Tip #1
Review the original abstract that you submitted to the ATA for your presentation, and make sure you present on the topic that you proposed. More than half a year passes between the time that proposals are submitted and the time you make your actual presentation. The ATA uses your abstract as the description that will be printed in the conference program and attendees use this information to decide if they want to sit in on your talk.

Tip #2
Be knowledgeable about your topic and be well-prepared. Practice your presentation out loud as many times as you can before the big day. It will make you feel more at ease with your material and allow you to enjoy interacting with your audience more.

Tip #3
Be sure to back up your slides and notes. This will give you peace of mind and Murphy’s Law dictates that if you have back-ups, you won’t need them, and if you don’t, you will! Put your presentation slides on a CD, flash drive and/or mail it to yourself for online access (I usually do all three!).

Tip #4
Show up early to the presentation room and test that your computer will work with the conference set-up. Know how to “throw” your computer image to an external projector (on my machine, for example, its “Function + F8″). You may wish to ask a friend to be on hand to lend you his/her computer if anything goes wrong (see tip #3 above on file back ups), and should even be ready to speak competently without slides if need be (although this is highly unlikely, I have seen it happen).

Tip #5
The conference is a dynamic environment. Do not feel bad if attendees walk out during your presentation (and others may walk in). They may have a conflict with another presentation they wish to see, a work emergency or other urgent issue that came up, or they may have decided that your topic is not what they thought it was (see tip #1 above). Either way, there will be attendees who will be engaged in your presentation and excited to learn what you have to share.

Tip #6
So that you may fully focus your energy on the content of your presentation and avoid distractions, ask a colleague to change slides for you as you speak. I recently started doing this with a friend of mine and it freed me up to focus on the topic and the audience and to not worry about where I was in the slides.

Tip #7
Be sure to include your contact info (including twitter name!) on slides at both the beginning and end of your presentation. While this is not a place for a sales pitch, you will be seen as an expert presenting on an area in which you have specific knowledge. Benefit from this exposure and be sure to let people know who you are!

Tip #8
Bring a lot of business cards to your presentation and set them out where people can easily take one at the end. They may want to ask you additional questions, contact you about a future project or simply network. This conference is a great place to network with colleagues and your presentation gives you additional exposure.

Tip #9
If you have a blog or other online presence, go green (and make it easier on yourself by not having a lot of papers to keep track of) by putting any handout-type information in a blog post that you reference at the end of your presentation. For example, you may reference URLs during your presentation and they are easier to access online than to write down. One of your last slides should provide your audience with an easy-to-remember link to this blog post, such as http://yourwebsite/ata51.

Tip #10
Be well-prepared but also relax and have fun. Your audience is full of colleagues and industry friends who are interested in your topic and cheering you on. Being nervous is natural, but know that you are in a supportive environment and enjoy yourself!

Links on Testing

ForeignExchange Translations on Test Translation: Test translations – suck it up or step aside

Interesting discussion on LinkedIn that has both language service provider and freelancer perspectives on the testing issue: http://www.linkedin.com/answers/international/internationalization-localization/INT_INZ/650497-44339426

Links to Freelancers Blogs and Blogs on Freelancing

Thoughts on Translation

There’s Something About Translation

Musings from an Overworked Translator

http://thewealthyfreelancer.com/

Word Count: Freelancing in the Digital Age

Specializing in vendor recruitment and team building over my 16 years in the language services industry, I have my own ideas about how to encourage a positive freelancer-agency relationship, but am very interested in what others have to say about it. I am particularly interested in your ideas about when you start such a relationship. Please use the comments field below to share your ideas on this topic.

If you are a freelance translator, what factors are most important to you as you begin a relationship with a translation agency? What makes you feel comfortable? What may turn you off, in the initial stages, from establishing a working relationship with an agency that initially seemed interesting to you?

If you are an agency rep, what is important to you at the beginning of building a relationship with one of your freelance translation providers?

Please be aware that I may reference your comments in my upcoming presentation in Las Vegas.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

The Colorado Translators Association is a not-for-profit group devoted to continuing education, professional development and networking within the language industry. Other elected Board members include Corinne McKay (President), Kathy DiCenzo (Secretary) and David Russi (Treasurer).

In the case of Kit Kats, how Nestlé develops and markets them are affected by factors as diverse as Japanese-specific retail distribution models, education testing cycles for school children, and the Japanese taste for new and unique flavors.

According to the NPR interview, there have been over 200 Kit Kat flavors developed including ginger ale, soy sauce, green tea, strawberry cheesecake, intense roast soybean and banana. Apparently, Kit Kat bars are sold in 17 countries–a look at how they are adapted for each would be a very interesting localization case study!

To successfully sell a product in an international market, you must understand what makes that market unique and fully embrace the process of adapting your product as required by the culture and society of your targeted locale. A localization consultant and professional translation team can help you define your strategy.

Related Post:
Potato Chips: A Localization Case Study

Transcreation is the process of adapting (usually) advertisement or marketing copy so that, in the new language, the content elicits the same reaction from the reader as it did in the original language. The reaction might be laughter, sadness, understanding or a variety of other emotions.

The client’s goal is to communicate an idea to a select audience, by adapting a message so that it strikes the correct cultural chord and doesn’t depend on a (relatively) direct translation of the words involved from one language to another.

The process of achieving this end involves close collaboration between the translator, the client and any other project participants such as advertising agency staff or focus groups.

Listen to a 5-minute interview with Cris Silva on the process of transcreation.
Related Posts:
Localization Defined
Translation Defined
Internationalization Defined
Transcreation Defined
Locale Defined
Translation Memory Defined

Front - Click to Enlarge

Roasted Chicken Potato Chips
The bag of chips I purchased caught my eye because the flavor promoted on the package was Poulet Rôti et Thym (Roasted Chicken with Thyme)! Many flavors of chips are available in supermarket aisles in the US (where I live), but this is not one of them. In fact,  I was shocked at first—to an American palate, this flavor was not particularly appealing. But, I was hungry, so I thought I’d give it a try. In fact, the chips tasted exactly like roasted chicken and were pretty good.

Some Foods Get Lost in Translation
This impromptu case study goes hand in hand with an article I read about the “new” strategy that most major US food corporations are taking when selling various food products abroad. The article, called Some Foods Get Lost in Translation, emphasizes that companies are carefully picking the products that they market and sell abroad (which was, apparently, not always the case). As the article states, “Food, more than most products, is an expression of culture.”

The Steps in Localizing a Potato Chip
While eating my chips, I read the packaging (and saved the bag!) and noticed several things:

Back - Click to Enlarge

• The flavors have been “localized”—modified for the specific (French) target market. Some of the chip flavors selected for the French market are much different than those sold in the US (and would, presumably, meet with little success on American shelves, judging, unscientifically, by my own reaction). Others are stand-bys that also are in the American market as well.
• The approach to translation was inconsistent (but, presumably, on purpose)—the names of “standard” American flavors were left in English and then translated below images of the various flavors. Some names were written directly in French and one flavor was a mixture of the two languages.
• The packaging varied from American packaging—of course it was in French instead of English but it also approached nutritional information differently and the weight of the product was not on the front of the bag, for example.

Note that the additional flavors on the back of the package include:

• Barbecue—a flavor well-known to Americans
• Bolognaise (Bolognese)—perhaps a little off-putting to Americans
• Spicy—written in French and translated as épicé
• Fromage (Cheese)
• Moutarde Pickles—written just like that with a mixture of both French and English, with an asterisk noting that pickles are condiments. This flavor seems to have been developed for French tastes, and probably would not go over too well in the US.
• Nature—which means plain, but does not have a negative connotation, but rather more of one meaning “simple, without uncessary addiditives”
• Poulet Rôti Format XL— Roasted Chicken Extra Large (size)
• Salt & Vinegar—listed in English and translated at the asterisk by Sel et Vinaigre
• Cream & Onion—listed in English and translated at the asterisk by Crème et Oignon

I think providing asterisk translations but leaving certain flavors in English was an interesting choice because it impedes immediate understanding and is a bit cumbersome to read. To leave them in English, Lay’s must feel strongly that these flavor names carry a sort of cachet, or desire product consistency on a global basis.

The French packaging does not specify “potato chips” on the front of the bag, but communicates this only by the well-known brand name (Lay’s) and a picture of potato chips (and chicken). Nutritional information is displayed on the front of the packaging as well as on the back, emphasizing that the chips contain 63% less fat (than what is not specified on the front, but on the back it notes: 63% less fat than the average chip). The back of the package lists an easy-to-read nutritional table (presumably required by regulation, but a handy reference nonetheless).

Conclusion: Localization Required for Success!
This product shows that anything can be localized—and that certain products must be! It obviously takes communication and cooperation between various departments within a company to successfully adapt and market a product to new markets. For example, the product development group and the marketing team surely worked together to create Lay’s line of potato chips sold in France. Each player has to pay specific attention to the market being targeted and can’t hope to simply sell American products while ignoring cultural (and regulatory) requirements.

I will be going back to France soon and plan to try out Mustard Pickles chips—sounds tasty!

Disclaimer: I have never worked for Lay’s or Pepsico and am writing this article only from the perspective of a global consumer.

Related Post:
Localization Digs Deep: Kit Kat Bars in Japan

Consider Complexity
Often, a resellers’ key business is selling, and that is what they do best. However, since localization is not their core business, they likely lack understanding of the complex technical aspects of the localization process and related linguistic issues, including localization testing standards. This can lead to a product with many undetected bugs–undetected until the software is out in the marketplace and the bugs are discovered by users.

Consider Cost
If an in-country reseller takes care of the localization, they normally pay for it too, so this can be an upfront cost savings. However, this upfront cost savings can actually cost more money for you down the line when, using different resellers around the world, you have less control of your company’s image and how it is presented around the world. Using different translation teams around the world leads to inconsistencies in your message. Using one vendor who oversees and organizes the localization process, with a consistent work and communication flow, minimizes this risk.

Consider Quality
It would seem that a reseller has a strong incentive to make sure the quality of the localization is good, however, this doesn’t always seem to be the case. Perhaps the reseller gets credit for selling your product in either the English language version or the localized version. This may lead to focus on getting sales of the English version out the door for immediate revenue, rather than on producing a high-quality localized version that will outsell the English one long-term.

Consider Professionalism
A native speaker does not a translator make. Resellers are more likely to use non-professional translators, or even in-house staff who normally have other jobs, such as sales associate or administrative assistant, who see localization as an afterthought or something to fit into their normally busy schedule. A localization vendor, on the other hand, will use professional translators and localization engineers who are subject matter experts and know how to create a consistent, high-quality user interface and related documentation. That’s their job!

When deciding whether to use an international reseller or a dedicated localization vendor to adapt your software products for overseas markets, keep these pros and cons in mind to help you make the right decision for your project.

For those that attended this session (and anyone else interested in exploring Twitter tools), please see links from the presentation below:

Stats
http://techcrunchies.com/inactive-users-twitter
http://techcrunchies.com/twitter-usage-across-the-world
http://www.zdnet.fr/actualites/internet/0,39020774,39712305,00.htm

How to use Twitter Lists
http://mashable.com/2009/11/02/twitter-lists-guide/

Pages by Twitter (themes)
http://help.twitter.com/forums/83565/entries/75424
Settings > Design

Semi-personalized, free pages
http://www.colourlovers.com/
http://www.stripegenerator.com/
http://www.tartanmaker.com/
http://www.custombackgroundsfortwitter.com/gallery/category/free/

Pages totally customized for you
Your graphic designer or Photoshop, etc.
Technical specs for creating Twitter page: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/09/18/effective-twitter-backgrounds-examples-and-best-practices/

URL shortening services (free)
http://bit.ly/
http://tinyurl.com/
http://twitpwr.com/

Twitter Search Engines
twitlookup.com/
twootles.com/
twazzup.com/
lilzo.com/
search.twitter.com/ – official Twitter search engine

Alternative Twitter Interfaces
tweetdeck.com
tweetree.com/
tweetvisor.com/
itweet.net/
twitree.com/

Other Twitter Tools
www.tweexchange.com
twinterface.com
tweetcloud.com/
www.tweetswitch.com
www.twilitics.com/
www.stickytter.com/
useqwitter.com/
socialoomph.com
trendistic.com
tweetbeep.com
twellow.com
twittercounter.com
Twitpwr.com

Find us and other CTA members on Twitter
Eve Bodeux: http://twitter.com/ebodeux
Corinne McKay:http://twitter.com/corinnemckay
Cris Silva:http://twitter.com/allinportuguese

Where software is concerned, adaptations are made to internationalize the code so that languages worldwide are supported and displayed correctly (for example, French, Arabic and Chinese), date formats match target market norms, alphabetization works correctly in the various languages required, and much more.

The process of internationalization makes the software ready to correctly provide input and output around the world. Once internationalization is achieved, software is ready for repeated localization and translation for many markets around the world, as business cases require.

Related Posts:
Localization Defined
Translation Defined
Internationalization Defined
Transcreation Defined
Locale Defined
Translation Memory Defined