iWL – Servicing the biggest and best out there

What do Hewlett Packard, Apple and IBM have in common?

Yes, they all are gigantic multinational information technology corporations. Yes, they develop cutting-edge IT solutions, as well as hardware and software for all kinds of users. And yes, they are among the most successful and rapid-growing companies in modern history.

What if we added Motorola to the mix? And Sandisk and Cisco?

We could still be talking about successful IT and hardware companies riding the technology boom and high demand in the modern world, right?

Okay. Throw in The Walt Disney Company. Throw in Lego, and McGraw Hill Education, as well.

Things start to get blurry, here. However, all of these companies rely heavily on the latest software technology to deliver the best possible education and entertainment products for children and adults.

Lastly, add Aecom, the global provider of architecture, design, engineering and construction services; add the health insurance company Humana and the big online and in-store shopping chain Sears.

All of these companies have something in common, other than being big and successful. Can’t see the link?

It’s us – inWhatLanguage!

Despite being young, we have managed to attract some of the biggest companies in the world with our translation services thanks to the unique “iWL experience”, which encompasses not only high-quality translation at affordable prices, but also extremely fast turnaround times and the best customer service you could ever find. 

Every client is our number one client, because it is thanks to them that we can continue working on what we love!

FIFA, Harvard, Montage, Xerox, Aetna... All of them are very different kinds of corporations, but they do share a taste for excellence when it comes to the translation of their precious materials. 

That is why they come to us: with our worldwide network of professional freelance translators, we cover all areas and time zones, and we offer complete translation services that include a careful selection of resources, localization services, proofreading, desktop publishing, voiceover and video editing, if necessary.

Anything we can do to make your life easier!

Translation software: man versus machine?

Translation software has been around for quite some time already, and while we all use it (because we DO, let’s admit it), the debate concerning its “proper” use goes on every day.

Certainly, there are different levels of use when it comes to translation software. It is not the same to use professional translation software -for which a linguist must pay a mighty sum and thus can enjoy features such as Translation Memory databases, automatic segmentation and formatting- as it is to use a free online translator. It is not the same to use a free online translator to get a quick word translated as it is to get a whole sentence “translated” (and let us not even mention a whole fragment). This is when things like this happen.

Image taken from Distractify.com.

Machines are not meant to translate, because translation is not an automatic procedure. It is not a mathematical formula. It is an art, and it requires instinct, imagination and an open mind – all of which are exclusively human traits.

Does this mean that a human will produce by default a perfect translation? Not at all. Humans err, and human error is a common find in translations. How to know whether an error has been done by a human or a machine? Well... Human error tends to be more imaginative. Like this.

Image taken from Distractify.com.

Seriously, though; while human error is common, it is also easily identifiable and fixable. Machine errors, though, tend to be big, multiple and very time-consuming to fix.

What software can do for you

Translation software can be really handy when it comes to website translation!

Like I said before, machines are not meant to translate. But they can help translators make their job easier – for instance, eliminating a good percentage of human error. Typos, repetitions and basic grammar errors, for instance, can be avoided with an automatic corrector, available with any word processor software.

A lot of time can be saved on repeated content with a good Translation Memory tool that translates automatically a segment that is 100% identical to a previously translated one, and it can help with consistency when there are past translations that were done by a different translator, as well. Also, it can be a real life saver with certain formats –especially websites.

Unfortunately, translation software does have a disadvantage: it tends to be costly. And awkward (okay, two disadvantages then). Working with a translation software program usually is not as smooth as writing on a Word document, and the prices that one must pay for the use of these tools are, in the opinion of many users, definitely not worth it.

Then again, there are cheaper, or even free alternatives – but these also come with their fair share of bugs, crashes and compatibility issues (the cheaper the alternative, the fairer the share it gets). These programs also tend to work on one computer only, and export of documents can become a real nightmare when a translator is on the move and needs access to their translations from other terminals.

A solution to get rid of all of these problems: is it really such a hard thing to find?

Well, yes. Something like that requires research, lots of money and effort and tons of patience and faith in the product. Not a lot of companies would dare risk such an investment on a project of this nature.

But there is where inWhatLanguage is different: we DO dare take such a step. For longer than a year, we have been working on the ultimate translation software tool for our company, our translators and clients, so that we can all enjoy and all-comprehensive, cloud-based Translation Management System that is available to everyone, everywhere.

Translation industry, meet Unify!

Working with inWhatLanguage has advantages such as high-quality translation, quick turnaround times, excellent customer service, affordable prices... And the use of the powerful Cloud-based Translation Management System Unify, a platform where you will find everything you need for the most efficient translation services EVER.

For clients, it will mean constant control over the status of their translation projects, the possibility of adding information, terminology and style guides at any time, and constant dialogue with the translators working on their documents.

For translators, it will mean an automated translation and word processing tool with the latest technology to help them save on time and effort, while guaranteeing the maximum level of consistency and accuracy.

This is not fiction. This is us, inWhatLanguage, amplified. Upgraded. Ready to rock the translation world.

We can hardly wait to prove it to you!

Books for everyone! - iWL organizes a Children Book Drive

Our iWL Cares monthly initiative has taken place a little later than usual this month, but the results are well worth it! This month, we decided to do a Children’s Book Drive – we collected all sorts of children’s books from the iWL team, friends, relatives and other people interested, and donated them to the non-profit organization Big Brothers Big Sisters of America!

Nearly two-thirds of low-income families in the U.S. own no books. As iWL Cares organizer Bodine discovered this shocking fact, she rushed to initiate one of our most successful iWL Cares campaign so far.

Road sign - donate here!

“I thought it would be awesome if we could provide more kids with books at their homes,” she says. “Many studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between how often children read/are read to at a young age and how well they will do in school. Children who start off behind with reading often stay behind. Reading is obviously a huge part of education and children's learning and development! Not to mention a big part of inWhatLanguage too!”

Yes! We gathered so many books that we
needed a forklift to carry them!!

As a company focused in translation, interpreting and transcription services, literature is definitely part of our everyday culture, and thankfully has been since a very young age. That is why it is our sincere conviction that everyone should enjoy a good book anytime – and especially children!

After doing some thorough research, Karlie Bodine was completely sure that a Book Drive was definitely a must for inWhatLanguage. “Reading expands vocabulary and writing skills, promotes healthy social and emotional development, helps build up longer attention spans that translates to better retention in school, and enhances imaginative and critical thinking skills and improves memory and concentration,” she explains.

Karlie, enjoying the success :)

“Growing up, I was constantly reading. At the dinner table, in the car, at recess, everywhere! I always had access to books” she adds. “I had never realized that it was something I was taking for granted and that not everyone has the same opportunity with something as simple as books.  Once I learned that many children in the U.S. don't have access to them, I immediately knew I had to do something about it.”

And the initiative was a resounding success! In fact, iWL gathered so many books that a forklift was needed to carry them all - seriously!!

Karlie admits that books were a huge part of her life as a child, and wishes nothing more than to give other children the opportunity to experience this special link with literature as well. With these ideas in mind, she organized a Book Drive in which we would then donate the books to the national non-profit organization Big Brother, Big Sister. “They were beyond excited and appreciative over there - they couldn't say ‘thank you’ enough,” Karlie remembers fondly.

The iWL team, celebrating another successful iWL Cares campaign! Congratulations!!

iWL goes on a sledding trip!

Exciting things happen every day at the inWhatLanguage offices, but sometimes we need to just take things slowly and relax in good company!

With this in mind, the inWhatLanguage team went on a sledding trip last week. Taking advantage of the last days of the winter season, the group enjoyed a day of fun and healthy exercise in this exciting, group bonding activity. 

No need to say much else – the pictures speak for themselves!

From left to right: Abel Atwater, Brian Palmer, Maurice van Zutphen, Naalie Herrera, Karlie Bodine and Veronica Johnson.

Montage Case Study

Copyright: Montage Kapalua Bay

Montage is a chain of luxury hotels and resorts “devoted to delivering an elevated guest experience”, as one can read in their official website. In their properties, “guests can expect impeccable hospitality, exceptional epicurean experiences, world class spas and an elegant yet welcoming ambiance with the goal of creating lasting and cherished memories.” They undoubtedly have some of the loveliest five-star hotels and resorts in the world in the some of the most beautiful spots of North America.

Montage came to us after recognizing our work in the Sunnylands website. They heard that we had taken care of that amazing project, and they needed their website translated to Asian languages: Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese. Since we had done such a great job at Sunnylands, our reputation preceded us. Montage knew they wanted to work with us.

Their website is heavily focused on properties, since they have so many different hotels and resorts. We translated the content for their hotels in Beverly Hills (California), for Los Angeles and for Park City (Utah). Three locations in three languages: Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese.

While they needed the project to be done quickly, it wasn’t a rush project. Quality was more important than anything in this case. They wanted a very high-quality translation. We are talking about hotels that charge between $400 and $1000 a night, aimed at clients with high levels of disposable income. They needed a translation that matched this degree of sophistication, following the style and tone of our work with Sunnylands.

Copyright: Montage Beverly Hills

They didn’t push us for a tight deadline because they knew that our level of quality was enough to make up for it, and we had a proven record of translating for other important hotel chains such as Hilton, Marriot, as well as travel agencies and hospitality companies. They knew we would do a great job.

From a technical standpoint, we had to work very closely with Montage to translate and input their content directly into Wordpress, the content management system that hosts their entire website. We had to adapt our own technology tools to integrate and work with this system: we had to archive all of their previous translations in order to make sure that our memory banks were accurate and that our translation was consistent with their previous content. Our technical team was in constant contact with the client to ensure that things were moving forwards in the right direction.

We translated and published the content, but not before three whole rounds of proofreading to make sure that the format was correct for the Asian languages, with their different scripts and writing directions.

Ever since, they have had wonderful feedback about our translation, and they currently are a long-term client of ours. Thanks to this and other big projects, we already have a sizeable databank with their specific terminology and information that helps us work with them much faster and much more efficiently. Translation keeps getting better overtime, and costs go down.

For that and many other reasons, they keep sending us a lot of work, and we’ll surely translate content for other properties of this great chain of hotels and resorts!