitiveness and the of this, according to the research director try’s gross domestic product (GDP), reveal- social and economic development process of International Data Group, Mauro Peres, ing that the Brazilian economy is $102 in 122 countries. The number of internet “Brazil can be the financial offshore IT ser- billion (all money figures are US dollars) users per 100 inhabitants is higher in Bra- vices provider of choice.” bigger than was formerly thought. Accord- zil than in the other three BRIC countries The country relies on some unique fea- ing to the consulting firm Austin Rating, — Russia, India and China. India ranked tures to enhance its attractiveness for com- the 11% increase found through the new fortieth in the list. Chile and Mexico also panies willing to outsource some of their calculation positions Brazil back among ranked better, placing thirty-first and fifty- activities, especially in the IT area. Time the tenth largest economies in the world, fifth respectively. zone is perhaps the most striking. One can

aheadSOUTH AMERICA of India, Australia, The Netherlands fly overnight from Chicago, Vancouver, New and South Korea. In 2005 alone, the Bra- York, London or Paris and arrive in Brazil zilian GDP reached $882 billion. Does this ready for a meeting without suffering from mean that Brazil will manage to reach a razil wants major jet lag. Conference calls can be set detached position among the world’s lead- B up in normal working hours because there ing exporters of IT services and products? to position itself is little time difference between South How can language industry companies and America and the United States or Europe. professionals benefit from this trend? What as a viable can we do to help fulfill Brazilians’ long- awaited dream to become the “country of offshoring alternative Terms the future”? These are a few questions that I will address in this article. Outsourcing: delegation of non-core opera- to other, tions from internal production to an external Two important conferences on this entity specializing in the management of that theme took place in São Paulo and Rio de well-established operation. Janeiro during March 2007. “Brazil Out- Offshoring: relocation of business processes sourcing” was an initiative launched by regions in Asia from one country to another. This includes any Flavio Grynszpan, coordinator of the Bra- business process, such as production, manufac- zilian Chapter of the International Associa- and Europe. turing or services. Unlike outsourcing, offshoring tion of Outsourcing Professionals; the “Rio does not necessarily involve a transformation of International Software and Services Out- internal organizational control. sourcing Conference” was organized by A nearshoring alternative Nearshoring: relocation of business processes BRASSCOM, the Brazilian Association of After I attended both conferences, it was to places that are generally less expensive and Software & Service Export Companies. At clear to me that Brazil wants to position yet geographically closer. Mexico and Canada are major nearshoring destinations for US busi- both events, the list of speakers included itself as a viable offshoring alternative to nesses, and in Western Europe, these include Brazilian and foreign executives, scholars other, well-established regions in Asia and Ireland, Eastern Europe and the Maghreb. and government representatives who dis- Europe. According to a paper published Captive center: a company-owned offshore cussed the ways and means to place Brazil by Research and Markets, “nearshore operation. The activities are performed offshore, in a more central position when it comes to outsourcing will grow 16.7% annually but they are not outsourced to another company. IT outsourcing. through 2008. This compares favorably Bodyshopping: practice of using offshore re- In 2006, Brazilian software market with Brazil and Argentina as one of the sources and personnel to do small, disaggregated transactions totaled $9.09 billion in IT sys- fastest foreign outsourcing growth rates tasks within a business environment, without any tems and related services, representing a in Latin America. By comparison, the Bra- broader intention to offshore an entire business 22.6% increase over the previous year’s zilian offshore agent population will grow function. figures. Of the total amount, $3.26 billion 18.0% annually.” Add to that the establish- BRIC: a group of countries, named after a 2003 thesis by the Goldman Sachs investment bank, refer to software sales, which account for ment of captive centers in major or smaller which includes Brazil, Russia, India and China. 1.3% of worldwide transactions and 43% Brazilian cities, such as that of IBM in Rio According to the paper, by 2050 the four coun- of those in Latin America. However, the de Janeiro and Dell in Hortolândia. Brazil tries will encompass over 40% of the world’s Network Readiness Index prepared by the has the largest bankable population to population and, due to their recent embracing World Economic Forum ranks Brazil in the use internet banking, as well as 10% of of global capitalism, will hold an approximate fifty-third position. The report published the installed ATM base worldwide, and the combined sum of 15 trillion dollars.

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The same applies to problem resolution. a few — has increased exponentially due According to Amarumma, the interpersonal Any issue can be solved within the same to a number of factors ranging from global abilities of Brazilian professionals have business day. warming to the instability in the Middle triggered an unprecedented trend in which Other distinctive factors have a geopo- East. Nevertheless, the IT sector has not IBM project managers are being “exported” litical nature. The country is immune to yet managed to achieve a reputable posi- to the US headquarters because of such natural disasters because of its location. tion in the international arena. qualities. Earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis and so Despite its excellence in some market Brazil is considered a low-cost region on are nonexistent. Despite its extensive niches, such as deep-water exploration, — sometimes even lower than India — but border line — shared with almost every research and development, banking the general perception is that Brazilians country in South America — the Brazilian and e-voting systems, it could take years are not as qualified. Indeed, when com- foreign policy of peaceful frontiers dates before the country even thinks of catch- pared to India, human resources costs at back centuries, and the vast territory has ing up with other giants such as India the highest levels of the corporate hierar- not been affected by any conflict or inci- and China. The overvaluation of the local chy are lower in Brazil. It is only when you dent that has characterized the world after currency, high labor costs, heavy taxa- go down the organization chart towards 9/11 (or before for that matter). tion and the language barrier all add to less skilled labor that India offers less Other less unique yet crucial advan- the difficulty of marketing the Brazilian IT expensive labor. tages include the protection of intellectual industry overseas. Yet things are starting Changing this perception may take a lot property, which can be an issue in certain to change. more effort and time than are currently Asian countries; a large telecommunica- devoted to the topic, yet these companies tions infrastructure; over 260 commercial Software on the export agenda have realized that if they are to grow abroad jetports, the largest IT professional base The export initiative of Brazilian IT com- and attract foreign investments and enter- in Latin America (892,000 people); and a panies is gaining momentum as they posi- prises, hard work lies ahead. Paulo Merson Western mindset, which facilitates busi- tion themselves as an alternative to other from the Software Engineering Institute at ness transactions and negotiations. (For well-established players, mainly Indian Carnegie Mellon University believes that more insights on the Eastern vs. Western corporations. The advantages offered are making intensive and continuous invest- mindset, please refer to my article “Under- numerous and quite specific to the coun- ments, breaking the language barrier and standing Asian Business Cultures,” Multi- try. They include cultural diversity, per- publishing case studies and white papers Lingual Computing & Technology #72 sonal characteristics and human resources in selected international publications are June 2005, which is also available at www costs, among others. some possible solutions. .ccaps.net/newsletter/10-05/art_2en.htm) History has turned Brazil into what some Some say that the private sector must Over the years, Brazilian software devel- tend to call “the real melting pot.” It started act with, without and despite the govern- opers have hardly thought about exporting when the Portuguese mingled with the ment. Yet the government is playing its part their IT services and products. Together indigenous population and the slaves dur- as well. According to Luiz Fernando Furlan, with other aspects that include a lack of ing the early stages of the nation’s founda- the Brazilian Minister of Development, government support and previous years tion. Throughout the centuries, immigration Industry and Foreign Trade, a tax reduc- of economic and political instability, the increased and was further promoted by the tion program for PC manufacturers soon to internal market has always been a discour- authorities. During the first decades of the be implemented will triple the production aging factor for those who ventured into twentieth century, settlements of Euro- capacity. The greatest challenges faced the so-called “new economy.” Why would pean, Middle Eastern and Eastern Asian by the IT sector — high taxes, unprepared a company bother going abroad when its (mainly Japanese) immigrants grew expo- professionals and labor laws that have not product could be sold internally to the nentially. The combination of mixed cul- been updated for over 50 years — are also world’s fifth largest population and a mas- tures and races and a welcoming attitude being tackled and are the top priorities of sive domestic market eager for products by the local population fostered a cultural the newly elected government. and services? On the other hand, some of diversity and tolerance rarely seen in other these companies have realized that global- regions that experienced such an inflow of How can we help? ization would force them to leave this com- foreign individuals. This situation helped Professional localization still does not fort zone and that a company that wants to to form the flexible character of Brazilian appear on the list of top priorities for most play a significant role in today’s economy professionals who, and perhaps because of IT companies in Brazil when they attempt must find its own place beyond the shelter this historical trait, also tend to show more to implement their exporting strategy. of the country’s borders. willingness toward team building. When considered early in the process, in- The Brazilian government has created a Jacques Depocas, head of the HSBC house localization is perceived to be more number of incentive programs for compa- Global Technology Center, is a French Cana- cost-effective. The general thinking and nies of all sizes willing to export. The topic dian living in Curitiba, a city in the southern attitude is that since there are engineers of internationalization is high on the agenda part of Brazil. He says that Brazilians are who can speak and write in English or of CEOs at most large corporations, and seen, by him and the whole corporation, Spanish in the office, why take the trouble success stories start to appear in the form as resourceful, curious, proactive, solu- to hire an external localization provider of airplanes (Embraer), cosmetics (Natura), tion-oriented and adaptable to changing to do the job? The results are generally jewelry (H. Stern) and shoes (Havaianas). conditions. These characteristics are also unsatisfactory as — and we all know The demand for Brazilian commodities — endorsed by Marcelo Amarumma, director — engineers are not language experts. soybeans, oil, steel and ethanol, to name of global delivery for IBM Latin America. In fact, the vast majority are not native

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speakers of the target language, and the their sales efforts. They have realized that our best to help Brazil eventually fulfill its results range from utter disasters to rea- no matter how good the domestic market aspirations to become an actual country of sonably successful localization efforts. can be, in times of globalization one must the future. Yet when there is so much capital invest- consider stepping further than one’s bor- Thinking back to the conference, I real- ment and human effort involved, playing ders and venturing into foreign lands. ize now that when Jair Avritchir from Dell this Russian roulette should never be an A number of Brazilian IT companies have USA said that one of the barriers to soft- option. In other rather common cases, reached their internationalization goals. ware development in Brazil was the fact the concepts of internationalization and Many other opportunities are still out there, that there are few local partners with rea- consequent localization are not even con- however, and while there is no strong local sonable scale and international presence, sidered during the process due to sheer industry association to support this enter- I should have raised my hand and asked, ignorance. Such concerns only appear prise, Brazilian companies will have to do “How can we help?” G when there is an opportunity to sell in a foreign market, but the consequences can be catastrophic, simply because there will be no time left to correct the problems, or MySpace localizes for South America the money invested to fix what should MySpace.com recently launched a test version of its US site in Spanish and another that targets have been thought of earlier will not com- people in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. pensate the profits generated when sell- The News Corp.’s goal for the social networking site was to be operating in 20 global regions ing the software in the first place. by June, according to reports from Reuters and TechCrunch. Executives said that about 50% of It is now up to localization companies MySpace’s overall growth is coming from international regions. Its newest regions include Japan, and professionals to help these clients The Netherlands and Germany. better achieve their internationalization MySpace en Español will seek to offer 28 million US-based Hispanics a version of the site in goals. The Brazilian market has often been Spanish and English and will display more music and other programming for Hispanic users, disregarded by language vendors — both executives said. The pan-regional site MySpace Latino America will target an estimated 150 inside and outside the country — because million residents in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. foreign companies are sometimes better As part of the expansion, MySpace is reportedly planning to launch a Brazilian test site this educated and easier to convince of the summer. The company launched a test site targeting Mexico in January. benefits of a good localization strategy. Previously, internet users in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany, Australia, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Canada, New Zealand and Mexico had access to localized versions These international companies also know of MySpace. Users were redirected based on the location of their IP addresses. With latino the value of achieving higher return on .myspace.com, users can choose to go directly to that site instead of through the US version. investment in their internationalization MySpace also launched la.myspace.com, a pan-regional site for Latin American Spanish speak- efforts, a fact that has allowed them to get ers. These localized versions of the service do not prohibit people from different MySpace sites an edge on the competition. Furthermore, becoming friends. Anyone can be friends with anyone in MySpace, even if he or she uses different only recently have Brazilian companies MySpace sites and speaks completely different languages, spokesmen say. started to seriously contemplate foreign — Compiled from news reports corporations as a viable alternative for

A cluster of individual Spanish translation bureaus from Argentina offers translation and localization services to translation agencies, localization companies, direct clients and software developers around the globe.

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10-13 Cid51107.indd 13 6/27/07 4:20:49 PM SOUTH AMERICA Guide: GGETTINGETTING SSTARTEDTARTED Doing Business in Argentina

TEDDY BENGTSSON

hroughout history, Argentina has had viability and sustainability of many busi- expertise. Without it, I have no doubt that a reputation as a land of opportu- nesses. Multinationals pulled out of their the business venture would have failed. Tnity. Right now, Latin America seems invest ments with amazing speed and on a to be in vogue as a location for starting up large scale, and the country plunged into Local intricacies new language businesses — from small a crisis of gigantic proportions. Scores of Local idiosyncrasies never fail to baffle new private companies formed by enter- people from all social groups lost their me — things here just work differently. A prising local translators to area offices jobs. An uncertain future loomed ahead good example of this was when IFL moved for international companies. Based on my for many professionals, from factory into new premises in 2004. We signed a experience in setting up a Buenos Aires workers to managing directors. three-year office lease deal with a fixed production center for Idea Factory Lan- In China, the same expression is applied monthly rent for the entire period. Two guages (IFL) four years ago, this article to crisis as well as opportunity. With this years into the period, the commercial includes thoughts about the particular in mind, my differentiating factor with

SOUTH AMERICA property market had grown more buoy- challenges of the market, both in general IFL was to capitalize on Argentina’s cost ant, and the building administration was and industry-specific terms. efficiency to gain the traction required eager to increase our rent to reflect the Starting and running a business are increasing prices. IFL had grown signifi- inevitably full of challenges. The language cantly, and we needed additional space. industry is no exception. Just ask any one ocal We agreed to a “voluntary” rent increase of the many thousands of entrepreneurs L on the understanding that the administra- around the world who battle well known idiosyncrasies tion would reserve an additional office and commonly discussed key issues on a unit in the building on our behalf. When daily basis — intense competition, tight never fail we wanted to move forward with this, margins and growing commoditization, however, the administrators fell short on only to mention a few of the perennial to baffle me their promise and were not able to meet favorites. Regardless of the industry, care- our need for more space. We realized that ful consideration of projected risks and — things here we had to look for alternative premises — rewards, both financial and personal, is we did not regard two separate locations critical in terms of planning a new venture. just work as an option — and subsequently asked The logical starting point is to identify and to revert to the original fixed monthly formulate the business opportunity as well differently. rental because we had neither obliga- as to figure out its differentiating factors. tion nor reason to pay more. Neverthe- Ideas and concepts need to be validated less, we were quickly removed from the through thorough research in order to to rapidly build a market-leading regional administration’s Christmas-card list, so put substance behind them. The business language service provider (LSP). The lon- to speak, for the “dishonorable behavior” plan should be formulated with a conser- ger-term opportunity focused around the of adhering to our contractual terms and vative bias because costs will inevitably growing significance of Spanish as a world conditions. It was the end of a cordial rela- be higher than expected and income gen- language, the potential advantages of tionship. The intricacies of knowing what eration slower. Those general guidelines Argentina over more mature LSP markets can be negotiated and how best to do it apply everywhere. This article will detail such as Spain, business extendability to definitely requires local knowledge and locale-specific factors for Argentina. another major language (Brazilian Portu- expertise. guese) and capitalizing on a distinctly dif- The immaturity of the marketplace means Argentina 2002: starting up ferent company profile compared to other it is difficult to find personnel with direct The Argentine economy and the gen- suppliers in our market. In short, the strat- industry expertise. Prior to IFL’s emer- eral business climate were still reeling egy was to build a world-class company at gence, few companies employed people in from the crash in 2001. The local cur- an accelerated pace, taking advantage of translation/localization-related roles. Qual- rency had been pegged to the dollar and unique timing and market conditions. ified translators may boast experience as went into freefall when it was floated. The weakest part of the plan was my lack teachers, bilingual secretaries and so forth After initially dipping to a quarter of its of experience running a company, never alongside freelance translation activities, previous value to the dollar, it eventually mind one in a totally foreign location. A but can rarely point to any background settled at around a third. Virtually over- chance meeting during my research led to suggesting a targeted translation career. night, the economic environment had a partnership solution that integrated a There is no shortage of well-qualified lin- changed completely and demolished the critical ingredient — local entrepreneurial guistic resources, but a lack of experience

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in terms of working in a company environment makes a thorough recruitment process essential. Identifying technical and project management staff with industry expertise is even more challenging than finding linguists. A strong in-house team is more essential here than in other markets because such a team provides the right environment for dynamic learning and development. When it comes to establishing an external translator network, which is key to scale and flexibility, a comprehensive selection process is critical. Today, IFL receives approaches from freelance translators on a daily basis. Only some 20% make it through the initial steps to become approved, and many of those fail to establish themselves as regular collaborators. Our selection process incorporates the Puerto Madero, the Buenos Aires version of London’s Docklands. validation of qualifications and experience; dedication to their role (that is, they do not unfortunately they seem more intent on are also linked to a longer-term thinking, the have another job); and equipment and continuing a power struggle rather than implementation approach and support must tools expertise. All applicants have to pass engaging in constructive negotiation. be thorough and well considered. a linguistic and technical test assignment. Corruption is still rife on both sides, and Of the many challenges for companies We also confirm alignment in terms of the deep-rooted links to the political spec- looking to establish a footprint in Argen- pricing of their services. Our experience trum mean that real progress looks tina, perhaps the greatest one has to do is that many freelancers have unrealistic unlikely and remote. with the necessary level of commitment. expectations in terms of compensation, Well-intended policies that were imple- If I had tried to set up and run IFL as a often influenced by foreign customers with mented to protect workers’ rights have “satellite” company — appointing a team limited market knowledge who pay exces- ended up making it difficult for employers to handle the operational activities but sive rates. Applicants who qualify gain a to apply progressive initiatives. IFL’s profit- personally being based elsewhere — we “trial” status and enter an initial period of sharing plan was set up to give employees would have failed. I’m not suggesting there extra-close assessment by our in-house a concrete way in which to understand are no competent people to run operations language specialist and project managers. that meeting financial objectives is as here, only that the personal commitment Many fall by the wayside because of sub- much in their interest as the company’s, to the day-to-day business is critical to standard or unreliable translation quality; but the red tape associated with making generate the right dynamics and confi- failure to meet deadlines or instructions; such payments to staff makes it almost dence in the company. People here are not not responding to feedback; or inability impossible to implement practically. used to responsibility being widely distrib- to communicate efficiently. The net effect People in Latin America tend to have uted across an organization, so, while they is that IFL works with a relatively limited a shorter-term perspective than those in welcome the concept, it requires careful, number of proven external resources on a Europe and North America — for logical rea- consistent and direct attention. frequent and regular basis. sons, as they have been exposed to living in Another difficult aspect of running a a topsy-turvy economic and social climate for language business in Argentina is to con- Business relations their entire lives. This is certainly something vey the differences between key supplier Argentina’s political legacy of mixing that impacts running a business here. It is types and their service offerings. Just as military dictatorships with populist-elected difficult to convince employees to take lon- in most markets, buyers have the usual governments leaves its marks on busi- ger-term views on personal and professional options for sourcing language services. ness and society. Employee/employer development because their focus is much The Argentine market is geared differently relations remain remarkably old-fash- more on the present than on the future. One because it continues to be dominated by ioned. The general sentiment is that one approach to counter this is to establish clear individuals and small groups, whereas side is opposed to the other. Selling the policies around issues linked to organization, companies with an enterprise infrastruc- concept that the two “sides” have shared jobs and development. Concepts such as ture are still few and far between. It is goals is difficult. As always, there are performance evaluations, personal and team important to clearly identify the opera- logical reasons for why things are the development goals/objectives, career paths, tional space of your setup and to avoid way they are. Employers in the country salary ranges, profit-sharing plans and so on chasing business not suited to your pro- unquestionably have a history of exploit- may be the norm in more mature business file. As a freelancer or an agency, avoid ing workers, and practices and processes markets, but they are still largely unknown the temptation of over-committing to that reflect this are still very much in in Argentina. Once these concepts are intro- capacity and turnaround requirements. force today. Conversely, unions have duced, there is no doubt that people under- As a company, stay clear of competing for grown powerful and influential, but stand and appreciate their value, but as many business priced at levels more suited to

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freelancers or agencies. Translation October 2007, which suggests that buyers need to be able to distinguish challenges are on the increase. between the services offered by indi- Macro-economic factors suggest vidual freelancers or co-operatives, that Argentina will remain competi- small businesses and full-service tive for the foreseeable future, but companies to ensure that they select the window of unique cost/ben- a partner with the right profile for efit opportunity is more than likely their needs. The local market can sus- closed, and our market needs to tain the different supplier types cur- capitalize on its other strengths. rently in operation and would benefit IFL has already moved into the from seeing more of the agency-type second phase of strategic devel- solutions “graduating” to the com- opment, shifting our competitive pany category to lend further credi- advantage branding from a cost bility. Some form of official industry focus to service and quality excel- association, either in Argentina or lence. Cost focus provided the nec- South/Latin America, could poten- essary traction, but it is a fleeting tially become instrumental in creat- concept. Sustainability and longev- ing a higher profile for our business ity can only be achieved by service regionally and internationally, as and quality excellence. well as in promoting best practices Argentina holds excellent pros- and supporting training and devel- San Telmo, a historic district a few pects to become a recognized center blocks from IFL’s office. opment initiatives. Some initial dis- for language industry excellence. The cussions to this effect have already taken starting to erode. Annual inflation rates focus, commitment and finesse required to place among leading regional companies, over the past few years have exceeded generate success in this market should not and I expect these to translate into some- 10%, and the actual costs of doing busi- be underestimated, though, and partner- thing tangible by late 2008. ness have gone up even more. The Inter- ing with a proven local company is likely Although the market continues to offer national Monetary Fund has predicted to offer the most secure and value-adding cost advantages compared to many other “galloping inflation” following presiden- way to unlock its potential. Remember, it locations, these advantages are gradually tial elections that are scheduled for takes two to tango! G The Tricky Business of Spanish Translation

GREG CHURILOV AND FLORENCIA PAOLILLO

ver the years, our translation team notwithstanding. Mexico is far from Chile; be the word accesar for to access, a term has experienced the many chal- the avocado plant, for example, is called not recognized by the RAE and yet promi- Olenges, pitfalls and amusing ironies aguacate in the former, palta in the latter. nent and commonplace in Mexico city inherent in the translation of English mate- Thus, an inclusive and universal one-ver- street signs. Years ago we were taken to rials into Spanish. sion translation of a horticultural docu- task by an American client who had spent The immediate challenge for the trans- ment becomes quite a task! years living in Mexico for using acceder lator is to appeal to all audiences while when “everybody knows” accesar is the remaining local enough to communicate Influence of other languages, correct term! to each reader. In view of the many types especially US English Another example of US usage creeping of Spanish, each with distinct nuances The plot thickens as we bring into the into the Spanish language is capitaliza- of lexicon, the task is not a simple one. mix the influence of other languages, tion. Quite often we receive instructions We are occasionally asked to translate to such as English influence upon the US from clients asking us to capitalize days “international Spanish” — a vague and Hispanic audience. While we generally of the week and the names of languages non-committal term that carries with it the consider the Real Academia Española — none of which require uppercase in assumption that one can appeal to South (RAE) to be the “final-say” authority on Spanish, but do require it in English. American audiences and Iberian audiences matters of grammar and lexicography, we Similarly, while titles often receive “ini- with the same translation (you cannot). find that several terms considered inap- tial caps” in the United States, this is not More frequently, we are asked for neutral propriate by the RAE are accepted — and a valid capitalization rule for Spanish. Latin American Spanish — a much more preferred by our clients — due to their Still, we are frequently specifically asked apt generalization, but a generalization common use. An example of this would to keep initial-caps style on titles when

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GGETTINGETTING SSTARTEDTARTED:GuideSOUTH AMERICA

it comes to marketing pieces for the US Translation riddles care, for example, as well as circumstances Hispanic audience. While we certainly within South American Spanish related to weather and the seasons. advise our clients of proper usage and Even when we don’t take into consider- In a “how-to” manual we recently trans- so on, in the end it is their document, ation the English influence, South Amer- lated, the author listed some fairly com- their audience and their communication ica itself offers us a number of riddles. mon life challenges and how to resolve — thus, their prerogative. We recently ran into some of these while them. One of these was “how to move a We are left to wonder, are we betray- translating a book for a major direct-mar- compost pile in a simple, easy way.” While ing our mother tongue by contributing to keting publisher. While the proper trans- this might be a common issue for rural its bastardization? Tradutore, traditore lation of t-shirt into Mexican Spanish is North America, it is such an infrequent, (translator, traitor), some would say. Our camiseta, this term means undershirt in unusual situation for South American audi- company president Jennifer Churilov usu- ences as to provoke laughter in the reader. ally interjects, drawing on her linguistics After discussing this issue with the client, degree, that “language is perpetually we opted for modifying this example to evolving.” he ideal scenario “moving a pile of dry leaves.” While we’re naming the “evils of English T On a more serious note, quite a few contamination,” anglicisms in the IT field is for the author examples of everyday life in this manual immediately come to mind. In Argentina had to do with items of mass consump- one commonly hears terms such as mouse, of the text to be tion, available at low prices in the United PC, linkear, forwardear — all derivatives States. In South America, these same of their equivalent English terms. Even a participant . . . items are only available through the inter- when the obvious anglicism is avoided, net at exorbitant prices. The text in this we still encounter the IT field riddled in the translation section had to be rewritten, modified for with incorrect Spanish terms which are the South American market. This opens false cognates from English — salvar el process. one’s eyes to the global economy. archivo for save the file, bajar el archivo for download the file. These terms rarely Feedback could improve are used in actual printed translations, Argentina, which is not at all the image the the source material but they permeate the culture to the original text aimed to convey. (Conversely, While we translators are confronted degree that the average Argentinean the Argentinean remera — rowing shirt with these challenges, however, seldom technician is stumped when asked for the — does not exist in Mexican parlance.) In do these issues reach the eyes and ears proper term for device driver — because Mexico, secador is only used to refer to a of the original author. Myriad learning Argentinean techies refer to it simply as el hair dryer; in many South American coun- opportunities are readily available in each driver much more often than controlador tries, secador is used to mean floor mop, translation cycle. The ideal scenario is for or something similar. and the more specific secador de cabello the author of the text to be a participant, In many cases, such terms don’t seri- is used for hair dryer. (The Mexican jala- even if only a passive one (information ously impede communication, and at most dor de agua does not have any meaning only), in the translation process. Thus, the they create a humorous note for the listener for most South American audiences.) challenges and issues that surface during — such as the Mexican secretary in San Quite aside from differences in vocabu- the translation can be noted and included Diego, CA saying luego te llamo para atrás lary, a document may contain cultural cus- as style guidelines in subsequent works, — later I will call you backwards — when toms or usages that do not have a parallel thus creating more cross-cultural, trans- intending to mean te llamo más tarde — I’ll in another country — customs related to lation-friendly documents, born ready for call you back later. In some cases, these food preparation, pet and farm animal global consumption. G anglicisms and false cognates can cause serious problems. In math, for example, a billion in US Eng- lish is 1 followed by nine zeroes — in other words, a thousand millions. In Spanish, however, a billion is one million millions — 1 followed by 12 zeroes. Thus, billion (in English) is properly translated into Span- ish as mil millones. An error in this case could cause severe problems when dealing with financial documents. Similarly, in English we use commas to indicate the million mark and thousand mark, and a period to mark the decimal point (1,430,449.50). In Spanish, peri- ods indicate the million and thousand marks, and a comma is used for decimals (1.430.449,50).

July/August 2007 • www.multilingual.com/gsg page 17

14-17 Bengtsson52807.indd 17 6/27/07 4:22:17 PM SOUTH AMERICA Guide: GGETTINGETTING SSTARTEDTARTED Training Translators in South America

JORGELINA VACCHINO, NICOLÁS BRAVO & EUGENIA CONTI

outh America, especially Argentina, is and translators are joining their efforts to and target languages, technological skills, becoming more and more known as offer multiple solutions. extreme attention to detail, a broad general Spart of the translation and localization Universities are the slowest part in the education and a willingness to learn. world. It’s becoming “the place to go.” chain, but they will have to align with As an example of what companies really It already has quite a few small to medium- market needs and create well-balanced want from a translator, here are some of sized companies, mainly single-language curricula that include not only transla- the requirements included in a job posting vendors (SLV) or regional language service tion basics but technological skills as asking for English-to-Spanish translators providers (LSP), which manage to grow an well, introducing students to the real in Argentina: “high level of fluency in both industry with comparatively well-trained translation industry and its practices. languages (English and Spanish), a degree resources and low infrastructure costs. But, In order to complement up-to-date pro- level education in Translation, organized, lately, the region is witnessing the arrival of grams, academics should be immersed flexible and able to work successfully in a

someSOUTH AMERICA of the major industry players (Lion- tight deadline environment, detail-oriented bridge, long settled in Santiago de Chile; and quality-focused individuals, and expe- Moravia Worldwide, with a new location in rience with TM tools.” Rosario, Argentina; and SDL International, t is in South Other general requirements for profes- planning to settle in Buenos Aires, Argen- I sional translation practice usually include: tina), for which it will need to be prepared America’s own • a good understanding of the profes- and open. After all, it is in South America’s sional practice, institutions, ethics and own interest to offer high-quality and skill- interest to principles ful resources ready to handle market needs • to be open to participate in working with as well as companies that can absorb those offer high-quality a team resources, generating a service segment • sufficient knowledge of project man- not even known in the local market. and skillful agement practices to understand his or Larger companies are moving into South her place in the process America mainly because of lower labor and resources ready • a wide cultural background infrastructure costs. But in addition, South • a proficient command of the mother America has built a highly qualified trans- to handle tongue — involving excellence in syntac- lation community with a wide variety of tic, pragmatic and semantic aspects of the well-prepared corporations offering above- market needs. language average graded products. This combina- • to be willing and capable of evolving tion of lower costs and quality translation at the pace of the newly developed tools services ensures a perfect cost-effective in the business in order to be able to fol- as they arrive in the market solution for foreign countries. low industry trends and share them with • to be ready to explore and evaluate the students. They will also have to be upcoming tools and working strategies Building a translation workforce able to encourage students to become • to be open-minded toward new and South American universities have surely involved in the business. Companies, on diversified fields of knowledge and able contributed to the development of the the other hand, have to help universities to develop language and terminology for industry. There is, however, an important keep track of the real world while devel- special purposes gap between training programs and the oping their own strategies to offer new • to develop critical sense allowing the real business. In most cases, there is little training opportunities. translator to work in a wide range of fields relationship between content taught in So, where is South America in terms of • to develop well-built communicative educational institutions and what is actu- market compliance? Is it true that resources competence ally performed in the real world. So, is this are born well-trained? • intellectual curiosity and an active atti- gap being bridged? Further, who is taking tude showing flexibility and versatility skills. the responsibility of doing so? Is it pos- Market needs sible for recent graduates to keep up with Companies need translators capable of Where do these requirements the industry? producing high-quality work and able to leave recently graduated translators? It is definitely possible for South America carry out translation-related tasks. They Educational institutions in South America to build a translation workforce able to fol- consider as essential qualities accountabil- do not completely prepare future transla- low the rhythm of this fast-moving indus- ity (responsibility towards the profession), tors for the real market. In this respect, they try. Educational institutions, companies flexibility, linguistic accuracy in both source are not that different from most countries

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around the world or the training received for other professions. Let’s take a look at the division of subject areas of the learning programs of some South American universities. These subjects were taken from the website of the corresponding universities, only as a reference to represent the programs most commonly given in South American curricula. The accompanying graphics show the percentage of areas covered by different South American universities’ curricula. As can be seen in the program abstracts included in the comparative graphs, South American universities train students in Subjects comparison among South American universities’ curricula. several skills: translation and translation techniques; writing and the ability to iden- mainly on the second language (non-native), publishing (DTP). As a consequence, gradu- tify different types of texts; reading com- the formal components of the first lan- ates leave school without having had access prehension; research abilities; working guage, theoretical aspects of translation to technological resources and hands-on methodologies; and cultural skills. and the development of general back- experience. They also tend to include certain con- ground knowledge. Based on market needs, Companies, the parties most interested tent: first-language and second-language however, there should be more depth in the in counting on highly trained resources, grammar; phonetics and phonology; lin- approach towards the first language or have therefore started to take an active guistics and translation theory; ethics; mother tongue, which appears as an essen- role in order to build translators ready to general knowledge; specialties basics; tial theme for a translation educational pro- meet market needs. and culture, history and political organiza- gram. Also important is a clear absence of tion of foreign countries. training in computer-based resources and How can a company help? Even though these curricula include the the real practice of translation involving Companies discover that in order to essential subjects needed to produce qual- tasks related to project management, trans- bridge the gap, they should become part ified translators, they seem to be focused lation, editing, proofreading and desktop of the training forces and invest time and

The same comparison as above among specific South American universities.

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money to make well-trained resources As new and innovative software solutions education programs. Many more solutions happen. They discover that, as in the rest appear in the business, training resources are possible. It’s just a question of creativ- of the world, good resources are made and so they are up to date and always ready ity or market maturity. are not born. So, they implement one or to work with the new tools has become more solutions such as internships, train- an important matter for companies in The translators’ responsibility ing workshops and e-learning. the short term. Localization companies But then, it’s up to translators, their own Internship programs. Translation and organize workshops and invite freelance responsibilities and commitment. They localization companies are offering the translators to learn the basics of the new should be proactive and flexible to acquire opportunity to participate in internship software tools. rapidly all the knowledge and skills they programs in which the new translators are E-learning solutions. Many multinational are not given in educational training. They trained in how to perform various local- corporations have made incursions into this should be on the lookout for opportunities ization and translation activities such as new trend with proven success. Lionbridge, and should develop the ability to manage translation, editing, proofreading, glos- for instance, has developed its own e-learn- their own business in a way that allows sary development, DTP and post-DTP ing platform. Some of its solutions include them to meet the market requirements. quality control. Working in a real-life envi- computer-based training, web-based train- It’s important to understand that the most ronment together with experienced trans- ing, classroom-based intructional materi- profitable and feasible solution is to invest lators who help them improve their skills, als, XML-based re-usable learning objects, in the development and implementation of the new translators acquire experience self-paced certification and assessment pro- training programs to provide translators related to business issues such as han- grams, multimedia applications, learning with the most valuable resource they need dling tight schedules, teamwork, develop- management systems and learning content to get involved in the market: knowledge. ing and maintaining glossaries, managing management systems. Then translators are made, not only by the CAT tools, and incorporating a sense Another company, WorldLingo Trans- universities that train future profession- of accountability and commitment towards lations, provides a “real time learning als mainly in the theoretical aspects of the the company’s quality assurance stan- environment on-line, where the learner is language but also by companies that have dards. In other words, through internship in simultaneous communication with the to complement educational programs so programs, companies are contributing to teacher and with the other members of as to shape highly qualified translators, building well-prepared professionals. their virtual class” (www.worldlingo.com). meeting the technological demands of the Among the companies that are applying E-learning complements and strength- market as well. internship programs are SDL in Europe, ens traditional methods of teaching by The South American translation industry, INTEX in the United States and Ushuaia means of interactive resources and spe- like every emerging market, offers many Solutions in South America. cialized communicative channels. Users opportunities and poses many challenges. Training workshops. In-company work- manage their own learning, wherever they But it’s only with the combined effort of its shops are offered to prepare in-house and might be and at any time. participants — universities, companies and freelance resources in the use of standard These are some of the solutions com- translators themselves — that it will explore or new/upcoming tools. panies are offering to complement higher all its opportunities. It’s just up to us! G

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page 20 The Guide From MultiLingual

18-20 Translator training.indd 20 6/27/07 4:23:29 PM SOUTH AMERICA GETTING SSTARTEDTARTED:Guide An invitation to subscribe to

his guide is a component of the magazine MultiLingual. The promoting your business or for conducting fully international e- T ever-growing easy international access to information, ser- commerce, you’ll benefit from the information and ideas in each vices and goods underscores the importance of language issue of MultiLingual. and culture awareness. What issues are involved in reaching an international audience? Are there technologies to help? Who pro- Managing content vides services in this area? Where do I start? How do you track all the words and the changes that occur Savvy people in today’s world use MultiLingual to answer these in a multilingual website? How do you know who’s doing what questions and to help them discover what other questions they and where? How do you respond to customers and vendors in should be asking. a prompt manner and in their own languages? The growing and MultiLingual’s eight issues a year are filled with news, technical changing field of content management and global manage- developments and language information for people who are inter- ment systems (CMS and GMS), customer relations management ested in the role of language, technology and translation in our (CRM) and other management disciplines is increasingly impor- twenty-first-century world. A ninth issue, the Resource Directory tant as systems become more complex. Leaders in the devel- and Index, provides listings of companies in the language industry opment of these systems explain how they work and how they and a key to the previous year’s content. work together. Four issues each year include Getting Started Guides like this one, which are primers for moving into new territories both geo- Internationalization graphically and professionally. Making software ready for the international market requires The magazine itself covers a multitude of topics. more than just a good idea. How does an international developer prepare a product for multiple locales? Will the pictures and col- Translation ors you select for a user interface in France be suitable for users How are translation tools changing the art and science of com- in Brazil? Elements such as date and currency formats sound like municating ideas and information between speakers of different simple components, but developers who ignore the many inter- languages? Translators are vital to the development of interna- national variants find that their products may be unusable. You’ll tional and localized software. Those who specialize in technical find sound ideas and practical help in every issue. documents, such as manuals for computer hardware and software, industrial equipment and medical products, use sophisti- Localization cated tools along with professional expertise to translate complex How can you make your product look and feel as if it were built in text clearly and precisely. Translators and people who use transla- another country for users of that language and culture? How do you tion services track new developments through articles and news choose a localization service vendor? Developers and localizers items in MultiLingual. offer their ideas and relate their experiences with practical advice that will save you time and money in your localization projects. Language technology From multiple keyboard layouts and input methods to Unicode- And there’s much more enabled operating systems, language-specific encodings, systems Authors with in-depth knowledge summarize changes in the that recognize your handwriting or your speech in any language language industry and explain its financial side, describe the chal- — language technology is changing day by day. And this technol- lenges of computing in various languages, explain and update ogy is also changing the way in which people communicate on a encoding schemes and evaluate software and systems. Other personal level — changing the requirements for international soft- articles focus on particular countries or regions; translation and ware and changing how business is done all over the world. localization training programs; the uses of language technology in MultiLingual is your source for the best information and insight specific industries — a wide array of current topics from the world into these developments and how they will affect you and your of multilingual computing. business. If you are interested in reaching an international audience in the best way possible, you need to read MultiLingual. G Global web Every website is a global website, and even a site designed for one country may require several languages to be effective. Experienced web professionals explain how to create a site that Subscribe to MultiLingual at works for users everywhere, how to attract those users to your www.multilingual.com/subscribe site and how to keep the site current. Whether you use the internet and worldwide web for e-mail, for purchasing services, for

July/August 2007 • www.multilingual.com/gsg page 21

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