Why establishing a solid relationship with your translation account manager is important

/in , , /by

As part of the process, your language service provider (LSP) should assign a translation account manager to your account. This person will be your point of contact throughout all projects, and your advocate to ensure your requirements are met. To ensure you and your company are receiving the most benefits possible from this relationship, you and your translation account manager should strive to build and maintain a trusting relationship.

Read more

Project valuation without source files

/in , /by

Providing an estimate for a translation project can be difficult without access to the original source files. However, BURG uses several heuristics to aid in determining the scope, cost, and estimated turnaround time without available source files. The goal of the estimate is to calculate a reasonable range within which the actual values of the quote would be.  There are five factors the Project Manager will consider in order to estimate a project’s value: Read more

What facebook teaches us about globalization and translation

/in , , , , /by

Love it or hate it, Facebook continues to keep the world wrapped around its finger. If you need proof of its world dominance, take a look Facebook’s most recent annual report.

Here are just a few of the surprising statistics and claims made in the report:

  • Generated $13 billion in the EMEA region;
  • Had a $21 billion economic impact on Central and South America;
  • Had a $100 billion economic impact on the United States

Read more

5 assumptions you shouldn’t make about medical device translation

/in , , , , /by

If you’ve worked in the medical device industry for any amount of time you know the importance of labeling. On each device, you must provide critical information for the patient, including usage instructions, warnings, and risks. With how important the labels are on your medical devices, it makes sense that you cannot afford to cut corners when it comes to translating the text for resale in other countries.

As a business, you want to save time and money whenever possible. However, cutting corners to finish a job quickly instead of accurately today could cost you quite a bit more over the long run.

Read more

Terminology management software for your translation needs

/in , , /by

When you’re reading a product label or instruction booklet, how much jargon do you see? Chances are quite a bit.

Jargon and technical terms fill the pages of documentation across all industries. High compliancy industries are especially prone to seeing technical verbiage in content. When translating these terms, many translators get stuck or confused.

Read more

Spain and Italy continue to lose in patent translation service fight

/in , , , /by

As a business, you know how expensive it is to file a patent. From the cost of filing to the expense of having the necessary patent translation service, patent filings are costly to companies.

With that in mind, it’s easy to understand why businesses continue their frustration over Spain and Italy’s non-stop battle against the European Patent Office (EPO).

For almost a half-century, Spain and Italy have fought the EPO to require that patents be filed in Spanish or Italian. Right now, the claims for a patent section must be filed in the EU in the top three dominant languages: English, German, and French. Spain and Italy want to add Spanish and Italian to that list of languages. Read more

Why the most economically active languages change over time

/in , /by

Access to the Internet is increasing worldwide. As more countries are able to go online and engage with this valuable resource, the linguistic makeup of the digital world experiences a dramatic shift.

Every year, Common Sense Advisory (CSA) aims to document the population of languages being used online in an annual report. The 2013 report was recently released, titled, “The 116 Most Economically Active Languages Online.”

In this report, CSA broke down data sets into four main categories:  Read more

Are you overlooking translation opportunities in the african market?

/in , /by

According to a recent report by the United Nations, Africa is home to 10 of the world’s 15-fastest growing economies. In spite of this, a lack of information across the continent is slowing the potential development in and among African countries.

With 2,000 languages spoken, it’s no wonder translators and businesses struggle to keep up. In Nigeria alone, there are over 500 different languages.

Read more

How to maximize your relationship with your translator

/in , /by

The relationship you have with your translator is perhaps one of the most important factors in the success of your translation. It has a direct impact on the quality of work you receive, how efficient your project is, and how quickly it reaches completion.

Choosing the right person to fill the role is the first step toward optimizing your translation project. Once you’ve found a good match, you must continue to manage your translator to achieve the best outcome in your project.

No matter which industry you’re in, there are four main steps that your relationship with your translator will go through during the life cycle of your project.

Read more

Writing for a global audience

/in , , , /by

When targeting an audience as large as the globe, writing becomes exponentially more difficult. Hidden meanings, symbolism, and abbreviations all are easy to get lost in translation. To avoid offending other cultures, losing the overarching ideas in your text, or unintentionally including non-relevant contextual information, you must follow a few writing guidelines.

Read more