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Language Learning Suppliers Open Omni-channel Access to Their Lessons
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Posted by
Hélène Pielmeier
on
April 30, 2013
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Once upon a time, learning French or Spanish meant you had to go to a brick-and-mortar classroom or immerse yourself in a summer abroad in Nice or Seville. CD-ROMs and DVDs led to an era of computer-based language training that eventually found its way to the web. Now, language instruction companies are expanding their reach by using multiple communication
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Low-Cost Solution Arrives for International Payments
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Posted by
Hélène Pielmeier
on
March 11, 2013
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Cross-border payments create challenges for language service providers (LSPs) as well as the freelance community. Beyond simple payment terms, when an agency decides to work with a translator in a different country, the linguist has to agree to a preset payment currency, payment method, and bank transfer fees that are often to their disadvantage.
The
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Language Service Providers Give Back
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Posted by
Vijayalaxmi Hegde
on
February 28, 2013
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Common Sense Advisory asked language service providers (LSPs) about their acts of charity and we received responses from nearly 130 LSPs. Our intention in recording these efforts is to encourage companies who’ve taken the initiative to share whatever they can with those in need and motivate others to act similarly. Because of the overwhelming
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Groups Seeking to Set Translation Standards Seek Input
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Posted by
Donald A. DePalma
on
February 21, 2013
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Reaching buyer-supplier agreement on what constitutes a translation service offering was the first topic on the agenda at a presentation at this year's ATA- TCD conference in Orlando, Florida. Former ATA president and CEO of CETRA Language Solutions Jiri Stejskal and Brigham Young University professor Alan Melby presented an overview of the work
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Big Data Comes to the Translation Sector
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Posted by
Donald A. DePalma
on
February 14, 2013
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In our 2011 report on trends in machine translation (MT), we found that "the statistics-based approach to MT is basically a big-data application" (see "Trends in Machine Translation," Oct11). We predicted that experts would apply these algorithms to crack inter-language communication and marketing issues as they processed more languages and huge
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Software Developers and LSPs Enhance Machine Translation Capabilities
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Posted by
Donald A. DePalma
on
February 14, 2013
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In recent months many developers of machine translation (MT) technology and supporting tools have told us about new features that will increase the quality and usability of their products. New to the ranks are language service providers (LSPs) that are actively investing in production models employing MT. Here are some noteworthy additions, listed alphabetically
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There’s Big Money in Crowdsourced Translation – Or Is There?
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Posted by
Nataly Kelly
on
February 11, 2013
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In our ongoing stream of research on crowdsourced translation, we’ve noticed a steady wave of investment pouring in from people who believe there is money to be made by harnessing the power of multilingual crowds. Here are a few of the organizations that have recently attracted attention in the crowdsourcing arena, particularly from investors:
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NYU Adds Chinese to Its Master’s in Translation Program
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Posted by
Donald A. DePalma
on
January 20, 2013
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Our report on translator productivity dissected a troubling development – language service providers (LSPs) told us they had a tough time finding enough qualified translators (see “Translation Future Shock," Apr12). As we discussed some of the findings with LSPs, managing directors and CEOs expressed their anxiety about the decreasing
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Calling All Project Managers at Translation Companies
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Posted by
Hélène Pielmeier
on
January 15, 2013
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Common Sense Advisory today launched a survey on translation project managers’ (PM) responsibilities, which is the first of its kind in the language services industry.
In the last decade, project managers at translation agencies have seen drastic changes in their job descriptions. Technologies such as translation memory, translation management
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The 2013 “State of the Industry” Survey is Open!
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Posted by
Vijayalaxmi Hegde
on
January 8, 2013
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Common Sense Advisory today launched its annual survey of the global language services market. Now in its eighth year, the survey captures comprehensive data related to language services and technology. Why should you participate?
Receive a free report. All qualified respondents will receive a copy of the report we published in May of last year
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Language Line Services Acquires Pacific Interpreters
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Posted by
Nataly Kelly
on
January 7, 2013
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Today, California-based Language Line Services (LLS) announced the acquisition of long-time competitor and Oregon-based telephone interpreting company Pacific Interpreters. This announcement, which results in a telephone interpreting company with a reported US$300 million in revenue, really comes as no surprise. It was only a matter of time until LLS
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Acrolinx 3.0 to Offer "SEO While They Write" to Content Authors
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Posted by
Rebecca Ray
on
December 24, 2012
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Search engine optimization (SEO) is similar to flossing one's teeth – everyone recognizes it's best done on a regular basis. However, it would be a whole lot easier if it were integrated upstream in the content creation step (see "Writing for Global Audiences," Nov10).
Currently, most companies deal with SEO in one of two ways. Some firms throw
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Uptick in U.S. Manufacturing to Continue in 2013
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Posted by
Rebecca Ray
on
December 21, 2012
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Apple recently announced that it will resume manufacturing in the U.S. in 2013. It joins other U.S.-based companies, such as GE, Otis Elevator, and Whirlpool, which over the last year have announced similar decisions. Executives and logistics teams appear to be coming up a bit short as they re-run their calculations to reflect rising labor rates, higher
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Waking Up to the Arabic Spring
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Posted by
Benjamin B. Sargent
on
December 12, 2012
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The Arab Spring is not going away. Arabic is now one of the most important online languages. We are about to see an explosion of Arabic content and services on the web. Important websites and global brands need to get on board with this or be left behind.
Earlier this year, we published our update on the size and economic opportunity of online language
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UMD Launches a Sorely-Needed Translation and Interpreting Program
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Posted by
Nataly Kelly
on
December 3, 2012
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As we look back at 2012, the year has given the language services industry plenty of reasons to celebrate – strong growth rates, a positive job outlook, spikes in volume, and good sales figures as most companies head into 2013. We have a piece of important news as we approach the year’s end – a brand-new graduate degree program at
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The Market for Mobile App Localization Heats Up
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Posted by
Vijayalaxmi Hegde
on
November 20, 2012
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Among the obstacles that mobile app localization faces, platform compatibility can be daunting. That challenge includes not only differing operating systems (Android, Blackberry, iOS, and Windows), variants of those operating systems (a few flavors of Android, annual rejiggerings of iOS, and a major transition for both Blackberry and Windows) but also
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Machine Translation Continues Its Journey to the Promised Land
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Posted by
Donald A. DePalma
on
November 15, 2012
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Until a few years ago, anyone wanting to use machine translation (MT) had to buy it from a commercial supplier or build it themselves (see “Trends in Machine Translation,” Oct11). Then along came the Moses decoder, an open-source statistical MT (SMT) engine that is available at Github. Two commercialized variants -- a new do-it-yourself
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What Global Brands Can Learn from IKEA’s Blunder
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Posted by
Vijayalaxmi Hegde
on
October 16, 2012
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In its 2013 catalog for Saudi Arabia, furniture retailer IKEA removed women from its pages (see image) in a half-hearted bid to “localize.” The ensuing controversy forced IKEA to admit its mistake and say that the images should not have been re-touched after all. However, there’s more to learn from this debacle than just
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