The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
Issue link: https://thelinguist.uberflip.com/i/148589
FEATURES DREAMSTIME IMAGES (Clockwise from far left) Oktoberfest in Munich; Mărțișor; Christmas in Tokyo; and a Dreamstime logo puzzle piece © SNICOL24/FLORIN1961/BOGDAN/PAPUGA2006 |DREAMSTIME.COM We have had difficulties due to the word order or word length. English is very flexible and there are plenty of short words we can use for buttons, for instance. This does not always apply to other languages, so we have to look for the best solutions and make various tests. Is there a need for in-house skills in all 12 languages? Trade secrets International stock images provider, Dreamstime, reveals its languages strategy How does Dreamstime HQ in Brentwood, USA, communicate with the Business Development office in Bucharest? The language we use for communication is English. There are remote editors and other members of the team spread all around the world – Italy, Germany, Turkey, Estonia, Portugal, the UK, Australia, Bulgaria, Poland, Serbia, Germany, Russia – so we need a common language. Within the Bucharest office, we speak Romanian, but all written communication is in English. Fluency in English is one of our main requirements. How are activities coordinated? We work as if we were all in the same office. Tasks are coordinated within each department. Editors are spread all over the world; they communicate all the time and make sure every team member is updated daily. The website is available in 12 languages. How was it translated? We used automated software in the first stage. Several software solutions were tested and we selected the one that gave the best Vol/52 No/4 2013 results. We then employed proofreaders to make the necessary adjustments. What practical considerations are involved in maintaining a multilingual website? Updates are performed on a daily basis. The automated systems are not 100 percent accurate so there is a permanent team of translators employed to check and update the translations all the time. We usually update the site information using automated systems and ask the translators to check; sometimes we ask them to make translations directly. When you are working with human translators, you depend on their schedule and availability. We try to update immediately any modification, but sometimes there may be a small delay for some languages. We have developed some unique tools to help our translators update translations in real-time. The image information is translated exclusively by the automated system. It is impossible to have human translators correct this, as we add 15,000 new stock images every day. To date, we are the only agency that translates everything. We offer support mainly in English. Some of the Support team members are fluent in other languages, so we can answer emails in French and Spanish. Most of our staff answer emails: editors answer emails related to review, graphic designers respond to printing and design issues, Support answers emails related to licenses, the Development Department handles site issues. At least one staff member speaks each of the 12 languages and we ask them to translate messages from time to time. But 90 percent of the emails we receive are in English. We also have the option of sending clients to one of our local partners. Our content is distributed locally via our global partner network and they are able to assist clients in their own language. Where are your main markets? The US, UK, Canada and Australia if we are to refer to English-speaking countries. Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil, Spain, Italy and France are also important markets, but the client database covers all countries in the world. How are international marketing campaigns coordinated? We organise campaigns through various channels, covering all potential areas and online advertising models, search engine optimisation and social media. We do this on an international scale or at country level, directly or through distribution/word-of-mouth. We work with local partners as required. Some campaigns are country specific and very much targeted (eg, Mărțișor and Oktoberfest). Others are generic and even 'imported' (eg, Christmas in Asian countries). When we run campaigns, we pay attention to local holiday dates (for instance, Mother's Day in Romania is in March whereas in the US it is in May). AUGUST/SEPTEMBER The Linguist 7