Marketing and promotional videos are more popular than ever in this age of digital media. It used to be that only big-budget businesses could afford the cost of producing a slick marketing video touting all the advantages of their products or services.
Not anymore.
Today, many organizations have their own in-house video production teams equipped with low-cost but high-quality cameras and editing software that almost anyone with a basic knowledge of computers can use. Even more appealing to cost-conscious marketing managers is the array of social media sites that feature videos produced inexpensively on mobile devices and shared easily across multiple user platforms. A study by Cisco estimates that by 2020, video will account for 75 percent of all mobile data traffic! (Our previous blog highlights more fully the impact and opportunities of video marketing.)
Did you know that 90 percent of the world uses the metric system? In fact, only Myanmar (Burma), Liberia and the United States use a different form of measurement. That’s pretty amazing when you think about it. That means for virtually any translation or interpretation project that involves measurement—like length, mass, volume, area, even temperature—you need to be extra careful about how they are communicated.
In some cases, you might want the conversion to be an exact translation, but not always.
When Alban Michael passed away earlier this year at the ripe young age of 89, the occasion really marked two deaths. You see, Mr. Michael was the last surviving speaker of the Nuchatlaht language once spoken by his Native American ancestors of the Pacific Northwest. His death also marked the quiet end of yet another language that has died out over the millennia of human existence.
If you’re a regular reader of our newsletters and blogs, you know we like to share examples of the unique and rich languages that exist around the world. Many times a word or expression in one language doesn’t translate exactly into another one, but they reflect universal emotions or experiences. Below…
Desmond Tutu, the renowned social activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, called South Africa the “Rainbow Nation” to describe its ethnic diversity. In fact, the republic located at the southern-most tip of Africa is considered one of the most multi-cultural countries in the world. Its history of colonialism and immigration has created a nation whose ethnic makeup includes indigenous black peoples, white Europeans, Indians, Indo-Malays and Chinese, among others. It is a popular destination for anyone pursuing business or leisure interests. If you fall into either of those groups, here’s a brief overview of the country’s customs and culture that will help in planning your visit.
Germany is a popular destination for tourists looking for fun and adventure as well as businesses looking to expand their customer base. As the center of Europe from a geographic and economic standpoint, Germany has much to offer. But before you don your lederhosen and head off to Oktoberfest or pack your briefcase for a corporate meeting with potential new business partners, it’s good to know some of the German customs and social protocols you’ll encounter.
We have worked with thousands of clients over our 30 years in business, from small, quick turn-around jobs to complex technical translations that took months to complete. Our
experience has shown that regardless of the scale of a translation project, there are a couple of elementary questions every client should be ready to answer before seeking help from a professional translation agency. If you can answer these questions upfront, the rest of the translation process will go much smoother.
Decision, decisions: is it time to employ translation services to grow your business?
For sure, it’s a weighty question. Many leaders at the helm of private businesses and non-profit organizations alike have either not considered using translation services or don’t believe they could benefit from them. The reasons vary widely:
- My customers aren’t located outside the country anyway
- It’s too cumbersome to manage
- It’s too expensive and time-consuming
- I don’t have anything that needs translated
- Software translation tools will suffice
- I have more pressing company needs to focus on
We realize it can seem a little intimidating or overwhelming to think about communicating with people from all around the world. But the beauty of the Internet, social media and shifting demographics means your “international” customers are right in front of you, either physically as Limited English Proficient (LEP) customers here in the U.S. or electronically as someone located on the other side of the globe. You just have to talk to them.
Pretend you’re traveling in a foreign country. You receive an urgent call from the hospital saying your spouse’s heart has been imprisoned. Would you at least feel relieved to learn that he or she won’t fall over?
If you had to rely on machine translation of that country’s language, that’s just what you might hear, or something equally alarming, amusing or confusing.
It used to be that translating the printed word was the preferred way to communicate with clients and customers speaking other languages. While still popular, print is quickly being rivaled by electronic media when trying to get your multilingual message out. Due largely to the internet and the social media explosion, audio and video files are being viewed and shared around the world in staggering numbers.
Consider these facts and projections:
- Facebook is generating eight billion video views per day! The number of video posts per person has increased 75 percent globally and 94 percent in the United States. The amount of video from people and brands in News Feed has increased 3.6 times year-over-year. More than half the people who visit Facebook in the U.S. every day watch at least one video.