New Job Title

Maps meet language

Very cool post by a blog that is moving up on my favorite list...btw that list is not posted anywhere except in my head.

http://www.nakedtranslations.com/en/2008/01/000940.php

Enjoy.

Naked Translations?

No this is not a new marketing scheme from Sinometrics. Since I have switched to Google Reader I have been checking out the recommendations they make for me to add in my news feed. Nice service Google!

Today they recommended Naked Translations Translation Blog. After checking it out is is really cool. For those who have interest in where words/common expressions come from this will definitely interest you. Enjoy.

Crowdsourcing, movement in translation

This is pretty amazing. I am thrilled for facebook and am very interested in how they will take ont his massive onset of content management. I am trying to find out more of the how, what and where of their process but overall the entire idea thrills me and I hope it goes well. This could really change the way that I do business and business like Sinometrics.

http://mashable.com/2007/12/27/facebook-translations/

No longer Dolla, Dolla Bills Yall

But in a melancholy turn, another noted altering the hook to a famous Wu-Tang Clan tune - to say "Euro, Euro bill, y'all" instead of "Dolla, dolla bill, y'all" - just wouldn't have the same ring to it.

http://www.examiner.com/ArticleEmail.cfm?articleID=1048235#

Those rappers effecting my industry:

http://globalwatchtower.com/2007/11/14/translation-pricing/

Automated Translation

You hope that your first translation won't be you last translation when it works out like this...

URL: Babelfish Sparks Minor Diplomatic Row

New World

Here is a chart taken from the Web Worker's Daily upcoming book, I found it at http://gigaom.com/2007/10/06/from-the-information-age-to-the-connected-age/

I think alot about work and what it means for today, I would like to hold on to this chart and think about it more, and then comment on it. Working in a small company that serves as touch point between technology and a service it seem logical for me to think we might be albe to work differently, offering something different that would be of amazing benefit to our clients. "it" still has not hit me yet though.

Global Watchtower...nails my world

Global Watchtower is the hot trade publication for the localization industry. I am amazed with how this article exactly what I think about. As a matter of fact a friend said to me yesterday you can't be President if your not a "Christian".

http://globalwatchtower.com/2007/10/04/muslim-multiculturalism/

I love that these guys don't shy away from hot topics! Great job

Worlds Connecting: The Montecarlo Semantic

This is a really cool video produced by Microsoft's Channel 8. Again I track a little with the guy, but it gets past me pretty quickly.

http://channel8.msdn.com/Posts/Montecarlo-semantics-an-interesting-approach-to-natural-languages/

Check out how he is able to deduce truth. Weight and quantity. The importance or weight of what is true is huge in the discussion, who sets that, is there a bias. Second how often do you find it? Is it any wonder that Christianity falls out of favor with many because of it's lack of quanity in the current Western World, we are the part of the world where the faith is in decline. (that was a leap from language and math, but hopefully you'll ask if it was too much).

The idea of asking questions and having them answered through techonology is really exiting to me. Also the potential this has when it comes to language is great.

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10/3 Update: Had a great conversation with a friend about this post today at lunch. Too much to go into detail on. One edit I need to make to my original comments is that according to the video the Montecarlo Semantic randomly assigns values to the particular statement, therefore they are not rated by a subject person, but rather the patterns emerge from random values with enough data.

This one is pretty cool!

http://www.digitalworldtokyo.com/index.php/digital_tokyo/articles/photocopier_translates_japanese_to_english_at_touch_of_button/

Japanese to English at the touch of a button.

Social Objects, Marketing, and Translation

This is an issue I am having to deal with now and often it feels like I am about to jump off a cliff when I really get a handle of a part of this theory. I am not really sure how to apply it as a sales monkey, but with vision there seems to be plenty of application in our industry. Check out Hugh's video on the link below.

http://www.nevillehobson.com/2007/09/22/business-blogging-survey-videos-on-youtube/

For us it is words (noun) and I'm not so sure about the verb, measure up? The distinction everyone in our industry tries to make is that of quality? But is there any real difference. If there is can we back it up financially or relationally? Send us any document to translated and if you can find better quality you get it for free, that seems like it could be costly but isn't it worth it. Doesn't that make Sinometrics as a company strive to accomplish something in a tangible way that other people are not? I cannot be sure if a guarantee is a social object though. So I am still thinking.

Technology Assisting Translation of Ancient Languages

This is interesting for me on two levels. First I am very familar with the tools that are available to scholars for Greek and Hebrew since I used the through seminary. Now there is new technology that will assist with other ancient langugages.

UAT Instructor Creates Cuneiform and Hieroglyphic Translator

The second side is how language translation is effected by technology. I am very interested in what market disruption through technology would look like for the localization industry. It hasn't quite clicked for me yet.

Company Names and translation

A good laugh here, but really does it make any difference if hulu's market is not swahili?

http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/08/29/hulu-translates-to-cease-and-desist-in-swahili-oh-the-irony/

Some insight into why WPC was good for Sinometrics

Donald A. DePalma writes a piece outlining some of the problems that we have in the localization industry with our trade shows in Common Sense Advisory. Too many, none distinguishing themselves, and same ol' speakers. I'll be interested in what positive suggestions they add to the conversation.

For me I'm in sales so I'm looking to learn, but my main priority is to find the next lead. So my hope is that we find a way in the industry to improve our story and find more people who want to hear it. We are getting geared up for Localization World, my first so I have some excitement, but honestly we would not be there if it were not in our home town of Seattle, WA.

Machine Translation not quite there

In my mind I think it should be. But once again I ran across another hopeful group that is closing up shop because we still have so far to go before we can get accurate translations. BabbleMail closed it up today.

Transparency for Service Providers

Just came across an interesting article directed at companies like Sinometrics. 6 things your localization agency doesn't want you to know. It seems that Cat's company has been able to find great translators directly that have satisfied their need. This is the case for many companies, and who can blame them. As much as I would like to sell them my services, they have to do what is best for their bottom line.

So it leads me to questions like, "What is the proper place of service companies?" Often I must deal with companies who are in Cat's position or at least exploring the option. What I find is that they want to concentrate on the core strengths of their business rather than spending energy finding people to handle localization projects for them. Why is it that many people use dry cleaners? Some prefer the way a dry cleaned shirt looks. For them it is an issue of quality. Others would rather spend their time on something else rather than ironing clothes. Now there are many companies that exist for this reason. When was the last time you changed the oil on you car? You might even know how, but you probably chose not to.

What I really like about Cat's post is that she is confronting some of the myths of the industry. There are bad ways to use TM's of clients to manipulate them into continuing to do business with you even though you are not providing excellent results. That should be exposed. Now Sinometrics handles the TM's differently, they are owned by our clients so they can use them as they please. There are other fees involved with working with agencies because they carry overhead. Very few translators are hiring a salesteam to go out there and scurry up business. Our agency is able to work in agile programming enviroments, we are not as flexible as working direct, but pretty close.

My impression of the industry is there is a lot to learn and my hope is that the more Sinometrics is able to listen to criticism like Cat's the better we will be able to evolve as a company.

Facebook on the mind

As if I wasn't already obsessed socially with Facebook. Today I read in a blog post at Damn that's some tasty data that they are looking to localize the service. I sent out a few emails, but if anyone has a person who I could talk to at Facebook or any suggestions let me know. Cell-206.407.6067

Going out on top?

I love when athlete's leave at the top of their game (and then don't come back). Why is it when someone in business does it, I get suspicious? Hope it is unfounded as the CFO for LionBridge resigned just after the company announce some very good Q2 results.

Check out the article http://www.lionbridge.com/lionbridge/en-US/company/news/lionbridge-announces-the-resignation-of-CFO.htm

Further thoughts on my bogging

This post is inspired because I went back and reviewed this new blog that I created and noticed a few things.

http://thewebtheologian.blogspot.com/2007/07/ms-wpc-experience.html#comments

First I am a total dork and was very excited that Steve Clayton: Geek in Disguise commented on that first entry. Now the bad news I have yet to upload the picture he is commenting on, but as they say "the check is in the mail". My wife and I were reviewing the pictures on our camera yesterday, and guilt washed over me. Thankfully Steve has been gracious so far, and hasn't banished me from Friends of the Blue Monster Group on Facebook. I am sure my time is limited. Steve's comment excites me because he is one who seems to get that which I am still trying to get. From my seat he is a A lister. The down side I feel on blogging, which has been communicated over and over again is the 'A listers' and everyone else. Now the fact that someone I respect and enjoy commented on my blog says something about the accessability of the tool. I have yet to recieve a phone call or email from an author I read and respect, Fredrick Buechner has yet to give me a call...though I haven't left him any VM or emails. Perhaps that is part of it, the conversation is less intimidating or/and invested. I read, I learn, speak up when it makes sense to, and we all go on with our lives. Pealing it all back is what I mean by Steve gets what I am trying to learn.

Second, the content of my blog is not tight. Consistantly I am able to blog on the Psalms. That is a discipline for me, and not discipline in a bad way but something that I enjoy probably more than others. Then content ranges from bloggers I like, to sermon illustrations, to news, to my industry. Welcome to my life, I am spread out, just as I think most people are. I am a salesman who worked as a pastor with a focus on community development who orginally wanted to be a child psychologist. And then of course there is the whole rockstar thing, but we all want to be rockstars.

Lastly, I have gotten more blogging with blogger.com and Windows Live Writer in then I could with iWeb. And now the process of updating the iWeb site is becomming very cumbersome. This has to be easy and fast. The catch with the Mac offering is that I could research the problem and correct it, maybe. But instead it is just easier to use something that works. Now what I would love is to be able to import all my old blog entries into this blog site. Again don't have the time right now to look in that.

David vs. Golaith

Lionbridge- 2006 revenue $419.0 Million
SDL Intl- 2006 revenue $174.5 Million
Transperfect- 2006 revenue $112.8 Million

Sinometrics- 2006 revenue $2.5 Million

These are three of the companies I regularly go up against in bids. Now there are countless companies smaller than us in the industry as well, every city has a mom and pop shop that does translation services, either inhouse or they offer the service. Talk about competition.

The Top Twenty in our industry are ranked yearly in the Common Sense Advisory. I might have already linked to it, but incase I forgot. My personal goal is to do everything I can to get us onto that list, is that ambitious?

Here's the link http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/members/res_cgi.php/070502_Q_Top_20.php

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