First Translations, Inc. - Industry Standard Translation Services

Japanese hotel room - You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid
Paris hotel elevator - Please leave your values at the front desk
Tokyo hotel - It is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not a person to do such a thing is please not read this notice
Bucharest hotel - The list is being fixed for the next day. During this time you will be unbearable
Leipzig elevator - Do not enter the lift backwards, and only when lit up
Athens hotel - Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11am daily
Belgrade elevator - To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin should enter more persons, each one should press a number of wishing floor. Driving then going alphabetically in national order.
Sarajevo hotel - The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid
Moscow hotel - You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists and writers are buried daily except Thursday
Swiss menu - Our wines leave you nothing to hope for
Hong Kong tailors shop - Ladies may have a fit upstairs
Bangkok dry cleaners - Drop your trousers here for best results
Paris dress shop - Dresses for street walking
Rhodes tailor shop - Order your summer suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation
Hong Kong advert - Teeth extracted by the latest methodists
Rome laundry - Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time
Swiss mountain inn - Special today… no ice cream
Copenhagen airline - We take your bags and send them in all directions
Moscow hotel - If this is your first visit to the USSR, you are welcome to it
Norwegian lounge - Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar
Tokyo shop - Our nylons cost more than common but they are better for the long run
Acapulco hotel - The manager has personally passed all the water served here

Translating services for business are becoming more imperative as the globe shrinks and economies become intertwined between countries. The world is growing smaller from a business perspective and doing business overseas is necessary to expand markets and maintain company profits. There are reasons to translate - Inbound and outbound translating. Any outbound translations must be impeccable; inbound translations for internal use could perhaps be less than perfect to get the message across.

1. When you decide to do business overseas and before you make initial contacts, be sure to have your marketing and sales materials translated accurately into the language of the country in question. [Outbound]

2. Well in advance of your initial contact with over seas partners you should seek out a reliable translation service to convert all important business documentation prior to your contact. This is only prudent and professional.

3. Ask for references from your translation service of choice from satisfied customers and don’t be swayed by low quotes. You must be sure the company is up to the task of translating your information accurately, in timely fashion and their customer service must be impeccable especially if this is your first time using a translation service.

4. Be sure they have qualified personnel translating your material and that they understand intricate language terminology and dialects so as not to make any embarrassing mistakes in the translation process.

5. It would be helpful if the person doing the translation services had an understanding of business and the terminology specifically used in your business practices.

6. You may want to ask for assistance from the government agency in charge of economic development or even immigration services of the prospective country you will be doing business with for a referral and speak to the translation service personnel first.

7. If you know of other corporations who have successfully started businesses in your country of choice you can perhaps ask them for a referral of a translation agency that they have used successfully.

8. Another tip is to speak to your English language newspapers and university language departments and ask them about translation services for the country in question. Perhaps even a business editor/ journalist could suggest or even assist you in initial interpreting and translation services in-country for [inbound] service. They could assist you offsite remotely back to your own country until you find a service you are comfortable with at home that can do it all for you [inbound and outbound translation work].

The point is to be creative when considering doing business overseas and translation services are a huge part of that business. Arrange for an interpreter of your own to meet you when you arrive. Try to find the assistance you will need immediately when you get there to provide in-country, on site business language assistance. If you are well prepared and have the time before you make initial contact; source out an all in one service that can provide everything you will need to make sure you can communicate effectively with your prospective business partners and hosts.

First Translations Inc has over 16 years experience providing fast and accurate professional translation services, First Translations Inc. has dedicated itself to servicing all your translation needs. Visit their website now: www.first-translations.com

It happens in nearly every growth industry that depends on accuracy and the complete faith of the customer. Larger organizations and highly trained and educated individuals in those industries are always at the top of the list of facilitators toward regulation and certification. Is it an effective way to cull the competition or is it a way to standardize an industry? Valid points to take into consideration when this discussion inevitably arises in conversation amongst industry peers.

In the end it’s all about the consumer and end user of translation and interpretation services and how effectively they are being represented. Certification goes a long way in making sure that qualified individuals are being used when needed. For example when interpreting for the courts, this highly specialized skill can mean the difference between all information being disseminated by judge and jury accurately. Will some vital information be missed or left out of testimony because a court appointed interpreter isn’t up to the job?

When planning certification programs much can be learned from other industries that have gone through the process. Learning from previous failed attempts at certification or what has been proficiently garnered by the attempt should also be considered. What should be involved in the certification process i.e. training, specific segments of the industry and specialized services only being certified?

Certification should assess the level of training and education of its member’s skills and whether they have earned heir credentials. Level of experience prior to certification or regulation should be a contributing element. Many groups and services have developed excellent certification programs for their industries but not without quite a bit of development and trial and error. In that regard the translation and interpretation service industry are on track with the ongoing debates. Organization and planning would go a long way to determining the future of certification for ANY industry but leadership is imperative.

What constitutes a certified professional in this industry may not be what meets the requirements of certification for another. Just because someone graduates with a masters degree in languages doesn’t mean they have what it takes to be a good translator or interpreter. Skill is one thing but experience is King.

Perhaps a combination of skill, experience, a degree or diploma can be practiced for certification or regulation. When combined with an apprentice or work term with an organization utilizing the skills necessary to be a competent industry professional is the way to go. Many professional occupations require a period of articling or apprenticeship before an individual “gets their wings”
As usual the debate of whether or not certification is needed in the interpretation and translation industry ends with what the customer requires.
If clients have enough poor quality service to render complaints to an overseeing organization than that regulatory body must act to see that they are doing everything necessary to certify their industry professionals. Anyone practicing in that field had better get on board with the certification program or risk losing credibility or worse, their business.

First Translations Inc has over 16 years experience providing fast and accurate professional translation services, First Translations Inc. has dedicated itself to servicing all your translation needs. Visit their website now: www.first-translations.com

With the rise of the Internet and no thanks to Al Gore, international trade and marketing began to take on a new direction. New markets began to show potential where little if any promise was shown previously. The Internet meant that information could be delivered and acted on almost immediately. Real time transactions and business to business commerce was taking flight.

However in the early 90’s only those countries with the capacity to finance infrastructure really had an advantage and even they were sorely lacking due to available technology. Demand was quickly being stunted by reality. Broadband was in its infancy even in the mid 90’s and although it held great potential for global markets it was either far to expensive or physically out of reach for most businesses.

Fast forward to 2000 -01 and the dotcom bust nearly plunged another dagger into the potential global economy as many corporations took second looks at their directions online and even questioned the staying power of the Internet. It really has been only the last several years where Internet globalization really seems to have solidified its foundation as a conduit for world trade and commerce. Yet many businesses are still
guarded when it comes to investing in online foreign marketing; meaning there are still ample opportunities available world wide.

There are many factors contributing to globalization on the Internet. One of them is the growth of open source code. This allows for freedom of development enjoyed by many smaller companies enabling them to develop online platforms beyond what they normally could afford. The cost of software in many cases now outstrips hardware and development fees are a part of this. Open source applications make it easier for small and midsize companies to compete in world markets online.

The introduction of Unicode into the Internet phenomenon has played a huge role in standardization of many platforms online regardless of the manufacturer, in any language. The Unicode Standard has been adopted by many industry leaders. Some roadblocks still exist in crowning Unicode as a brilliant triumph but it comes awfully close to online martyrdom.

A huge market exists today for professionally qualified translating services for the Internet. To totally transform an English only corporate website of any complexity capable of business to business commerce can be quite expensive. This fact turns many small to midsize organizations to second rate translation options that mean poorly translated websites not meeting expected values. Many companies will take a piece meal approach and localize their websites in phases.

It’s no surprise that Internet technology companies seem to lead the pack when it comes to online globalization and why wouldn’t they. They understand the process and also the rewards. This is why many companies need to hire professional facilitators when it comes to planning and executing globalization online. Seeking out a reliable translating service that can lead you from beginning to end and do it for a reasonable cost should be paramount in the beginning phase of planning this process.
The Internet gives a huge advantage to small business to compete with the big boys in global markets but this will only be achieved by making the initial investment it takes to have a unique and competitive web presence that makes perfect sense to the new market and recognizes the need of the end user in that new market.
First Translations Inc has over 16 years experience providing fast and accurate professional translation services, First Translations Inc. has dedicated itself to servicing all your translation needs.

You’re hearing about it everywhere. Web 2.0. It’s on every blog, every design studio claims to do it, every company wants it. You can find how-tos and tutorials showing you step-by-step how to become a “Web 2.0 designer.” What most people don’t realize is that there are many facets to what makes up the Web, not just the look and feel of the sites and user interfaces. Real Web 2.0 sites, which are well-built, offer a new way of gathering and communication information. The most successful are actually information-based. Inevitably, distributing information can usually mean a wide audience, and that audience might not all be from the same region, country, or even part of the world. Continue Reading »

Last week, in the first part of this article, we examined a few easy ways that a client can examine a company’s external, visible processes to be able to determine what sort of translation services they might receive from that company. In this article we will have a brief look at how we at First-Translations feel that the translator selection process should work, how “translation” differs from “localization” and how this starts the document life-cycle. Continue Reading »