“Subtitling” or “Dubbing”

This weekend I watched two very interesting, although very different genre movies. One was the latest action Bond film from the renowned James bond franchise: Skyfall, and the other a drama film directed by Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez: Biutiful. Not only was the content of these films very different but also the lan...

Top Secret and Confidential

According to MacMillan Dictionary, a confidentiality agreement, also known as a non-disclosure agreement, is “an agreement in which a person or organization that has important information about the activities of another organization promises not to give it to anyone else.” (http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/...

The One-stop Shop for Technical Translations

As a translation company that provides multiple services to all sorts of different companies, organizations, and private clients, it is fundamental for our clients that our translations be specific and precise to the purposes and objectives of the documents. For this reason, it is important to calibrate the technical level ...

Turnaround time… it’s no joke!

Turnaround time. Is it a farce? You might think so if you believe that the translation industry operates off of machines. But that is not the case. Translations to this day are still heavily dependent on human translators. Why? Because machines just can´t cut it. You can probably testify to this if you have used […]...

Let me hold a Dollar!

I was on the phone the other day contacting a client regarding a pending invoice. The company representative asked me this question, accounts payable or receivable? I was stumped, who exactly was I looking for? Do I need to get in touch with my contact and ask this question? Will I sound dim-witted? I pretended […]...

Why invest in multilingual website translations?

Although the majority of websites are written in English, many assume that internet users already know English. However, as internet access has become near-universal, a huge untapped market of non English-speaking customers has emerged. For example, the Spanish-speaking market wields about $1 trillion worth of purchasing po...

Same files, different languages

As a multilingual translation company, we regularly receive requests to translate into multiple and often very different languages. Although we do a tremendous amount of work to and from Spanish, our clients also regularly request French, Portuguese (both Brazilian and Portuguese), and other European languages. Increasingly...

Shop Smarter

Need something translated? You would assume it is a simple process: Just handover the document and the language that you would like it translated into and Whizzamm!! Perfect translated copy appears. Like any other product it helps to ask a few questions before making the purchase. Here are a few questions you should think...

To DTP or not to DTP

Desktop publishing (abbreviated DTP) is the creation of print ready materials using various industry standard software to combine and reorganize text and images for creating digital files. Desktop publishing can be used for designing brochures, flyers, posters, logos, letterheads, etc. Depending on your needs, Desktop publ...

Guaranteeing a Quality Technical or Scientific Translation

Among the various fields of translation, scientific or technical translation is a difficult task that requires knowledge of the industry and experience translating complex scientific or technical material. Many specialized technical companies choose to assign translations of material to bilingual employees, whom they believ...

Client’s Feedback on Price Quotes: The Right Fit

We receive many requests for a price quote on any given day, which of course require a good deal of effort on both the prospective client’s end, from the account managers, as well as from the back-office.  The three parties involved have one thing in common: we are all collaborating together in order to produce […...

How to choose a translation agency

The best approach while selecting a translation provider is to request a sample test from multiple agencies. Consider performing a paid test project starting with the most promising vendor. The test project should have similar requirements as your actual project in all aspects except volume. Measuring the success of your te...

The English Language Invasion

With the rapid advancement of globalization and technology, as well as a history of British and U.S. hegemony in the 19th and 20th centuries, English has gained dominance as one of the most important languages in the world. Over 950 million people have adopted it as a second or foreign language, in addition to the […...

The Fine Line: Phone vs. E-mail Communication

At many points during the day as an Account Manager – whether I have a price quote to provide, to ask or to answer project-specific questions, or to get feedback on a finalized project – I find myself asking whether I should call or e-mail a client. In general, phone communication serves as a much […]...

Trusted Translations Review: Personal Touch

When you contact a company offering translation/interpretation services, who exactly are you looking for? Do you want to a customer service rep or an actual project/account manager who is in direct contact with various sub-divisions of the production department and knows the inner workings of your project? Trusted Translat...

The Facts on American Sign Language (ASL)

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communicative Disorders, American Sign Language (ASL) is a complex language that utilizes signs made by moving the hands and creating postures of the body and facial expressions. It is primarily used by North Americans who are deaf, but it has also been used for thos...

Dubbing/Lip Synching: Believability and Accuracy

One of the various aspects of the multifaceted translation industry involves Dubbing/Lip Synching.  In essence, dubbing means taking a video sequence done in one language and replacing the source audio track with a new one in the target language.  Lip Synching is the highest quality way of dubbing, using an adapted script...

Lights….Camera….ACTION!!!

It’s summer time here in the US and going to the movies is a great American pastime. The act of watching a movie is a release from the daily grind, an excursion, a mini vacation for the family. Globalization and technology now allows movies to be simultaneously released all over the world. For example, the […]...

Define it, relate it, sell it!

In the business world, definitions are asked for and given on a routine basis. Definitions provide clarity and accuracy so that both the client and the provider can agree to a particular product or service under a certain set of conditions and rules. Failure to provide clear and accurate definitions will not only confuse yo...

A Few Words on Interpretation

One of the newer and interesting services that our company offers is Interpretation. Potential kinds of live on-site interpretation services come in all shapes and sizes: from personal escort interpreters, to numerous simultaneous interpreters in a large conference and into a variety of languages. The first concept to clear...