And with Google’s announcement earlier this year that it will take social searching into account – meaning that anything you or your friends have posted on Google+ will influence your Google search results – it is now more important than ever for corporations to have a solid social media marketing plan in place that stretches across all of the major social networks.

While many corporations are now embracing social media as an essential means of communicating with and engaging their customers, most are failing to look further than the English-speaking market sector.

While English used to heavily dominate, Twitter is quickly becoming a multilingual place with approximately half of all tweets in languages other than English. As the numbers of Chinese, Russian and Arabic users continue to surge, English is rapidly losing its language dominance online.

As people naturally prefer to engage and converse in their own language, corporations who do not effectively translate their social media updates are ignoring an increasingly powerful group of potential customers. And as most corporations continue to avoid professional translation of their social media updates, the corporations who do make this a priority for their business will inevitably find themselves standing out from the crowd for all the right reasons.

While there are various free and paid automatic translation services available online, effective multilingual social media cannot be managed by machine alone. Human experts are required to not only choose the right words but understand the cultural implications and potential difficulties in the target language. Translation of social media updates involves so much more than swapping English sentences for those in another language: it requires an intimate knowledge of cultural norms and local practices to ensure that your corporation protects its well-earned image and reputation overseas.

Different countries use social media in different ways, and it takes a professional native-speaking translator to fully understand these differences. Studies have shown that while French and German social media users tend to share more news and links, Korean and Malays are more inclined to hold conversations online. Similarly, Americans and Germans have very different ideas about how much personal information should be shared through social media.

Twitter’s strict character restrictions make every character choice a crucial one and pose a unique problem when translating social media posts. One hundred and forty characters in English can translate to as little as 40 characters in Chinese and as many as 120 characters in German or French.

Engaging a professional translator is an essential task for any corporation who is serious about engaging with overseas markets. The perfect translator for your corporation will take the time to develop a close working relationship with you in order to fully understand your product and your market, both locally and overseas.

Professional translation is tricky. Sometimes the source text may be too short and sometimes too long. In either cases, a professional translator has to understand and assess the context of the source text. Professional translation requires precision and exactness and adherence to the format of the source text. All these are pre-requisites for conveying the desired meaning and message in the target text.

Other precaution necessary while translating a professional source text is to select exact words for technical words, in the target language. If exact word(s) are not found in the target language, the translator has to select word(s) which is/are nearest in meaning. Here it will be safer to put the original word(s) in parentheses to avoid any misunderstanding. If the original word(s) of the source text is/are accepted and used in the target language, then it is better to keep the original word(s) unchanged in the translation.

If the scripts of the source text and translated text are different, the professional translator should take due care to preserve the format of the source text. The translated text will have two scripts on display and so the target language script must be converted to Unicode version, otherwise the translation will look meaningless jumble of illegible characters. In fact, I have gone through this and had to sort out the issues to the satisfaction of clients.

To read the full Story please visit here – http://www.onehourtranslation.com/translation/press-releases/one-hour-translation-now-supports-new-google-translator-toolkit

In his post, Mikal covers one of the most important issues in tody’s commerce and Ecommerce – approching customers from different countries in their native language.

To read the full story by Mikal E. Belicove at the entrepreneur

There are scores of first-rate translation agencies in operation around the world. These companies work hard to provide their customers and patrons with the very finest business documents translation services. Many of the companies utilizing the services of business documents translation range from Fortune 500 companies to all manner of other companies around the world. Translation professionals are in full effect at the leading translation companies. For business documents translation services, it is imperative that the software is able to handle complex documents and keeps up-to-date with timely considerations. The fast-paced world of international commerce requires that the work of translating information is accurate, timely and contextually correct. But more importantly, the translated material always needs to be in line with the legal requirements of the courts, business laws and so forth. Among the best business documents translation service professionals, only the premium-quality translations experts enjoy sustained growth and customer patronage. Therefore it makes sense to do a little research prior to opting for the services of one translation service over another.

Characteristics of Top Business Documents Translations Services

Localization of content, in terms of translation services, requires considerable experience on the part of the translation professionals. Top translations companies are able to provide their patrons with all manner of translation services for the timely, reliable, accurate and contextually correct translation of business documents. Many times this type of service will be available via software programs. Another consideration to bear in mind is that of the cost of the translation services package. A company should typically not be selected on cost alone as this may provide a skewed representation of its quality or lack thereof. It is wise practice to do a little research into the costs-per-translation by the leading online translations services companies. The rates are important and many times the software will be able to translate similar phrases, concepts and documents automatically – provided the context is clearly understood.

The rate of translation is another consideration. Among the best service professionals, rapid translation of material is the standard. But pace should not take the place of quality. The latter attribute should never be sacrificed. The world’s finest translations services companies do considerable work in multiple areas including the likes of the following: voice-over services, desktop publishing/translations services and document translations. Several of the leading translations services provide added value in the form of Standard English writing services. This latter component is an effective way of significantly reducing translation costs. The leading translations services companies cater to all manner of businesses, from small businesses to medium-sized businesses to government level corporations. Therefore it makes sense that the proficiency of the translation professionals is paramount. Many of the top translations services companies are ISO 9001 Certified too.

The issue of translation services crops up every time information is relayed across different geographic, linguistic or cultural lines. And it becomes vitally important that the messages being relayed from the sender to the receiver are understood, accurate and correctly interpreted. There are many reasons why a medical document may be misinterpreted. These are not confined to errors in translation only – they can be the result of myriad other factors. For example it does occur that even within the same language; errors in interpretation of content will crop up. The English used in South Africa, Australia, India, the USA and Canada differs considerably. And within each of these geographic domains, different terminology refers to the same things. Thus it is vital when international cooperation is the order of the day that accurate, contextually-correct translations are provided.

Accuracy of Medical Translations

Medical translation services can prove especially telling because they may involve many life or death snippets of information. Users of this information are often patients, doctors, surgeons, administrators and other high-level individuals – all of whom demand accuracy in the medical reports that are being submitted to them. Among the very best medical translation professionals, the ability to read a piece of information and accurately translate, edit and proof that document is paramount. There are many ways to go about selecting medical translation professionals, not least of which is opting for a translator with many years on industry-related experience. On the job experience proves paramount to the effective translation of medical material. Another factor weighing heavily into the mix is that of the software being utilized. Medical translation software should ideally be able to deal with a wide range of content, day in and day out. Terms that repeatedly appear in the text are usually managed in such a way that they can be automatically translated.

Regulation Plays a Big Role in Medical Translations

There are many medical regulatory agencies operating internationally. And each one of them has specific standards and requirements that need to be met. Within the USA, the FDA is the ranking authority. The Food and Drug Administration has established very strict standards for all matters pertaining to medical legal documents, medical charts, medical forms and so forth. The procedures, tasks and processes are clear and the professional standard is known. However when moving beyond the jurisdiction of the FDA, things are a little different. International medical bodies have very diverse standards, yet they have requirements that need to be met too. It is imperative that when translations are undertaken, they are accurate, in synch and understood as they should be.

The One Hour Translation for eBay is part of the cooperation between One Hour Translation and 3dSellers – an eCommerce apps developer, it is an approved eBay app that can be found on the eBay app market – Translation for eBay

The Benefits of Blog Translation Services

The most obvious benefit of blog translation services includes being able to have the blog available to a wider audience. The geographic reach of a translated blog is certainly far more extensive than the correspondingly limited appeal of a single-language website. Blog writers and blog owners have at their core the goal of reaching and perhaps influencing the opinions of as many readers as possible. This is not only enhanced by way of blog translation, it is almost assured. And while it is imperative that the blog translation services are as accurate and contextually correct as possible, even a somewhat poorly-translated blog has a definite edge over a single-language blog.

The overarching goals of the blog owner are paramount.  Should the blog owner wish to reach a larger audience within his/her community then it may bode well to research the dominant languages in the city and surrounds and employ the use of blog translation services. This is especially true in cosmopolitan environments where several languages dominate. And when an international audience is being targeted for marketing purposes, then it certainly makes sense to reach out to as many languages as possible. This is the way that successful small, medium and large enterprises do business.

But What About the Costs Involved?

The costs are a short-term expense when compared to the overall benefits.  If the blog has at its heart the goal of being non-commercial and no revenue is expected to be generated off the blog, then the costs are more of an issue. It must be said that the costs of translation memory software are affordable for the most part. Blogs needn’t actually initially have at their core the goal of income generation. But if a blog starts to develop significant traffic, then it becomes clear that it is a viable marketing tool. Advertisers are always looking to place links and short texts with links in highly popular blogs. This needn’t supersede the raison d’etre of the blog – or usurp it in any way.  Thus the goal of monetizing a blog is not necessarily an objective of a blog owner, but with the added benefit of translation services, this certainly becomes viable. Therefore it is safe to say that the benefits of blog translation services will almost always outweigh the costs.

The Benefits of Content Translation in Terms of SEO

Leading Translation Memory (TM) software allows websites to post content that can reach a much larger reader base. No longer will content be limited to one particular language or group, but the opportunity for market share will be dramatically enhanced with additional markets, greater customer share and a much improved ranking on search engines. The focus of SEO methods is thus on boosting the prominence, visibility and rank of websites online. This is done by way of keywords, headers, target market selection, advertisements and content.

Which Languages to Translate into with SEO in Mind?

With multiple international languages dominating the online arena, it makes sense to diversify into as many relevant languages as is required. Popular international languages include Spanish, Portuguese, German, Russian and others. With the added option of content translation, a website can be searched for – and enjoyed – in a user’s mother tongue. This acts as a terrific organic SEO method for enhancing a website’s popularity online. Selecting the right translation memory software to provide for this purpose is paramount. A wealth of options abounds and each of them has its merits.

What Does SEO Really Mean for Translated Content?

When content is translated by TM software, it’s imperative that the content ‘fits’ the searches that are undertaken by people on search engines. In this vein, literal translations of certain words, phrases and ideas will not suffice. A reader whose mother tongue is not English will not necessarily search for a specific subject in English. Thus when terms are translated, the TM software should ensure that a ‘usable term’ – a likely search term – will be found to enable SEO efficacy. In this instance, it’s imperative that search terms and items are those that are likely to be input into search engines for readers, customers and users alike. Many leading SEO professionals are of the opinion that content translations must be findable. For if they are not, then the translated material is of little SEO value.

High-value long tail keywords are ideal for achieving optimum-value SEO ranking. The use of the aforementioned keywords allows search engines to direct traffic towards websites promoting these selfsame keywords. In the translation of content arena, this proves particularly advantageous. The trick to effective selection of long-tail keywords for translation purposes and search engine optimizations lies in maximizing three distinct factors:

• Ensuring that the translated keyword has low competition
• Selecting keywords with high traffic levels
• Opting for low-competition keywords

Making for Effective Tenders in Other Languages

The crux of the matter understands what the other party wishes to communicate. However, this requires more than a mere understanding of the literal words – for everything must be understood in the context it was intended. Therefore it makes sense that business tenders must be painstakingly scrutinized in order that specific terms and conditions are met and even exceeded by the other party. International trade agreements and international business partnerships necessitate the effective translation of material in order to preserve the essence of efficient, effective and rapid trade. The removal of trade barriers and import/export tariffs are but one cog of the wheel of trading fortunes and misfortunes.

Tackling Obstacles to Effective Trade with Translation Memory Software

The biggest obstacle to effective trade is miscommunication. That is why it is of the utmost significance that tenders in other languages are understood in their entirety. This can be done by way of effective translation software packages and programs. These are known as translation memory software programs. The very best among them employ top-tier translation of in-context content. Therefore it becomes unnecessary to duplicate translations of like material. The need for a translator to control the process remains, but the workload is rapidly diminished by way of more effective translation memory software programs.

Insist upon Effective Translation Memory Software Programs

Working with Translation Memory TM software packages can be demanding. It is imperative that users employing the services of this software for responding tenders in other language check for the following attributes in the software:

• Batch processing is an important determinant – especially in a fast and growing business environment.
• What about resources available to business owners and corporate clientele – things like videos and software downloads?
• Try it before you Buy It – is it possible to enjoy a trial use of the software?
• Limits on Translation Material – are unlimited translations available?
• The degree of personalization to specific requirements is paramount
• Are there online glossaries and dictionaries for terms and concepts?