How translation services changed the world

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The human race; we are a very intriguing race we consider ourselves at the top of the food chain, smarter than the rest of the species on this earth and this is all thanks to our ancestors who always looked at new ways of doing things, always evolving skills and techniques with innovative ideas which is why we have come so far.

We learnt how to make tools to hunt animals that are much bigger and powerful than us, we managed to create and control fire which we used to cook food, keep us warm and protect ourselves amongst other things, we built houses and buildings, we made art, we made cars etc. But one of the most impressive creations we have had is the use of complex languages.

There is such a vast array of languages, dialects and variations in the modern world not counting the amount of now extinct languages right through human history and as more and more languages formed there was bound to be a time where two cultures meet with completely different languages and the need to understand each other is a necessity, this is how translations were born.

These early translation services so to speak enabled the skill of learning a language from a completely alien civilisation which in turn introduced different cultures and encouraged more spreading of populations around the world.

In today’s world learning what something means in another language is not a problem and thanks largely to the internet a fast translation is something that can be done through typing it in on Google.

Alternatively if you wanted an official document to be translated there are professional translation agencies so all the work is done for you. You could even pick which language you wanted to be translated for example Romanian translation services.

Of course due to all the studies and knowledge on languages coupled with the ever increasing globalisation and the internet making the world smaller, translation services are even more in demand as businesses and individuals alike have more of a reason to be in contact from someone across the world.

You don’t even have to know the languages anymore if you wanted to have a basic conversation with someone of a different tongue as advances in technology have made this possible. There are so many ways how translation services have had an effect on the world; these are just some of the ways.

Internet marketing worth it? What entrepreneurs need to understand

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Since the dot com era many companies have managed to use the internet as a means of reaching global audiences at the click of a button. Whether it is tech companies, translation agencies or video production companies, the phenomenon of the internet has enable companies both small and multi-national to boost sales of their products and services by reaching global audiences.

Many of today’s international companies such as eBay were founded by entrepreneurs from their bedrooms. Some successful entrepreneurs like Mashable’s Pete Cashmore started writing blogs as a hobby and did not foresee the success Mashable has translated to date within the social media industry from its humble beginnings, however one thing that stands out and that is common by all such companies or entrepreneurs is their ability to use internet marketing in order to generate sales.

Online marketing has been a growing industry for many years now with expertise earning substantial amounts of money for services such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) which involves activities such as link building, directory submission, article writing and social media to name a few. SEO can now also be studied at higher education level in some countries. Over the years this field has grown extensively and pretty much anyone can do this type of marketing by simply learning the basics through published books and online forums. With that has come numerous bad practices in online marketing most notably in the form of spammers. Many are spamming blogs and forums with unnecessary links in the hope to generate traffic. The question is does this pay off?

In the short term maybe! You may boost your companies’ visibility in major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing, but for companies with a long term focus, such practices must be avoided. Investing in a good online marketing strategy is what will give companies longevity in search engines and allows the company to be seen as a credible source by its users which will enable the company website to rank even higher on major search engines and provide a competitive edge. This is also where good budgeting comes into effect. As a fundamental rule of marketing strategy it is better to be both effective as well as efficient. Being effective means you have a good strong product or core service to offer whereas being efficient means you have the right team to sell and market your product. Both need to be present in order to achieve optimum success.

With over one billion search queries per day for products and services on Google alone, it is vital that in this day businesses appear in such search engine results. This is a must as this is a major source of traffic to your website. As any online marketing manager will tell you, doing so will ultimately lead to higher revenues.

Internet Marketing VS Traditional marketing

One thing to understand is that internet marketing does not and should not work in isolation. The traditional styles of marketing such as face-to-face or business to business marketing are still valuable in this day in age as they allow companies to have a personalised touch to their service. Having these key principles of marketing work alongside online/internet marketing will lead to positive financial results for your company which proves the value of internet or online marketing as a valuable contribution to business.

Translation agencies around the world have clearly taken advantage of this. By simply typing a keyword such as Slovak translation services or German translation services through Google you will find millions of results to choose from. From this it is usually the top 5 companies appearing in the search results of these particular keywords that will gain the most business from this; another clear example of the value and influence of online marketing and SEO.

Undeniably internet marketing is a competitive industry but is not something that should be vaguely overlooked by companies.  Today over 95% of the most successful companies in the world poses a website; however it is only the businesses that effectively uses internet marketing that pull the most traffic to their sites and so make the most revenues.

Human Translation vs Machine Translation; The Battle Continues

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The ever mounting development of software and mobile applications configured to help people to translate text into hundreds of languages have helped to some extent, but it is still challenging to obtain a perfect translation this way. This task can only purely be done efficiently by human beings! A large number of software’s and applications provide us with rough ideas or near exact elements of our text in a different language however, this kind of translating cannot be wholly relied upon.

In terms of translating documents for example legal documents, immigration documents or documents which call for certified translations, it really is fundamental to use a human translator in order to increase accuracy and quality.

A translation agency is one way to seek out qualified translators. It is usually fast, and easy to obtain a quote. By using this service you are able to save time as well as money. This gives you the opportunity to contact a quantity of companies, get quotes and judge which translation agency to make use of based on your requirements. Another benefit of using professional human translators instead of using automated services is the grammatical accuracy that is included with it. Despite the ever changing and advancement of technology it is still crucial that you proofread documents before they are handed back to a client or professional body. Translating using software programmed services will translate your text word for word; however, it does not think along the lines of the grammatical accuracy. Not yet has there been an invention which has met all these needs. Again from this, one can clearly see where it becomes more reasonable to work with human translators in such occurrences.

Hundreds of languages are spoken globally and with globalization on the rise, companies are investing heavily in markets like India and Brazil.  This has created many opportunities for firms to grow and reach broader horizons. This really is also where the utilisation of a translation agency comes into effect. On account of language obstacles, a superb translation is critical in order to be aware of all of the messages or instructions. This can vary from translating a technical document for only a car manual, translating a legal document for immigration purposes or translating an organizations website into another language. Take for instance visiting any company website on Google that targets the Slovak market and has a website translated in Slovak professionally, also try and use some of the free Slovak website translation tools online and compare the two. There is no doubt that you will spot the difference instantly as websites do not only require translation of words but need to be localised to suit the intended audience.

For businesses seeking to branch out and go global, the use a good translation company is vital in effectively reaching a wider audience with the ultimate goal of increasing sales and revenues.

 

Image by: Prank Sky Media – Flickr

Translation services in a very loud way

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When you think of translation services you would usually think of one or more qualified translators looking at text in one language, comprehending it and then producing the same sentence in a whole  other language, sometimes a different alphabet for example when a translator translates a document from English to Hebrew as part of Hebrew translation services. Or you might envision an interpreter talking after someone to repeat back what they said in another language or maybe you would even think about translations in subtitles as part of a movie or television programme.

How about someone shouting translations in your face? Because that is exactly how Japanese electronic product giants Panasonic want you to see translation services. Just imagine yourself in a foreign land, lost and not able to speak the local language even to get by and just when you are about to give up hope your saviour turns up shouting something in your face that you can actually understand and this is all possible thanks to Panasonic.

This is because Panasonic have come up with a megaphone that is capable of automatically translating about 300 pre-set information and warnings messages from Japanese to English, Chinese and Korean in order to help companies deal with the increased foreign visitors coming to Japan. This really is the definition of retail translation services as Panasonic plan to obtain contracts to produce 10,000 units aimed for 2018.

The megaphone works in a way such as when the user speaks in Japanese into it; the software recognises the phrase and instantly translates into one of the three languages programmed into the megaphone so far, even if the sentences are incomplete. The estimated 300 pre-set sentences includes lines like “Watch your step” and “The train has been delayed,” and can even function with background noise which makes it perfect for places like train stations and airports. Although more phrases can be added through updates.

Panasonic have started offering the megaphone translation for around ¥20,000 ($183) per month based on a three-year contract with organisations such as the police already trialling these services since 2015. Depending on how well this product is received by the public, it could spell a very positive financial translation for the Osaka based company.

We think it is a great idea and something that can potentially expand greatly in the future. What are your thoughts on this?

 

Image by: Jason Hargrove via Flickr

Is the customer always right? What every business should consider

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A typical job interview question and a question all businesses instill in their employees. There is no right or wrong answer to this ever popular question. It simply depends on the scenario or context that it applies to. Take for example if you are dealing with a customer who is clearly in the wrong, do you still consider the notion that they are right or that customers are always right? That is something that will be discussed in this post.

In such a situation it is vital for the person dealing with the customer to maintain a professional level of composure and despite knowing that the customer is wrong and they are right, does the serving party still need to bear in mind that the customer is always right? Some may say; how do you do that? It is important to understand that sometimes people do not follow instructions well.

It may be a simple case of not reading an advertisement well or a more serious one. E.g. in a situation such as a translation agency offering Russian translation services or Chinese translation services and you are offering a special promotional discount whereby the customer has to purchase a particular product in order to qualify for the special promotional discount on offer, but the customer having misread the promotional details or “small print as they call it” is unhappy that they do not qualify for the discount, it easy to pinpoint where the customer is wrong and the issue would usually be resolved there and then.

However in a situation more complex where there is no quantitative data to back up your companies point against the customers, it takes much more effort to resolve the issue at hand. This can be seen as a waste of time and is something that is overlooked by managers at times.

In such cases it is fundamental to ensure that the customer does not feel as though they are being belittled or their point of view is being undermined but to empathize with the customer and make them feel as though they have not made a mistake will in most cases work as an advantage to your company.

This will make the customer know that they are in the wrong without you explicitely stating that (and despite them not admitting it in most cases); however they will be more likely to use your services again because of the excellent customer service they received. We as human beings do not want to be told we are wrong and in most cases do not like to admit we are wrong. That is just human nature!

When answering the question ‘is the customer always right’, one cannot simply say yes or no without explanation. It simply depends on the situation at present and the way in which the serving party handles the situation.

For companies, training employees to effectively manage situations such as the ones raised earlier in this post is an invaluable step in ensuring customer satisfaction is met. This can be the fine line between keeping a customer and losing one. We all know the value of customer retention and many researchers have noted that it is more valuable to retain a customer than to get a new one.

No matter how popular your products may be with the public, if you do not provide a good service, customers will not feel valued and your company could be in deep trouble as customers will most likely decide not repurchase from you. On average a customer tells around 10 people when they experience negative customer service from a company but hardly tells anyone when they do experience positive customer service.

This alone should be something that managers in a company should bear in mind and this should be communicated effectively to supervisors and also the workers who interact with the customer at the point of service delivery. If conducted appropriately, there is no doubt that customer satisfaction will increase as well as sales and profitability.

How to utilise translation services in 2017

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By now it can be assumed that we are all pretty much settled into the New Year and back on the grind whether that is in employment or self-employment. A new year for many symbolises a new beginning, a time to leave all the negative happenings of the previous year and embark on new journeys to achieve set goals. If you haven’t set your new year’s goals by now well you know where the pen and paper is.

When it comes to doing business in 2017 one thing you must avoid is to limit your possibilities. Now more than ever is the time to maybe take that leap of faith and invest into reaching global markets. Perhaps it is something that has been weighing on your mind for a while and you just haven’t got round to doing it. Once you have sorted out the logistics as to how you can deliver your product or service on a global scale your next step should be the utilisation of professional translation services.

Using translation services can be a huge benefit to your company and separate you you’re your competition. After all, research has found that despite English being the most popular language in the western business world as we previously discussed many countries prefer and do business in their native mother tongue.

When targeting countries like Germany you would see major differences in terms of your marketing by utilising a German translation service for your website translation you could see a dramatic increase on traffic from Germany. If you aim to reach the South American market, Brazil to be specific a Brazilian Portuguese translation would be highly advantageous for your business.

When it comes to using translation services the most common objectives are the usually “oh it’s too expensive I’ll just use Google translate”. Well try and send a proposal to a potential new client in China using Google machine Chinese translation service and see what happens. We don’t really advise you do that. In all fairness Google translate has its benefits and can be used in many instances to get quick translations of text to have an understanding of what is being said.

However technology has not quite yet replaced the human touch so for now the most accurate translations can only be performed by humans. Before jumping the gun and translate your entire content test the waters with a few pages and see what difference it makes.

You’ll never guess which language translation these two children’s classics received

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Over the years a lot of famous books and literature have had the ‘translation service treatment’ including what is widely considered as the world’s oldest novel which we previously wrote about in an earlier post. But now two more recent famous children’s classics; Julia Donaldson’s ‘The Gruffalo’ and Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, have now received a translation and you would be forgiven for thinking that it would be along the lines of a French, Spanish or even German translation but that is not the case.

You would usually associate book translations with some type of translation service of more prominentg languages for example Mandarin, English, Arabic, and Italian translation services to name a few, so it might come as a surprise that these children’s favourites from Julia Donaldson and Roald Dahl have been translated into the Scots language from Scotland.

So instead of Oopmpa-Loompas how about Heedrum-Hodrums? This is the Scots version of Mr Willie Wonka’s (or Wullie Wonka’s) tiny orange helpers. The 1964 Roald Dahl story was translated into Scots by poet, novelist and translator Mattew Fitt. Fitt has previously worked with Black & White Publishing’s to translate other Dahl stories into Scots including The BFG (The Guid Freendly Giant), George’s Marvellous Medicine (Geordie’s Mingin Medicine) and our personal favourite The Twits (The Eejits).

Whilst The Gruffalo has been giving more of a Glaswegian take on the language of the story originally released in 1999 and written by Julia Donaldson, The Gruffalo has been translated into Glaswegian Scots by Actress and comedienne Elaine C Smith for Scots language books specialist Itchy Coo. To give you a feel of the translation, the opening line of the original Gruffalo goes “A mouse took a stroll through a deep dark wood. A fox saw the mouse and the mouse looked good.”  Whilst the Scots translation is as follows “A gallus moose taen a dauner through a scary big wood. A fox clocked the moose an the moose looked good.” The Glasgow Gruffalo as it has been renamed has also had a Dundonian Scots in addition to a Shetlandic Scots translation.

It will be interesting to see just how the translations of these series of children’s books influence the number of Scots speakers within the new generations to come.

Image by: pettifoggist Flickr