I could make a whole Clients’ FAQ section just with what I get from them when I receive a new quotation request and ask them to specify what language/ dialect they refer to: – What do you mean, “what kind of English”?! – Is there actually a Swiss French?! –
One of the fun things about this job, as a sales person, are the sometimes “out there” questions that we get over the phone from prospective clients. “How do I email you my document if it’s physically in my hand? Can you translate 10,000 words in 1 hour? I understand that if you’re not in […]
Some people like swans, some relate with eagles and the weird ones associate themselves with ostriches. What do they like about these noisy, oily, ugly creatures, you may ask? Well, it’s their ability in working together as a team. Ducks are known to work together and accomplish the impossible and unimaginable. Ducks cove
What is the official Language of the United States? If you answered “English” to this question, you might want to do a little bit more research. The United States is actually one of the few nations in the World that does not have an “Official Language”. Many lawmakers and politicians have made proposals to make [&he
As times are getting harder and as the world economy is running on the brink of going through another word wide recession, it is only normal for companies to go through their goals and objectives to see what realistically can be reached and what adjustements might need to be implemented in order to meet these […]
Welcome to the year 2012 and guess what, time is still of the essence. Because there is a lot of talk around the world regarding this year being our last year on Earth as we know it, I have the growing sense that more people are in even more of a hurry to get things […]
Truth is, I never even liked cats. They’re slick and independent, which I do admire, but that doesn’t always favor humans, if you ask me. I mean, isn’t a pet supposed to be there for you, join you, defend you, cheer you up and give you all the unconditional love? Isn’t a pet supposed to […]
The translation business is much more than translating a document or being an interpreter for an important business meeting. Just like in show business, it takes a lot of people to make things happen. Some of those who make the wheel turn or should I say, make the wheel start to turn, are the people […]
I would like to break away from my normal blog routine this week to pay homage to one of the greatest men that has ever walked the face of the earth. On January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia a young boy was born. One day this young boy would grow up to change the world. […]
As the world economy has been hit very hard and is still recovering very slowly, it is important to not only look into the future, but to also analyze the current situation: How new clients can be found and retained; in other words, Prospecting. Global recession has become reality and so it has become very […]
Since I find myself in this situation quite often, I believe it deserves a brief explanation from my part. When asking a client with a translation request from English to Chinese if the dialect is simplified or traditional, I usually get the same answer: “I’m not sure.” This article is basically a compari
In this final episode, I would like talk about the most important tool that all companies nowadays utilize, CRM tools. CRM tools are utilized extensively for managing a company’s interactions with prospects & clients. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes, sales activit
Being a translator let’s you delve into all sorts of territories. You learn a little bit about almost everything you translate. It could be anything from how to build a kite, to what ingredients it takes to make the best chocolate covered strawberries from scratch. What you also learn a lot about is SLANG. So […]
In part one of my “How to Sell More” blog series, I had touched on two important factors about how concentrating on oneself through continued education and improved efficiency can directly increase sales revenue. For this segment, I want to focus on the value of two basic sales fundamentals. Pitching Your Product/Servic
It is extremely difficult these days to get recurrent or additional clients to buy more translations. In this blog I will mention a few methods that either the Account Manager or the Marketing/Sales Department can perform in order to receive more translation requests from recurrent clients or new prospects. Obviously it is
The phrase “lost in translation” may remind the average folk of a famous movie title from back in 2003. In that movie two Americans, played by the voluptuous Scarlett Johansson and the comical Bill Murray, meet and share a few melodramatic romantic nights in Tokyo. Translators know that for them “lost in translation�
Despite it being in the heat of summer, Christmas in Argentina isn’t as different as you would think. With a strong European influence, Christmas in Argentina is much more similar to Europe and North America than other countries in South America. However, with over 90% of the population identifying themselves as Roman
In this episode, I would like to focus on a very powerful and versatile tool: the phone. The phone is arguably the most powerful tool on your desk. Good salespeople are in demand, and management wants to give them the best possible tools to make them productive. We all understand that selling is a numbers […]
After graduating from college, I decided that I was going to explore the world. The day after graduation I was on an airplane to Amsterdam and have not looked back since. I have lived in over ten different countries over the past twelve years, and in every country I have tried to learn the native […]
There are just a few questions in life to which, even attempting to confirm, a definitive answer is virtually impossible. The first question could involve finding the meaning of life and the second probably would include locating the key to an afterlife. The third question though, seemingly to be not as profound, often