If this is true, and it certainly seems to be the case, then all global marketing should start with localization, and here’s why.

What is Localization?

Localization is the process of adapting a product, service, or content to suit a specific location.

For instance, MacDonalds restaurants serve a typical Big Mac in the US, however, in the Middle East and other predominantly Muslim countries, all Big Macs (and other MacDonald’s burgers) are made with Halal meat. It is even possible to check their ingredients, supplier information, and meat processing methods online.

This is a masterclass in MacDonalds’ marketing localization– appeal to the local customers and you’ll ensure good trade. It certainly seems to be working for them, as around 70 million people eat in their restaurants worldwide each day!

To ensure a successful conversion to a new international market, localization is vital.

Plan Ahead for Localization

Creating fresh, new content is exciting and stimulating. It takes consideration, time and energy to get it right; accurately portraying your brand voice means paying attention and reflecting on your values.

The same is true for localizing content for an international audience.
Don’t just assume that you can simply translate existing content, packaging, or advertising, as it is highly likely that local audiences in your new markets will find it is not to their liking.

Colours, images, fonts, currencies, language, humour, common phrases, and so on, all change depending upon location.

Plan ahead for localization and ensure you give the time and consideration to creating content which fits your new audience.

Market Research for Localization

Good advertising will attract customers by understanding their needs, desires and perspective. If you know your audience you can target them specifically by adapting your marketing campaign to suit them.

Pique their interests, share their concerns, consider their dilemmas, understand their needs, and study their culture.

In this way, it is possible to localize your brand to appeal to a new target audience.

Remember, that each region is likely to be slightly different, even within the same country. There is no right approach that will suit everyone but by gaining a thorough understanding of local culture, history, nuances, dialects, and laws, you’ll be able to approach your marketing campaign with confidence.

Localization, Transcreation and Translation

As you should have already gathered, translation alone is not sufficient to deal with variances in regional norms or accepted customs.

Instead, it is vital that localization is employed as a means of attracting the right custom to your product and brand.

If you simply re-write (or translate) content from your main website, or your native site, you are not likely to connect with customers at their level.

Instead, consider using a professional localization team who understand your audience, speak their language, and have in-depth knowledge of local culture.

By adapting your marketing campaigns, website content, brand name and slogans in this way – you can literally re-create content (translate and create = transcreate) in order to resonate with your audience.

Emotional responses to marketing campaigns are the basis for good advertising and to elicit the right response you need to understand your audience. A professional translation and localization company can help you do this effectively, timely, and within budget.

If you require assistance with translation, transcreation, or localization of your marketing campaigns, contact the expert linguists at Creative Word, and we’ll be happy to assist you.

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Many of these advances were due to the translation of works from other languages, primarily Greek and Persian, into the Arabic language.

However, this ‘Golden Age’ was relatively short lived and we have since seen a steady decline in Arabic translations for medical, scientific, philosophical and educational purposes.

Many governments, across the Arab world, are beginning to realise the significance of such limited translation across cultures and have started to encourage and support initiatives for the translation of important works.

One such initiative, set up in 2007, with the help of the government of Abu Dhabi is called Kalima.

The Kalima project aims to bring together translators, publishers, literary agents, and authors in a bid to revive the ‘Golden Age of Translation’ by distributing a wide range of books to Arabic readers.

They seek to establish strong bonds between highly-acclaimed international authors and renowned publishing houses.

Since 2007, Kalima have published around 100 books each year as an aid to “encouraging the reading of Arabic materials and promoting scientific research in the Arab world by providing translations of the latest international publications in various fields, in support of the idea of establishing a world-class community library network in Abu Dhabi that would contribute to making it the most attractive destination to visitors”.

They also aim to support the sustainable growth of Abu Dhabi’s active cultural movement to promote its role in both the local and international community.

The Kalima project is led by an expert team including the Acting Director of the National Library Department, Director of the National Library Programme Management Department and Director of the Kalima project along with a Judgement Committee.

There is also a specialist science committee which consists of ten members who are all considered to be “translation specialists and experts, taking into account multidisciplinary and multilingual aspects”.

In this way, Kalima are able to translate some of the most important books in the world across all disciplines, and can provide institutional support for Arab translators.

Via the Kalima website you can browse for books through their online book store or even register to work as a translator for them.

Kalima also have links to the Abu Dhabi International Translation Conference, a four-day event which usually takes place at the end of April. This year was the sixth conference with workshops based around translation in science, astronomy, mathematics, physics and chemistry.

The post Arabic Language Projects are Reviving the Golden Age of Translation appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

However, podcasts can be limiting in their ability to reach new audiences, or add SEO value to a company’s website, due to the limit on languages and text.

A podcast – basically an audio episode available online – doesn’t encourage listeners who speak another language, or allow search engines to pick up on valuable content contained within the audio, however, by translating and transcribing your podcasts you make them available to both search engines, and new foreign listeners.

The following points highlight why translating and transcribing your podcasts can be beneficial for business or pleasure.

1. One Podcast – More Content

If you have gone to all the effort to create a flawless podcast, why not make the most of it and share the content in other ways?

If you transcribe each episode, you are then able to use them as a traditional text blog, saving time, money and effort on creating new blog posts.

Of course, not everyone likes listening to podcasts, so your audience reach is limited to those who prefer this method. However, once transcribed, your information will be available to those who prefer different formats.

If you also translate this transcription, you are then able to access a far wider audience, which can be then be applied to your multilingual website and can be localised for maximum effect.

2. Translation and Transcription Boost SEO

At present, search engines index text far easier than audio or video content. Search bots are only able to crawl the metadata information as opposed to the content contained within the file.

For example, a blog post would be assessed for all the text (alongside the metadata) whereas, a podcast would only be assessed for the metadata it contained.

This means that podcasts, videos and any other audio-only content on your website, is not aiding your SEO rating.

However, transcribing your audio content, and uploading this along with the podcast, can significantly increase your keyword content, thus increasing web traffic.

If this transcription is also translated into one, or more other languages, then you’ll be boosting your keyword hits in multiple locations – all from one podcast.

If you only use YouTube (or an equivalent), it is still possible to benefit from transcription and translation services linked to your podcast as you can use closed captions. These are also helpful in boosting SEO.

The increase in traffic to your site will generate new listeners, improve popularity and encourage wider audience participation.

3. Translation and Transcription Increases Audience Accessibility and User Experience

Podcasts are used by millions of people around the world on a daily basis. However, there are many who are not able to access them for a number of reasons, such as:

• Those who are hard of hearing or deaf

• People whose native language isn’t English

• Listeners with Attention Deficit Disorders for whom focussing on listening is difficult

By utilising translation for your podcasts you can easily attract a new audience who may otherwise have struggled with all, or parts, of the podcast. Listeners whose native language isn’t English may grasp the outline of your message but fine details can easily be missed.

Likewise, transcription will allow advanced participation for those users who struggle with listening for any length of time, or who are hard of hearing, or for those who can read English, but not translate well at a usual speaking pace.

It also allows your podcast to be accessed just about anywhere. For instance, if in a public place with no headphones a user would struggle to listen to the podcast, but once transcribed, it is possible to read it just about anywhere.

Podcasts also often lack visual engagement – they are fine for listening while driving or completing tasks on the go, but not so great to sit and listen while at a desktop or on a mobile device.

Transcription and translation can improve user experience at a basic level through being able to read along with the audio, but it is also possible to add interesting visuals, create audiobooks, or generate interactive navigation in a bid to improve user experience and increase audience interaction.

If you would like to discuss options for translation and transcription services please contact Creative Word and we will be happy to advise you.

The post The Benefits of Transcribing and Translating Podcasts appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

Barakat was selected from this year’s short-list of six writers, four of whom were female, for her book ‘The Night Mail’.

Alongside the prize fund of $50,000, Barakat will also see her novel translated into English by Oneworld Publications UK, and is set for release in 2020.

‘The Night Mail’ is written in epistolary form, and sees its characters leave their home in the Lebanon due to war and their personal painful past and uncertain future. The letters they write home to their remaining family are offered in an interconnecting and overlapping series throughout the tale.

According to the IPAF website, Professor Yasir Suleiman, Chair of the Board of IPAF Trustees, said the following about the winning entry, “Tightly structured, Hoda Barakat’s novel punches above its word count, turning brevity into a virtue. Using an epistolary structure to deal with displacement and its effects on the refugee experience, the novel exposes us to the precarious nature of human existence in a world in drift. The protagonists’ search for a common thread unites and separates them with equal cruelty. An intense and disciplined novel, The Night Mail will outlive the worlds that animated it. It is destined to speak to readers in multiple tongues because of the intensely human condition it evokes.”

At the award ceremony, in Abu Dhabi’s Fairmont Bab Al Bahr hotel on April 23rd, Barakat told listeners that she nearly didn’t enter this year’s competition due to only being long-listed in a previous year, but that Johnathon Taylor, the Booker Prize Foundation chairman, helped to convince her to enter. Barakat also claimed the ‘Arabic language is more important to me than any prize’.

After the award ceremony she said “I don’t seek exposure, I don’t seek popularity.”

“I don’t care about statistics and numbers,” she went on. “If I sell 15 books it’s fine, if I sell 50 books then that’s better.”

IPAF Administrator Fleur Montanaro, speaking at the ceremony, praised the accomplishments of the prize since its inception stating how 53 of the novels recognized by the prize have been translated into a total of 28 languages.

The post Lebanese Author is Only Second Woman to Win Prize for Arabic Fiction appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

Just over 5% of content on the internet is available in the Arabic language, while the English and Chinese languages make up almost 50%.

This lack of Arabic language content can create issues for businesses, private internet users, students, academics, and so on, as learning, promoting understanding of the Arabic culture, and online sales, are all affected by one’s ability to use the internet in our native language.

For many students and academics around the globe, Wikipedia is the first port of call when searching for knowledge regarding a particular topic, however, the lack of information available online in the Arabic language can make finding answers far more difficult.

While English is often a second language for many native Arabic speakers, when investigating scholarly, or intellectual information online, true understanding is attained far more easily when you are able to access this information in your native tongue.

In order to rectify this issue, young Arabs, alongside regional partners, are leading efforts to promote the use of Arabic language online and encourage knowledge and enlightenment within the Arab world.

Their aim is to translate scientific works based on evolution, new technologies, and social and political sciences, from English into Arabic, so that native Arabic speakers are able to access the information they need in their native tongue.

Beyond Borders, a non-profit US based translation initiative which aims to encourage knowledge and cross-cultural acceptance, has recently launched a new project named Bayt al-Hikma 2.0.

Bayt al-Hikma, meaning ‘House of Wisdom’, was launched with more than 100 translators in 2017 and has already translated over 1.5million words into Arabic, the majority of these being scientific articles which are then used to improve Arabic language availability on Wikipedia.

The name, Bayt al-Hikma, has historical significance for knowledge and language. In ninth-century Baghdad, Abbasid ruler Harun al-Rashid established Bayt al-Hikmah (the Arabic name for the House of Wisdom) to house the immense activity of the translation of Greek and Persian works into Arabic. This institution flourished in the reign of his son al-Ma’mun, making Baghdad the world’s biggest hub of science.

The aim is to bring together knowledge from many cultures and languages, so that it can be translated into Arabic for the benefit of future generations.
Projects, such as this, are leading the way in cross-culture knowledge, dissemination of knowledge, and bringing together people from around the world in a bid to improve scientific learning and understanding.

The post Bid to Improve Arabic Language Availability on Wikipedia appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

However, with this increased communication comes the need for translation and interpretation.

Many people would find it difficult to attend a work seminar in the UAE, conducted primarily in Arabic, if you are a native English-speaker, or to understand potential clients at trade fairs if you don’t speak their language.

However, missing out on potential business, or networking events, due to language barriers is no longer necessary.

Using an interpreter at business events, conferences, or seminars is commonplace and this quick guide will help you to get the most from the service.

1. Choosing an Interpreter

Selecting an interpreter to work with can at first seem overwhelming; do you need a translation company with a team of interpreters at their command? Are you looking for a single interpreter to work on a sensitive discussion on a one-to-one basis? Or, do you require a medically trained interpreter for hospital interpretations over the phone?

The answers to these questions should help you to narrow the field somewhat. If you require a team of interpreters, with booths and equipment for a multilingual audience, then you should look towards a professional translation service provider that can offer multilingual interpreters who are experts in their fields and have prior experience working in this kind of fast paced environment.

Choosing an interpreter(s) to work with on a larger project is likely to take considerable time and effort, so plan well ahead of any conference/meeting deadline to assure success at your event.

Don’t be nervous about asking for previous client testimonies, evidence of prior experience with the type of service and languages you require, and request confidentiality agreements where needed, as these will give you a greater understanding of the level and abilities of the interpretation team.

2. Plan ahead for Interpretation

Once you’ve selected an interpreter, or translation service provider to work with, you should give them as much information as possible regarding what you require on the day, including languages needed, time scales, any information regarding speakers at events, notes, plans, names, professional roles or positions and any briefs which are relevant.

This information will be used by the interpreter to clarify your requirements, ensuring the event which is being interpreted goes smoothly, and to make certain all equipment, linguists, and so on, are well-prepared in advance.

If your event is a more informal occasion, such as, a trade fair or casual business meeting, where there are limited official plans then it is worth emphasising your objectives so that your interpreter can work with your goals in mind.

It is also worth considering how you would like your interpreter to interpret your words – can they paraphrase? Is an exact wording required? Knowing what you require of your interpreter will ensure they can deliver the best results.

3. During interpretation

A professional interpreter is a neutral person who should not assume answers, influence decisions, or take part in a conversation which is intended to be included within the interpretation.

Their role is to ensure understanding between two or more people who speak different languages and who would otherwise be unable to communicate clearly and effectively.

If you have not worked with an interpreter before it is a good idea to have an informal trial run before the event/interpretation as this will give you a greater understanding of how things will work on the day. You might consider the following points as essential to success during any interpretation:

• Introduce your interpreter – this is a professional courtesy, helping everyone feel more settled, aware and attentive. It also helps to remind everyone in a more populated setting that interpreters are working behind the scenes.

• Time lapse – consider the time delay between speaking/listening and ensure you give plenty of time between long sentences for interpretation to be accurately communicated.

• Speak clearly – even interpreters who are used to working at a fast pace can misunderstand words which are not spoken clearly and concisely. Try to ensure your words are straightforward and to the point, not vague or abstract.

• Cultural awareness – is important during interpretation, as even though your interpreter may be familiar with both cultures and languages, some elements aren’t always easy to embody across cultures. For instance, humour, colloquialisms, regional dialects and idioms can easily be misinterpreted, or misunderstood, and often don’t transfer well from one culture to another.

• Speak to your guest, not the interpreter – this may sound obvious but in reality, when dealing with an interpreter, it is all too easy to overlook while communicating. Your interpreter is trained to remain as inconspicuous as possible so direct your gaze towards the person with whom you are conversing, and focus on them when you are listening.

• One person speaking at a time – should be self-explanatory, as an interpreter can only listen to one person at a time. Avoid interruption where possible.

4. After Interpretation

Treating your interpreter as another professional within your business setting will help things go smoothly.

Make sure you thank them for their services (especially if they have been working behind the scenes in booths as is often the case at seminars or large meetings).

If sensitive information has been discussed, as in the case of medical or political interpretations, your interpreter should have signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Professional interpreters are used to dealing with sensitive information or delicate matters, and their reputation depends upon their ability to not discuss any issues directly, or indirectly, involved within their interpretations.

The post How to Work Effectively with your Interpreter appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

Removing the language barriers is essential for supporting growth, advancing learning and inspiring development of individuals, communities and nations.

Translation of works based in fields such as, science, art, humanities, and maths can encourage young people to explore the natural world, strive for further knowledge, advance their own education, and improve technology, or understanding.

A perfect example of the previous (and ongoing) need for translation is highlighted by the Arabic translators of the past, who translated many works of the ancient Greek philosophers, which would otherwise, have been lost throughout the Middle Ages.

The following points highlight why translation will be vital for Arab nations in the coming years:

1. Language and Education

Educating future generations is an essential component in ensuring that both a nation, and its people, are able to stay up-to-date with other nations.

Education can drive enthusiasm, encourage curiosity and offer motivation for excellence.

In order to educate, it is often necessary to translate works from other languages, cultures, and dogmas. This ensures understanding, advances knowledge, shares ideas, and inspires advanced intellectual thinking.

An example of translation helping to advance learning comes in the form of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives.

This is a foundation that was inaugurated on 4 October 2015 which embodies the vision of Sheikh Mohammed to improve the Arab world through humanitarian, developmental and community work.

The project aims to help in combating poverty and disease, spreading knowledge, empowering communities, and entrepreneurship and innovation for the future.

It includes the online portal Madrasa, which aims to change the reality of education in the Arab world, and bridge the “educational gap between the Arab world and the developed world”.

The translation challenge, linked to Madrasa, is the largest scientific translation project of its kind and was launched in September 2017. It aims to translate and Arabize educational content for Arab students.

Hundreds of Arab volunteers, translators, and teachers, have translated scientific works from around the globe in order to improve opportunities for industry in the region and to build “a better future for mankind”.

Education is vital for the advancement of a society, and translation can assist this process through the distribution of knowledge and information.

2. Translation and Improved Technology

Technology extends human capabilities. The use of books (rather than scrolls or stone tablets) made it easier to retrieve, read, and cross-reference texts, the internet has created super-fast communication links, and manufacturing processes have increased production speeds and outputs.

However, many of these factors have been dependent upon a symbiotic mixture of people, knowledge, and cultures in order to reach their potential. Translation, and dissemination of knowledge and skills, has been necessary to encourage a merging of information which is then readily available for all to access and improve upon previous technologies.

Bridging the language barrier, in order to advance technologies, is a key component when considering the advancement of Arabic nations.

This has already been recognized by some Arab states with the UAE leading the way through initiatives such as, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, founded in 2007, which aims to “empower future generations through knowledge”.

The foundation funds research and nurtures ideas and innovation through education, entrepreneurship, research and development, alongside translation and publishing of works from around the globe with regard to technologies, science and math, all of which are intricately linked to furthering potential for excellence in the coming Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Internet of Things.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an area where the UAE are already planning ahead.

Events such as, the 3rd Middle East Internet of Things 2019, saw speakers from around the globe come together to discuss how this “transformative cycle will sweep across all industries and change the fundaments on how to operate a profitable business”.

Translation is, once again, key to accessing the pool of information available from experts, and specialists. Breaking through the language barrier means an increased understanding, improved knowledge, and advanced nations.

The post Why Translation is Vital for the Future of Arabic Nations appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

The award has gained worldwide recognition over the last 13 years, with growing participation and engagement, from world-class thinkers, authors and literary scholars.

Upon congratulating this year’s winners, HE Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Sheikh Zayed Book Award Board of Trustees, voiced his pride in the success of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, which has helped encourage creative production and enhance the Arab literary canon.

He said “The impressive gathering of world-class thinkers and authors we see amongst the Award-winners is a testament to the success of this initiative, which we have been able to enhance and grow year after year.”

Dr Ali bin Tamim, Secretary General of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, echoed these sentiments stating that “The Award has remained at the forefront of the Arabic intellectual, cultural and literary landscape for 13 years now, garnering recognition for its credibility and transparency. With each edition, participation and engagement grows, and we look forward to continuing our mission of the enrichment of Arab literature for many years to come.”

Tamin also explained that the winners were chosen after a thorough screening process, completed over the previous months, with assistance from the Scientific Committee.

The award ceremony, to honour this year’s winners, will be held on April 25th at the Plaza Auditorium of Louvre, Abu Dhabi. As yet, ‘Cultural Personality of the Year, has not been named but the winner will receive an inscribed gold medal, certificate of merit and 1million Dirhams in prize money.

Winners List

‘Literature’ Category Award – Moroccan writer and novelist Bensalem Himmich’s autobiography ‘The Self – Between Existence and Creation’ (Le Centre Culturel Du Livre, 2018)

‘Children’s Literature’ Award – Hussain Almutawaa, from Kuwait with his novel ‘I Dream of Being a Concrete Mixer’ (Al Hadaek Group, 2018)

‘Young Author’ Award – Algerian scholar, Dr. Abderrezak Belagrouz, with his book ‘The Essence of Values and the Freedom of Social Concepts’ (The Arabian Establishment for Thought and Innovation, 2017)

‘Literary & Art Criticism’ Award – Dr. Charbel Dagher from Lebanon with his book ‘Contemporary Arabic Poetry’ – the prose (Al Maaref Forum, 2018)

‘Arab Culture in Other Languages’ Award – British academic and researcher Philip F. Kennedy with his book ‘Recognition in the Arabic Narrative Tradition’ (Edinburgh University Press, 2016)

‘Publishing & Technology’ Award – went to the UAE’s Arab Centre for Geographic Literature – Irtiyad al-Afaq, an independent, non-profit Arabic research centre in Abu Dhabi.

The post Winners Announced for Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2018-2019 appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

However, with more companies than ever needing the services of a quality translation provider, there comes an increase in business costs for the clients using this service.

For those companies, and individuals, who are unfamiliar with what is involved when budgeting for and pricing translation services, the following information will be useful when considering potential costs:

1. Language Pairs

Understanding how language pairs will affect the price of your translation might help you appreciate which pairs are more costly, and why.

Language pairs consist of a source language (the original) and a target language (the final translation). Some of these pairs are more common than others, for instance, English to Arabic is in more demand than English to Italian.

In general, the more demand there is for a language pair, the cheaper your translation is likely to be. This is due to factors such as, the number of translators available specialising in these languages and additional existing resources (translation dictionaries, glossaries and translation memory).

If your translation is considered to be an unusual, or rare pairing, then you are likely to pay more.

Knowing how language pairs affect the cost of translation can aid you in early decision making, planning, and budgeting.

The top ten language pairs according to Common Sense Advisory research are:

English – Spanish

English – Chinese

English – French

English – German

English – Russian

English – Portuguese

English – Japanese

English – Arabic

English – Italian

Spanish – Portuguese

2. Difference in Language Pairs

It is not only the rarity of a language pair which is likely to affect the cost of your translation, but also the difference between the source and target languages.

For example, languages with dramatically different grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, language direction, or cultural context, are likely to cost more than those which are similar.

In this way, you can see that an English to French translation is usually cheaper than say an English to Russian translation.

When working with unusual language pairs it might be necessary for a translator to use a go-between language. This means that they would first translate your source into another language (usually something that is considered a common language such as, English) before then translating this into your target language.

For instance, if translating from Arabic to Croatian it might be necessary to translate into English first as this would pair more easily with both languages.

This go-between language essentially means your work would require two translations, and the price would rise accordingly.

3. Industry Specific and Specialist Translations

Many translations do not require specialist knowledge for a specific industry or sector, however, there are times when this is essential, and accuracy is often vital.

Medical, legal, engineering, aerospace, government, pharmaceutical and information technology industries are sectors which often require a high level of accuracy, alongside industry specific terminology, and these factors can affect the price of translation.

Specialist translation services should be provided by translators who have experience in these fields in conjunction with their translation skills.

If you require specialist knowledge, be sure to check that your translation provider can offer this additional feature.

4. Size of Translation

The size of your translation task will obviously have a bearing on cost – especially when considering many translation agencies and freelance translators charge per word.

In some instances, if you have a large volume of work which requires translation, and it also needs specialist industry knowledge, your translation provider may need to hire additional translators to help with the work. This additional cost gets passed onto the client.

Likewise, if you require your translation in a rush, there may be an additional charge made.

5. Formatting Translations

Depending in the purpose of your finished translation, it may require some unique formatting.

For instance, if you are producing copy for an overseas website, legal documents with tight guidelines, or have any unusual formatting requests, this is likely to affect the cost of your translation.

Translation providers vary in their abilities to offer a comprehensive range of specialist industry knowledge, unique and valued language pairs, and extensive formatting capabilities.

Be sure to thoroughly check the credentials of translation providers if you require any of these additional features within your translations. Early planning, budgeting and good communication with your translation team is also vital to ensuring you are adequately prepared for the costs involved.

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