Language Lines - Newsletter

February 2008

From the Editor

In the February issue of Language Lines, Language Translation Inc. features an introduction to the sometimes complex world of localization, as well as an explanation of how translation fits into the emerging field of content management.

In fact, today’s companies are constantly dealing with these issues. To give you a concrete example, our final February feature examines how the social networking giant MySpace is meeting the challenge of reaching international markets through site localization.

As always, our newsletter concludes with “Language Laughs” -- a light-hearted look at some of the humorous situations that come up in the world of translation and languages.

Our company keeps up with all of the latest developments in the language service industry and is constantly adapting our offers to meet your needs. To this end, we now provide telephonic interpreting, a state-of-the-art service that allows long-distance vocal communication without language barriers.

For more frequent updates about language and technology in the global marketplace, feel free to subscribe to our news blog.

Your suggestions and comments are always welcome and can be addressed to editor@languagetranslation.com

 

Feature Topics:

A Localization Primer

Translation and Content Management

MySpace Strives to Expand Localization Efforts

 

A Localization Primer

Most people are familiar with the concept of translation, or changing written text from one language to another. After all, translation has been around for a long time! Lately, though, you are certainly hearing more about localization – and may need a brief introduction to this crucial topic.

There are varying definitions in the language service business for the term “localization,” but it is generally used to refer to adapting software or web pages to other languages and cultures. LISA, the Localization Industry Standards Association, defines localization as follows:

“Localization involves taking a product and making it linguistically and culturally appropriate to the target locale (country/region and language) where it will be used and sold.”

“L10n” is a frequent abbreviation for “localization,” with "10" indicating the number of letters between the "l" and the "n".

Localization clearly includes many more steps than just text translation. The process encompasses other tasks such as project management, market analyses, software engineering, software testing and desktop publishing. A well-localized website will incorporate icons, color schemes and cultural references appropriate to the target market.

Localization may be a bit complex, but it has become an indispensable element of any company’s marketing strategy. If your company is not creating appropriate content for international markets – or for foreign language speakers in the domestic market – you are running the risk of losing out to firms that reach out to potential customers who don’t speak English. And there are a lot of them out there! \

~ Did you find this article useful? Would you like more articles about this topic? Or are there other topics you'd like to see covered? Please feel free to contact me directly Shannon McCollough | Marketing Coordinator.

 

Translation and Content Management

Not so long ago, a company’s information capital was stored in file cabinets. Now, in the age of information technology, alphabetized hanging files just don’t cut it. Faced with growing amounts of information to deal with, companies are confronted with a new challenge: content management.

Translation is one factor in the dramatic increase in content to manage. In today’s global economy, companies must organize the management of huge quantities of data so that employees can save time when finding, consulting, and using information. And that data often exists in a variety of languages.

The field of content management deals with how to best collect, store and access all information created by and pertinent to a firm. The site Gadgetopia.com suggests that there are four stages in the content management process: content modeling, content creation and editing, content management as such, and content publishing.

According to the site’s article entitled “The Four Disciplines of Content Management,” translation fits into the third stage: content management itself. When a company decides to translate material, it has already created a general framework for organizing content (content modeling) and has written and finalized the original content (content creation and editing.) The issue in step three, content management, is what to do with the content. In today’s global economy, language translation is one of the options – because it is “ involved in keeping this content relevant, current, effective, and generally under control.”

Although translating your company’s material may not keep it “current “ or “under control,” translation certainly makes it relevant to many more potential customers, thus rendering your communication more effective. \

~ Did you find this article useful? Would you like more articles about this topic? Or are there other topics you'd like to see covered? Please feel free to contact me directly Shannon McCollough | Marketing Coordinator.

 

MySpace Strives to Expand Localization Efforts

The race is on to successfully market foreign language versions of popular social networking sites – and the competition promises to be fierce. MySpace, for example, has been involved in a frenzy of international launches, with varying degrees of success and plenty of challenges.

As of the end of last year, MySpace had already created 22 foreign language versions, and its European sites have fared quite well. The next step is to successfully set up sites for countries where Internet use and conditions differ significantly from those of Western nations.

“In some countries, such as India and parts of Latin America, average Internet speeds are comparatively very slow. So MySpace is developing a less-sophisticated version that probably won't automatically stream video and music while users are surfing the site,” wrote Jessica E. Vascellaro for the December 13, 2007 issue of the Wall Street Journal.

In her article entitled “MySpace Aims for Trickier Markets,” Vascellaro also points out the cultural hurdles involved in reaching potential members worldwide. In some countries, “such as Turkey, social networking is a less-familiar concept, requiring MySpace to design on-site tutorials that explain to users how to navigate the site, find profiles for music bands and search for friends,” she explains.

Language issues linked to alphabets, accents and whether pages are read from right to left or left to right pose more challenges for localizers.

In general, every time MySpace expands a new country, the situation presents its own set of technical, cultural and competitive elements to take into account. Of course, all social networking sites face the same questions – unless, like LinkedIn, they have decided not to dive into global waters yet. \

~ Did you find this article useful? Would you like more articles about this topic? Or are there other topics you'd like to see covered? Please feel free to contact me directly Shannon McCollough | Marketing Coordinator.

 

 

Cross-cultural communication can bring about amusing errors and misunderstandings. Share a few language laughs with us…

Let's do maai maai together:

One of the reasons Chinese is so difficult for Westerners is that changes in pitch and tone determine the meaning of a word. For example, the basic pronunciation of several words may be the same, but their definition will change depending on the tone.

Those who have mastered a few basics may get into trouble with the Chinese words for “buy” and “sell” – both have the same pronunciation: “maai.” The meaning only becomes clear through the intonation given to the word.

Not to worry, though: when said together, “maai maai” means “business.” You’ve got to love the logic there!

Do you speak nightingale?

Birds’ warbling is intriguingly expressive; in fact, scientists have carried out a large body of research about the meaning that could be behind tweets and twitters.

Perhaps you would like to know what your Monday morning grumbles would sound like in nightingale language. To find out, check out Nightingale-song.com. I gave the site a try and quite liked the sound of my first name chirped out in nightingale – but somehow the word “deadline” sounded stressful and shrill…

 

Polish dubbing system leads to "Desperate Househusbands" effect:

In film and television dubbing, casting can be a big issue. Whose voice will be able to convince audiences that Johnny Depp is speaking French, or that Julia Roberts is speaking Spanish?

In Poland, the entertainment industry doesn’t face that problem: films and shows have traditionally been dubbed by “lektors” – men who read the script in Polish, adding no emotion or expression whatsoever. While the “lektors” read, the audience barely hears the English dialogue in the background.

This practice, apparently rooted in Poland’s communist past, remains popular today. Aaron O. Patrick reported for the Wall Street Journal in October, 2007:

“When Walt Disney Co. brought the hit ABC TV series ‘Desperate Housewives’ to Poland, producers found just the right local actor to do the voices of the show's sexy, tempestuous female stars: Andrzej Matul, a 59-year-old guy with a deep voice and a flat delivery.”

 

For more news about languages, translation and localization, and international business, visit our news blog, updated three times a week.

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