Link: http://www.linkedin.com/newsArticle?viewDiscussion=&articleID=53697453&gid=67209&trk=EML_anet_nws_title-cnhOon0JumNFomgJt7dBpSBA

Read this checklist of the things Common Sense Advisory says should be at the top of your list for a global website:

"In 2006 and 2008, my colleagues and I at Common Sense Advisory conducted two large-scale international surveys to understand language preference on the Web and for software products. The first survey polled 2,430 consumers in eight countries where English is not the primary language, asking them about their attitudes and behaviors toward English-language websites. The second questioned over 350 business buyers, also in eight non-Anglophone countries, about their preferences for buying products that had been localized for their markets.

What we found shouldn’t surprise you. Both consumers and business buyers demand a local language. We found that non-English speaking or consumers with limited English proficiency are 4.8 times more likely to buy products offered and documented in their own languages. Even among English-speaking respondents, 65.5% said they favored local-language products. Most consumers told us they would pay a higher price for a localized product.

Let’s review the things that should be at the top of your list for a global website..." Read more>>

Link: http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=54241841&gid=67209&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etranslatemyworld%2Ecom%2FLocalizationBestPractices%2F2009%2F07%2Fback-translation-out-of-date-in-the-advanced-localization-community%2F&urlhash=rlhJ&trk=n

Back Translation is the process of translating a document that has already been translated into a foreign language back to the original language – preferably by an independent translator. This process is most common in organizations were product testing and research are a core aspect of the business, i.e Survey organizations, pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

The problems for these organizations are localizing content for the target audience and the intention of the survey or research getting “lost in translation.” This is because the nuances of translation are far-ranging. A literal word in one language, for example, may have no equivalent in another language, or could have a completely different “meaning” or effect in the translated language. This is why translation is an part-art not all science. No literal translation can be expected to convey perfectly the “meaning” of what consumers meant to convey in their own language. All the good work of a focus group moderator in not “interpreting” verbatim comments can be wiped out by a careless translator.

Back translation is instituted by organizations to improve the reliability and validity of research in different languages by requiring that the quality of a translation is verified by an independent translator translating back into the original language. Original and back translated documents can then be compared. If there are discrepancies, then the translated content has to be re-reviewed and necessary changes are put in to the document.

Due to its high cost, back translation is not overly common, but in organizations where there is a high risk-high reward component to target market success it is considered another “cost of doing business.”

The question is, “Is there a more efficient way of managing these risks than have back translation performed?” To answer the question, we need to understand the main driving point of the back translation, which is to ensure the quality of the initial translation.

Are their alternatives to back translation?
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Link: http://www.translationautomation.com/technology/google-translation-toolkit.html

The first responses to the Google Translation Toolkit are generally positive. No wonder: it makes total sense. It offers a friendly interface for translators to edit translations, do peer review, leverage from previous translations and make use of an ever better MT engine that is fully integrated. You can even upload your own TMs and glossaries and have them hosted by Google. And, most importantly, all of this costs you nothing...
There is a hidden catch in the Google Translation Toolkit offering that many of us may not be aware of, or would prefer not to think about...

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This article is written for bilingual and multilingual individuals who want to become professional translators and interpreters in the United States. This information will be of special interest to students and teachers of foreign languages. In addition volunteer interpreters and native speakers of foreign languages can use this article as a resource guide to launch into a profitable career. This industry has a high demand for workers as projected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics job outlook for 2016. My hope is that you will find this information practical and use this knowledge to jump start or expand your career. Key points to note: (Read the full article >>)

Later this month we were thinking of going to Governor’s Island. The island is open on weekends, Friday to Sunday. They organized a number of mostly free events during the weekend. You can read more at: http://www.govisland.com/Default.asp

Please let us know if you are interested in joining us (final plans and dates TBD).