Why do you need a professional translator?
Some people argue that to translate their material they only need somebody who is bilingual. Well, we like to explain that translating is much more than “changing” words from a language to another. Trained translators are able to not only work with words but ideas, concepts, cultural issues, etc., that have to be taken into consideration when working with other languages.
Here’s a sample of what you don’t want:
In a Bangkok temple:
IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN.
Cocktail lounge, Norway:
LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.
Doctors office, Rome:
SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES.
Tokyo hotel’s rules and regulations:
GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED.
On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:
OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.
In a Tokyo bar:
SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS.
Hotel, Japan:
YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID.
In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY.
Are you smiling? Well, it sounds like a joke but it is not!
Need some help? Just contact us info@localingua.com
Climb for Life- A Tribute to the Heroes of 9/11
Localingua participated in the Houston CF- Climb for Life- A Tribute to the Heroes of 9/11, benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
On Sunday, September 11, 2011, Houston went vertical as the community took on the stairs at the CF Climb For Life to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Teams from the Houston Business Community, Houston Fire Department and local individuals took on the 39 flight challenge to the top of Marathon Oil Tower in the fight to cure cystic fibrosis, and to honor the Firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11.
Localingua had representation in this community outreach event through one of their employees, who received support through donations from Localingua staff. Following the climb, a commemorative ceremony honoring the 9/11 Heroes was held, with recognition to the Houston Firefighters. “It was very rewarding to help in such an important cause” said our climber, Ismenia Interiano-Fletcher. “The fact that the Firefighters made the climb with 60 to 70 pounds of gear, gave me the will to go all the way, and the following ceremony was very moving. It was a great experience”.
Cystic fibrosis is a devastating genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. More than ten million Americans are symptomless carriers of the defective CF gene. Advances continue to be made in finding a cure.
Our staff member, Ismenia Interiano-Fletcher, second from left, with other climbers and some members of the Houston Fire Department
Localingua sponsors NEO STC Ohio Chapter Meeting
Localingua was the sponsor of the recent NEO STC Ohio Chapter educational meeting that was held on September 9. Approximately 40 attendees were able to benefit from the presentation “Strategic Career Plotting” by Robert Dianetti, STC associate fellow. Robert Dianetti, from Radcom services, provided information on how to plan career advancement and prepare for a career change.
The NEO STC is a community of hundreds of technical and professional writers, editors and illustrators from around Cleveland, Akron-Canton, Youngstown and Ashtabula who exchange ideas and feelings about their careers. NEO STC often earns the Society’s community of excellence award for its outstanding service to members.
Click here to learn more about NEO STC Society.
Localingua turns 4!
Localingua marked 4 years in the translation industry in October …!
This was a tremendous occasion for us.
We would like to thank our clients, translators, editors, project managers, and others who have always supported and continue to support us.
Thank you all for making our four years a success!!!
NEOHCC Marketing Award Winner
We are proud to share with you this great news:
We have been awarded a marketing award by The Northeast Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce!
We will receive the award on May 20th at 6pm in the US Bank, Cleveland, OH 44109.
Join us!
STC Technical Communication Summit and EXPO, Dallas, TX, 2-5 May 2010
Registration: check! We are, ready to attend the STC Technical Communication Summit and EXPO: This is a great Conference that brings all professionals together. You can attend workshops, meet people and learn more about what’s going on in several industries.
As STC members we enjoy their conferences, and highly recommend them.
Sixth Sense Technology
Professional life has changed so drastically over the past two centuries that the human brain can no more store all the information one needs to simply get through one day at work. That is why people have invented all sorts of gadgets for storing and exchanging information. Translation companies are a clear example of this development. We have translation memories, smart programs that allow us to communicate with our clients, not mentioning the Internet connection that has become one of the vital signs of our business. But however sophisticated the devices we might have, we still cannot access and exchange information as freely as we would like to. Or can we?
MIT answer is yes. Meet Sixth Sense Technology – the gizmo, which its developer, Pranav Mistry, describes as “a wearable gestural interface that augments the physical world around us with digital information and lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with that information”. The device prototype looks like a large pendant comprised of a mirror, a pocket projector, and a camera with the latter two connected to the mobile computing device in the user’s pocket. The projector allows the user to exploit any flat surfaces as interfaces; while the camera recognizes user’s hand gestures using computer-vision based techniques turning them into interaction instructions for the projected applications.
Sounds good, right? Well, it gets better. The inventors of Sixth Sense haven’t patented the technology and decided to make it open-source– it is their gift to humanity. That leaves us the hope that the devices built with the use of this new technology will be sold at affordable prices. At present, the manufacturing cost is $350. Freelancers and small translation agency could easily afford that.
The biggest advantage of this technology is that allows one to unglue oneself from a computer or blackberry and physically participate in the digital communication. With Sixth Sense a project manager can respond fast to the translators and clients without depending on his/her office equipment. Let’s say a project manager is out for lunch and gets an urgent request with a short turnaround, he/she can use the projector to calculate the quote on a napkin and problem solved. How would you like to win a project and have lunch at the same time?
Incredible? Check out the video presentation on Sixth Technology at http://www.pranavmistry.com/projects/sixthsense/
Little Introduction.
As part of our 2010 resolution, we all decided to start a blog! For what, for who…? Well we want to keep it simple and share with you what’s going on in the translation industry and in the world in general. We want to be able to interact with people, so please leave some comments and don’t hesitate to contact us.
We hope you’ll enjoy this journey in the world of languages with us.
Come back soon 
