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.
“Good business leaders create destiny by defining and sharing a vision. To know it, to feel it, and to live it is to achieve success.”
I recently came across a fascinating interview posted on Slashdot. Many of us are curious about what goes on in the Arab world. The picture painted for us by the daily news is of a war-torn world of primitive living, constant rioting, and endless political and religious repression. We know that millions of people in the Middle East carry on with their daily affairs, but we rarely hear or read about how they interact with information technology.
In other words, wouldn’t it be great to know what their online behavior is like, what kinds of software they use and prefer? For some of us this means: what market potential is there for our online product and service offerings? Did you know that there is an enormous blogging community in Iran, (mostly) freely chatting away about their lives, much the way kids do in large numbers in places like Brazil, Singapore, or the U.S.?
For insight into the thoughts and aspirations of the Iranian people, there was also a great article in the Sunday Washington post, discussing some points of departure to the literature of the people of Iran. The author writes "It is when they discover this 'other Iran' -- enigmatic, humorous, self-critical and sensual -- that Americans will celebrate the differences that make each culture unique but also experience the shock of recognition, discovering how much they have in common with Iranians."
Taiwan is planning a number of activities to promote traditional Chinese writing overseas in the face of the UN's reported plan to use only the simplified form.
***
Meanwhile, Minister of Education Tu Cheng-sheng (杜正勝), said during an Education and Culture Committee question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan that traditional Chinese characters have historical roots and meanings, making them easier to learn and more convenient to use in writing documents or letters.
Here is a curious twist on all of the trademark stories arising out of business between China and the U.S. Apparently, the trade marking of celebrity names in China is a great way to market a product. So, all of you celebrities reading The Translation E-Buzz should probably consider having your attorneys contact the State Trademark Bureau of China. The story is a bit old, but I think it will remain relevant for a long time as business continues to grow in China, and trademark issues arise.
A Beijing businessman has applied to use the Chinese name of US President George Bush to market his nappies.
"Back in my hometown in Henan Province, the pronunciation of 'Bushi' sounds exactly like 'not wet'," said the man, surnamed Guo, according to local media.
I’m pleased to let you know that I have accepted the position of Manager, Sales Strategy and Development with McElroy Translation Company. I am based at the company’s headquarters in Austin, Texas (yes, back in the Lone Star State!) and have responsibility for business development activities and strategic sales initiatives.
Rather than laundry list our capabilities, which are described in detail on our web site. I would like to share what I believe to be unique about our services. We have a dedicated, extremely responsive customer service team that ensures our clients are happy and that quickly resolves any issues. Our dedication to customer service is further enhanced by our service guarantee: If we do not provide quality, you do not pay. Our services are supported by ELJOTS, our proprietary workflow system that streamlines the workflow process and automates our clients’ ability to track projects.
Since it has been a while since I’ve been in touch, I would welcome the opportunity catch up and learn about your current translation and localization activities. Please
to send me an email. If you want to learn more about me, my bio, recently published in E-Buzz, the e-newsletter follows.
McElroy would like to encourage you to join us for a refreshing new look at the future of language services within global business trends. This article will tell you a little about our session. We’ve invited a very special guest for the upcoming CSN Expo in Miami, Florida, April 26-28. General Manager, Shelly Priebe will be interviewing a futurist whose client list includes clients such as Nissan, MTV Europe, Nestlé and Casio. This session will be a unique opportunity for both providers and consumers of language services to glimpse the future of language and translation in global business.
The idea behind using a Chinese name helps the company reach more Chinese users, many of whom do not know English and have difficulties pronouncing the name, which prevents them from knowing and using the search engine, the newspaper said.
As political interest in a particular nation grows, for economic or military reasons, so does the interest in its culture and languages. Iran is attracting attention like never before.
The number of students in Persian language and Iranology courses in US universities has increased five times compared with last year's figure, Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Arizona University Kamran Talatoff told IRNA.
This article underscores the importance of thinking globally when you grow your business. Will you be marketing overseas some day, or perhaps you are already? Have you considered the importance of protecting your brand from illegal imitators? Have you secured domains in the countries you will be doing business in? Will you translate your website and marketing material from central corporate content repositories, or will you choose to let your overseas offices do what they will with your original corporate brand(s) and image? In other words, how much control will you have over your brand(s) when your business expands globally?
Brand piracy remains rampant in China, despite several court rulings against illegal imitators. In December, Starbucks won a court ruling against a Shanghai coffee shop that was using a similar logo and an identical Chinese translation of the Starbucks name. It won $62,000 in damages from the Shanghai imitator, but an appeal has been filed.
Ferrero, the Italian confectioner, won a court case in January against a Chinese rival that produced copies of its Ferrero Rocher chocolates.
The likelihood of confusion between BlackBerry and RedBerry among consumers would seem high enough for RIM to have a good case. And the company's position would probably be enhanced in a Chinese court if China Mobile joined any action against RedBerry, said Paul Devinsky, a partner at the Washington, D.C., law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP. Ultimately, any legal fight would hinge on who registered the trademark and service mark for BlackBerry first in China, he said.
This was a mildly amusing little story about communication barriers when traveling abroad. It brought a chuckle as opposed to the groans, gasps or guilty laughter that are the usual responses elicited from reading about travelers having difficulty communicating. The essayist discusses a baffling phone conversation he has with a mysterious caller who finds his Chinese language skills cause for giggling.
It was, in an odd, small way, not so different from the confusion I've often felt traveling in a country where the culture and language are not my own. I arrive eager to make sense of everything. But the more time passes, the more I'm reminded that this is not so easily accomplished and that the world is an impossibly complicated place. And then, as hard as it is, I try to make peace with my confusion and even, on rare occasions, embrace it.
Have you been putting off that Japanese website translation, or Japanese translation of your marketing materials until the Japanese economy bounced back? An article in today's Washington Post indicates that Japan is ready to spend.
"With Japanese consumers spending again, we could be looking at the start of the longest period of economic expansion in Japan since World War II," said Takahide Kiuchi, senior economist at Nomura Securities. "This is something that is going to be felt around the world."
Translation E-Buzz
