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Which Way Should You Go: In-House Translators or Outside Translation Partner?

More businesses than ever are branching out into multilingual communications as a way to expand their customer base. So the question these days is not so much “Should we translate?” as it is “How should we translate?” The answer is an important one.
After deciding it’s time to target a more global audience, the next step is to determine whether to use internal staff to handle the work or partner with an outside language service provider (LSP). There’s certainly a cost either way, and any budget-conscious business leader should factor that into their analysis. But there are also many other pieces that go into creating and maintaining a successful translation program. That’s why any results-oriented business leader should weigh the pros and cons of both sides.
We put together some things to consider when deliberating the question: in-house translators or outside translation partner?

ASIST Translations

May 20, 2016

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Knowing Chinese Culture and Customs Will Enhance Your Global Customer Engagement Efforts

For more than 30 years, we’ve helped many companies with their translation and interpreting projects. Some of that work targeted customers living in the U.S. who speak another language. Other times it focused on sharing marketing messages and product information with people in other parts of the world.
One thing we continue to emphasize to our clients is that translating or interpreting words is only part of a successful multilingual communication process. Another important piece—whether conducting business outside of the country or entertaining visitors at your company—is to adapt to the cultural, social and business customs of your foreign speaking customers. This means paying close attention not just to the words you use, but also to the images associated with your message, the method used to convey the message, and even the personal interactions you make with clients or customers on their home soil.

ASIST Translations

May 13, 2016

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5 Reasons It’s Time to Use Translation Services to Help Your Business Grow

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.

ASIST Translations

April 27, 2016

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Business foreign-language International Business Marketing Technology translation

Machine Translation Needs the Human Touch For Professional Global Business Communications

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.

ASIST Translations

April 15, 2016

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Video Translation Plays Increasing Role in Global Communications

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.

ASIST Translations

April 8, 2016

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History Lesson: Multilingual Websites No Longer Just a Thing of the Future

Remember way back when in the 1990s, at the dawn of the mainstream Internet Age, when bigger companies began launching these things called websites? Many small and mid-size companies, as well as government and non-profit organizations, were slow to join in. The reasons varied. Some thought it was just a costly fad peculiar to a small segment of tech-savvy geeks. Others could not envision how a website would apply to their operations, that traditional customers would never consider buying goods or receiving services online. Still more found the whole matter too intimidating and complicated, with the new languages (HTML), terminology (what’s the difference between a Home Page, a website and a URL?), and concepts (sure, this “internet” thingy is really gonna revolutionize the way we live!).

ASIST Translations

March 30, 2016

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Business foreign-language International Business Lifestyle Newsletter

Traveling Abroad? Follow These Tips

If you plan on traveling outside the country for business or pleasure, here are some tips to follow regarding your ATM and credit cards:
• Before leaving, call your credit card company to advise them of your travel dates. Otherwise, larger transactions and unusual spending patterns/locations could raise doubts about unauthorized use or fraud, holding up approvals.
• Confirm whether you can use magnetic stripe cards or if the area you’re visiting mainly uses the more secure “chip-and-PIN” cards. While U.S. cards with magnetic stripes will still work as long as there’s someone to swipe them, you may encounter problems for independent vendors, like ticket vending kiosks, gas stations or other small, local venues.

ASIST Translations

March 21, 2016

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The Role of Translation in the Insurance Industry

Much has changed in the insurance business since 1752 when Benjamin Franklin helped launch the Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire, the first property insurance company in America.

Ben Franklin reading papers image — Portrait of Benjamin Franklin by David Martin (1737-1797) Library of Congress

One of the changes from those early colonial days is the number of languages spoken by insurance customers. Today our country is more of a “melting pot” than ever, so successful insurance providers, carriers and agents must cater to clients of many different nationalities, languages, cultures and financial needs. Even Franklin must have appreciated the important role of translation in the insurance industry — afterall, he taught himself to speak five different languages.

ASIST Translations

February 19, 2016

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foreign-language International Business translation

Tips on International Business Card Etiquette

Don’t let a simple act like exchanging business cards ruin a chance at establishing a lasting international relationship. Getting off on the right foot is critical, so be sure to know the appropriate cultural customs and sensitivities before you meet your foreign clients and business card exchange image partners. Here are some tips on international business card etiquette to help get you started:
• For business meetings in non-English speaking countries, it’s important to have a two-sided version of your business card printed—English on one side, local language on the other. This makes an immediate statement about your awareness of global culture. Hand over your card with the local language side up and facing the other person. However, be sure to obtain a professional translation of your information first!

ASIST Translations

February 12, 2016

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foreign-language International Business Marketing translation

Why is Localization Important in Translation

Did you hear about the global pharmaceutical company that advertised its headache medicine through a simple sketch diagram showing a “sad” stick figure taking a pill and turning “happy”? Problem was, the company’s foreign customers who read right to left, instead of left to right, interpreted the message as a warning sign for poison.
So begins our examination: why is localization important in translation?
You may know the term in relation to your global outreach efforts, but what, really, constitutes localization? More importantly, why can it be the difference between success and failure in attracting new customers to help grow your business?
At its core, the translation and interpretation process is the act of converting words—either written or spoken—into a different language. Simple enough, right?

ASIST Translations

January 28, 2016

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