Category: Industry News

Support Southeast Asian Languages! A big congratulations to Tram Bui, who has proposed the 23^rd ATA Division - Southeast Asian Language Division. Read the full ATA announcement. This includes information to sign the petition and support the creation of this division. All petitions are due TOMORROW, March 13th! (only members can sign). 

Recently, the memoQ 2019 trend report went live. Each year they produce a trend report for the industry about what Language Service Providers should keep an eye on in 2019. In today’s Industry News, we’ll be exploring these 2019 trends from our perspective as the LSP that translates nearly everything. 

Fire up your Family Computer System, grab your controller, hit the start button, and let's play some Zeruda no Densetsu! Wait, maybe someone should localize that for you? Well, look no further, Mario and Luigi, because you've come to the right castle! Join us for today's blog where we'll be looking at translation's role in video games and localization. 

In order to understand where an industry will go, we must know where it has been. Trend data on language pairs (translating from one language into another language) is the most frequently cited data. Just like other industries, the machines are coming...or maybe they have already arrived. The technology used in the translation industry is heavily researched and mined to anticipate trends. As we translate nearly everything, it isn’t just in Tone’s best interest to be prepared, but in your best interest to know the trends and demand that as a partner in your success, we are on top of these trends.

September 30th is International Translation Day! Now officially recognized as a United Nations International Day! On May 24, 2017, the United Nations adopted a resolution titled, “The role of professional translation in connection with nations and fostering peace, understanding and development." Our translators want to be your partner and your bridge.

At tone we are focused on dignity for the people we serve, for the community organizations we support, and for the individuals we employ. This September 30th join us as we recognize and thank “team tone” our professional translators. 

Wanted: a human with the ability to experience emotions in real time and explain them to a machine so they can learn about real life. “Systems like Siri and IBM’s Watson can follow simple spoken or typed commands and answer basic questions, but they can’t hold a conversation and have no real understanding of the words they use.” (AI’s Language Problem) Understanding how the meaning of words are used in context is not just communication, it’s culture.

Language professionals are often asked if they are certified. For a language professional to explain why they may not be certified can be challenging. Even when they are telling the truth it may come across as a dodge of the question or as them seeming less than professional.

The saying “all politics is local” is based on the idea that politics is about people, and people want things that mean something to the life they live everyday. To really connect with people you have to be knowledgeable of who they are and what they experience. If you’re going to spend the time and the money to have material translated, follow a similar rule-- all translation is local.