Don't Let Your Translation Turn into a Bad Joke

Recently, we have noticed a reoccurring article popping up in our Google searches about a small Spanish town, As Pontes, advertising for an upcoming food festival.  The local municipality decided to use Google translate in order to advertise for the event, translating words between Spanish and the local language. Unbeknownst to everyone in the town for weeks, the online translator had misunderstood the word “grelo” a locally grown green being featured in the food festival, and rendered it into a term for a body part in the female anatomy. This went unnoticed for some time before people starting catching the unfortunate mistake that had been made resulting in a big embarrassment. 

We see many examples of these types of errors that may only be one word off, but like we see in this case, that one word can make all the difference.   What is interesting and very important when considering online or automated translation, is the comment made by a spokesperson from Google directly.  He admitted that, “Google Translate is an automatic translator – that is, it works without the intervention of human translators, using state-of-the-art technology instead.” They also went on to say “since the translations are generated by machines, not all translation will be perfect and sometimes there will be mistakes or mistranslations.” This is the problem.  People are more and more frequently turning to online translators to avoid the costs associated with using an actual translation company. However, no matter the level of technology you are using, there are special nuances in language that only humans are able to detect.  Even the best translation tools will translate word for word; only the words it knows or has in its dictionary and does not consider the context. It can possibly be at best grammatically incorrect, but can also turn into complete unrelated nonsense or even something derogatory, as in the case of the food festival.

This is not to put the blame on the tools themselves; they are doing the best with what technology exists right now. It is up to the individuals using a translation tool to make a judgement call as to the costs being saved by using online translation and foregoing a real linguist. Are you willing to risk the bad press that may come with an incorrect translation, turning your message into a joke and negating any information or promotion you are trying to convey? With the added cost of a professional translation comes peace of mind that what is translated is appropriate to the market and the situation at hand.

“Domestic” Globalization

Appearing in teQ Volume 20, Issue 7

The United States was always considered the melting pot of the world, and it continues to be so. Those that recognize this diversity will be quick to gain loyal market share. Don’t overlook the easiest and fastest way to increase sales within the United States: the simple translation of product labels, advertisements, websites, software, instructions and safety information for the growing non-native- English speaking population. Be the first in your industry and have a unique selling proposition, or be second and try to keep up with your competition.

Some industries already understand the need, and even the government requires specific material like insurance documentation, health information and student testing materials to be translated. Walmart's 3,700 stores in the United States also stock tens of thousands of their consumer products carrying bilingual English-Spanish product packaging to appeal to the rapidly growing Spanish-speaking market. Other big store chains like Sam’s Club, Lowes, Home Depot and Best Buy have followed with the use of bilingual signs, making things easier for shoppers.

The Data

Spanish was the second most common language in the country in 2012, spoken by approximately
38.3 million people, which is expected to increase to 40 million by 2020 according to the US Census Bureau. The United States holds the world's fifth largest Spanish-speaking population, outnumbered only by Mexico, Spain, Colombia, and Argentina.

Interestingly, about 17 million of these Spanish speakers were born here. It is estimated that over 70% of Hispanic households primarily speak Spanish at home, not English, including second and third generations that have lived their entire lives here. The word “Hispanic,” in fact, was first coined by the U.S. Census to try to classify the Latin Americans living in the United States.

Reviewing data on speakers of languages other than English, and speaking ability, provides more than an interesting topic on a changing United States. This data is used to create legislative policy, research applications, legal, financial and marketing decisions on how to effectively communicate with non-English speakers.

For example, after reviewing statistics on Tagalog and Vietnamese, each with over one million speakers in the United States, as well as Chinese, Japanese and Korean, these languages are now used in California, New York, Texas, Washington, Illinois, Alaska and Hawaii elections. This data is used to address critical safety, health, legal, public service and government related communications. Correct translations can mean the difference between life and death in some instances.

Translation effectiveness

It is important that the data be used properly in determining languages and versions for translation. Restaurant Depot has in-store maps translated into Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Vietnamese for their customers, since a high number of restaurants in certain cities are operated by non-native English speakers.

Taking just the Hispanic market into consideration, it comprises dialects and cultures from over 20 Latin American countries including Mexico, South America and Central America, and if you were to use Spanish for Spain it would be very different, ineffective or insulting to them. If you intend to use the translation over a large area in the United States, the key is to make it as “universal” as possible. However, if you are marketing to a particular region, it is sometimes necessary to use the correct version of Spanish. New York has a higher concentration of Puerto Ricans. Marketing campaigns targeted more generally to the “Latin American Hispanics” are not as effective there as compared to other areas in the United States. Los Angeles and Houston have a Mexican influence which is different from Latin American Spanish.

A senior life company uses a universal Latin American Spanish for Fort Myers Florida, but for Lehigh Valley in Eastern Pennsylvania, they know they need to adjust text and translate into Puerto Rican Spanish, based on demographics. Having that knowledge and making slight adjustments increased effectiveness and created a positive image.

The reality is that Spanish is relied upon by millions to live their daily lives. A company from Italy would not consider using packaging or content in Italian to target Americans, so why should Spanish for use in the United States be different, given the size and purchasing power of the market?

So do your homework, review your data, and go global domestically first.

I Hate Translation Projects!

I have heard this from clients and, although I own a translation agency, I have often said it myself. Usually the frustration is related to feedback from a client review, stating that a translation is “wrong,” due to the fact that the “reviewer”:

• Used an online translation tool and got a different word for something.
• Was never given the source English that the translator had
• Doesn't speak English well enough to be able to compare the source text with the translation adequately.
• “Studied” the target language only primarily in school and is not a native speaker.
• Is not familiar with industry-specific terminology.

After investigating, it is usually discovered that this “wrong” translation:

• Is the standard term understood and used in the industry or context, but the reviewer wants to replace it with a Google translation.
• Is a correct translation of the source text, but the suggested translation to replace the “wrong translation” strays from the original and is more of a re-write of the material.
•  Is perfectly acceptable and only a synonym was provided.
• Cannot be substantiated with concrete reasons or suggestions: a red flag in the translation business.
• After discussions, is recognized as the correct translation, because the reviewer misunderstood the original English.

Translation is subjective and can be purely preferential. There can be several ways to translate something, none of which is wrong, and one must simply decide which to use. Specifically used industry or company terminology provided by the client is welcomed and can be incorporated by translators and put into a translation memory for future use.

This can be confusing and controversial, as languages are constantly in flux. That is why you need professional native-speaker translators. We actually have some translators and editors whom we will NOT put on the same project, as their writing styles differ too much. They can even end up disagreeing over terminology in their own language. And each of these professional translators is very talented and works well when paired with someone else.

“I hate translation projects” has also been stated by company employees who are given the task when it is not part of their job. When a company grows, often no consideration is given to who will handle the new task of communicating in a foreign language, so everyone fends for themselves and is then saddled with the additional work of managing the translations. Even a two-person company may need to communicate in another language. For these people, translation can be frustrating and even scary. Usually the translation is urgently needed, highly confidential or an extremely large amount of material. They may feel they have no control and must trust that it is done correctly. And they wonder what it is they are paying for. Why does it cost so much? They view it as a necessary evil. I cannot tell you the number of times a first-time translation buyer has said “How will I know it is done correctly?”

Sometimes larger or growing companies with ongoing translations hire a dedicated employee with “translation” in their title or make it a department function. They receive internal requests and send them to the appropriate translation vendor(s).These employees may have an international background and find the process fun, adventurous, challenging, or educational. They love languages and culture. Usually they are detail-oriented and very organized. But even they can “hate” translations when told something is wrong that was supposed to have been professionally done. They may have had bad experiences working with international counterparts, independent translators or other translation companies.

I remember a Polish translation project with thousands of software strings, which were out of context and connected to other strings, with coding we needed to work around. A client contact not working on the project volunteered his 89-year-old Polish grandmother to review it. She spoke little English, knew nothing about software or its function and said “sounds funny, makes no sense, has typos.” It came back to us stating it needed to be fixed. Fixed how? Of course it sounded funny; so did the English, which was just a list of words that didn't form complete thoughts, within software coding.

Whether using a decentralized or centralized approach to translation, be prepared for conflicts. Having someone say “this is wrong” after completing the translation accurately, on time and within the budget puts the kibosh on all the hard work. I am sure there are many who would disagree about the use and meaning of kibosh and how to translate it into another language! And here we go again…

The “Normalization” of Relations with Cuba

Now that there has been some normalization of relations with Cuba there are some things to consider about the island nation before thinking of pursuing this market.

Most businesses and properties are still government owned and privatization will take place at a very slow pace. The big problem with Cuba is the lack of technology, mainly the internet. Internet availability beyond usage by the government is only at about 22%. Up until 2008 people weren't even allowed to buy their own computers. So if you have or have access to a laptop or tablet of any sort, you are probably a government worker or in some type of intelligence department. Most only have access to a radio if that.

Due to the way the country has been and is still functioning, in Cuba an average worker makes the equivalent of about $20 a month. As most rent and living expenses are still subsidized by the government, Cubans are still worried about paying for the basic necessities and don’t have any spending capital. Those who have been able to visit Cuba in the recent past comment on the old fashioned cars they still drive. So the latest trends are not known or have been lost there.

Businesses - the few that exist - have little disposable income. And Cubans, don’t want to attract businesses simply to make money. There will be bureaucratic red tape and you will likely have to deal with a local intermediary if they will accept you. All business deals between Cubans and foreigners, as well as any formal business deals between Cubans themselves, are made with the explicit knowledge and approval of the Cuban government and its structured more for socialism than open capitalism. Any “business” has to meet both the social and economic need in the country, determined by the state and not simply the consumers, so most entrepreneurs have to check their egos at the door and be prepared to do things the Cuban way.

Even hotels and restaurants have limited services and are owned by the government as a way to get hard currency. And it’s all cash. Due to the fact there’s no real viable internet and most don’t even have bank accounts, credit card machines and other means of electronic payments are few and far between.

But if you are forward thinking and venture out and try to break into the market, consider a translation vendor with access to Cuban Spanish linguists. The unique political situation today has led to the development of words which are specific to modern Cuban culture. There will be many different preferential words for things, words that aren’t the most widely used in other Spanish speaking locales. Over the years of being isolated, the language has become debased by "street" language rather than any foreign influence. It's also become very pedestrian, although a normal "high" register of language can be expected in formal and business communications. English is known by some but used more in the hospitality and recreational industries.

Bottom line, even though there is much talk about Cuba opening up, we may not see a great commercial sector to play with right away.  

The Impact of Translation

Finding actual statistical information is very difficult, so for those who are driven by numbers, it will be hard to find any. Who wants to take part in a survey to say they missed the boat? The translation industry itself has not engaged in getting to the numbers either positively or negatively either. What can be told, are actual stories to support the need of translation in at least three main areas.

•     Loss of Sales Versus Unlimited Growth

Several international studies confirm that, in spite of living in a globalized world, buyers still opt for proximity for products or services that are being offered in their language. This statement is based on the premise that we feel more at ease if we understand what we buy and if we do not clearly understand a product or service, we are reluctant to request it. To address your prospective clients in their language will convey the trust and proximity they need to utilize and purchase your products or services instead of those of your competitors.

As an example, a U.S. equipment manufacturer was doing business with a company in China. A new sales rep came on board and suggested to management that they translate the manuals into Chinese. The owner said there was no need and their client had never asked for it in all the years they were dealing with them. Several months later, a competitor from The Netherlands stole the business right out from under them and for more money. How? They approached the Chinese company in their native language and offered all the manuals and support materials to be provided in Chinese. Sad to say that with the loss of that one large client the company went out of business.

Reversely, another company saw growth from $3M to over $40M in ten years with market and global diversification, which included the translation of the necessary materials to support the strategy.

• Employee Safety and Engagement

There is a growing concern regarding the increased amount of non-native speakers in higher injury risk jobs working for American companies either in the U.S. or abroad. The number of workers for whom English is a second language is expected to continue to increase in the future. Therefore, taking a proactive initiative is critical to ensuring worker safety. It is imperative to remember inclusivity in safety training versus exclusivity. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for all employees. Bridging the language gap in workplaces small and large with the ultimate goal of aggressively eliminating injuries, illnesses and fatalities for all workers, is essential for success.

English-speaking workers have the benefits of learning from each other. Traditional safety training is not effective for non-native English speakers or those who speak a little English, especially when it is delivered by a trainer who expects the worker will receive it properly enough to understand and use it. Furthermore, safety memos, tool box talks and posters are not as productive when only presented in English. Efficient communication with non-English-speaking employees results in fewer workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities, as well as increased morale, productivity and profit. Injuries impact insurance and unemployment rates as well as leave open the door for law suites.

OSHA has alliances and public-sector outreach initiatives for Latino and Hispanic workers as well as other non-English speaking groups. Many OSHA publications and safety training materials are available in multiple languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Creole, Korean, Russian and Vietnamese.

•     Costly Legal Ramifications

The legal ramifications of not having a translation of even the simplest of documents can have such an impact that a business could fail. The legal realm of translation is a really broad area and can cover any of the following both internally (employees, distributors, or vendors) or externally (customers or competition):

• Product liability issues from misuse of the product and injury
• Loss of proprietary information and trade secrets that result in loss of sales and court costs to rectify
• Law suits from an employee who is let go, to a class action suit filed on the behalf of many injured parties
• Breach of contract and use of logo
• Patent infringement cases; such as infringement on a current patent held in another country 
• Exporting or importing compliance and regulation followed incorrectly may mean a delay in being able to sell, as well as additional legal fees or IRB costs.

Certain industries like chemical, medical and pharmaceutical, and other countries as well, require the translation of specific material to be compliant. Product labels, instructions for use, or equipment warning decals may need to be provided in the target language. So know what you need to have in order to do business in a particular country.

Where there may not be necessary rules that mandate translation, there are the safety issues of products or equipment exported and the risk of injury and results that should be considered. Manufacturing equipment, safety equipment, electronics and consumer related items such as food, beauty items, and toys. Any that would present a hazard or danger if improperly used, should be properly communicated.

Stacking the Deck

Watch Out for Translation Companies That “Stack the Deck”

Several years ago a large translation company, which we won’t name, acquired smaller niche translation companies to basically buy a rolodex of their clients. However, said company, acquired these smaller competitors but maintained the individual identity of that company – name, logo, web site. The client roster of that company saw no change. And unless you had somehow been made aware the acquisition happened you wouldn’t have known any different. And things all seemed the same, at first…

Now the twist. All of these acquired companies were now operating under the umbrella of the larger company and began to bid on the same RFPs as if they were all separate entities. Doing this in order to “stack the deck” to ensure one of them would get the work.

In one case, 10 shortlisted translation providers were asked to bid and 5 were operating under the umbrella company. Yes, half of the bidders were technically all part of one main organization. This defeated the purpose of even using an RFP because the client’s main goal was to deviate from the using the umbrella company to begin with.

Now you might feel that this “stacking the deck” is an unethical way of doing business. And we couldn’t agree more. When the larger company bought the smaller ones, they implemented a different set of business practices which then affected the quality and delivery of the translations to their core customers. So the acquired companies actually started to lose their base clients. This umbrella company is known to use sub-par linguists for translation and skip on proofing and checking the final deliverables, which was not normal practice before the umbrella company took over.

On the vendor side, translators are actually boycotting this umbrella company because of low pay, ridiculous turnaround and the splitting of work between too many translators to meet unrealistic deliveries. However, these same translators were still working for the acquired companies. But, word was quick to spread and so has this boycott.

Now it seems that other translation companies, rather than taking a stand, have decided to fight fire with fire and are engaging in the same practices of acquiring or merging and maintaining a separate identity. Confluent has been approached on several occasions because we are known in the industry for quality work and have long time client retention rate of 97%. But, we refuse to sacrifice our ethics and commitment to our clients and will not sell out to these larger companies and destroy the confidence our clients have in us.

So, when choosing a translation service, it helps to do some homework. There are many types of translation agencies: single-language, multiple-language, full-service, ISO certified, etc. And all of the companies should be able to explain their translation procedures. A quick internet search can also tell you if they are actually part of any larger organizations as well. That way you know who you are dealing with and can avoid companies that are not on a level playing field.

A Worrying Trend - Using Automated Translation

From the home consumer to the corporate consumer everyone is trying to save money. However cheap, as we have all found out at one time or another, doesn’t go hand in hand with quality. We have all heard the saying “you get what you pay for”. I’ve said this before, in translation you really do.

This latest worrying trend is the use of automated software translation, whether it be internet or machine based, and then asking a “real” translator or translation vendor to edit or finalize it. This is a no win situation. More than likely what you have from these types of translation programs is unusable. Especially depending on the business you are in. Professional translators will not accept the job of trying to edit or fix it as it would be less time and cost intensive to start over from scratch. Wasting all of the money and time you already invested trying this “automated” approach.

We ran into this situation with one of our clients last week. They had a huge document already translated into Arabic (supposedly by an internal resource) and this year they wanted to have us edit some new and revised material this linguist would be adding in an upcoming revision. We asked for a sample of this “translator’s” work and I approached our usual linguists working in this language to give me a quick opinion of the quality. I received some interesting comments, “I will not be able to take part in this project”, “this translation is not going to be able to be edited, it seems that it might be machine translated”, “this translation has incorrect source interpretation and many errors in grammar, spelling, readability, etc.” So we had to turn down this project as I had 3 professional and competent linguists refuse to take it. All saying it was not possible to edit it; it needed to be re-translated.

The client is investigating what type of automation was used, but most translation software and internet based automated translation services are not up to par. Language and translation is based on context. A computer does not understand context. Underlying meanings and inherited understanding needs to be interpreted. And a machine cannot handle this. Language is more nuanced. It has to contain cultural context and even industry jargon.

We have all seen the funny mistranslations pop up on social media. Unfortunately these are true. If a software program can mistranslate something as simple as warning people to stay off of the “newly planted grass”; which software translated as “the little grass is dreaming”, it will surely not understand more technically written material where there may even be many different words for the same thing. And if you are using a web or software based translation tool, you will not get anything understandable in return. So if you include options to automatically translate your site or your material online, also using a type of translation software imbedded in the web site software or adding on an online software tool translation button, it will most likely be garbage.

Finally, software can only translate exactly how the source text is entered. So if there is complicated formatting or even places where there are different line breaks or a return is accidentally found, it will change the whole context of the translation. Electronic translation tools will translate word for word and do not notice if it is grammatically incorrect or incomprehensible as it is written.

If you are going to print or use that material for products and these will be used by customers, you may find yourself spending a ton of money to reprint or even rebrand your product if it is based on a nonsense and incorrect translation. It can even cause a potential customer to wonder whether or not you are a legitimate business.

In the case of our client, they had over 400 pages of an educational report that was mostly incoherent and sounded ridiculous. And this had been distributed to their Arabic speaking clients who did not look favorably upon them or the quality of the material they had distributed. They’ve lost clients and revenue due to this poor image.

You think it’s too expensive and will take too long to hire a “real live” translation vendor using professional human linguists? Wait until you pay for the problems caused by a bad automated one…and have to start over anyway.

Managing Translators Internally

Many companies are tempted to translate material using resources they have found on their own when first going global or the need arises. However, when managing translation and particular translators internally you must consider the amount of additional work that is involved, what may be compromised, and what hidden costs may be associated as well.

Ask yourself these questions:

Would you be able to tell, from a resume, email or while speaking with someone in English, that they were native-speakers of the target language and good writers?
Speaking is not writing and oral fluency does not guarantee smooth, coherent, or stylish writing of the end product. The person you are asking to do the translation may not be able to read the original English well enough to translate it effectively. And in some cultures, they are too polite to let you know what experience they really have translating. They will either stall or do it anyway, but slowly and it will be of very poor quality and sound like a bad translation.

Who writes your English material?
Just as all English speakers are not necessarily good writers, the same applies to any other language. Does your floor manager write your marketing material? Does your accounting department write your software instructions? I’m sure that’s not the case. Usually someone with a writing background or a professional service is charged with the writing of company publications, or other material seen by the end user or prospect. The same goes for translation. It should be performed by someone experienced in the craft and with industry specific knowledge.

Where did you find the translator?
If your in-country contacts recommend them, are they truly a certified professional translator? Knowing your industry is important so asking if they have translated the subject matter and understand the English is a first start. Most professional translators specialize in a particular area. There are many translators found on-line that are very inexpensive. But how can one guard against them taking your money and then using a free on-line tool that will ultimately provide gibberish or may even be crowdsourcing for large volumes?

We often have clients come to Confluent that switch from an internal process that was not working. The most commonly heard complaints being that the translation took too long which resulted in product deliveries not being met and that the quality was poor. It took time employees away from their main job and left them feeling that they were wasting time and money. In other cases, eventually the volume and languages required soon became too much to coordinate and process in-house. Others felt big opportunities were being missed by not concentrating on core business functions, like sales.

Most businesses also don’t have their own translation memory tool and some of the non-professional translators don’t either. So each time a company had similar stock material the translator used maybe retranslated the same material over and over again. The end result is lack of consistency, added external and internal cost and more time spent than if having used a qualified translation service.

If desktop publishing (DTP) is involved, all of the translated material needs to be re-created in the translated language. There are many automated tools that a professional translation service uses with translation memory, but individual translators do not maintain that type of software. Individual translators usually do not have QuarkXPress, InDesign and other software packages that work in conjunction with translation memory.

Most companies that are managing translations internally forget one very important step, and that is post DTP proofreading. So that is another management step needed to be included that someone should take the time to do internally by sending back the material to a native-speaker.

Switching from an internal process to using a translation service provider doesn’t have to be like swimming in rough waves. Confluent has structured steps and processes to make the transition smooth and cost effective. This way you can be assured you are getting the quality translations done by professional linguists and written for the intended audience in order to be successful in all of your global communications.

Don’t be too creative…

Trying to be creative when writing copy that may be translated? When in doubt, leave it out.
So many times over the years we have received copy written in English that can in no way, or no easy way, be localized into other languages for in country use. For example, the source may contain:

• catch phrases or colloquialisms
• sayings or adages
• slang or jargon
• rhyming words
• sport analogies
• abbreviations
• certain tag lines or company specific acronyms

These things are not easily translated into other languages and may not make sense in another culture. Not all languages use the same manner of speaking or have the same type of phrasing.
For example, in the past I had a client that wanted a marketing brochure translated into various European languages for a product they sell. The whole ad was based around baseball terminology, “rounding home”, “hitting a home run”, etc. Unfortunately we had to break it to them that it was almost impossible to use and to translate for Europe as they don't play even play baseball. So “hitting a home run” would really not have the same impact. The whole ad would have had to have been written around soccer, since that’s their most popular sport, and it could have been written to have the same impact. But unfortunately, the source copy was already written.
Translation vendors and the translators cannot take liberties and rewrite a client’s copy. They translate the text to say it in a way the reader will understand in the particular language, but they do not stray from what is written in the source. So the client would have had to revise their copy to provide exactly what they wanted it to say and be translated as such.
However, along with leaving out items such as catch phrases and slang, there are some things that should be added or included to English source when thinking of translating in the future:

• metric measurements if any English measurements are listed; to include sizes, temperatures, etc.
• explanations the first time acronyms are listed; especially when they are not standard accepted industry terminology and might be acronyms only your organization uses internally.
• other conversions, for example, USD for prices and costs

So when writing copy, be sure to write it in a manner that could be easily conveyed in a translation that someone would understand anywhere in the world, without later having to rewrite the entire piece so that it will be understandable.
At Confluent we have seen good and bad marketing and instruction materials over the years. We work with our clients and provide tips along the way to help make the copy effective in any language after it is translated. We also review layout, photos, illustrations and color usage to inform clients of any issues or possible problems that may arise so that the project can run smoothly from the beginning.

Using Internal Company Resources as Translators

Certainly in tough economic times it is understandable that companies are tempted to translate material using internal resources. However, when performing translation internally you must consider what may be compromised and what hidden costs may be associated as well.

Ask yourself these questions:

Would you be able to tell, while speaking with someone in English, that they were illiterate?

Speaking is not writing and oral fluency does not guarantee smooth, coherent, or stylish writing of the end product. The person you are asking to do the translation may not be able to read the original English well enough to translate it effectively. And in some cultures, they are too polite to let you know, or too scared of losing their job. They will either stall or do it anyway, but slowly and it will be of very poor quality and sound like a bad translation.

Who writes your English material?

Just as all English speakers are not necessarily good writers, the same applies to any other language. Does your floor manager write your marketing material? Does your accounting department write your software instructions? I’m sure that’s not the case. Usually someone with a writing background or a professional service is charged with the writing of the company publications, or other material seen by the end user or prospect. The same goes for translation. It should be performed by someone experienced in the craft.

We often have clients come to Confluent that switch from an internal process that was not working. The most commonly heard complaints being that the translation took too long which resulted in product deliveries not being met and that the end user of the translation said the quality was poor. Customers felt they were wasting time and money as their internal resources could have been spending that time on their “main” job. In other cases the volume and languages required soon became too much to coordinate and process in-house..

When our customers finally compared the internal cost of the time of an ultimately unqualified employee doing translation on the clock versus paying a vendor it ended up costing 15% to 30% more for a “raw” or basic translation. If the internal employee did the translation during non-working time, the project also took 30% to 60% longer to complete than if it would have been done by an outside vendor.

Most businesses also don’t have their own translation memory tool. So each time a company has similar stock material the employee would be re-translating the same material over and over. The end result is lack of consistency, added internal cost and more time spent than if having used a qualified translation service.

Other considerations came up like who will manage the project, what to do when internal resources leave, and new employees take over. A new employee now tasked with translation, may tend to write the material to impose their style so when someone new takes over will it be consistent? And without an editor or another to proofread the translation, who would even know if the translation is accurate until it is too late? What if everything is already printed or uploaded only to find major errors?

Switching from an internal process to using a translation service provider doesn’t have to be a rough sailing. Confluent has structured steps and processes to make the transition smooth and cost effective. This way you can be assured you are getting the quality translations done by professional linguists and written for the intended audience in order to be successful in all of your global material and communications.

Is the translation industry stagnant?

While there have been many changes in translation services over the years, there are some areas that remain the same.  Here are just a few:

• People still believe that Google Translate, Babelfish and other online translation tools really work. Well they don’t. We hear about mistakes made on the smallest of translations that jeopardize IRB approval, product liability, or end up publicized all over the internet.
• Bigger translation companies are still buying up smaller ones. Why? They choose to grow by acquisition and even retain the original companies name, brand and ISO certification. Let’s say it is a front door. All the translation work actually goes through the other agency, or back door. This approach also enables them to stack a bid or RFQ with as many as five different companies. So, on a multiple vendor award – you guessed it – three different vendors could get selected and it is really only one company.
• Machine translation is still being publicized and promoted, but even with advancements, it cannot fully replace human translators. There are issues of nuance and culture that software programmers have been unable to address.
• There has been a push for years regarding the consistency of the English source text to reduce translation costs. Whether controlled English or simplified English, it is hard to get people to change how they write, not to mention how many internal review cycles and hands end up contributing to the final English source text.
• Companies in some industries do not plan for translation and it is still an afterthought done on a reactive basis, or not done at all. Usually these are related to manufacturing, construction, engineering and equipment sales.
• People assume everyone speaks English, and that all parties will be able to understand the original English. When people learn English as a second language their understanding and command of the spoken language is usually better than that of the written language. So a hand shake or nod over a contract discussion may not mean the same thing as the written contract. When it is realized that the manual on contract needs translation for clarity, there usually is not a budget for it and price becomes the main concern and not the quality.
• Translation is not used as differentiating sales tool to gain a competitive advantage. If companies are looking for a way to one-up the competition, they should do some research and look to see what countries they are selling in, and if they translate or not. And, if they sell consumer goods in the United States, they should consider translation into Spanish and even Chinese, Arabic, Russian and Vietnamese, depending on where they sell the product. Companies should be proactive when contemplating translation and not reactive so that they can plan and budget for it effectively.

In Translation You DO Get What You Pay For….

So many times throughout my project management career I have followed up with a client or prospective client only to find out they got various estimates and went with the lowest bidder. This more often than not does not turn out well.

In fact, just the other day I followed up with a client and heard that they used a competitor who came in with a much lower quote only to have received a bad translation. How embarrassing for the client to have had to go to a native speaking colleague to fix what should have been a quality translation originally. He even used the phrase that he "got what he paid for".

The first red flag the client should have noticed is the disparity among the quotes. The lowest quote was less than half of what our estimate was. Typically this means the various parties are not quoting to include the same services or do not understand the scope of the project.

Most translation service vendors like to hear feedback regarding the other estimates. And if it’s reasonable the vendor may work with the client to align the quote with the others if cost is the only deciding factor. But, it has to be an apples-to-apples comparison of the work involved. Some vendors do not include editing, desktop publishing or proofreading and then will have to add this later on to the initially quoted translation.

Second, most quality translation agencies use educated and experienced linguists. And with that comes a price. There are agencies using low cost translation software, or they may be outsourcing out of country and quote dramatically low prices. The fear being the possibility the English comprehension is unsatisfactory so the messages may be conveyed incorrectly.

My best advice is to get all of the information you can from the prospective vendors. Make sure the quote lists the services that will be included and ask for references in the same area or field of expertise as your material is in.

Make sure that you are getting what you pay for. Because we’ve all heard the saying that if that extraordinarily low price seems too good to be true, it probably is.

[Propeller] Hats Off to the MadWorld 2013 Team

It’s been about a week now since the MadWorld 2013 Worldwide User Conference has wrapped up, and I thought I would put together some thoughts on the event.

When first hearing about the event, I was immediately excited for several reasons. Not only am I a certified MadCap Advanced Developer, but am also a huge fan of all MadCap products. I was really looking forward to the opportunity of meeting other MadCap users in person and being able to share mutual experiences/challenges. I also knew it would be a great learning event and a way to take my “Mad Skills” to the next level. The Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, California was a great destination, especially after what seemed to be an endless winter in the east. 

Having said all this, I was still not 100% certain of the level of success I would experience. After all, developing and marketing a great product is one thing, but hosting over 200 users hungry for knowledge and insight about that product is something else entirely. 

It wasn’t long before I determined which direction my expectations should go.

Upon arriving at the hotel, I immediately knew I was in the right place. Behind the check-in desk was a floor-to-ceiling by 20 feet wide animated graphic of the MadWorld imagery. After visiting the registration table, I received a conference package that included a lanyard (aka backstage pass – after all we were at The Hard Rock Hotel), that granted me access to all MadWorld functions for the entire conference. For a few days, this self-proclaimed techno-geek turned rock star. For each special event I simply had to show my pass to security to hang out with all the cool people, (a la Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar in Wayne’s World).

Getting things started was the opening kick off event that was held on one of the hotel’s roof-top bars. For me this was my first chance to meet in person many MadCap Software team members who I have interacted with via the phone and internet. It also was my first opportunity to meet many other MadCap users. One thing that struck me right away was the number of people who traveled great distances to attend. This truly was a worldwide event. I met people from Australia, Denmark, the UK, Canada, as well as of course people from all over the US. The conversation was stimulating and the food and drink was exceptional. After that evening the stage was set for a productive conference to begin in the morning.

We began each morning with a wonderful breakfast of fresh fruit, pastries, bacon and eggs, etc. Each meal also was another opportunity to meet more colleagues. Finally the conference opened with an exceptional PowerPoint presentation highlighting the MadCap Software timeline musically accompanied with “Back in Black” by AC/DC, (again, the ever present reminder of our location). Founder and CEO of MadCap Software, Anthony Olivier, opened the conference with a few remarks, then introduced the conference keynote speaker, comedian – Wayne Cotter.

I have to admit, when I first heard that Wayne was going to be giving the keynote address, I was equally excited and perplexed. I have been a fan of Wayne’s for many years. It wasn’t until the kick-off event when talking to MadCap team members I learned that Wayne has a background in electrical engineering. He was a techno-geek just like me! Wayne was very funny and he is the consummate professional. He made himself available over the first 24 hours of the conference and I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with him and tell him how much I enjoyed him over the years. Wayne said that he does a lot of corporate speaking engagements now and I would highly recommend him.

The highlight of the conference and the main reason I was there was the sessions. The session presenters were the true “rock stars” of the conference. For each session time slot, attendees could choose from four different topics that ranged from basic to advanced levels of expertise. Most of the sessions that I attended dealt with the topic of translation/localization. The topics ranged from managing translation work flows, to how controlled language can save time and money in translation. One of the reasons I love using MadCap is it is very well suited for localizing projects through the use of MadCap Lingo. Each of the sessions I attended were excellent and highlighted many things that we are already doing as well as a few nuances that we can immediately implement. These will help us refine our processes and procedures and allow us to provide our clients with even better service and quality.

During the conference farewell event, MadCap asked attendees if anyone would like to make any comments regarding the event. The response was overwhelming. There must have been a dozen people compelled to say positive things like how great the sessions and presenters were, how great the venue was, and what a great job the MadCap team did, among other positive affirmations. If anyone was on the fence about going to MadWorld this year, I would say if you are a MadCap user in any capacity, I would highly recommend going next year. Many people commented that this was by far the best conference of any kind they had been to, and I have to agree. The MadWorld 2014 team has a very difficult task in trying to surpass what has been achieved at this year’s event.

In keeping with the conference theme, I raise my lit lighter…ah wait…I mean my iPhone, to the MadCap Team for a wonderful experience.

Ken Nagy, Vice President
Confluent Translations

Looking Back on the Last 20 Years in the Translation Industry

There were a lot of changes in the translation industry over the last 20 years, partly because of advancements in technology, manufacturing, medical research, economic issues, and competition. Here are the ten biggest areas that saw change:

1. Going from a cottage industry to being listed on the stock exchange; translation is a big business.
2. What seems like more translation service providers for companies to choose from is actually European, Chinese and Indian translation agencies marketing in the United States. Having seen the potential and growth in the United States translation market, they strategically set their sights on it which has driven down the cost and quality resulting in confusion, lack of trust, and costly mistakes by translation buyers.
3. FIGS (French, Italian, German and Spanish) gave way to companies having a standard of upwards to 23 official languages that they produce all material in (FIGS, plus Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, Polish, Hungarian, Czech, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indonesian, or Hindi)
4. Translators are professionally trained, certified and tech savvy. One can no longer expect that just knowing a foreign language is good enough to be a translator. There are translation degrees, industry guidelines and explicit ISO and ASTM guidelines for translators.
5. What was once considered not worth translating is now required, such as product labeling, instructions for use, and clinical study material. The localization of a product’s software, displays and help files are built into the cost of the product. Software developers cannot just rely on having the translation of manuals as being good enough to sell the product.
6. Translation memory software is not a monopoly and there are options available for both agencies and translators which are, for the most part, fully compatible with each other.
7. We have evolved from delivering hardcopy translations by mail or overnight delivery, to faxing them, to email and electronic delivery via ftp sites, using different types of desktop publishing software that was not available 20 years ago.
8. Project Management tools developed and marketed specifically to the translation industry, as well as a real sales force in place for most translation service providers.
9. Translation for use in the United States has increased. Stores in the United States like Wal-Mart, Sears, and Home Depot have bilingual signage and some stores require product packaging to be bilingual. There are communities of Russian, Arabic and Indian speakers that state school systems must be able to teach, communicate and test students as well as offer English as a second language programs.
10. More material requires translation. It is not just the legal contracts to export material or printed sales sheets and advertisements. There are different types of methods we use to communicate with now. Consider the importance of the internet and web sites, e-learning, podcasts, voice command technology and apps used in today’s society. Customers use the web site to find people to do business with and even buy products directly. That information needs to be translated to gain more market share. Companies have more global offices and need to effectively train their employees with online materials, PowerPoint slides, or communicate vital information via podcasts.

Significant Countries in the Middle East to Conduct Business

Many companies shy away from marketing or working with companies in the Modern Middle East. They hesitate because of the political climate, restrictions, culture, and language barriers. However, there may be untapped opportunities waiting if you can be patient, follow protocol and reach out to the many resources for help.

The easiest country to enter is Israel as they speak English and act as a bridge between Asia, Europe and the rest of the Middle East. It is a small market but there is a strong interest in the military and medical industries as well as a large tourist market. Although they speak English, Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages of Israel.

Jordan is almost completely landlocked. Oman is a very Western city and key markets include safety and security, medical, water and environmental. Arabic is the official language, but like Israel, English is widely understood by upper and middle classes. Jordan has more Free Trade Agreements than any other Arab country, including signed FTAs with the European Union, the United States, Canada, Syria, Algeria, Tunisia, Singapore, Malaysia and Libya. Primary imports include crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, iron, and cereals.

The United States’ second most important trading partner is Egypt. Business is stable and has the most diverse economy of the Middle East, with tourism being the strongest industry followed by agriculture. Since Egypt does not have a large industrial base, they import almost all of their capital goods like machinery and equipment. Food represents about 20% of its imports and other products and services include those related to the petrochemical, medical and the pharmaceutical industries. It is one of the most populous countries in the Middle East.

Tunisia is the smallest country in Northern Africa and is very modern oriented with 54% of its population under the age of 30. Agriculture is the main business sector, with exports going to France with whom they have close relations through economic cooperation, industrial modernization, and privatization programs. Tunisia has an association agreement with the European Union and it remains Tunisia's first trading partner. Primary imports include textiles, machinery and equipment, and chemicals. Arabic is the official language but due to the former French occupation, French also plays a major role in the country.

Remember, do your homework, get help, be responsive to contacts and leads, make sure you are understood even if English is spoken, and avoid cultural blunders.

Five Common Website Translation Mistakes

When translating and localizing websites there are many decisions that seem simple enough and you would think they would not create problems. However, depending on how the process is handled, they may lead to unforeseen issues. Here are five of the most common website localization mistakes. Fortunately these are the easiest to correct.

1. Using flags for language pull down menus

• Some languages cover several countries so there is no unified flag that can be used without being offensive or political incorrect. Two great examples of this are countries that speak Spanish and Arabic.  This only works if you have representatives in those countries, and the website is hosted in that country, or your company only conducts business in a particular country.
• Using flags can be rather assumptive. Believe it or not, many people would not know their own flag. 
• It can lead to inaccuracy. In Belgium, they speak French and Flemish. In Switzerland, French, German and Italian.  So, you need to decide what language you use for these countries, or have an additional drop down menu for the choice of language. It gets complicated.

2. Using the name of a country for language pull down menus

• Again, this could be inaccurate and you may inadvertently insult your audience and create the same issues as using a flag.
• If, however, you directly sell a product in a particular country like France and do not offer shipments to Madagascar, Rwanda or any of the other 29 countries where French is the official language, then the country name may be best.

3. Using the name of the language or country in English in the pull down menu

• If you took the time to translate the content, you should be sensitive enough to translate the name of the language or country so end users can easily find the translation.
• Do not assume that everyone knows enough English well to find their language in English. It is best to be culturally sensitive and inclusive not exclusive.

4. Misuse of foreign language capitalization

• In the English language, we capitalize language names. However, other languages do not follow the same rules. English speakers capitalize the “s” in Spanish and the translation would be español. Whereas, the “d” in Deutsch is capitalized in German.
• Foreign languages do not use initial capital letters in headlines.  For example, English:  Sale Items, French:  Articles en vente.
• Websites cannot be consistent in the use of capitalization or even the treatment of fonts for emphasis without the possibility of the layout changing.

5. Not verifying whether or not foreign language characters will display properly in all applications

• Be sure to test the localized website content before going live in all viewing applications so that double-byte languages like Japanese or Chinese do not show up as all squares or with random strange characters within it.
• This may mean that some languages will need to be treated as graphics to make sure they are properly displayed.

For further help and to have your website checked for any issues or mistakes contact Nancy Cardone at ncardone@confluenttranslations.com. Make sure your first impression is a good impression.

Dining with One Young World Delegates

One Young World brought more than 1,300 young adults to Pittsburgh from over 180 countries for a four-day summit designed to bring a youthful perspective to important global issues. The World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh did an amazing job organizing the One Young World Pittsburgh Partnership event. Thanks to the hard work of Melanie Gulasy and Steve Sokol the event truly showcased Pittsburgh.

The delegates had a chance to interact at dozens of breakout sessions with their peers to discuss health, education, business and human rights issues, to name a few. One Young World brought global leaders to guide their deliberations, including a kick off on Thursday night by former President Bill Clinton. The summit, held in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, wrapped up on Sunday with a series of speakers, including former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Confluent Translations took part in hosting one of the many community dinners held around the region on Saturday, October 20th. Delegates from Finland, India, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States joined us at Café Zinho for a truly memorable dinner. Their enthusiasm and excitement proved why they are considered the emerging leaders of the world.

The food was incredible and the conversation was lively. There were many different types of fish on the menu and describing them proved interesting. We shared some Pittsburgh fun facts and answered the delegates’ questions on how Pittsburgh was able to reposition itself as a leader in health, education and technology. The delegates shared with us their perspectives on the discussions they took part in, such as business ethics that are common to EC countries and the United States but are non-existent in countries where there is bribery and even death threats.

We asked what surprised them most about Pittsburgh and overwhelmingly it was how friendly Pittsburghers were. The young women from Spain and India marveled over the beautiful colors of our fall foliage. Interestingly, the delegates from the United States and the United Kingdom were surprised by how clean the city was, still having the impression of our steel-town heritage. Special thanks to volunteer Janine Hannan, who was responsible for the group’s logistics. We were affectionately calling her the delegates’ den mother by the end of the evening.

The One Young World Summit will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2013. We wish them continued success in grooming our young leaders of tomorrow. It was a once-in-a-life time opportunity to help showcase Pittsburgh and meet those shaping the course of the world.

Trust

An important thing to consider when establishing any business relationship is trust. No matter what industry, people expect confidentiality of proprietary information, exact quoting and billing procedures, an experienced and honest staff, and feel valued as a customer and that their best interests are being looked out for.

It is a shame that price many times means more than working with the best suited and honest company, which in the end sacrifices the quality of material and quite possibly safety of individuals. 

Is it because of the current economic climate that people can’t see the forest through the trees? Some clients only care about saving money on a key product component. However, over time it could equate to only .00002% of all products sold. What if one person dies from the use of that product as a result of the inadequate component? Would the cost savings be worth it then?

That is the reality when selling and purchasing translation services. Okay, maybe that is a drastic comparison that only happen s in extreme circumstances. Something else to think about is, what happens if people miss use the product, a product gets recalled, your company gets a poor rating, or your company name is in headlines and on YouTube for a comedy of errors? What impact does that have on your brand? Is the cost savings on one component really worth it?

There are many reputable translation companies. Unfortunately, people only talk about those that are “less than honest,”  persuade, entice, agree to poor methodologies, low ball and fudge pricing to beat out competitors, make claims on services, and ultimately deliver poor quality  performed by less than qualified translators.

Why do people go with these types of companies? Are decision makers not given all the facts? Are they not asking the right questions of their vendors? Are they not taking things other than price into consideration when making decisions? Do they think there really is an easier way? Did someone get paid off at some level? Are people tired of doing what it right? Is it truly all about the money? Do they not care about the consequences?

Ultimately, people get what they pay for. It is a shame people listen to this type of guidance, get burned in the end and assume all vendors are created equal. They are not. Luckily, clients still exist that see value in what a reputable translation service provides. We promise never to be discouraged from doing what is honest, fair and in the best interest of the client. It all comes down to trust.

Be Prepared When Going Abroad

Since the economic collapse of 2008 businesses are realizing the need to explore international opportunities. They may become extinct without adapting.

For example, a local manufacturing company with a revolutionary product and virtually no competition for the past 20 years now has a competitor in the Netherlands with a similar product. Slowly this competitor is taking a large portion of their business from China by translating their operator manuals – their differentiating factor. The local company did not want to spend money to translate it and felt the Chinese would understand the English. English is actually third to Chinese and Spanish of the languages spoken throughout the world.

A local consultant to businesses expanding into China was hired after a company made a costly mistake sending an engineer to China to give training on the production of a product without an interpreter. The engineer gave his presentation and everyone smiled, nodded and said yes when he asked if they understood. Unfortunately, he did not realize until the product prototype was done incorrectly and he engaged the consultant, that the Chinese were only being polite and spoke very little English.

Cultural misunderstandings happen frequently because international preparation is always an afterthought. Why aren’t people better prepared? The reasons range from wrongly assuming everyone speaks English, fear of the unknown, it is complicated, there’s no time, or it costs too much money.

There are many companies, not just the fortune 500, who successfully compete globally because they are prepared. They take advantage of local seminars and support or add internal staff to keep abreast of international markets. They may hire cultural trainers to coach employees before international meetings and engage a professional translation company for translation and interpreting services.

Companies getting started should reach out to their local resources such as small business development centers or attend international certification courses. A good place to start is the SBA’s website: http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/starting-managing-business/managing-business/exporting-importing. Many international programs are now being offered because American products are sought after globally with a huge potential for financial success. Check for federal grant money and other initiatives for trade missions which are a great way to explore international opportunities economically. For example in Pennsylvania, there is a state initiative called the TechExport program where companies can apply for up to $5,000 in federal grant money for translation and trade show missions.

You still need to be prepared when going on a trade mission or looking to expand business internationally. It is important to know local business laws, tax structures, export regulations and product required localization. To communicate effectively, have your business card and a one-page company profile translated into the country specific foreign language in which you want to do business, i.e. Simplified Chinese for mainland China. This shows respect and that you are serious about a business relationship, which will gain trust.

The next step would be to start with the translation of some of your product literature, marketing collateral or a portion of your website for additional sales support. A misconception is that everything must be done at once. Start small and do a little at a time. Once you get a sale you may be able to add in the cost of translation to the actual production cost for any support documentation.

In conclusion, plan ahead, utilize resources, seek grant funding and do research to develop an international strategy manageable for your business size and budget. After all, it's your reputation on the line. What international business is out there for your company?

What happened to client service?

As I am working on coordinating our 20th anniversary party, I have been contacting different vendors to help with the festivities. Most were very responsive and got back to me quickly when I met them at a networking event or sent a message. Unfortunately, one company was not as responsive and left me feeling they were not eager for my business. It is not like I didn’t try. Two phone messages and a LinkedIn request resulted in a return call two and half weeks later. I had to tell them it was too late and I had already found another resource.

It got me thinking about how important it is to be responsive to clients and be customer centric. At Confluent, we do not let prospect or client questions and quotation requests go longer than 24 hours without someone getting back to follow up or confirm. We personally answer the phone and return email questions the same or next day. I know our clients appreciate our responsiveness based on our client surveys. Our responsiveness has also resulted in new business opportunities awarded over our competition. It shouldn’t take 3 to 4 days to quote let alone 2 weeks to deliver a small translation job that should only take 3 to 4 days.

I could not delay responding nor could my employees. Maybe that is the difference. My employees care about Confluent’s image, our clients’ projects, and all of our success as much as I do. To me it is rude not to respond, no matter how busy you are. It only takes a minute to let someone know you have received something and estimate how long it will take to provide some sort of response.

Maybe our competitors’ account and project managers don’t care enough because it is not something emphasized from top down. Maybe they are over worked, understaffed and really can’t get to requests in a timely fashion. Maybe they are too “green” in the industry. Translation agency employee turnover is known to be fast and furious at quite a few top agencies. Not to mention their translator turnover, although they do have a unique way around that going to other agencies to get their client’s work done.

Whatever the reasons are for lack of responsiveness, it always comes back to bite you. Even if you have to deliver bad news, it is better to do it as soon as possible while being upfront and honest.

Personally, it is frustrating to have to follow up on an email, quotation, or job. That equates to triple the work. I don’t know about you, but my time is valuable and I don’t like to be kept waiting, worrying or have to keep track of communications.

Maybe the fact that I consider everyone’s time as being valuable, important and worthy has helped Confluent grow continually with referral upon referral. And, maybe because my account and project managers know that is how I feel, they respond in turn.