Other translation services

By offering translation services instead of mere translations we can do a lot more besides translate!

For example, we think of the Web, a new world with its own rules. The Web is a perfect example of where classic translations fail: the faithful translation of a text must give way to its adaptation, so that the end-users may consume it. The Web has only two end-users: visitors and search engines. A text that works for the ones but not the others is meaningless: no visitors will come to your web site if the search engine does not lead them there! And it is just as meaningless to create content that is not interesting to your visitors!

When we localize web sites, we translate and adapt all contents and logic to the destination culture. A classic example are units of measurement (miles, kms, etc.), time tables, but also contexts: for example, “excluding weekends” to a visitor from Dubai means “excluding Fridays and Saturdays”, which may lead to misunderstandings!

When you expect foreign visitors, but localizing the entire website is simply beyond your budget, you may wish to consider one of the wide-ranging alternatives offered by TheForeignFriend:

Mini Web Sites. We can create scaled-down versions of a web site, tailored to the cultures you want to try to connect or deem worthy of your attention. For example, a Japanese customer will be able to navigate your English web site, but will appreciate you more if you offer him a Japanese version of it (even if summarized).

Landing pages. On other hand, if you have an initiative, a product, or a service you want to present to your customers you need a different approach. In this case a web site - even a mini web site - may be counterproductive: the visitor might use the links in it to “change the subject”. It is better to create a Web page where customers feel welcome to discuss the things you deem most important.

We can work with any type of landing page: pay per click, keyword advertising, e-mail marketing, or display advertising campaigns.

AdWords campaigns. “All roads lead to Rome”, so it is easy to get there! The real world has 2 millennia of history, and building a city always takes years! On the other hand the Web has just come of age, and a new web site is born every second! Finding yours - or even knowing it exists - is not so simple. You need advertising: just like the real world advertises the “week of your dreams at the Maldives”, we can create advertising campaigns for the virtual world for the “purchase of your dreams on your web site”!
We can stick to the translation (SEO Transcreation) of Adwords ads and the lists of keywords, or we can compose ads and keywords directly in foreign languages.

But the real world also has its share of requirements and opportunities above and beyond translations. The latest technological innovations, especially in the last 5 years, have revolutionized global communications. In a few years who knows, most may sip coffee and read their  “i-Pad®” instead of the good-old morning newspaper. Good- bye paperboys? Perhaps the same doubts and romanticisms were discussed when it came time to drop the papyrus rolls. But we know how things turned out in the end!  TheForeignFriend uses technology to manage digital data, and is therefore ready to grasp the future:

Summary Translation. No need for you to read 500 pages written in a language you are not familiar with or pay for their translation. We read them for you, and will send you a summary in your language to let you know the contents!

Glossary creation. If you want a “knife”, but ask the waiter for a piece of “cutlery”, you might as well eat the pizza with your hands. There's 2 out of 3 chances that you'll get a spoon or a fork instead. Words matter: they can make the difference within a language, and even more when asking for the knife to someone who speaks a different language.
We combine all of your existing materials and extract from them lists of terms, which are later cleaned-up and translated. Whenever needed, notes are added to the terms to clarify their meaning and use. The advantages are not limited to the translation, since the key beneficiary of a good glossary is your company’s text writer (e.g. manuals): a glossary can help avoid the risk ensuing from someone's imperfect recollection of the term officially assigned to a component or product, and hence the possibly of confusing the end user.

TM Creation. Modern day technology can prevent us from translating the same sentence twice. Saving considerable time and money, and giving the possibility of using the same budget for a greater amount of text. But beware: a sentence may have different meanings depending on the context and target audience! Technology must be used and managed with experience, or it may end up costing more money than it saves (does it really make sense to have more mobile phones than human beings on the earth?).

Postediting. Some people see sequences of zeros and ones in place of letters: the same who have been telling us for the past 30 years that next year we will finally have the automated translator or interpreter. This is Marketing: we tell you right now that its promise of “low prices” will force you to accept the “good enough” compromise.

TheForeignFriend offers a post-editing service which has nothing to do with this approach: text is translated by a machine but then adapted by a human translator, who will add to it all that is missing in the software - starting from sensitivity!