Summer season: leave everything to inWhatLanguage!

Summer is the time for vacation, and now that the World Cup is over, we all want to take a break for a little while and take things easy. That doesn’t mean that your site has to remain idle, though: summer is a great time to think about going global with your business and translating your website in order to enter new markets. And the best thing is that you can take it easy and relax while doing it: just leave everything to us!

If you go on a vacation to a foreign land where they speak a language different from yours, you will clearly understand how important it is to translate your website and marketing materials if you want to expand your business to other countries. Imagine that you enter a shop looking for a very specific item that you absolutely need, but cannot find it by yourself. You request help, and an assistant comes to you.

If this assistant doesn't speak a word of English, or of any language you feel comfortable with, chances are that you won’t be able to convey what exactly you are looking for. The result will be a failed sale for the shop, as well as a disappointed customer. You will get out of the shop feeling frustrated and annoyed, and you will not be entering that store again any time soon.

If this assistant speaks your language poorly, the probable result will be a very tiresome, broken half-conversation that may or may not end in the desired purchase: you might get out of the shop with the item you wanted, but it will be a very basic acquisition since, after all the effort of trying to explain yourself and understand the other, you just do not want to spend any more time than necessary looking for better offers or extras.

If this assistant speaks your language fluently, you will feel at home in the shop. You will be able to explain exactly what you need and what you are willing to pay for it, your quality standards and any other requirement you may have. The assistant will be able to respond efficiently to your wishes, and may even throw in some extra items that could be of interest to you, making the whole experience much more satisfying and useful in the long term. You will get out of the shop feeling satisfied, with a high-quality product that you needed, and you will probably want to go back to that shop for your future needs.

This last case is the same with a properly translated website. A website is a display case of what you offer, and you want to make sure that your target audience can understand it comfortably and feel “at home” while browsing it. It increases your chances of increasing sales a hundred-fold, and even more so if you make sure that the agency you hire for it is reliable and experienced.

So all in all, this is our recommendation for a relaxed, yet productive summer: leave things in inWhatLanguage’s hands, and enjoy your vacation while we make sure that your website is fit and ready for new markets abroad. Happy summer season!

inWhatLanguage: all the languages in one great agency

Once upon a time, humans lived in a relatively confined space on Earth, and they all spoke one language: the mother tongue of all languages today. That is how this article from Quora explains the situation we have today. “Everyone could have spoken the same mother tongue, and things could have stayed that way until now,” it goes on. “But that didn't happen. In fact, the opposite happened. As humans spread across the globe and population growth exploded exponentially, so too did the number of languages. In fact, it's estimated that there were approximately 10,000 languages spoken only a couple of hundred years ago.”

"There are two reasons for this. The first is that languages change. The second is that language is identity,” concluded the article’s author, Marc Ettlinger, PhD in Linguistics from UC Berkeley.

As I have posted in Facebook shortly after reading this, a clear consequence of this is a world full of possibilities for linguists, translators and people who love languages, and a clear market for them to put their skills into play. The needs that arise from the existence of 10,000 languages in the world are endless, and it is evidently impossible for a single agency to meet them all. However, offering translation services in more than 100 languages is already a pretty amazing feat, and that is exactly what inWhatLanguage does.

103 languages, to be exact, are neatly listed in alphabetical order on our website, from Afrikaans to Zulu: we have professional translators, linguists and proofreaders at your disposal in all those languages. Among them you will naturally find the World’s Top 10 Languages, as estimated in the infographic from Funders and Founders that you can find at the beginning of this post: our Mandarin translation services are top-notch, as are our services in Hindi, Spanish, English, Arabic, Portuguese, Bengali, Russian, Japanese and Punjabi. But you will also discover other languages for which you might have difficulty finding a reliable, high-quality translation service around: Bushman, Sindhi, Masai, Tsonga or Xhosa, to name just a few.

And not only that: we offer localized and specialized services for each of those languages. As a reputable translation agency with years of experience and an excellent grip on our clients’ needs, we understand that translations must often be focused on certain areas of expertise and/or particular regions were a special dialect or variant of a language is spoken.

If you are in need of translation services, no matter to or from what language, inWhatLanguage is the way to go. We are always open to dialog, we carefully assess your requests and offer the best solutions in the widest range of languages you can ever find.

There might be thousands of languages in the world, but when it comes to translation, you only need one agency to trust. inWhatLanguage: all the languages in one great agency.

inWhatLanguage Cares visits Veterans Home!

It may be summer time, but there are no holidays for good deeds! This month, the inWhatLanguage team went to visit the William E. Christoffersen Salt Lake Veterans Home to enjoy a little quality time with its residents as part of our inWhatLanguage Cares program.

Erin Millet and Veronica Johnson enjoying a meal
in good company!

“Caring for and honoring our nation’s heroes”: this is the motto of the William E. Christoffersen Salt Lake Veterans Home. “It is said that a nation’s gratitude is measured by the way its people honor their defenders,”, it is written in its official website. “To defend the Constitution, serve in harm’s way, and bear the cost of freedom for all is a sacrifice worthy of active gratitude. In everything we do here at the WilliamE. Christoffersen Veterans Nursing Home, we strive to honor and serve our nation’s aging veterans, as they have honored us through their service and sacrifice”.

It is, undoubtedly, a beautiful endeavor, and inWhatLanguage Cares wanted to be part of it. “I am grateful to know that those veterans who have sacrificed so much to service their country do have a place and community where their needs are taken care of,” says Vice President of Operations and Project Management Maurice von Zupthen. “Their sacrifice made it possible for me to come to the U.S. to study, reside and ultimately establish myself here.”

“It was a great experience to share time with them,” says iWL Project Manager Veronica Johnson. “I think they sometimes feel lonely and they like to have people there with them. Some of them even asked me to stay for good,” she remembers with a laugh.

The inWhatLanguage team joined the Veterans during a Cheese and Wine Social event and brought along sherbet and fresh fruit, which they all greatly enjoyed, according to iWL Office Manager Erin Millet. Not only that, they actually managed to make a new, unexpected friend: “The home keeps a 53 year old tortoise in their courtyard that we were able to pet!”, says Erin Millet. “The Veterans are a joy to be around and it was an honor to visit with them.”

Soccer fans Veronica Johnson and Maurice von Zupthen were able to enjoy the last part of the USA vs Belgium match – a game they couldn’t miss!

All in all, an enjoyable experience for everyone, and a day that both the iWL team members as well as Veterans will remember fondly in the years to come. Go, inWhatLanguage Cares!!

Maurice von Zupthen and iWL Sr. Account Executive Brian Palmer sharing quality time.	Erin Millet, Brian Palmer and Ty Palmer preparing the goodies!
Brian Palmer mingling with the only 4-legged resident of the Veteran's home.	Maurice waving at the camera!
Maurice von Zupthen helping out.	Veronica Johnson and Maurice von Zupthen enjoying the USA vs Belgium match!

Writing: the key for document translation

Today I came across a pretty funny image. Irish-based non-profit organization The Rosetta Foundation tweeted, as it usually does, a picture that speaks more than a thousand words about language and the use of English nowadays.

The message that came with the picture was “Punctuation marks are free... Why don't we use them?”

It is a very good point. The anonymous author of this message would probably answer “because it’s bothersome” (or at least something to that effect), and anyway, wasn’t the message understandable enough?

Communication is all about understanding. An acquaintance of mine who is a foreign language teacher told me that, at some point, she gave up trying to make the students speak and write correctly, and just focused on them developing the minimal skills to be a able to verbally convey their thoughts – well  enough for daily survival. In this Darwinian scenario where only the most vital elements of the language survive, things like punctuation marks, connectors or complex grammar are left behind.

That is why, whenever someone asks me what are the important factors to take into consideration when becoming a translator, and expect me to automatically answer “speaking different languages”, they end up being sorely disappointed. Because the first thing that comes out of my mouth is, in fact, being a good writer. And both experienced linguists and people that have hired translators at some point surely share this thought.

Knowing languages is, obviously, a key part of being a translator. But the quality of a translator is not measured in how many languages s/he knows, but in how masterfully s/he can use them to avoid losing anything during a document translation. And that is achieved by good writing: proper grammar and complete control of the target language will be crucial to make sure that the message stays the same – not literally, but in meaning. Words may differ, sentence construction and even paragraph structure may follow completely different paths, but at the end of the day both texts must leave the same impression on the reader.

Not a lot of people are capable of such a feat. That is why inWhatLanguage takes so much care and pride in its selection of linguists, and considers proofreading an integral part of the translation process. No amount of detail is too much: we are a translation agency, one of the best out there as stated in TopTenReviews, and that can be seen in each and every one of our delivered projects.

Writing for a translator is not only an art: it’s a way of life. Of course, that comes with its set of advantages, as well. Only seasoned translators and linguists can enjoy jokes such as this one!

Subtitlers, the silent heroes

Have you ever watched a movie during which, at a certain point, maybe due to a strange accent, the speed of the dialog or simply because you just cannot believe what you just heard, you thought to yourself ‘dang it, if only there were subtitles!’? If that’s the case, you are one of the many people who recognize the value of subtitles.

Have you ever watched a subtitled movie in which, due to the subtitles not being exactly correct or slightly uncoordinated with the time code, you thought to yourself ‘I just can’t stand this anymore!’? If that’s the case, you are one of the somewhat smaller number of people who recognize the value of good subtitles.

As I was reading today this article in The New York Times, I came to realize the biggest irony of being a subtitler: the best subtitlers out there are precisely those who are least noticeable. For a subtitling job to be flawless, it has to be so in synch with the video it accompanies that it should feel part of it, not a superficial addition. Therefore, it is by definition a career where your professionalism directly depends on your name never being known.

“Train-spotter fans of foreign-language cinema recognize their names, floating in the end credits after everyone has left the theater: Andrew Litvack, Lenny Borger and Linda Jaivin are among the best known in a little-known field that helps make possible the international flow of movie culture,” writes Nicolas Rapold in the article I mentioned before. Which is a somewhat comforting thought.

But generally speaking, subtitlers are silent heroes, in the same league as translators and dubbing actors: their job is to make the works of others understandable for everyone, using their talents to the best of their ability to make their own presence unnoticeable in the transition from oral to written text, or from one language to another. And in the case of subtitling, of course, there are technical hurdles to take into account: size constraints set by different kinds of screens, word and sentence length, non-verbal communication and other noises…

The world of subtitling and captioning is definitely a world of its own, and with the currently increasing demand for this kind of job for all kinds of different media, it is good to know who to ask for a guaranteed high-quality job. inWhatLanguage is blessed to have such an amazing network of talented linguists that are capable of doing that and much more to make sure that the customer receives the best of the best. And that is why we are proud to thank them for being so awesome and for helping us keep our standards so high.

Thank you, subtitlers, for being our silent heroes.

iWL celebrates the World Cup!

Photo from FIFA.com.

The eyes of the whole world are set on Brazil, since the soccer World Cup has finally started!

For inWhatLanguage, Brazil is not just one of the most beautiful countries in the world – it also holds important ties to our translation agency, both personal and business-related. Some months ago, iWL CEO Cody Broderick had the chance to go there on a trade mission with the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development to promote Utah, along with approximately 30 other people from different industries of the state. This helped Broderick develop some very interesting new business relations and discover a world of opportunities.

We also are proud to offer top-quality Portuguese translation services, highly localized and for very affordable prices, and best of all, with all the perks that come from working with a family-structured company like ours.

But that is not all: the World Cup is also a very special occasion for iWL! As we have informed you some months back, one of our most important clients is… FIFA, the international governing body of association football(soccer), futsal and beach soccer!  It feels like yesterday, but it was in fact last Autumn when we started translating its materials into 10+ languages in preparation for the upcoming World Cup. Now, the big championship is here, and we cannot help but feel proud. We contributed to its communication campaigns by making them comprehensible for the whole world!

Once again, our dear iWL linguist demonstrated their talent and translating skills as they gave their all to a project that was not only overwhelming in size, but also in content. Football, or soccer, is not only a sport: it is a whole world of its own, and it has a very specific “dialect” in each and every one of the languages our linguist had to work with. Football terminology is no walk in the park, and in order to do it right, each linguist had to have a heavy base of knowledge –which doesn’t mean that they didn’t learn anything new on the way! Just to illustrate what I’m trying to say, here is an actual Glossary ofFootball Words and Expressions taken from UsingEnglish.com.

But now we are finally reaping the rewards. All that effort was worth it, and now we can all enjoy the emotion of the games with the satisfaction of having been part of it by doing what we love and do best: translation.

Team Riley & iWL Cares: An epic combination for posterity!

Go iWL!

And the day came! As we have announced last week, this Saturday, young Riley Culley’s family had organized a race to raise money to help with the cost of medical expenses after Riley was diagnosed with bone cancer. The campaign turned out to be not only a lot of fun, but also extremely successful!

“I have been struggling for days to find the right words to express my gratitude and appreciation for all of the love, generosity, service, kindness, friendship, inspiration, and support from the most amazing community in the world. We are so blessed. This event was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced!” Young Riley’s mother, Jackey Culley, posted this message in Facebook after the event was over.

Many people answered Culley’s call for help, among whom was, of course, the inWhatLanguage family. As part of one of our iWL Cares initiatives, the members of the core team that were available ran in the race, enjoyed a gorgeous day out and got to meet some amazing people, all the while of course contributing to the fund for young Riley’s treatment.

“It was great! Such an incredible thing for us to be a part of. It was my first 5k and I may have finished last but I finished!” says iWL Office Manager Erin Millet with a big smile.

“Being involved in such a great cause is always such an amazing experience,” adds Natalie Herrera, iWL's Book Keeper. “Knowing that we where a small portion of contributing to the fight in Riley's battle was rewarding and made every step we took even more meaningful. There is something about being around others who want to do good that makes you want to thrive, to be the best person that you can be. It was a great day and we wish Riley the best!”

“It’s always great to be involved in the cause of making someone’s life better, or at least offer some relief,” says Maurice von Zutphen, iWL Vice President of Operations and Project Management. “But in the case where someone is fighting for his life, it is especially rewarding to offer support beyond the financial. The moral dedication and hope that is generated can offer great therapy. I am always impressed with how local communities (neighbors, friends, families, school, student body, rival schools…) respond in such a time of need.”

The iWL team members brought their families along, and they all enjoyed a fabulous day of exercise and fun, taking part also in the activities after the race: for instance, iWL CEO Cody Broderick bid on a University of Utah helmet that was signed by the coaches of the University of Utah and won. A little memento of a magical day for everyone!

We wish young Riley the best of the best, and we are really honored to help him in this time of need!

And now... Picture time!!

Cody reaches the finish line! Congrats!	And there goes Erin! Go team iWL!
From left to right: Natalie Herrera, Cody Broderick, Erin Millet.	Erin Millet, Cody Broderick and Maurice von Zutphen.

From left to right: (Front) Front: Vanessa and Marcus Broderick. (Back) Jackie Cullie,

Brian Bodine, Cody Broderick, Riley Culley, Mark Broderick

with Luke Broderick and Nicki Bodine.