Translation Industry Statistics

According to Common Sense Advisory the following are statistics for Language Service Providers (LSPs) and the industry. LSPs includes, translation, localization and globalization service providers.

1.  Overall, the LSP industry top 25 companies are averaging 26% growth over the previous year while remaining companies are growing at 7.5% a year.

2.  The global LSP industry totals US $12.1 Billion, they predict that the industry will reach US$24 Billion by 2012 - which is about 14.6% growth over the next 5 years.

3.  The main drivers for growth are, foreign exchange issues, increased sales in economic environments favorable to international trade and relations.

Despite current U.S. economic issues - LSPs are finding the global economy beneficial.  As more companies are seeking additional clients outside of the U.S. the translation industry will be more and more imperative to global success.  That is good news for IteroText Translation Services and our clients who are going global.

6 Business Card Translation Tips

Ok - so you have that great deal in the making in China or Brazil and your business card needs to be translated.  First impressions are everything, so the care and time you take in translating your business card will reap great rewards down the road.

1.  Your logo and colors may need to be adjusted.  Certain colors, symbols and numbers can be superstitious or offensive in some cultures.  By being aware of this potential hiccup and adjusting, you will not cause anyone to be uncomfortable.  

2.  Be aware of how important the translation of your name/company name is.  Some languages do  not have the same sounds and tones as English and by translating your name phonetically you will help potential partners, clients and employees pronounce your name properly. 

3.  Not all titles are treated equally.  Many of the common English business titles are not used around the world.  Word for word translations may not be clear to your foreign contacts.  It may beneficial to leave your title in English.

4.  Be sure that your phone number is internationally appropriate.  Folks outside of North and South America cannot dial 800 or toll free numbers.  In addition, you should add the prefix "+1" before the area code so that you can easily be contacted.

5.  You may want to leave your address in English.  While translating the address seems like a must, your foreign contact may send you correspondence via the U.S. Postal Service and their machinery will not recognize the translation.  You may want to have an English version on one side and a translated version on the other.

6.  Research the appropriate way to exchange your newly translated business card in the country/culture you are visiting.  Many cultures are offended by people writing on their card or just tossing them in their pocket/purse.  You would be very disappointed if the reason a potential client didn’t buy from you was because of your business card exchange.

You wouldn’t think that something so small would be so important however, even though it has very few words it can cause lots of confusion if not done properly. 

China - a gold medal in Translation

With the Olympics winding down…a closer look at how they translated so many elements that contributed to clear communications and a successful 2008 Summer Olympic Games.  English, French and Chinese are the three official languages of the games.  So what does a $40 billion makeover budget provide to Beijing?

1.  Signs and Slogans - the government invested in over 6,500 road signs last  year that were in English.  Many businesses invested in this as well but with less success as they were not as regulated regarding their grammar. 

2.  Telephone Language Access - Telephone interpreters are available for everything from Sailing Events to Taxi Services.  They are offered in 14 languages and over 10 million calls are expected.

3.  In-person Interpreters - They have provided crash courses in sports terminology for the many doctors who assist and support the Olympic athletes.

5.  The Beijing government provided a 170 page document to the many restaurants in the area to help them create bilingual menus.

6.  There was even an official language service provider - Yuanpei Translation. 

They even had a translation world congress with over 50 countries represented to be in Beijing on August 4th. 

China invested significant time, energy and money into preparing for these summer events and possible language barriers.  Great job China!

 

How to determine if a Translation Agency’s Quality is Good for you

Giving your source documents to a new translation firm can be very scary…as you probably can’t check the work yourself.  So how do you know if an agency does high quality translation work, when almost all translation companies and their marketing literature including websites and brochures will espouse "high quality translations?" 

Some companies have gone through extensive paperwork, cost and pain to be able to say that they have implemented either standard ISO 9001:2000 or EN 15038. All this says is that the company has a process, it has been documented and is used repeatedly at least in front of an auditor.  Only about 10% of language service providers are ISO Certified. 

Iterotext was a part of the first Engineering Standard for Translation here in Detroit called the J2450 process.  Certainly this is another attempt at trying to quality and quantify quality.

In reality, a certification or standard is not necessarily the be-all, end-all when it comes to quality.  Quality is relative. As such, lists of high-quality companies are relative too, especially when the only criterion is whether or not a given standard is being followed.

I believe there a few factors that determine quality:

1.  Experience

2. Subject Matter Expertise

3.  Native Fluency

4.  Proof reading

5.  Editing

Utilizing current technology and a consistent process will help your translation be of higher quality.  Ultimately, translations are performed by humans and there is always an element of trust that your words are not merely translated word for word but that they are translated, localized, internationalized, and globalized all so that your messages are understood.