Unwanted Tourists Be Gone

Those who travel or just enjoy taking pictures know that getting an unobstructed picture in a busy location isn’t easy. Chances are that three or four pictures will be taken just to get one that you settle on as being the “best” option to keep. For those of you that want that perfect picture, free of unwanted objects (such as moving cars or random tourists), there is a free application called “Tourist Remover” (offered by snapmania). Tourist Remover analyzes several digital pictures taken from the same location and removes any items that are not consistent in each of the shots.Check it out and let us know what you think.

via snapmania and Boing Boing

iPhone 3G S Global Expansion

By August 2009, the new iPhone 3G S will be available in 80 countries! We thought you should know.

Click here to view country release dates courtesy of SimonBlog.

TAUS Launches Language Data Exchange Portal

TAUS (the Translation Automation User Society) has lauched the TDA language data exchange portal for public use. This means that members of the service can share their terminology bases and translation memory, and have access to the secure central database containing terminology from other members. This centralization should help to ensure consistency within industries, and and, according to TAUS's press release, "open[s] the way for a more significant and efficient translation industry benefiting from increased productivity, reduced costs, streamlined terminology and much more content being translated."

We are interested to see how the concept of communal term bases might affect the translation industry. As Common Sense Advisory comments on their blog, such projects will need further development, including increased content and specific quality control criteria, to realize their full potential.

Health Care Reform: Removing Language Barriers

On June 6th, President Obama’s political organization, Organizing for America, will kick off the new health care reform campaign. Among the various topics of discussion is the issue of improving health care for minority populations. In a recent letter to President Obama, 24 health and advocacy organizations called out the need to “provide coverage for language services for patients who have limited English proficiency, are functionally illiterate, or are deaf or hard of hearing to reduce patient care errors, improve communication with patients, and thereby reduce disparities.” The push for greater access to language services is aligned with President Obama’s efforts to provide “quality, affordable care to all Americans.” Click here to read this letter to President Obama

Automatic Email Translation for Gmail users!

Gmail has just announced their integration of Google’s newest program: Automatic Translation Technology. Now you can receive emails in a language other than your own! It’s simple. All you need to do is enable "Message Translation" from the ‘Labs tab’ under “Settings”. You might not get the accuracy of sentence structure as you would with professional translation, but it’s a start in email’s movement towards multilingual communication.

Click here for more details.

Garfield Goes Bilingual

Uclick and Paws, Inc. have just released a new iPhone and iPod Touch app called Garfield y Garfield, which features more than 100 Garfield comics in English and Spanish. The creators boast that the new app helps users learn words and phrases in another language by toggling between English and Spanish versions of the popular comic. Uclick CEO Douglas Edwards says "Garfield y Garfield is a groundbreaking application that makes studying a second language convenient, engaging and fun." Read more

Spanish Translation: The Need of Neutral Language

The Hispanic population has grown significantly within the last couple of years and so has the need for Spanish translation. However, meeting the needs for language translation in Spanish is a trickier process than one may think. According to an article put out by Chief Marketer, Chanin Ballance points out that “[s]poken in some 23 countries by more than 450 million people, the language we know as ‘Spanish’ is in truth really more a family of closely related languages. […] If you have visited Madrid and Mexico City you know this firsthand. The idioms, slang, pronunciation and even grammar in one differ noticeably from those in the other.”

This is all very true-- one region such as Columbia can have term or phrase that differs from that in Mexico. So, what do we do to meet the language liaison for Spanish? The answer is “go neutral.” Univision, a widely known Spanish channel, and other Spanish media have developed a “neutral Spanish” within their programming that meets all different backgrounds of Spanish speakers. In short, they have created this sense of Layman’s term within the Spanish language. Ballance says that “Latin American Spanish tends to disregard local grammatical and vocabulary differences in order to standardize the language.” It’s easiest if you can identify the exact region and location of Spanish needed for any translation, but sometimes this gets to be a bigger task than necessary. Because Latin American Spanish can meet all standards and acts as a common language, it is widely used in translations today.

For more on this article click here.

"Don't forget to carry your thing"

The header represents an actual caution sign displayed in a Shanghai cab found by German author Oliver Radtke. China's specific translation of English, or “Chinglish”, as referred by Radtke, has created quite a skeptic controversy in language translation. In Radtke’s book, Chinglish: Found in Translation, he explains that “[a] lot of the Chinglish signs carry a certain Chinese notion in them which enriches the English language and makes English more Chinese in the sense that there is a certain Chinese flavor, a certain Chinese way of thinking.” Although, from a cultural adaption of translation, this might be true, but in reality, the translation is still wrong. The faulty syntax and wrong use of idioms brings up the real problem in today’s language translation: wrong translation leads to wrong information. Excusing the errors in incorrect translations interrupts the initial purpose of translation itself. Translation means to provide correct information and communication in an alternative language. So, is Radtke’s “Chinglish” theory a cultural perk needed to be embraced or an excuse for faulty translation?

For more click here.

Swine Flu Pandemic: Increase in Outline Translations

The H1N1 virus or Swine Flu, has been the talk of the news since its first outbreak in Mexico on March 17. 11 days later, the first cases of Swine flu hit the US, creating a scare within schools and workplaces. Today, Web Wire released a publication stating that, "[a]ll public school systems nationwide are required by federal law to maintain a pandemic response plan". This includes sending flyers home with students outlining vital information and instructions about the Swine Flu and recognizing signs of symptoms. With a substantial rise in U.S. immigrant population, Web Wire states that “having this information available in languages other than English is more important than ever.” Translating information and reaching all families is a vital importance in easing panic and questions-“[s]chool districts are requesting informative translations into several languages such as Spanish, Tagalog, Russian and Vietnamese.”

For more information click here.

For translation services provided by Dynamic Language, please contact Rick Antezana at web@dynamiclanguage.com

Are Languages becoming Extinct?

According to The Economist and UNESCO, 53 languages have become extinct since 1950 in America; that’s more than in any other country. As of right now, a quarter of the world speaks three majority languages: Mandarin, English, and Spanish; the rest are at risk or have been extinct for quite some time. Could it be that out of 6,000 plus languages in the world, we’re to expect that eventually only one common language will exist? Click here for more details.

Dynamic Language Nominated for 2009 Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) “Supplier of the Year Awards Program"

Dynamic Language is up for a nomination at the 2009 Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) “Supplier of the Year Awards Program.” For nearly 25 years, Dynamic Language has been providing top quality, reliable language translations and interpreting services for customers around the world. Clients and customers are the company’s number one priority and with a dedicated, hardworking staff, Dynamic Language is honored to be considered a nominee—excellent job Dynamic!

Further details to be announced.

Welcome to Dynamic's Language Services Blog!

For nearly 25 years, our women-owned, family-owned business has provided high quality language translation and interpreting services. Over thousands of projects, our talented team at Dynamic Language has learned important best practices and tips about the language services industry, and we continue to stay current on the latest translation technologies and trends.

We'll share that kind of great information here in our Blog, in addition to topics such as:
- Running small businesses efficiently and effectively
- Supplier Diversity
- Global Supply Chain Management
- Plus items of cultural interest like Recipes, Photography, etc.

Please visit again soon. Thank you!

iPhone's Newest Application: “Free Translator”

Since the iPhone’s big release in the summer of 2007, Google has been persistent in providing reliable iPhone applications to support “a friendlier interface.” Their newest edition is the ‘Free Translator’ application which allows business partners, clients, and prospects to interact using various languages.
‘Free Translator’ allows one individual to text a message in their "target" language while the recipient receives messages in their "source" language. For example, the "target" language could be English, but the recipient’s "source" language could be French. Google notes that “the quality of translation is generally very good indeed" which guarantees that "you can type in the most abstract sentences and something sensible will emerge."

For more information click here.

Dynamic Language profiled on Inc.com!

http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2008/company-profile.html?id=200849270

About Dynamic Language, # 4,927 on the Inc 5000 List from 2008:

What it does:
Helps organizations communicate with customers and employees through translation and interpreting services.

Why it's growing:
Companies have recognized the potential reward for marketing to multilingual customers. The company has also benefited from working with some of the largest companies in the Pacific Northwest, like Boeing and Nordstrom.

What's noteworthy:
Dynamic Language is a family-owned business started by Maria and Ricardo Antezana. The couple's son and daughter, Rick and Sandy, now run the day-to-day operations of the company (each with the title of Vice President), with Maria still the company's President.

New President Gives Hope for "Languistically-aware Leadership"

Common Sense Advisory recently released an article discussing potential 2009 steps that Barack Obama, the newly inaugurated 44th President of the United States, could take towards multilingualism. Being one of the listed Presidents to speak a second language following John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Hoover, Barack Obama is bi-lingual in Bahasa Indonesia, a language picked up during his childhood days living in Jakarta. With Obama’s history as a civil rights attorney and his ambience for diversity, Common Sense Advisory writes that “the first Global American President will focus more attention on international communication — and the requisite translation and interpretation.” Leading into a new era of cultural and political assortment, the indispensable importance of lingual services in the US will not go unnoticed.

To read more click here.

FREE Online Language Lessons through Seattle Public Library

Seattle Public Library now offers FREE lessons in foreign languages without even leaving your computer! With the Library's new database, Mango Languages, you have access to Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Greek, Russian and Mandarin Chinese lessons in the comfort of your own home. Also, Spanish speakers can use Mango Languages to learn English. All you need is a Seattle Public Library card and access to a computer.

For more information and to find your nearest library click here.

FREE Language Instruction on iTunes

You can learn over 40 languages for FREE by downloading Podcasts on iTunes. There are currently 926 courses online and they range from Arabic to Yiddish. Language instruction is now as convenient as listening to your iPod or iPhone! If you need advice on how to use Podcasts, please click here for help.

xLingo Language Exchange is an online website that offers FREE tutorial practice for those seeking the thrill of learning a new language!

Sign-up for Free and have access to tons of language resources. All you have to do is click on the language you want and xLingo Language Exchange connects you to members available for tutoring. Video and Audio chat rooms are created to help you practice and because xLingo Language Exchange enables Skype set-up, you and your tutor can have access to easy communication sessions! Take the tour and start learning your new language today!

Pharmacies agree to translate drug instructions

In New York, two major pharmacy changes have agreed to to translate prescription drug instructions into the primary minority languages spoken by their customers. In our increasingly diverse society, the translation of necessary materials such as these is becoming more widespread, due to increased customer demand, and resulting legislation.

According to the Associated Press article, “state law requires pharmacists to provide information about prescription drugs orally and in writing and prohibits discriminating against non-English speakers, officials said. Census data show more than 1 million New Yorkers who do not speak English well or at all, according to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. He said misunderstanding dosages, side effects and allergic reactions can be "a matter of life and death."”

Europe mapped by language

We recently discovered this map of Europe, color coded by language spoken, which we think is fascinating. Language diversity is alive and well in Europe; as you can see, there are more European languages than European countries! The languages are grouped by language family--not all European languages are related to each other! Some are part of several language groups distinct from Indo-European (the most common European language family).

Clear, Rapid Correspondence

There's a good chance that you've seen this classic (and humorous) example of mistranslation, but in case you haven't, please read on.

The story is that officials asked for the Welsh translation of a road sign, and they thought the reply was what they needed. Unfortunately, what the sign actually says is that "I am not in the office at the moment. Please send any work to be translated." And presumably that was followed by the e-mail address of another person.

Bottom line, issues like this can be easily overcome with clear written communication between client and translation company - something Dynamic Language specializes in. :)

Free Language Instruction

For anyone who would like to quickly learn some basic phrases, I suggest you visit the BBC Languages page. You can pick up some knowledge for FREE in the following languages: French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, and Chinese.

Beyond these comprehensively covered languages, there are also some essential phrases in 36 languages available as well, from Albanian to Ukrainian.

ASL (American Sign Language): Different Essentials to Visual Language

Did you know that there are several different styles or methods of ASL (American Sign Language) that can be used for the Deaf culture and Hard of Hearing? It is easy to think that ASL (American Sign Language) covers the complete visual language for this social group, but based upon the background of an individual, their preferences and needs might extend beyond visual signing. They may need Oral Interpreting, Close Signing, Tactile Signing or a combination of several in order to fully understand a conversation. Understanding your client’s needs and their preferred style can be a very important step. Different styles aid to different individuals and their preference of retrieving information. Knowing the key essentials of ASL can render a new light for you and your client. Check out the differences below.

ASL (American Sign Language): ASL is a complex visual language, with its own unique syntax, grammar and sentence structure used by many deaf and hard of hearing clients. ASL is not directly from the English Language or solely a form of signed English. Clients who have ASL as their first or only language may not have learned English. ASL is its own visual language, meaning that the information is expressed with combinations of handshapes, palm orientations, movements of the hands, and facial expressions. ASL is used natively and predominantly by the Deaf and hard-of-hearing within the United States and Canada. ASL can also include both finger-spelling borrowings from English, as well as the incorporation of alphabetic letters from English words into ASL signs to distinguish related meanings of what would otherwise be covered by a single sign in ASL.

PSE (Pidgin Sign/Signed English)/Contact Signing: PSE is a combination of ASL signing and English grammar. However, word endings and words unnecessary to the overall understanding of conversation are not usually included. For example, if the sentence “The dog jumped the fence“is spoken within a speech or lecture, the interpreter may just sign “Dog, Jump, Fence“, skipping any unnecessary words or phrases. PSE can range from being more ASL-based to being more English-based depending on what the client is comfortable using.

SEE (Signed/Signing Exact English): SEE is a method of manual communication that visually represents spoken English. Some vocabulary is taken from ASL, supplemented with special signs that allow English to be signed exactly as it is spoken.

Deaf/Blind (tactile and close-vision):
Tactile signing is a method of communication through which the interpreter uses ASL signs or finger-spelling on the hand or hands of the Deaf/Blind person.

Close-vision can be used when the client still has some sight. The interpreter needs to sign in very close proximity to the client, use smaller, more compact gestures and any other accommodations (lighting, clothing, etc.) to maximize the ability of the client to see the interpreter as clearly as possible.

Oral Interpreting: For Oral Interpreting, the interpreter must clearly articulate, with their mouth (without voice), what is being said for a client who relies primarily on lip-reading (speech reading). Oral Interpreting does not usually include signing as in Transliteration.

Transliteration: For Transliteration, the interpreter mouths the words being spoken (without voice) while signing for a client who reads lips and uses the signing to clarify the communication. The emphasis is not solely on the mouth as in Oral Interpreting.

Real Time Captioning/CART (Communication Access Real-time Translation): Real Time Captioning and CART are mostly used for presentations, workshops or training courses. English text appears as it is spoken, on a laptop or large screen, as it is typed on a stenotype machine (also used in court reporting). This type of communication can only be used for those deaf or hard of hearing clients who read and understand English.

For more information, please contact web@dynamiclanguage.com or visit our website at www.dynamiclanguage.com.

Inc. 5000!!

Thanks to the support of our customers, and our team, Dynamic Language has just been acknowledged as one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States! This ranking is from the 2008 edition of Inc. Magazine's annual Inc. 500/5000 list of privately held companies, ranked by 3-year growth rate since 2004. We wanted to share the news asap via the Blog, but a press release will also be going out soon. Thank you for your support!!!

Typing Chinese Characters

The Straight Dope website re-posted a very interesting article from 1995 on how keyboarding works in the Chinese language. For a language that has more than 50,000 characters in their alphabet, that's a great question.

Here's the article:
How can the Chinese use computers, since their language contains so many characters?

2007 US Census shows that minorities are becoming a majority

Are you communicating as effectively as you can? Most of us realize that minority populations are growing rapidly throughout the United States, and that their growth is outpacing that of non-minority Americans. In an article today in USA Today, one of the articles contributors said:

"It's this intersection of continuing immigration, a spreading out of that immigrant population into new areas and the relatively young age structure of the Hispanic population, and to some degree the Asian population" that is contributing to these ethnic shifts, says Jeffrey Passel, senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center.

And unlike in previous decades, where California or the Southwest saw the most minority population growth, this trend isn't restricted to certain geographic areas:

"In more than a quarter of the 1,800 counties that grew from 2000 to 2007, Hispanics provided at least half of the gains. San Diego County gained 161,000 residents, including 150,000 Hispanics. Hartford County, Conn., gained 19,600, including 18,600 Hispanics."

Many companies and organizations do a fantastic job of communicating with your English speaking customers and employees. But everyone should be aware that as the US population shifts toward greater minority representation, an effective way to capitalize on that trend is to address LEP (Limited English Proficiency) consumers and workers in their native language. Whether you try something as simple as a translated brochure, or supporting multilingual versions of your corporate website, communication can make a huge difference in how your organization is perceived.

Purchasing Globally

Recently at Dynamic, we’ve been talking a lot about globalization. What’s involved? What are the best ways to do it? How can we help our clients globalize their businesses effectively? We wrote about it in our newsletter last month (you can see the article here, or check out our past newsletters here) and we’ve been brainstorming strategies and methods among ourselves.

As you might expect from a translation company, a lot of our conversations are about language related issues—making sure to use appropriate terminology for the target audience, providing relevant and location specific information for products marketed internationally, or the need for customer service support in the languages used for marketing. Since we do website localization, we’ve also talked about site structure, and ways to increase web presence on an international level.

Today I noticed a blog entry on Global Watchtower, the blog from Common Sense Advisory, a group who publishes research all about translation, and the global market. They bring up an important issue involved in globalization, one that every company should consider when they start thinking about how to provide relevant imformation and services to their international customers, especially if they are selling in the virtual marketplace. Namely, payment methods. Will your customers be able to buy your products using accepted online payment methods in their location? Sounds like an important issue, doesn’t it? I thought this blog article had a lot of useful facts and suggestions.You can read Can’t Pay, Won’t Buy: Why PayPal Falls Short on Global Transactions for some fascinating information from a Common Sense Advisory report.

Article on Family Business

Following is an article that I wrote for the Association of Language Companies (ALC's) monthly newsletter:
__________________________________
Family Business in the Northwest

Mary Majkowski asked me to put together a piece for the newsletter regarding working in a family business; and when Mary asks, you don't say no. In other words, I was happy to oblige my esteemed colleague. :)

Let’s start with some basic info: I'm Rick Antezana, VP of Dynamic Language, a family-owned Language Service Provider that has been in business in the Seattle area since 1985.

As I've gotten to know ALC members through conferences and other association activities, it’s apparent that this particular affliction – that of participating in a business with other family members – is something I have in common with many, many other ALC colleagues. Some of us apparently enjoy the experience much more than others, and I'm happy to count myself among the fortunate few who don't ponder fratricide on a daily basis.

Here's more information on our company to give you some background: Dynamic was originally formed in 1985 by my parents. My father, Ricardo, worked for 20+ years in the airline industry, and my mother, Maria Teresa, was the director for the Seattle branch of a language School. The decision to start their own business wasn’t an easy one, but they jumped in head first, and tried to capitalize on the potential that they saw in the language industry. My older sister, Sandy, was recruited to work for the company early on in its development, while she was still attending college at the University of Washington. Similarly, after my first year of college, I began working part time for Dynamic. And now, almost 25 years after the company was created, we have over 30 full time employees.

So, what works, and what doesn’t? In my humble opinion, a perfect world would include clearly defined roles and responsibilities for each family member. In reality, though, life in a small business dictates that most of us have to wear a lot of hats to ensure that things get done.

On the “what does not work” side, the list starts with bringing personal baggage and history into the office. Unfortunately, Sandy and I have both suffered our share of embarrassing anecdotes being shared with the staff. Thankfully, these situations didn't last forever at our company, but it can be an ongoing challenge for a lot of people to compartmentalize personal and professional lives.

Something that I believe works well, is strong leadership from up top. And by that, I mean even-handed, clear definition of tasks, and clear delegation, especially to family members. Easy to do? No, but worth the effort.

Luckily, we collectively realize how fortunate we are with this opportunity to work together, and we’ll continue to try and apply the lessons we’ve learned over the years, hopefully for generations to come. Speaking of which, I’m happy to report that as of this summer, we have three generations of the family involved at Dynamic!
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DynamicLanguage.com

We're excited to announce the release of DynamicLanguage.com which officially went live on 7/21/08! Please do peruse the site to learn more about one of the top LSPs (Language Service Providers) in the US. http://www.dynamiclanguage.com/