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How to choose a translation vendor
When a company identifies a need for documentation to be translated into new languages for both existing and new customers, it is important to ensure it chooses the right translation vendor. To do so, it is necessary to identify options (with associated costs and risks) for meeting current demands, processes for handling future translation requests, and a big-picture strategy for documentation translation needs across product lines and worldwide needs.
Effects of the global financial crisis on India
A financial crisis occurs whenever changes are encountered including a sudden drop of the exchange rate due to new financial market conditions. The latest financial crisis in the United States has influenced markets across the world, including India, which saw the growth of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declining.
Implications of increasing Europe’s trade with China
Is English still the language of business? There is no simple answer to this question, but there is also no doubt that China is investing more and more outside its borders, including the European continent. Companies and governments around the world with no significant economic ties to China in the last decade of the twentieth century are now trading with this giant, some of them heavily. How then are these countries doing business with China? Is it in English, the so-called “language of business”? Or is it through language services? If the latter is the case, who has adapted to whom? Are Chinese entrepreneurs learning other languages or are people in other countries learning Chinese? Are language service providers (LSPs) translating more from Chinese into European languages or vice versa?
Cooperation between India and Europe for technical documentation
With its enormous workforce, India could be destined to make up for the shortage of qualified technical writers in Europe and North America. However, until today, the Indian market lacks experienced teachers who are able to pass on the practical skills involved in technical documentation. A cooperation between India and Europe could possibly create huge mutual benefits.
Tom Sawyer – A crowdsourcing pioneer?
Most American schoolchildren are familiar with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, (Mark Twain, 1876) and, thanks to translators, many students around the world have also read Twain’s classic. In the book’s most famous scene, the protagonist Tom is assigned the task of whitewashing a fence. While his motivation is to avoid work rather than cost, he cleverly manipulates his friends and acquaintances into doing the work for him. Not only does he leverage effective “non-financial rewards,” but he even gets others to compensate him for the “privilege” of contributing to the effort. Could this be the first recorded instance of crowdsourcing?
“The biggest challenge is determining where to go”
Interview with Frank Casale – Outsourcing industry expert
Outsourcing has become a solid strategy for organizations looking to improve productivity and reduce costs. Today, companies are no longer asking “should we do this?” but rather, “what region makes the most sense?” Outsourcing Institute’s Frank Casale shares why a successful partnership starts with ‘transformation mindset’ and what factors should be considered when outsourcing offshore.
Using EN 15038:2006 as an assessment tool
If you have struggled with a good way to assess the countless translation agencies vying for your business or looked for a way to assess your current provider, you’re not alone. Companies around the globe have longed for a standard objective means by which to carry out their assessments. Some help has arrived in the form of European Standard EN 15038:2006, “Translation Services — Service Requirements.”
Current financial crisis and Latin American translation
In the current global financial crisis, Latin America has at least one advantage over most parts of the world. Crisis mode is the norm, rather than the exception, and presumably this means that people here consider what is happening to the world economy far less threatening than people in Europe and North America. The region is also one step removed from the closely interconnected economies of the western world, which means that the impact of the crisis has taken longer to see tangible effects. But does that mean Latin America is a safe haven from woes of the global financial crisis? I think not.
User-generated content
With fewer and fewer of us having a thoroughly researched encyclopedia available, we rely more and more on the user-generated content which is fed to us in open online resources. However, depending on the intended purpose of the provided content, the end result can take on a life of its own, as it becomes the focal point for a silent yet fervent battle over “fact” and “truth” from divergent viewpoints.
Ensuring quality in outsourcing
Business Process Outsourcing has become a leading business model of our time. While the increasing pressure to cut cost is still among the primary drivers for this trend, today quality has become a major issue when it comes to choosing an outsourcing partner. Here is an overview of standards and models that help measure and improve the quality of outsourcing services.
Vietnam – the Lotus blooms
Asking people about Vietnam, you are likely to get a response that focuses on the Vietnam War. It was one of the few times the cold war turned hot, and it was an event that defined the country in the eyes of a generation. You are probably less likely to hear that after twenty years of market reforms the World Bank now describes Vietnam as “one of the great success stories”.
Outsourcing – buying a service or contracting a relationship?
Improving your performance, using your in-house resources more profitably, staying focused on your core business, accelerating time-to-market and decreasing costs – the benefits of outsourcing sound very promising. But how can you jump on the bandwagon of outsourcing? Between Russia and India, Dubai and Vietnam – where do you find your outsourcing provider? And how can you trust that the provider will help you achieve the promised benefits? tcworld investigated.
Mauritius – an international business hub
Crystal-clear waters, splendid white beaches and luxurious ressorts – these are usually the things associated with Mauritius. Far away from the world’s major markets and sources, the island nation in the Indian Ocean seems more of a touristic center of recreation than an international business hub. However, in recent years, Mauritius has come a long way in implementing its vision: transforming the island into a regional hub for information and communication technology (ICT).