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Vol. 72    December, 2006


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Looking Back and Moving Forward

This year McElroy worked with a “Futurist” consultant looking strategically forward. Our management team worked for months immersed in analysis of future influencers and trends inside and outside the industry. How will client needs evolve and how will the way people work and communicate affect our company and our industry? Is McElroy prepared to succeed in a world that is rapidly changing? After much management team groundwork, we explored and refined specific initiatives at a corporate retreat.

As McElroy Translation looks optimistically forward to 2007 and beyond we realize that our greatest strength comes as we also look back. We commit to progress while we honor tradition in many ways. Outside consultants determined that McElroy’s reputation for integrity and industry leadership is the solid foundation on which we can develop and launch our plans. Looking back, we appreciate the long term employee, translator and client relationships that have built our brand. Moving forward the McElroy vision for the future is bright. “Setting the Industry Standard in Customer Satisfaction” remains the core philosophy as we develop and grow.

Happy New Year!

The Wild Wild Web

How Web 2.0 Changes the Way We Work

Evan Norman – Web Specialist

Web 2.0 vs. your business model

McElroy has modified its translation/review/client review process considerably as the type of material being translated continues to evolve from traditional documentation that is routed through a linear channel, to ongoing updates of data that require instant communication between many parties to achieve translation of content.

Along with the type of material being translated changing, client expectations have also changed. Increasingly, clients who author and review their content want to be integrated into the process, which has “webified” the way we collaborate on projects.

For these translators, project managers and clients who are migrating away from strictly email and phone interaction, the McElroy team is evolving and adapting to collaborating within online workspaces, like Wikis for instance.

Wiki as a project management tool for translation and localization

A Wiki is an invaluable tool for any localization endeavor, since you can easily and in many cases securely communicate with users all over the world using a browser interface. Generally a Wiki can be set up to use the least bandwidth necessary, particularly for internal communication, which makes it an excellent tool when traveling or for users in locales that don’t support broadband.

Along with McElroy’s project tracking system and other tools, we use a Wiki for project management, planning and collaborative documentation. Using a Wiki is a quick way for users in different locales and of varying levels of technical expertise to effectively communicate, ascertain project status and get the latest updates to living documents.

A CMS/workflow system for Web 2.0

Isn’t machine translation good enough?

The perfect translation, would, of course, be 100% accurate, instant and free. Though instant and free or relatively cheap, machine translation tools demonstrate at best 50% accuracy.

Read more...

“

Come, woo me, woo me; for now I am in a holiday humor, and like enough to consent .

William Shakespeare

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

”



Deanna Linehan – Production Specialist

When Deanna Linehan isn’t working at McElroy Translation, she is definitely donning a hat of another kind. When the glasses come off and the cape comes out, alter ego Deanna Marie steps onto the stage to front hard rock band VELVET BRICK.

Velvet Brick is a unique combination of unapologetic aggression and endearing passion. This Austin-based quartet hooks their audience with a swaggering style reminiscent of early Aerosmith and Guns N Roses; then layers that with deeply raw and personal lyrics; and finally levels their listeners with a powerful and soulful delivery.

Called “True Austin rockers,” by the Houston Chronicle, Velvet Brick relentlessly tours regionally, bringing their brand of rock’n’roll to an ever increasing fan base. The band continues to receive steady radio airplay and has been featured in numerous rock magazines and articles. Deanna Marie has been featured two years in a row in the She Rocks Calendar, a charitable and collectible calendar celebrating the women of the Austin music scene.

The line between these dual personalities is a fine one and Deanna must carefully keep the two from intertwining - lest she show up for work donning stage make-up, fish nets and a surly attitude! Or, even worse, walk on stage with her laptop, thinking cap and sensible shoes.

So how does she afford her rock’n’roll lifestyle? Deanna does many things to keep her feet on the ground and her head clear of the hectic music industry. With a background in accounting and office management she is a production department star with specialized expertise in a variety of programs. With wide ranging graphic and administrative skills she assists departments throughout the company as needed. Deanna also leads meditations at the University of Texas.

Just don’t tell her fans she’s such a normal gal by day. It may tarnish her edgy image!

Velvet Brick can be found online at www.velvetbrick.com, and visit their MySpace page.

Whales have 622 social sounds

McElroy Translation translates and localizes in almost all languages. We have not yet added “Whale” to our list of offerings. InttraNews reports on this fascinating communication:

Queensland, Australia (ANI): A new study has revealed that humpback whales are capable of emanating as many as 622 social sounds. Scientists believe the whales’ broad vocal repertoire enables them to communicate with their fellow whales, like summoning their young or even wooing potential mates by expressing emotions. Rebecca Dunlop, a researcher in the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Queensland, Australia said that while some sounds are brief, some are unpatterned, distinct from lengthier, complex whale songs.

For more information, please visit: www.dailyindia.com

Sweden

The People

Sweden is a predominantly middle class country with one of the most far-reaching social security systems in the world. Patriotism is important to Swedes, who are very proud of their nation, towns and regions.

Meeting and Greeting

  • Shake hands with everyone present -- men, women, and children -- at business and social meetings. Shake hands again when leaving.
  • Younger people generally do not shake hands when meeting friends. Older people expect a handshake when being greeted or when leaving.
  • If no one is available to introduce you, shake each person’s hand and introduce yourself.

Body Language

  • Generally, Swedes are reserved in body language. They do not embrace or touch often in public.
  • Maintain eye contact at all times while talking with someone.

Corporate Culture

  • Swedes take punctuality for business meetings very seriously and expect you to do likewise. Call with an explanation if you are delayed.
  • Use last names and appropriate titles until specifically invited by your Swedish host or colleague to use first names.
  • English is commonly used in business. An interpreter is rarely necessary. Business cards in English are acceptable.
  • During business meetings, Swedes usually get right down to business after very brief cordialities.
  • Agendas are clearly set for meetings with a stated purpose.
  • Swedes are factual, practical, precise, reserved and get to the point quickly. When communicating with Swedes, be clear and concise in detailing what you expect from them. They will be equally clear with you.
  • Presentations are important. They should be clear, to the point and detailed.
  • Reports, briefings and presentations should be backed up by facts, figures, tables and charts.
  • Swedes are generally tough negotiators. They are methodical and detailed, slow to change their positions and will push hard for concessions.
Read more...

American Translators Association Conference 2006

McElroy Translation was present in force at the American Translators Association annual conference in New Orleans last month. The conference brought together more than 1200 translators from 35 countries. McElroy attendees included Operations Manager Kim Vitray, Translator Coordinator Rochelle Carlin, Chief Editor Mark Ritter, and Key Account Manager Tina Cargile.

McElroy delegates reported that the many sessions they attended were informative, particularly those regarding technology and translation. This subject matter is more and more displacing purely linguistic presentations. This is indicative of the maturing nature of the translation and localization industry, as the focus evolves from inward to outward, as clients drive productivity gains with increasing activity levels and demands to satisfy their global commerce initiatives.

As the Administrator of the Translation Company Division of ATA, Kim Vitray is very involved with conference programming and organization. This year both she and Tina Cargile presented sessions.

Tina Cargile’s presentation “Survivor: Escape from Project Management Island” was well received as she delivered a content-rich session with the dry humor and fresh perspective for which she is known. With her PMP certification and 18 years of experience at McElroy, Tina compared the traditional world of PM to being alone on an island with no grand prize at the end. But it need not be that way! New thinking on project management maturity builds bridges to neighboring islands, forms valuable alliances with others, and strengthens the tribe’s standing throughout the industry. Tina provided great tips on how to cultivate a project management culture throughout the organization. The result is increased personal bandwidth and unleashed organizational potential.

Kim Vitray’s presentation was also delivered with a humorous twist. Titled “Fear Factor in the Workplace: Would You Rather Eat Bugs Than Do Employee Performance Evaluations?” Kim delivered nuts-and-bolts information and hands-on practice ideas to help address this important aspect of employee relations more effectively and confidently.

The ATA conference is a great networking venue for industry professionals. It also provides tangible information that helps attendees operate more efficiently in a social and business environment where reliance on quality translation continues to grow. ATA President, Marian S. Greenfield says, “People are dying on a regular basis in health care settings due to a lack of trained interpreters. The government continues to experience a shortfall in translators and interpreters who are key to the success of the war on terror. And with commerce being more global than ever, businesses can’t afford to risk embarrassment before potential customers when communicating with them in their own languages.”

The Queen’s English

Languages are dynamic and ever-changing. Remaining attuned to developments is just one of the challenges that language experts face. As interesting evidence of the evolutionary nature of language. InttraNews reports:

London, UK (Telegraph): As the common tongue continues its inexorable slide towards a new dark age of glottal stops and “innits,” news comes that even the Queen is drifting slowly down river towards Estuary English. A scientific study of Christmas broadcasts to the Commonwealth since 1952 suggests the royal vowel sounds have undergone a subtle evolution since the days when coal was routinely delivered to Buckingham Palace in sex.

For more information, please visit:
www.telegraph.co.uk

McElroy’s Vision Statement
Setting the industry standard in customer satisfaction

McElroy’s Mission Statement
McElroy Translation provides translation and localization services in all languages to business and government clientele enhancing their ability to compete in global markets.

Our December Promotion

$100 In Your Name Donated To…?

THREE WINNERS

One thing we’ve learned is that E-Buzz readers are compassionate and giving. In this spirit, McElroy is offering a new type of promotion for December. Three E-Buzz readers will win the opportunity to donate $100 each to the charity of their choice.

We realized how generous and compassionate our readers were last year when the greatest number of entries we’ve ever had for an E-Buzz promotion was for the $5 donation/entry made to Habitat for Humanity after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. McElroy was VERY happy to write that check!

Show us how many of you would love this opportunity by entering this drawing and encouraging your colleagues to do the same!

Click here to enter the drawing.

Ray Collins’ 15th Anniversary

McElroy Translation was pleased and honored to celebrate Ray Collins’ 15 th anniversary with the company in early December. Ray is our third employee to reach this milestone, following General Manager Shelly Orr Priebe in 2002 and Shipping & Receiving Coordinator Vicki Wunneburger in 2005. Ray is a medical editor, with a background in microbiology, and he edits English translations of medical/genetic/pharmaceutical patents and patent litigation, journal articles, and documents related to clinical trials and validation of manufacturing processes.

While 5- and 10-year employee anniversaries are celebrated in particular ways, we allow those who reach the 15-year mark to choose how they would like to commemorate the occasion. In keep with his generous spirit, Ray asked McElroy to make a donation to one of his favorite nonprofits in lieu of an anniversary gift or party. Thus McElroy made a donation in Ray’s honor to Foundation Communities (www.foundcom.org). Their Business Development Manager Robin Bradford is pictured below with Ray, during the in-office celebration we held on December 7. Robin gave a short presentation about Foundation Communities, and we presented our donation to her at that time, and also an anniversary certificate to Ray.

Foundation Communities, located in Austin, Texas, creates high-quality affordable housing and empowers low-income families and individuals with programs that educate, support, and improve financial standing. They focus on four core areas that serve as the foundation upon which families can build their success: opening doors to homes, ending homelessness, learning to succeed, and saving for the future. Ray was particularly impressed by their work on post-Katrina housing, both immediate and short-term aid to displaced persons and long-term assistance to refugees who wanted to stay in Austin.

McElroy Translation congratulates and thanks Ray for his 15 years of service, and for directing us toward a giving opportunity that is having real impact in our local community!

McElroy Translation appreciates the business of the following clients and announces the anniversaries of these client relationships:

20 years:

  • Brooks & Cushman
  • Leydig Voit & Mayer – Chicago
  • McKee, Voorhees & Sease
  • Texas Instruments

10 years:

  • Motorola – Scottsdale, AZ
  • Owens Corning

5 Years:

  • Baylor College of Medicine
  • BBVA Securities
  • Blakely Sokoloff Taylor & Zafman
  • Cryovascular Systems
  • Kilpatrick Stockton LLP
  • Mead Johnson Nutritionals

The Wild Wild Web

(continued)

McElroy recently reviewed several software companies that offer automatic translation of your blog or website into a dozen different languages. Developers of the software take advantage of Google’s Translator API, which automatically translates websites. The machine-translated site is then indexed in a language-coded directory to assist the website owner with increasing “multilingual search engine traffic.”

Communicating with your international customers this way would be like flipping a coin every time you spoke to them. Heads, they understand your product/marketing information the way it was intended to be understood, tails, they read gibberish, or worse, take offense and use a competitor. For instance, “A Couple Of Killer Internet Marketing Techniques” gets translated as “A pair of the techniques of the commercialization of the Internet of the assassin” when taken into Spanish. Unless your target audience is interested in how Spanish-speaking assassins are commercializing the Internet, any search engine traffic generated from such nonsense will be irrelevant to your business.

(For giggles:

Korean-- 2 murderer Internet selling and buying techniques

Italian-- One brace of the techniques of sale of the Internet of the assassin

German-- A pair of the murderer Internet marketing techniques)

Content Management Systems (CMS)/human translation workflow models of the past involved a lengthy, linear “round trip” process of entire blocks of content into the desired languages each time updates were made, in order to ensure accuracy across all languages. Over time, the cost and labor-intensity of this process causes many of the desired languages to fall completely out-of-sync with the most recent updates to content, rendering product information that is inaccurate or downright false, sometimes resulting in expensive legal action taken against the corporate creator of the content. As content authoring becomes more fragmented and prolific, especially in the world of Web 2.0, new tools and models are required to ensure that these problems do not occur.

Since many corporate departments do not have the luxury of completely scrapping legacy, high-dollar CMS solutions (that are not optimal for Web 2.0 content authoring/localization) in favor of new ones, Leepfrog’s and McElroy Translation’s CMS/Translation workflow solutions, combine to readily offer a lightweight and nimble alternative that can even reside as a layer between the legacy CMS and what your visitor sees in the web browser.

Pagewizard

Pagewizard is a CMS our partner Leepfrog built recently with McElroy’s input to reflect the evolving needs of clients on the web. Web visitors who arrive at sites served up by the Pagewizard CMS will see a truly localized version of the site based upon their language preferences, rather than an English website with a few multilingual page add-ons.

McElroy’s client Emerson Processes wanted its content authors, (English) content reviewers, translation team, and in-country reviewers to all play well together under a unified content management/translation structure. Emerson’s content authoring/translation process requirements are scattered, both in the sense of the physical location of the authors/translators/users of content, as well as the particular amount of content that the corporate office needed authored/translated for a particular location at a particular time. If all players were not operating under one unified structure, the end result would be a website full of stale content, and endless confusion throughout the ongoing process of content authoring/translation would reign.

Emerson Processes sources translation to McElroy and web architecture/CMS to Leepfrog. Emerson Processes, McElroy and Leepfrog are working together to accomplish a goal that satisfies all of the above criteria.

As a result, McElroy and Leepfrog were able to create a CMS/TM system that was lightweight and versatile for use by mid-sized companies. The PageWizard CMS is versatile enough to sit on top of legacy “heavy” CMS’s that some companies have invested too much in to part with. Its nimbleness also makes it a perfect CMS solution for Web 2.0-type business models, where user-authored content is generated constantly and updated frequently.

The PageWizard CMS can help manage content translation, either through a language service provider or leveraging in-house translators. As content is changed in the primary language, the PageWizard groups together sets of changes and dispatches them to the translators.

PageWizard coordinates directly with ELJOTS®, McElroy’s project tracking system, allowing for much lower per-word translation costs than providing translations manually. PageWizard tracks changes while the primary content is being translated, and can control the size of the batches to minimize the per-word cost of translation.

PageWizard can handle urgent changes – such as updating incorrect published information – in a different way than standard changes. Different pages may be flagged for different sets of target languages, providing flexibility within a budget. PageWizard will automatically re-use shared content, such as site navigation.

The net effect of the PageWizard and translation services team is to present an accurate, up-to-date version of a site’s content in the most preferred language of the website visitor, with little additional effort on the part of the content authors or the site’s editors.

Some of the features of PageWizard include:

  • scattered translation workflow— multilingual content is efficiently maintained and updated after initial push
  • re-use of shared translated content
  • flexible presentation, based on availability of translated content
  • language-specific templates, or parts of templates
  • potential to instantly remove inaccurate content to avoid legal issues
  • automatic handling of non-translated changes
  • leveraging of translation memory
  • word count driving workflow
  • language batching
  • minimization of per-word translation costs
  • limiting content sent to only what is to be translated
  • avoidance of difficult scripts that “break” translation tools
  • ability to self-publish each web page at end of translation process

Conclusion

Clients’ evolving needs have changed the landscape for integrating how language service provider teams and their clients collaborate with each other. These changing needs have influenced how our team and workflow system have adapted to meet the challenge—as well as how McElroy continues to explore and develop new ways for translation project teams to collaborate online.

Leepfrog's CEO Lee Brintle and McElroy's Project Manager Rainy Day contributed to the contents of this article

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Sweden

(continued)

Corporate Culture

  • In the relatively small private sector, it is important to know who is who and how everyone fits in the corporate structure. Important decisions are often made by middle and lower level managers.
  • While decision making may be a slow process, implementing decisions is often rapid.
  • Do not call a Swedish businessperson at home unless it is important and you have a well-established relationship with this person.

Dining and Entertainment

  • To beckon a waiter wave your hand and make eye contact.
  • Business entertaining is most often done in a restaurant during lunch or dinner. Business breakfasts are acceptable, but not as common as in the U.S. Business can be discussed at any time during a meal.
  • Spouses may be included in business dinners.
  • Female guest of honor is seated to the right of the host. Male guest of honor is seated to left of the hostess.
  • Dinner is often served immediately at dinner parties. There may be no cocktail hour.
  • Toasting is something of a formal ritual in Sweden. Don’t take a drink until your host has given a toast.
  • Look into the eyes of the person being toasted and say Skål (Skohl).
  • Allow hosts and seniors in rank and age to toast first.
  • When toasting, make eye contact and nod to the others present, before putting your glass down.
  • After making a toast, the men wait for the women to put their glasses down first. Do this immediately. It can be annoying for men to wait too long for the women to put their glasses down.
  • The meal ends with the male guest of honor tapping his glass with a knife or spoon and thanking the hostess on behalf of all the guests. The female guest of honor should thank the host.
  • A butter knife is usually provided. Do not use a dinner knife for butter.
  • Always ask permission before smoking.
  • Keep your hands on the table at all times during a meal—not in your lap—and keep your elbows off the table.
  • It is polite to try everything served.
  • When finished eating, place knife and fork side by side on the plate at the 5:25 position.
  • Call or write the next day to thank your host and hostess.
  • Do not ask for a tour of your host’s home unless you have a well established relationship.

Dress

  • Swedes wear fashionable, but often casual, European style warm clothing. It is important to be well dressed in public at all times.
  • For business, men should wear conservative suits and ties. Women should wear dresses, suits, and pantsuits.

Gifts

  • Gifts are generally not exchanged in business, but it is common to give small Christmas gifts to a Swedish colleague. Gifts representative of one’s business or home area are appropriate.
  • When invited to someone’s home, always bring a small gift for the hostess. If host has children, a small gift of candy is appreciated.
  • Give flowers (unwrap before giving), wine (liquor is special because it is very expensive in Sweden), chocolates, books and recorded music. Do not give crystal or items made in Sweden.
  • Gifts are opened immediately.

Helpful Hints

  • Knowledge about Sweden’s economy, high standard of living, sports, architecture, history, etc. is appreciated.
  • Remember to thank someone for dinner or gift upon next meeting.
  • Men should tip their hats to women and remove their hats while talking to women.
  • Do not praise another city or area in Sweden over the one you are presently visiting. Swedes are very proud of their own town or region.
  • Do not criticize Swedish lifestyle, sexual habits, suicide rate, prices, etc.
  • Do not compliment lightly. Insincere comments are considered rude.

Especially For Women

  • In Sweden, women make up 48% of the work force—the highest percentage of working women in the world.
  • Foreign businesswomen are widely accepted and should encounter few problems conducting business in Sweden.
  • Businesswomen may pay the check in a restaurant without any embarrassment.

-- Excerpted from the “Put Your Best Foot Forward” series by Mary Murray Bosrock. These publications are available for the U.S., Asia, Mexico/Canada, Russia, Europe and South America.


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