Selecting the Right Translation Vendor

a n e w s l e t t e r p U b l i s h e d b y i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o m m U n i c a t i o n b y d e s i g n , i n c .

selecting the right vendor for your translation project is essential to its success. When evaluating translation agencies, ask these questions so that you can choose the right agency for your needs.

How long has the agency been in business, and can it provide references? Always check the client references that a firm gives you.

How long has the agency been translating for your industry? Each industry has its own vocabulary, and you want a firm that is comfortable with yours.

What services does the agency offer? Some agencies offer desktop publishing services; others do not. Think of services you may need in the future and ask if the agency provides them.

Into what languages does the agency translate? Be sure the agency you choose has certified translators in all of the target languages you need.

How experienced are the agency’s project managers? Find out the project manager’s translation memory skills and whether he or she can handle complex projects.

What quality control processes does the agency employ? Ask about measures to help ensure the quality of your translation before you receive it and your role in quality control.

What are the agency’s average turnarounds on projects? Most translators can translate between 2,000 and 3,000 words per day, but many variables may come into play. Weigh average turnaround times against quality and experience.

How does the agency handle client changes on documentation that has already been translated? Some agencies implement minor changes free of charge. Charges may apply for numerous or stylistic charges.

What is the agency’s policy regarding translation memory databases? Usually, your translation memory should be available to you free of charge, but it’s best to ensure that any requirements are part of your contract.

How many translators does the agency have on site, and how long have they worked with the agency? The number of in-house translators an agency employs may not be relevant, especially if only a few translators are available for the target languages you need.

What types of tests must translators pass before they can work for the agency? The quality of your translation can vary significantly if the translators are not accredited by the American Translators Association (ATA).

When deciding which agency to use, trust your instincts. If you have doubts during the interview process, look for another firm. Translation projects are often time consuming, but by doing the research, you can save time and money. You just have to know the right questions to ask.

selecting a translation Vendor

south Korea free-trade agreement

neighbors bulgaria and romania join the eU

Esprit d'ICD

In This Issue

ICD Travel Tip

Web Definitions: Wiki

Catherine's Column

Employee Profile

International Puzzler

ICD on the Road

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Features

SPRING 2007V o l . 6 n o . 2

Dry icetake your antarctica expedition from november through march. the continent, the coldest and driest on earth, is considered a desert. enjoy glaciers and mountains, as well as penguins, orcas, and whales.

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on april 1, 2007, the U.s. and south Korea concluded negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement. According to the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the agreement—if ratified—represents the largest FTA the U.S. has negotiated in 15 years and exceeds the scope of NAFTA.

If ratified by Congress and the South Korean national assembly, the United States–Korea Free Trade Agreement, also known as KORUS, allows for almost 95% of U.S. consumer and industrial products to be duty free within three years. It also opens the automobile market in South Korean to U.S. cars and encourages use of U.S. yarns and fabrics in textiles imported from South Korea. Other provisions improve trade in telecommunications and pharmaceuticals and help protect intellectual property rights and the environment.

In April 2007, the Washington Times reported that with South Korea’s “nearly 50 million consumers”, KORUS would be advantageous to such U.S. industries as agriculture and banking. The New York Times also claims approval would give the U.S. a “badly needed lift to its trade policy”.

One U.S. legislator, Senator Max Baucus of Montana, wants to withhold ratification until South Korea removes its ban on U.S. beef exports after a case of mad cow disease in U.S. beef in 2003. Proponents of KORUS also cite the current imbalance of trade in U.S. automobile exports to South Korea. According to the Washington Post, U.S. firms exported about 4,000 cars to South Korea in 2006, while 800,000 South Korean automobiles were imported to the U.S. the same year.

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the two most recent countries to join the european Union (Jan. 1, 2007) are bulgaria and its northern neighbor, romania, each bordering the black sea. Bulgaria, slightly larger in size than Tennessee, has approximately 7.3 million inhabitants. Romania has approximately twice the amount of land as Bulgaria (more comparable to the size of Oregon) and is populated with over 22 million.

Both countries boast natural resources of timber, coal, and arable land. Over 80 percent of the Bulgarian population speaks Bulgarian, with less than 20 percent speaking Turkish and other languages. Languages used in Romania are the official language, Romania, as well as Hungarian and German. The two also share the same three primary export partners—Italy, Turkey, and Germany—as well as the same three top import partners, Italy, Germany, and Russia.

Lying between Asia and Europe, Bulgaria has a rich history dating back to its formation in the 9th century when over 40 different tribes roamed its lands. In 863, Christianity was proclaimed the official state religion, but in the 15th century, when Bulgaria became part of the Ottoman Empire, many Bulgarians converted to Islam. Bulgarian historians have attributed Bulgaria’s current low population to violence and emigration during that time period. Recent publicity by Bulgarian authorities opposed to Turkey’s attempts to join the EU demonstrates long-held animosity dating back over centuries.

A Bulgarian national liberation movement began early in the 19th century and continued until April 1877 when Russia, assisted by Bulgarian volunteers, declared war on Turkey. In 1878, Bulgaria was once again declared an independent state and its regions were united in 1885. The country retained a monarchy until 1944 when it was invaded by the Soviet Union. Long caught between eastern and western cultures, the process of Europeanization in Bulgaria’s educational system and in the areas of science, literature and art began to take

hold in Bulgaria after its liberation 1878 and continues to this day as evidenced by the country’s recent joining with the EU.

Also on the Balkan Peninsula, Romania, like Bulgaria, sprang from Thracian roots as well as Dacian tribes. In the sixth century, the various tribes united to form Romania. The country’s strong ties to the Roman culture are apparent in both the name

of the country and in is language, Romanian, which inherited many of its traits from Latin. Like Bulgaria, Romania was ruled by the Ottoman Empire until the 16th century when Michael the Brave liberated the country.

As early as the 18th century, Romania had begun to embrace capitalism and began exporting goods to European trade partners. Long a country of principalities, Romania took its official name as a nation state in 1862. It remained primarily a constitutional monarchy until at the end of World War II, when the country was taken over by communist rule. In December 1989, Romania once again returned to democratic rule. Romanian culture is marked by its multi-ethnic background. Romanians are proud of their long history of folklore as well as their strong ties to the early Roman culture. Sources: The CIA World Factbook; Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria; Embassy of Romania

South Korea Free-Trade Agreement

Neighbors Bulgaria and Romania join the EU

BLACKSEA

HUNG

ARY

SERBIA

GREECETURKEY

MOL.

UKRAINE

BulgariaSofia

Romania

Bucharest

“a piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit web page content using any web browser. wiki supports hyperlinks and has a simple text syntax for

creating new pages and crosslinks between internal pages on the fly.”“a website that allows visitors to add, remove, edit and change content, typically without the need for registration. it also allows for linking among any number of pages. this ease of interaction and operation makes a wiki an effective tool for mass collaborative authoring.”

web

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Wiki

Sources: www.ustr.gov; www.washingtontimes.com; www.newyorktimes.com; www.washingtonpost.com

Catherine's Column

with air travel regulations becoming increasingly complicated, the “checklist” that international business travelers use before they board a flight continues to grow. In January 2007, the U.S. State Department added another requirement to the list when it

implemented the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, or WHTI.

For U.S. citizens traveling within the 50 states or to and from a U.S. territory, WHTI does not apply. But U.S. citizens who travel by air between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda are now required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS Card, U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or Alien Registration Card. In 2008, you may also be able to

substitute a new PASS card, which is being developed by the U.S. government, in lieu of other documentation.

Over 74 million Americans now hold U.S. passports and, since WHTI went into force, the State Department has processed record numbers of additional passports. In the three months leading up to WHTI, 51 percent more passports were processed than the same period of the previous year. To handle the increased demand, the department has hired more than 200 additional passport adjudicators and expanded its operating hours.

If you are an international business traveler, you will want to take extra measures during the transition period to help ensure that your travel plans run smoothly and with minimum interruption. Until the new high-tech PASS cards become available, make sure you have the appropriate documentation, generally a U.S. passport, when traveling anywhere outside the United States.

catherine deschamps-potter

VICE-PRESIdEnT SAlES & MARkETIng

Suggested International Films

Strayed(2004 France)

In June 1940, a widow and her two children flee into the forest after the Germans invade Paris.

Wings of Desire(1987 German)

An angel falls in love with a beautiful, lonely trapeze artist. He must decide whether to give up true love or lose his wings forever.

Hero(2002 China)

Told in flashbacks, Hero is the story of one man who seeks to save the most powerful warlord in China from three assassins.

Gerhard, a native of Weiden, Germany, is a free-lance English-to-German translator. Prior to joining ICD, Gerhard taught German for a number of years at Penn State University, Georgetown University, and the Catholic University of America and also served as an English instructor with City Colleges of Chicago for members of the U.S. military abroad. He has also worked as a German language instructor for private language schools, where he occasionally translated documents.

Today, most of Gerhard’s translation work is in the areas of engineering, IT, printing and publishing, construction, automation, science and technology, and – growing out of a personal hobby and passion – gastronomy and cooking. When he’s not working, he likes to travel. For the past nine years, Gerhard has not missed an American Translators Association (ATA) annual conference.

Gerhard holds an advanced degree (English and German) from the University of Regensburg and an MA (German) from Penn State University. He lives with his wife and daughter in Manassas, Virginia.

New Rules Affect U.S. Travelers

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Interesting terms used by EU officials

a clause used in eU legal texts to highlight an issue on which eU leaders cannot reach agreement and to indicate that they will come back to the subject t a later date.the decision is made official, but the legal text includes a “rendezvous clause”.

EUROJARGON

ICD EMPLOYEE PROFILE Gerhard

Rendezvous clause

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International Communication by Design, Inc.1726 N 1st Street, Milwaukee, WI 53212 (414) 265-2171 fax (414) 265-2101info@icdtranslation.com • www.icdtranslation.com

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Volume 6, number 2

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION BY DESIGN, INC.1726 n. 1st streetmilwaukee, wi 53212

Translating Your Company into a Global Success

what does the gold circle in the african Union emblem represent?

ICD International Puzzler

last issUe’s pUzzler

answer

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Which little-used European language became an official EU language on January 1, 2007?

The gold circle symbolizes Africa’s wealth and bright future.winner Michael McKeon of GOJO Industries. Congratulations, Michael!

Society for Technical Communication (STC)

Booth #211May 13-16, 2007

Minneapolis Convention Center

Minneapolis, MNwww.stc.org

National Restaurant Association (NRA)May 19-22, 2007 McCormick Place

Chicago, ILwww.restaUrant.org

American Society for Training and Development

(ASTD)Booth #1430

June 4-6, 2007 Georgia World

Conference Center Atlanta, GA

www.astd2007.astd.org/

NXTcommJune 18-21, 2007McCormick Place

Chicago, ILwww.nxtcommshow.com

American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)

Booth #250 June 24-27, 2007

Orange County Convention Center

Orlando, FLwww.asse.org

ICD on the Road