Effective Budgeting for Your Technical Translation Project

This is a guest post from Barb Sichel at International Language Services. When preparing for technical projects, advance planning and investments in research and design, packaging, engineering, marketing, and more are required in order to ensure the project’s success. Another vital consideration in the technical project planning process is language translation services. Failure to consider […]

How to Spot a Great Transcreator

KFC put a lot of time and effort into making sure that their Chinese launch went off without a hitch. This meant spending countless hours on translation, product testing, and market research. But, all this footwork did nothing to stop them from horrifically mangling the Mandarin-version of their slogan. Instead of telling consumers that their […]

The Shallow End: A Deep Dive Into the New Google Translate

Google Translate and other machine translators have made a lot of progress since the Cold War. An internet browser can do in seconds what it once took a super computer to do in hours. This inevitable progress leaves many of my fellow translators looking like Chicken Little, always one news article from the apocalypse. The […]

5 Technologies Impacting Translation

Video killed the radio star. The car spelled the end of the horse-and-buggy. A lot of translators are starting to feel less like valued-professionals and more like unwanted antiques. Many of my peers are so frightened of developments like machine translation and AI that they cannot see its benefits. But, I understand such technological progress […]

5 Things That Differentiate Translation and Transcreation

Transcreation means taking a message written in one language and modifying it to better resonate with speakers of a different one. While this sounds a lot like what a translator does, the two terms are in no way interchangeable. While translation often focuses on mimicking the content of a document, transcreation focuses on recreating its […]

10 Unwritten Rules of Swedish Business Etiquette

INTRODUCTION Whether you’re an expat looking to start a business abroad or a salesman traveling abroad, you won’t succeed in Sweden without a clear understanding of its corporate culture. While many Swedes speak flawless English, they come from a completely different culture than individuals raised in the UK, Canada, or the United States. In today’s […]

10 Tips for Going Global

Localization to another market isn’t very easy, and if done improperly, can be dangerous to your bottom line. This is especially true for translation. SDL International found that “eight out of 10 international businesses lose revenue, delay product launches, or pay fines for non-compliance because of translation errors.” We’re guessing that’s a majority you don’t […]

Why There’s Room for Both MT and Human Translation

Introduction: The battle between machine translation (MT) and human translation rages on. Every time the newcomer hits the mat, laid low by another multimillion-dollar scandal, it bounces right back. Thanks to the ever-changing world of technology, MT just keeps getting better. But, it’s not important which of the two win the fight. The true winners […]

9 Things to Do Before Launching a Translation Project

Planning is Key to Localization Benjamin Franklin once said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” And he was absolutely right; anyone who’s ended up on the wrong side of a poorly-planned project knows that. Since you’re reading this blog, you know that there’s a lot more to localization than tossing some words into Google […]

Don’t Let Cultural Ignorance Ruin Your Perfectly Good Translation

You can see that cultural adaptation is critical when expanding your company internationally or even targeting audiences from a different culture within your country. Don’t limit your reach by limiting yourself to a strict, word-for-word, translation. Hire a professional translator to help.