Foreign Translations, Inc. - News & Publications

Foreign Staffing, Inc. Partners with Allied International for Global Relocation and Staffing

2012-04-25T14:14:03+00:00

Foreign Staffing, Inc., a global staffing and recruiting firm has formed a strategic partnership with Carey Moving & Storage, an agent for Allied International, to provide complete end-to-end solutions for international staffing, moving, and corporate relocation.

Allied International is one of the largest and most respected providers of corporate relocation and moving services across the globe. Foreign Staffing, Inc. specializes in locating, matching, and placing permanent, temporary, and contract bilingual personnel with international companies anywhere in the world. This new partnership brings together the dynamic energies and expertise of two strong companies in the international staffing and relocation industries.

Both companies have extensive global networks to facilitate the complete employment cycle: from working with corporate hiring managers, identifying applicants in any country, to assisting those applicants with moving and relocating anywhere in the world. According to Brian Carey, President of Carey Moving and Storage, “I feel the partnership with Foreign Staffing brings Best in Class service to our clients. The alliance is a natural and perfect fit. Both Foreign Staffing and Carey Moving provide the highest level of service anywhere in the world. Since 1907, Carey Moving, one of Allied International’s largest and highest quality agents, has boasted a history of providing excellent relocation service to its clients by fulfilling all their relocation needs”.

The synergy of this partnership is cutting-edge in the global marketplace, enabling clients to use one entity for global staffing requirements. One call brings a full menu of staffing and relocation services to simplify client recruiting and talent placement. Allied International has offices in 40 countries across Europe and Asia Pacific with multilingual experts in 135 countries all over the world all offering local expertise.

Foreign Staffing, Inc. and Carey and Allied will promote each other’s specialized services through its own network of global clients. According to Foreign Staffing, Inc.’s CEO Ken Zwerdling, “We are thrilled to be partnering with such a well respected company. This partnership really adds value to global companies, hiring managers, and employees, helping find jobs and then helping them in the move”.

About Foreign Staffing, Inc.

Foreign Staffing, Inc., a division of Foreign Translations, Inc., a global translation services provider, is a bilingual recruiting and staffing firm specializing in locating, matching, and placing permanent, temporary, and contract bilingual personnel with international companies anywhere in the world. For more information please visit www.foreignstaffing.com.

About Carey Moving and Storage and Allied International

Carey Moving & Storage, an agent for Allied International is one of the largest and most respected providers of moving services worldwide. With more than 500 agent locations in North America, corporate-owned and franchised offices in over 40 countries across Europe and Asia-Pacific and trusted representatives in 135 countries around the globe, Allied has the ability to relocate you anywhere, anytime.

For more information please visit http://www.careymoving.com

Foreign Translations Wins Bronze Award For Second Year In A Row From TopTenReviews

2012-04-03T13:39:31+00:00

TopTenReviews.com, one of the top 15 technology websites with several million page views per month, has awarded Foreign Translations, Inc. (www.foreigntranslations.com), a leader in global translation services, the Bronze Award for translation services for the second year in a row. In a comparison of 9 leading translation vendors, highly ranked Foreign Translations, Inc. was commended for providing “accurate translations and responsive customer service.”

Foreign Translations, Inc. specializes in foreign language translation, interpreting, website localization and offers translation services for a wide range of projects, from technical manuals, legal contracts, and marketing collateral to financial statements, training manuals, websites, and software programs.

To receive the Bronze Award, Foreign Translations, Inc. excelled in categories such as Web Content Localization, International SEO and Desktop Publishing Translation, and it holds one of the highest quantities of language pairs for translation.

TopTenReviews.com praised Foreign Translations, Inc. for accommodating a wide range of languages in a wide variety of industry sectors, summarizing that Foreign Translations, Inc. “has a long list of satisfied corporate clients because it meets its deadline commitments, delivers well-written and accurate translations and provides responsive and courteous customer service." Read the complete review from TopTenREVIEWS.com.

Foreign Translations, Inc. is very pleased with the excellent review from the specialists at TopTenReviews.com. The independent reviewers confirm what Foreign Translations, Inc.’s CEO, Ken Zwerdling, believes, that, “our customer service, accuracy and on-time delivery is one of the best in the industry. To win for the second year in a role is a real honor"

Customers worldwide who choose to benefit from Foreign Translations, Inc.’s services include Tanya Candia with Candia Communications, who says, "I have worked with several translation firms over the years and the quality your firm has produced is among the best."

Foreign Translations, Inc. customizes its rates for each client according to the unique nature of each request. Foreign Translations, Inc. believes that a personal conversation with each client prior to providing any price quote is vital in achieving a detailed understanding of the needs.

New Foreign Staffing Division Hires Head of Global Business Development

2012-01-22T16:52:02+00:00

(Greenville, SC – January 2012) - Foreign Staffing, Inc. (www.foreignstaffing.com), a division of Foreign Translations, Inc. (www.foreigntranslations.com) recently hired Alix Rifareal as Director of Global Business Development. Her responsibilities involve expanding the company’s presence across the nation and around the world.

After 27 years of working in various corporate environments, Alix Rifareal joined Foreign Staffing, Inc. as Director of Global Business Development. Alix held incredibly varied positions as proofreader for a leading Illinois newspaper, Director of International Sales for a Taiwan based shoe manufacturer, Business Development Manager for a Chicago staffing company, and Human Resources Manager for a Chicago based gear manufacturer. Along the way she continued to nourish her passion of cooking and attended the Art of Culinary and Pastry at the Illinois Institute of Chicago and LeCordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. Raised in Chicago, Alix became a resident of Greenville, South Carolina just a few years ago.

Alix’s journeys have been enjoyable because of them she brings her years of entrepreneurial experience to Foreign Staffing, Inc. as Director of Global Business Development. According to CEO, Ken Zwerdling, “Alix has such a diverse background in so many industries, and with her tremendous entrepreneurial spirit, I know she will prove to be an integral part of the company’s global growth.”

AboutForeign Staffing, Inc.

Foreign Staffing, Inc. (www.foreignstaffing.com), a division of Foreign Translations, Inc., a global translation services provider, is a bilingual recruiting and staffing firm specializing in locating, matching, and placing permanent, temporary, and contract bilingual personnel with international companies anywhere in the world.

Servicing all major industries including: Administrative, Finance/Accounting, Healthcare/Medical, Human Resources, Legal, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Engineering, Sales and Marketing, Technology, Government, and Non-Profit.
American companies that require bi-lingual staff within the United States
American companies that need to hire employees anywhere in the world
Foreign companies that need to hire employees anywhere in the world
Bi-lingual employees to work remotely from anywhere in the world

AboutForeign Translations, Inc.

Foreign Translations, Inc. (www.foreigntranslations.com) is a 14-year old global translation services firm specializing in foreign language translation, interpreting, website localization, international search engine optimization, and multilingual desktop publishing, headquartered in Greenville, SC. The company translates documents ranging from technical manuals, legal contracts, and marketing collateral, to financial statements, training manuals, e-learning courses, web sites, medical journals, software, policy and procedure handbooks, newsletters, and much more. With thousands of translators located in over 30 countries, the company frequently translates documents that range from 1,000 words to over several million words in all the major languages of the world. In addition, it holds a General Services Administration Contract ("GSA") with the Federal Government.

Ford Asia Pacific and the Roman Coliseum: The Indian Auto Market

2011-12-05T20:30:01+00:00

Ford Asia Pacific, a major player in the fierce battlefield that is the Indian auto market, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Government to build a new manufacturing plant in the Western State of Gujarat. This plant, intended to house assembly operations as well as to produce engines, will become Ford Asia Pacific’s second plant within India. This is an important investment as India is currently the second fastest growing domestic auto market in the world. India also serves as a major export hub; in 2009, India was Asia’s fourth largest passenger automobile exporter.

The new manufacturing plant, expected to be fully operational by 2014, is projected to manufacture approximately 270,000 engines and 240,000 automobiles annually. This move fits Ford’s overall goal of increasing sales around the world by 50% over the next four years. Further, the company has begun to shift the bulk of its focus away from the US market and towards Asia Pacific. Though the US still represents its core strategy, Ford Asia Pacific is now becoming a key strategic component.

The intensity of the competition and the stakes involved is quickly turning the Indian auto market into a veritable win-or-die clash. However, as GM has seen with the sales its Chevrolet autos in India, the Indian auto market is truly unique. This one-of-a-kind auto market is driven by fuel efficiency and the use of alternative fuels, both of which are subordinate to affordability as the most important factor. The Indian auto market also favors much smaller vehicle than most other countries.

GM made the mistake of applying a generic strategy to all of the BRIC auto markets (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). And though GM by now has altered its approach, precious time has been lost. Ford Asia Pacific, however, has been operating within India since 1998 and built incredibly powerful brand awareness within the market. More than simply being present within the market, Ford Asia Pacific has tailored its approach to India’s auto market preferences.

Ford Asia Pacific also plans to utilize its new Indian manufacturing plant as a base for exports for the entire region. This will become vitally important as Ford Asia Pacific plans to introduce 50 new models to the region by 2016. Ford is also projecting that more than 50% of its total global sales will come from the Asia Pacific region.

The Indian auto market, perhaps the most competitive in the world, is growing extremely rapidly and is projected to become the world’s largest domestic market by the middle of the century. Ford Asia Pacific has made clear that it will become a major player in this gladiatorial contest, and will devote a large amount of resources to dominate the market. Ford Asia Pacific, led by its captainJoe Hinrichs, is poised to become the most successful foreign automaker within India.

The US Withdraw, The Mhadi Army, and Chinese oil interests: the Fate of Iraq

2011-12-02T21:50:33+00:00

As the date of December 31, 2011 looms for US troops to withdraw from Iraq, the Chinese Government hopes to capitalize on the current security situation. A recent report from Stuart W. Bowen, Jr. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, highlights the litany of problems facing US troops and the Iraqi Government as the US troop withdraw date rapidly approaches. Not only do members of the US armed forces still face continuing violence, mostly from various Shi’a militias, such as the Mhadi Army led by Moqtada al-Sadr, but many members of the Iraqi Government, in 2011, were targets for assassination. Throughout the most recent quarter, from mid-March to mid-July 2011, no less than 70 Iraqi Government Officials were targeted in assassination attempts, and almost 40 were successful, including one Ali al-Lami, head of a committee tasked with finding Iraqis linked to the Hussein regime. The principal Iraqi government targets continue to be members of the Judiciary, with more than 47 judges assassinated since 2003. That number includes Judge Tuama al-Tamimi, killed with his family when a suicide bomber attacked his home. In fact, Commanding General for Operations for USF-I (US Forces-Iraq), Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, stated that attacks and attempted assassinations against high Iraqi Government Officials has emerged as one of the most vexing problems currently facing Iraq.

Further, with the Chinese Government making a major push for more influence within Iraq, the US faces yet another obstacle. The Chinese Government is poised to enjoy the most sizeable economic benefit from the Iraq War dating from 2003 to the present. Although the Chinese Government was one of the most outspoken protestors to the 2003 US-led invasion, its state-run oil companies CNPC (Chinese National Petroleum Company) and Sinopec, victoriously outbid various western oil companies and was been awarded five lucrative contracts for oil explorations, development, and refining within Iraq. China’s great demand for oil seems to be the country’s primary motivating factor in many of its realist foreign policy decisions. The Chinese Government’s various oil companies consistently operate in countries avoided by many others. It appears that the Chinese Government is willing to assume risks to fulfill its economy’s thirst for petroleum. Whether Sudan, Iran, or now Iraq, China is, quite clearly, willing to wager extreme risks in hopes of winning the highly demanded natural resources.

The new relationship between the Chinese Government and the Iraqi Government seems to go deeper than simply oil. China, following its realist foreign policy, on July 18, 2011, the Prime Minister of the Iraqi Government, Nouri al-Maliki, and the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, signed an agreement in which the two countries pledged to further cooperate in the oil industry, agriculture, technology development, transportation, housing, and telecommunications. In a second agreement, the Chinese Government pledged administrative skills training for members of the Iraqi Government. Further, the agreement created a fund in which the Chinese Government is to contribute to Iraq’s reconstruction. And finally, China agreed to write off 80% of Iraqi Government’s outstanding debt, an amount close to $7 billion.

Adding further to the problems facing the US in Iraq, the Sadr Movement led by the Shi’a cleric Moqtada al-Sadr holds almost 40 seats in the Iraqi Parliament and 43 local government seats, announced that a petition demanding withdrawal of US troops according to the schedule has more than 2.5 million signatures. Further, Moqtada al-Sadr has warned that he will re-mobilize the Mhadi Army, the military wing of the Sadr Movement, if US troops stay past the withdraw date. The Mhadi Army, though currently inactive, played a major part in the Shi’a uprising of 2004 and the total religious violence that has plagued Iraq since 2004.

With the US troop withdraw date quickly approaching, Iraq, though significantly less violent now compared to 2004 - 2008, is still politically, socially, and economically unstable. Though ground has been made in governance and accountability, corruption continues to be rampant. While the US may have one foot out the door, China is quickly moving in. The Chinese Government is on the verge of becoming the Iraqi Government’s most important ally. Public opinion of the US within Iraq, though more favorable than in years past, is anything but popular. It appears that Iraq is at a crossroads and is quickly asserting its independence. Though the US will continue to have political pull within Iraq, itspreeminence is quickly fading.

2011 Pittsburgh Pirates and Corning China - The Success of Long-Term Investment

2011-11-28T20:37:42+00:00

Much like the resurgent Pittsburgh Pirates of 2011, Corning China is looking to capitalize on a solid performance. Corning China announced plans to further expand its clean air products plant in Shanghai, China. The expansion of the plant, with a price tag of around $170 million, will increase Corning China’s capacity to produce emissions control substrates for passenger automobiles. This move will almost certainly have a dramatic impact as the Chinese automobile market is now the largest domestic market in the world, and is only expected to grow.

Corning China has been operating within the second largest economy in the world for more than 25 years. In 2001 the company took a gamble and made a major investment in the long term prospects of the company; Corning China was the first company to build an emissions control substrate production facility. Corning, specifically Corning China, is among the world’s leading producers of emissions control substrates.

The expansion of the clean air products plant comes at a time when much stricter emission regulations are being implemented, both globally and within China. China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, began to enact a sequence of progressively stricter emission regulation policies in 2000. Though these policies are not only directed at the auto industry, vehicles represent a major component of Chinese emissions. Thus, emission control substrates are experiencing a massive increase in demand within China. As Corning China has been operating within the country since the early 1980s, and was the first to specialize in clean air products, the company is in a unique position to capitalize on the higher demand.

The success of Corning’s environmental technologies is reflected in the second quarter sales figures, for 2011. Though sales are relatively even with the first quarter, they are up 40% from the same time period in 2010. As a nearly the whole of the worlds top automakers are converging upon China, Corning China is poised to take an even more important role in the industry.

Adding to the success of Corning China, the company is among the largest producer of the specialized glass that is used in the production of HD TVs and other display products. One of Corning China’s keystone products is their Gorilla Glass. Gorilla Glass is used in nearly every 3-d TV on the market. As HDTVs are no longer a niche product for the wealth, Corning’s production of specialized glass is now a key component of the overall business strategy of the company.

In the same fashion as the Pittsburgh Pirates, Corning China has made solid, long-term investments which are now paying off. Though the Pittsburg Pirates have a long way to go to make the playoffs, their investments in the core group of young talent—McCutchen, Tábata, Paul, Morton, and Hanrahan—have the team poised to become a constant contender in the NL Central. Starting in the early 1980s, Corning began investing in clean air technology within China and has positioned itself as one of the leading producers of emission reducing products for the Chinese auto market.

TED Conferences: Spreading Ideas Worldwide

2011-11-14T19:34:15+00:00

TED talks, TED conferences, TEDx events, recently TED is making a splash in today’s news. Who would have thought something based solely on the sharing of good ideas could be such a success? TED, a non-profit organization started in 1984, recently held its annual TED conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. The TED talks, or segments of all the speakers from the different TED conferences, covered innumerable topics ranging from religion, to music, to business. You name it, TED covered it. TED offers many opportunities for people, especially in today’s business world.

For those who have never heard of TED, it is a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading ideas across the world. Its slogan, ‘Ideas worth Spreading’, sums up its all-inclusive philosophy and mission. Each year, TED holds an annual conference somewhere around the world. All TED conferences feature many speakers in the program and they range from authors of bestselling books, to politicians, and more. After the conference, TED ‘talks’ are posted on the website, with each ‘talk’ available in many different translated languages so people all across the world can view them and understand them.

TEDx events are also held all over the world. They are independently organized and designed to give communities and organizations a means to spread local ideas. These TEDx events usually include a screening of TED conferences and other TED talks and videos. They may include live local presenters, workshops, and more. The quantity of activities is determined by the local TEDx event coordinator .

So where can you find a local TEDx event? Go online to the TED website (www.ted.com) and click on TEDx events. Find your event location, date, and time, and go. If there isn’t one in your area, you can always organize your own TEDx event. Greenville, SC recently held a TEDx event. At Coffee Underground, in downtown Greenville, the TED talks were screened from the 2011 conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. Greenville is also holding the next TEDx event on March 16, 2012. The event is open to the public and tickets are available. Time and place are still to be announced.

TED offers wonderful learning opportunities for anyone and everyone. As a business too, TED offers multiple opportunities that are worth investigating. First: There is the obvious learning opportunity. Viewers can select TED talks specifically about business. Second: There are unique networking opportunities. At TEDx events, you will meet other colleagues in your area, form new connections, and realize that the possibilities are endless. Third: There is publicity. Your company can offer a presenter at your local TEDx event. TED offers many opportunities for the today’s enlightened business person.

Golf in China: A New Emerging market

2011-11-09T20:58:43+00:00

Golf in China has recently become a popular new leisurely pastime. There are many Chinese golf courses currently under construction, while, according to Newsweek, the US had 107 golf courses close down in 2010 golf in China is a huge and new emerging market, and is expected to undergo enormous growth over the next ten years.

Many think that China doesn’t have a large market for golfing. However, contrary to popular belief, there is a large number of people who can afford its higher costs. Golf is becoming increasingly popular with the middle class in China. And as golf is a game played while forming business relationships China’s large number of business travelers coming in from all over the world are looking to utilize this venue as a comfortable means to encourage partnerships. Whether native Chinese or international travelers, the market for golf in China is just getting started. Construction of these Chinese golf courses is concentrated in the wealthier eastern and southern provinces, such as Beijing and Hong Kong.

Business Week expects that by the year 2020, China will have over 20 million golf players in the country. That may sound to some like an unreachable number, but that is still fewer than 2% of China’s total population, and it does not include the international travelers who may share in this popular pastime.

Cindy Reid, an expat golf pro, moved to Hong Kong to take advantage of this rising trend. Reid started the Cindy Reid Golf Academy three years ago at the Mission Hills Country Club, an exclusive venue located approximately 45 minutes outside of Hong Kong. Both her school and the Mission Hills Country Club have expanded tremendously since opening. Cindy Reid boasts over 2,000 students and those numbers are growing. Mission Hills Country Club offers more thanr twelve 18-hole golf courses, and those numbers are growing too. Members of the Mission Hills Country Club can take advantage of its multiple locations across China.

The expansion of golf in China has also brought in other types of new business for China. According to Business Week, China now publishes more than two dozen golf magazines. The number of Chinese golf courses across the country has tripled since 2004, and does not include “country clubs” that offer private golf courses. Also, many golf pros, such as Cindy Reid, product many branded items, such as clothing, DVDs, iPhone apps, and more, making this new trend an opportunity for multiple industries to reap success.

Golf in China is expected to increase dramatically over the next few years. Whether foreign business men and women visiting China and looking to play a quick par 3, or native Chinese people looking to learn a new skill, it is apparent that the huge emerging market for golf in China is ripe for future earnings. Chinese golf courses are on the rise and are definitely worth the attention.

In Netflix News: Latin American Expansion

2011-11-02T19:33:34+00:00

Cinema in Latin America and the Caribbean is on the brink of a new dynamic, if Netflix has anything to say about it. With the upcoming Netflix expansion, Argentine cinema may experience its biggest change since beginning in Buenos Aires in 1896. Recent Netflix news reveals that later this year, the twelve-year-old company started by Reed Hastings will extend services into Latin America and the Caribbean. If there is any doubt regarding the extent of Netflix's power, just ask Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes. In a time when Facebook, Microsoft, and Groupon are expanding overseas, it is no surprise that Netflix too would follow this same course of action.

In 43 countries in this South American region, Netflix users will have instant access to their favorite global movies and TV shows: from critically acclaimed visually-striking films to dark cerebral movies, users will have full access to the Netflix experience. Better yet, these films will be available in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. And with this Latin American expansion users will be able to access Netflix from different electronic sources, including mobile devices.

So will Netflix be successful outside of the United States and Canada? Is this step just the beginning of a global Netflix expansion? Will Netflix sites soon be available in French, Italian, German, etc.? With more than 23 million members in the United States and Canada, and Netflix set to launch in 43 more countries, will there be significant growth insubscribers in the year to come?

French Dining: Crêpes in California

2011-10-28T19:16:13+00:00

When looking for the best restaurants in Los Angeles, it is important to remember the culinary cues of the French. There is a myriad of French restaurants in Los Angeles, so whether a native of France visiting the area for business or pleasure or just simply in the mood for some moules-frites, there is no lack of choices for French dining in L.A.

Here are some great options:

Café Pierre- from cheese to charcuterie, Café Pierre is dedicated to satisfying the most discerning taste buds. Known for contemporary dishes and style, the restaurant’s dark lighting creates an ambiance that helps diners escape from the California sun and relax with a delicious French meal. Café Pierre itself though, is never far from the spotlight, having been recognized by Bon Appétit, Gourmet, and the L.A. Times.

Church and State- featuring a “Church on Sunday” five-course fixed price menu for $39 on Sunday, this is the perfect place to unwind and decadently detox on a Sunday afternoon before the start-up of a new week. It’s no surprise that Church and State is consistently listed among the best French restaurants in Los Angeles!

Bouchon in Beverly Hills- With a catchy name, upscale location, and an in-house Bouchon bakery inspired by a French boulangerie, Bouchon offers truly delicious creations.

The Little Door-The right word to describe this locale is intimate. Winner of the “Best Romantic Restaurant of LA”, its setting of open skies, warm fireplace, and deep colors provide an alluring atmosphere typical of a French dining experience. There is also a variety of different themed dining areas available, so each visit can be a different experience.

Taix- a family owned French restaurant in Chinatown, offers a choice of over 400 wines. Taix is in a hip location, perfect for breaking up a long day of shopping and sight-seeing with some French dining and a glass of vin rouge.

Café Beaujoulais- Looking for a relaxed, quaint environment to enjoy delectable French dining? Café Beaujolais is set in an 1893 Victorian farmhouse, and focuses on organically grown produce as well as meat, poultry, and eggs from animals raised humanely in a free-range environment. Just like the popular red wine it’s named after, Café Beaujolais promises that it has ahead a long and healthy life.

Whichever and however many French restaurants in Los Angeles a visitor decides to try, any one of these will offer memorable impressions!

Vineyards and Wineries in San Francisco: Why not Wine?

2011-10-26T19:21:39+00:00

While looking for some food and culture in San Francisco why not skip out on the museums and busy streets and opt for a relaxing San Francisco wine tasting and tour in a peaceful setting? This may not be the Loire Valley, Provence, or even the Rhone Valley, but California still offers some fine wine within easy reach.

The best California wines are best enjoyed in the wine’s terroir. Here are some top picks for the best vineyards in the San Francisco bay area and some of the best Californian wines:

Chateau St. Jean

Situated in Sonoma County, Chateau St. Jean boasts a beautiful landscape full of greenery, gardens, and a gorgeous chateau. Hedges and hydrangeas complete this vineyard’s classic style, making visitors feel mere steps from Versailles.

Cline Cellars

If craving Zinfandel, Cline Cellars is the place to go. Grazing goats add to the fun of visiting this vineyard, and if looking for more to do, attend the Spring Fling or Jazz Festival.

Jacuzzi Family Vineyards

Yes, this vineyard is owned by the same people who created the spa or hot tub. If this alone doesn’t ensure their credibility, the family has been making wine since 1936, and these breathtaking grounds are often the site of weddings, corporate outings, and other social events. Because Jacuzzi doesn’t believe in drinking on an empty stomach…the winery created different courses to match the selected wine. How about some Butternut Squash Manicotti to go with that Chardonnay Giussepina…or Pear Butter with a smooth Pinot Grigio?

Kenwood Vineyards

Try the Jack London Cabernet Sauvignon, produced on the Jack London Ranch. Kenwood Vineyards is the sole owner of this area, and has won awards for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot, and Syrah wines.

Viansa Winery

A beautiful Tuscan style winery, Viansa Winery is known for Italian wines and Californian classics. This gorgeous setting hosts wine country weddings, and offers a Tuscan Membership program with benefits such as food, invitations, and discounts.

VJB Vineyards and Wine Cellars

The specialty here is Italian grapes, and with a café right next door, this wine is easily brought in to compliment a unique dining adventure.

When looking for wine tastings and tours and California wines in the San Francisco area, look no further!

Hipmunk travel: compare flight prices with the internet’s hippest chipmunk

2011-10-24T19:04:11+00:00

Friends Adam Goldstein and Steve Huffman founded Hipmunk in August of 2010 out of a desire to improve the travel planning process. Frustrated by the time-consuming and over-complicated details of booking a flight or hotel, they designed a simple layout that lets viewers easily compare flight prices. After entering their preferred travel dates, users are provided a one page spreadsheet that displays color coded airline deals and prices in ascending order.

Another defining Hipmunk feature is the “Agony/Ecstasy” sorting component. When Hipmunk searches for flights, it takes into account the length of flights, number of layovers, and any other factors that might influence the travel experience. It also offers an “Ecstasy” factor that ranks deals by price, amenities, and reviews. With these features, Hipmunk travel truly aims to separate the traveler from the frustration of searching and analyzing involved in the travel planning process. Once a deal is selected, Hipmunk connects the user directly to the airlines, hotels, or Orbitz.

Hipmunk created a modern, user-friendly website, and what better way to reaffirm the hip quality of the website than with the approval of a celebrity? Among its list of investors is Ashton Kutcher. The movie star even tweeted about Hipmunk and recommended the travel site.

Hipmunk, in full appreciation of today’s trends, launched itself through the world of social media establishing a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and its own Hipmunk blog. Its new interface sets apart Hipmunk and begs the question: will it generate enough traffic to endanger major travel sites such as Expedia and Travelocity?

Foreign Translations, Inc. and Cerebra LPO to Deliver Global Legal & Translation Outsourcing

2011-09-26T20:26:45+00:00

Cerebra LPO and Foreign Translations, Inc. Tap Growing International Market for Translation and Legal Services in Strategic Services Partnership

New York, NY - September 28, 2011 -- Cerebra LPO and Foreign Translations, Inc. today announced formation of their strategic services partnership offering a combination of legal support and translation services to the growing number of law firms and companies involved in global business. Citing the increased need for cross-border support and translation for international transactions, the two firms felt it was timely to bring together these key elements in a better and more cohesive way.

Commenting on the organization, Foreign Translations CEO Ken Zwerdling commented, “Partnership with Cerebra is a natural fit for us. Our language services combined with Cerebra’s legal support services means that our clients have at their disposal two incredible companies to facilitate their business dealings anywhere across the globe.”

Noting the timeliness of the deal, David Kinnear, COO of Cerebra LPO said, "With the increasing shift in deal flow and transactional activity vis a vis China, Asia and emerging markets, it's timely to be able to deliver all support services - including legal, translation, and research - to the deal-makers. Bottom line, we make it simple to get the legal and translation support required to get business done globally."

The competitive price-point models of professional services in outsourcing and alternative delivery are gaining in popularity as a means to offer qualified support to transactional organizations such as law firms. Far beyond the early days of IT outsourcing, organizations are looking increasingly at alternative staffing and delivery structures in professional services that allow for a more agile, global response to business demands. One of the most recent sectors to witness this growth in demand is the legal sector, which includes a growing need for support in the area of foreign language translation.

The two firms will also participate in an upcoming webinar entitled: “The Future of Law – and the Impact of Outsourcing”on October 26, 2011. Registration details will be available on the companies’ respective websites.

About Foreign Translation Services

Foreign Translations, Inc. www.foreigntranslations.com has more than 3,000 translators located in over 30 countries translating documents ranging from technical manuals, legal contracts and marketing collateral to financial statements, training manuals, e-learning courses, website translation, medical journals, software, policy and procedure handbooks, newsletters and much more. We also provide a full range of desktop publishing services in any format and any size. In addition, Foreign Translations provides interpreters for depositions, trials, sales meetings, and conferences in every major city in the United States as well as every major country in the world.

About Cerebra LPO

Cerebra LPO India Ltd. (Cerebra LPO) is a subsidiary of Cerebra Integrated Technologies Ltd., (Cerebra Computers) an ISO 9001:2008 certified public limited company, listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), serving the hardware sector across the globe since 1992.

Cerebra LPO India Ltd. caters to the needs of Attorneys, Law Firms, Financial Institutions and In-house Legal Departments of companies. Cerebra LPO has offices in the USA and UK for effective sales and delivery of its services.

Cerebra LPO offers a suite of support solutions that range from traditional document and litigation support to more complex research driven solutions.

The Cerebra LPO team hails from some of the most reputed law schools. Combined with our global presence in the UK and USA and state-of-the-art operations facility in Bangalore, Cerebra LPO provides clients with a full spectrum of onsite, domestic and/or offshore resources in support of their business objectives.

This cost effective support can be utilized on a global basis 24/7, leveraging the experience and best practices that we obtain across our diverse client base to deliver higher quality standards.

Foreign Translations, Inc. Launches Foreign Staffing, Inc. Service and Website

2011-09-10T13:29:29+00:00

Foreign Staffing, Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of our new service and website (www.foreignstaffing.com). Using our 13 years of experience in providing translation services to global corporations, Foreign Translations, Inc. www.foreigntranslations.com created Foreign Staffing, Inc., www.foreignstaffing.com , a bilingual staffing and recruiting firm specializing in the placement of professional bilingual personnel all over the world.

With thousands of bilingual applicants across the globe, Foreign Staffing, Inc. www.foreignstaffing.com has the foundation, resources, and expertise to locate and place bilingual and multilingual candidates anywhere and everywhere. According to CEO Ken Zwerdling, “There are far too many people skilled in foreign languages who are not utilizing them in the work place. We help applicants combine their professional and bilingual skills to find the perfect job anywhere in the country or around the world”. In addition, Zwerdling says, “We service companies with simple to diverse international demands, for example, those that may require German engineers in Chicago, Chinese Human Resources executives in Los Angeles, or even French lawyers in Boston.

The need for employees with foreign language skills is becoming a vital tool for almost any entity, from the most recognized of global businesses all the way to individual local companies. Foreign Staffing, Inc. is committed to assisting large-scale bilingual and multilingual communities as well as individuals find the opportunities where their skills will be utilized and appreciated. Because we value these skills, we are dedicated to matching applicants who have proven language and professional skills with the best permanent opportunities.

The new website has many features to help job seekers in search of job opportunities as well as help employers understand how we will fill their needs. Job seekers can view and apply for current jobs in various industries or register for future job openings.

CEO Ken Zwerdling says, “We are living in a global world. When job seekers are able to combine their language and professional skills they are infinitely more marketable in this very tough job market. And, more than ever before, employers are doing business around the globe and need employees with specific language skills”.

Foreign Staffing, Inc., http://www.foreignstaffing.com helps employers and job seekers Go Global With Confidence ®

Google Vs. Facebook: Can Two Social Networking Sites Stay on Top?

2011-08-31T14:37:41+00:00

Social networking sites are extremely competitive business in the world today. Google vs. Facebook is the popular topic in the news. Facebook and Skype recently announced forming a partnership in reaction to Google Plus, a social networking site very similar to Facebook.

Before this month, when Facebook users logged in to their accounts, they could share photos, comment on statuses, write on friends’ walls, and more. Facebook now offers the option to add video chat. To launch a video chat, simply open the chat window, click the small video icon in the upper right hand corner of the chat box, and begin a video chat via Skype. It is possible there is no icon on your screen as Facebook released this feature to only some of its users and more are added each day.

The new video chat feature does have some bugs that need to be worked out. When another person is ready to video chat with you, a box will pop up on your screen. There’s no audible signal of any sort, so if another window is displayed in front of Facebook, you could easily miss the call. Also, once video chat connects, Facebook doesn’t offer many adjustable settings (such as mute call, share screens, etc.) that Skype provides when a video chat is launched outside of the Facebook setting.

Facebook and Skype’s new alliance could mean trouble for Google Plus. In June of this year, Microsoft bought Skype for $8.5 billion. The combined forces of Facebook and Skype mean that Google Plus must compete against two huge companies (Microsoft and Facebook).

Though Facebook and Skype’s partnership was a smart and strategic move, can Facebook keep up with Google Plus? Google Plus offers a number of features that Facebook doesn’t have, with one significant advantage in its group chat. Google Plus, the new social networking site from Google, offers users a way to “hangout” with friends. This new connections called “Hangouts” involves a group video chat, in which multiple people are video chatting all together at one time. There are also many other features available not offered by Facebook’s Skype, such as linking friends to YouTube videos. More so, Google Plus offers free calls to landlines and cell phones across North America. Skype, though, charges extra for these calls.

In the business world today, change is the only thing that remains constant. New competitors appear while major companies die out and become a thing of the past. Ultimately it will be Google vs. Facebook, and one will fade away. With Google Plus as a new major competitor for social networking sites, will Mark Zuckerberg be able to keep Facebook on top? Or will Google Plus become the new king of social networking sites? Time will tell.

Author: Liza Rutledge