The phrase ‘translation in Spanish’ is somewhat ambiguous and could mean several things. For starers it’s not clear from this reference out of context whether the Spanish language is the source or target language. The phrase in isolation does not clearly infer English-to-Spanish or Spanish-to-English translation services. It could be either.
At our company (Affinity Spanish) we offer both categories of these Spanish translation services and employ linguists with specialized backgrounds in a number of domain areas. For more information on Spanish translation services please feel free to contact us or refer to the main website from the blog navigation options at left.
Today’s quote:
“One who understands much displays a greater simplicity of character than one who understands little.” - Alexander Chase
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!
It’s not often we can get services of value for free, though with English-Spanish translation and other language combinations, there are a few tools around online that might be helpful. Free online tools should in no way be considered as replacements for skilled human linguists (in my opinion), though these online tools have have their place. We’ve recommended some online tools in recent blog postings. For reference see the prior day’s posting.
I look for quotes to post almost every day now. I consult various references and usually just pick the one that seems to stand out at the time. Today’s quote:
“It takes a rough sea to make a great captain.” - Anonymous
In test marketing this video we found that many viewers experience a sudden and compelling desire to engage us for Spanish translation services, to conduct search engine marketing in English and/or Spanish, or to recruit bilingual employees (strangely, independent of whether the services are actually needed).
Over the past year our company has continued to evolve in some interesting and unanticipated ways. Since our inception we’ve made a conscious effort to chart a course that’s a little different from that of more traditional language services companies. And, well, we think we’ve done that. In our view there’s no other company quite like us.
Our activity in areas where the Spanish language overlaps with defined business categories like search engine marketing, human resources, international business and communication ensures a unique market position for Affinity Spanish. Of course we hope our unique position will continue to be a valued one.
That said our primary service categories for the foreseeable future into 2008 are:
Each of the above service categories are linked to pages that describe them in more detail.
Thanks go out to all our current customers for your loyal patronage in 2007. We extend our holiday best wishes to each of you, and look forward to helping support your business objectives in the coming year.
Doing a Google search on the phrase ‘escort interpereting’ can bring up numerous interesting results. Most of us are aware that the the word escort has become commonly associated with the world’s so-called oldest profession (hint: not interpreting). Nevertheless until another descriptive term reaches popular usage critical mass, the term escort interpreting is perhaps still the most commonly understood phrase to use.
Business travel in Mexico and the rest of Latin America can be extremely daunting for foreign business people. It’s not only the language but logistics and cultural considerations that can wreak havoc with otherwise well-laid plans. Even the most road-warrior-savvy American business person would likely find it unnerving to arrive in Mexico City (for example) for the first time, climb in a rental car, and drive (oh-my-god) to their scheduled appointment. Non-intuitive, every-man-for-themselves traffic patterns are just for starters. How to dress, what to eat, the best time and day to schedule appointments, how much time to allow … the answers to questions like these are second nature at home though not straightforward at all when traveling on business south of the US-Mexican border. An escort interpreter present at important meetings will undoubtedly pick up not only on spoken but also non-spoken cues that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Planning a business trip to Latin America? Consider hiring a professional escort interpreter that not only knows the language but the business culture lay-of-the-land as well.
Occasionally I research online search term usage to better understand the market for professional Spanish translation services. It seems that users of the major search engines regularly look for online tools that support free Spanish translation to English. Such online and other computer aided tools do exist, though from general observation, they don’t come close to matching the output of skilled human translators. It’s hard to imagine any competent business executive entrusting the current state of translation technology with the intricacies of a sensitive business deal for example (or for that matter even a routine email). Don’t get me wrong, I love technology, though the state of translation technology is not especially encouraging. Even defense budgets, often seemingly immune to real world financial accountability, to my knowledge haven’t made much of a dent in producing practical, viable translation technologies.
Though not exactly translation, voice recognition has some similar challenges. Check out the video linked here for an amusing few minutes of language and technology, courtesy of the guys in Redmond.
How can the language based services industry achieve growth? If you work in the field of language based services, how can you grow your business in particular? Societal trends such as immigration, government policy, and global economics may combine to affect the demand for language services such as translation and interpretation. Yet such things as these are well beyond the ability of individual translators or even large agencies to affect.
The path to growth may be to first put aside traditional (and therefore potentially outdated) ways of thinking about the business of translation and associated services. Language based service providers might be well advised to seek to combine their skills with those of other disciplines in order to offer more complete ways of solving problems … those problems that people and organizations care about.
Experiment with this concept by asking yourself what additional complementary service or value added component might be added to the language piece to make the combined offering more valuable. If you have specific ideas, please consider sharing them. I’ll do the same.
A recent visitor to this blog commented that the US Spanish translation market is ’saturated’. Despite the fact that I attended business school and have a sense of what the word means, I found myself wanting a formal definition of the term ‘market saturation’.
A Wikipedia query and two minutes later I’m back to my own understanding of the term. Basically, in my own words now, saturation tends to describe a market that’s highly competitive. At the extreme the description could be said to portray a condition where new entrants (translation companies) can only succeed at the expense of others already in the market.
At our company we receive calls every day about new projects. Why is this? For one reason demographics are on our side. A recent CNN headline proclaimed the US as already ‘an Hispanic nation’. True enough … 1 in 7 people in the country are considered Hispanic. The ratio is expected to increase to 1 in 6 over the new few years. Language is part of the mix associated with this trend. Market saturated?
Another reason customers come to us is because we do more than provide linguistic support. It sounds almost cliche to say, but customers want ’solutions’ often times, not just services from a standard list of offerings. Companies that probe a bit into customer requests will uncover the unspoken interests and motivations for language support services. Provided the company has the qualifications, opportunities are often larger than straight translation services.
Last but not least, we work really hard on marketing. It’s surprising how many companies don’t take even the most basic steps to promote their business. A website with solid copy, well-designed, and professionalism at each customer touch point … a little bit goes a long way. The best qualified translators will never have an opportunity to apply their skills if customers can’t find them.
Is the market for Spanish translation services saturated? I say no, though whether it is or isn’t, I also say there’s always room at the top.
