I have been working at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Osijek since 1995. I am the chair of the master’s programme in translation at the Department of English. I also often work as an interpreter, which allows me to successfully bring together the two careers, the one of an academic and the one of a professional translator, which my students are quick to recognize. They enjoy real-life translation tasks and actual work the most, and they particularly appreciate specific examples and advice coming from the professional experience.

Can you tell us about some projects of which you were involved in? Maybe one that made you particularly proud and that introduced changes at your university, town or community?

I have participated in several scientific projects for the Ministry of Science and the large collaborative FP7 project MIME. However, I am particularly proud of setting up a completely new university programme in translation and introducing a master’s programme in translation at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek as a part of the Bologna Process higher education reform, including all of the activities that brought this programme to the level at which it is today.

The faculty also invested considerable financial resources in the acquisition of equipment for interpreting, licences for translation tools for professors and students, computer equipment and the professional development of teachers. The programme teachers used to work as full-time translators themselves, and they are all still actively involved in translation or interpreting, which definitely has a positive effect on the quality of our classes.

You mentioned the collaborative FP7 project MIME (Mobility and Inclusion in Multilingual Europe). What are the most important lessons you learned while working on this project and how did it benefit you? What is WP7 DATE and what is it focused on?

MIME is a research and innovation FP7 project focused on multilingualism in Europe and financed by the European Commission. It lasted for fifty-four months and ended on 31 August 2018. Twenty universities from sixteen European countries were involved. Through an innovative multidisciplinary approach, the project provided systematic recommendations relevant for the language policy and the identification of language policies and strategies which most efficiently connect and bring together “mobility” and “inclusion” in society.

The basic recommendations of the project are summarized in The MIME Vademecum (free PDF version can be downloaded at: http://www.mime-project.org/vademecum/). The publication includes a chapter dedicated to translation, language technologies and alternative strategies for bridging the “multilingual gap”. Vademecum gives answers to seventy-two specific questions, such as whether machine translation will replace translators, who should/can work as a translator or an interpreter, which translation services are required for migrants, whether a language such as Esperanto could become a lingua franca and many others.

My task in this project was to lead the work package WP7 DATE (Dissemination, Awareness, Training, Exchange). I organized a network of external stakeholders and included them in regular meetings with the project consortium, where the needs of everyone working in the field were determined and attempted to be met. I also organized two postgraduate schools, in Osijek and in Zagreb, for the postgraduate students working on the project and other students.

Universities face a number of limitations regarding long-term procedures for changing university programmes, limited total student workload, finances, acquisition of equipment and tools, as well as continuous professional development of teachers.

What does your typical work week look like? We have collaborated on projects such as the Summer School, Elia Exchange, etc., and we have always enjoyed your quick and positive reactions, openness to cooperation and willingness to introduce new things.

At the university, we are all aware of the fact that the language industry is developing much quicker than universities can follow. Universities face a number of limitations regarding long-term procedures for changing university programmes, limited total student workload, finances, acquisition of equipment and tools, as well as continuous professional development of teachers.

We are aware of those limitations and we are trying to be present and active and keep up with the language industry through quick reactions, securing additional outside financing through the EU projects, continuously participating in seminars, workshops and summer schools, regularly making changes to the university programmes and maintaining contact with translation agencies and associations.

For example, we take part in the Visiting Translator Scheme of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation on a regular basis, and as a part of it, their translators hold guest lectures for us. We also organize field classes for students and we take them to the Translating Europe Forum, which is held in Brussels every year.

We also visit the Croatian department of the Directorate-General for Translation in Brussels. We are a part of the Elia Exchange network and we also organized a series of guest lectures by the Association of Court Interpreters and Translators, Croatian Society of Conference Interpreters, various translating agencies, renowned Croatian translators and our alumni. The programme also has a Facebook page, where we communicate with our students and the public on a regular basis.

No work week is the same as the previous one, but it always includes a combination of holding lectures, translating, doing scientific research, professional development, travelling and communicating with the translators community. Even my vacation is never just a vacation. For example, this year I spent a part of it participating in the summer school of terminology TermNet and preparing for an exam to become a certified terminologist. Last year, a part of my vacation was spent on finishing a large student translation project, the translation of the book Inside Book Publishing into Croatian.

We are also interested in your work with students and your observations. Have you noticed any differences between the students of previous generations and the millennials? What can the new generations teach you? 

Ten generations of students have finished the university programme so far, but there are definitely differences between the first and the current generation. This is especially so because the labour market has changed significantly and mobility has improved since Croatia joined the European Union, so students today are much more aware of the possibilities and the limitations of working as a translator. Besides, students today are far more digitally literate than ten years ago, which makes it easier for them to adapt to contemporary language technologies and master them. They are often even slightly faster at it than professors.

We try to keep them occupied by continuously introducing new content; for example, starting this fall, we will have two new classes available: The Basics of Terminology and Language Technologies, which will significantly improve the skills the students acquire during their studies. New generations are also bolder, so it has become common for them to spend a part of their studies or complete their internships abroad as a part of the Erasmus+ or CEEPUS programmes.

What are the strong and the weak points of corpus linguistics in Croatia in your opinion? To what extent is the public aware of that field and what is being done to keep Croatian corpora up-to-date? Which resources are used to build Croatian corpora? 

Only a limited number of linguists in Croatia specialize in corpus linguistics, and there are much fewer investments in language infrastructure than there are in other countries and for larger languages. Because of that, language technologies for the Croatian language are somewhat behind and do not offer all the possibilities that exist for languages such as English or German. I would like to point out the Croatian National Corpus, a representative, balanced corpus containing texts dating to 1990 and onward, containing thirty million tokens, as a good example.

The web corpus hrWaC is also very useful. It was automatically collected from the .hr top-level domain and currently contains more than two billion tokens (v.2.1), and therefore does not only contain standardized language. The corpus is built into the SketchEngine tool, which we use when working with students for purposes such as searching corpora, automatic term extraction, creation of new corpora and so on.

What are your plans for the future? Are there any wishes or ambitions you have not yet managed to fulfil?

To keep developing the university programme and to include it in the European network of university programmes in translation, EMT (European Master’s in Translation), to work on improving the status of translation as a vocation and to maintain connections with external stakeholders in order to have a better understanding of their needs and to educate competent translators.

I would therefore like to thank Ciklopea for its highly appreciated cooperation, especially the interesting guest lectures and education workshops, successfully organized summer schools for translation students and all the energy invested into bringing the Elia Exchange programme to Croatia.

The post Interview with Marija Omazić: “New generations of students are more digitally literate and more mobile” appeared first on Ciklopea.

My name is Emanuel Blagonić. I like to say that I am, first and foremost, a father. I am a designer, I design user interfaces and work with small and big companies from Croatia and worldwide. I first encountered WordPress more than 12 years ago when the CMS was very different from what it is now. I have been introducing the benefits of WordPress to the people ever since, which has taken a form of active participation in the Croatian and global WordPress communities over the past few years.

What is the importance of localization in your opinion?

The story of WordPress is the story of localization. The first major success occurred in Japan which was home to the strongest localization community of the world in those days (15 years ago). Localization is the key to success if we want to make something more available to worldwide audiences. The WordPress mission is to democratise publishing, and to do that we need to make the software available to everyone – regardless of their proficiency in foreign languages – and this is where localization is coming to the fore.

What are your experiences with WordPress localization (challenges, solutions, etc.)?

There are two types of localization. One type includes WordPress software localization. WordPress relies on its – at times almost fanatical – worldwide community in that respect. WordPress is actively translated at home, at work, and at the events known as Contributor Days, where many people working in different teams meet to contribute to the WordPress project. More than 500 people attended the Contributor Day recently held in Belgrade as part of the WordCamp Europe conference (currently the largest WordPress conference in the world), who actively contributed to the community throughout the day. One type of contribution is the localization of main software, plugins, themes and more.

Content localization is the second part of the localization story. Content localization is important in terms of target audiences of a specific website. It is important to localize your website for your target audiences to make your content, message or your products and services available to as many people as possible.

What are your experiences with the localization on other CMS platforms?

I don’t really have experience with other CMS platforms so I can’t claim whether localization is implemented better or worse. The basic problem of WordPress – if that can be seen as a problem at all – is that, unlike some other CMS platforms, localization is not an integral part of its installation, but it needs to be “upgraded” through plugins (such as WPML). Although that’s not really an issue, I believe localization could be solved better under WordPress. However, the facts that 30 % of all the world’s websites are powered by WordPress (its share among the CMS platforms has long been larger than 50 %) and that it is the most popular CMS of them all makes the case for WordPress content localization being an important part of your online strategy.

Is localization process affected by website complexity?

It surely is. You can opt for different approaches to localization based on the website “size”, i.e. its complexity. The users most frequently choose WPML as the most professional WordPress localization plugin, and those who do not want to pay for it (WPML is a premium plugin) opt for other solutions.

As always, every solution has its pros and cons, and with very complex websites it is perhaps best to consider a customized solution with each language being a separate WordPress (multisite) installation where content connection will be solved with custom software code.

WPML is the genuine commercial solution that provides a wide range of possibilities to translation agencies who use specific tools, making the localization process faster and smoother.

Is localization something to be considered before or after the development?

Definitely before. Although it is possible to localize a website after it has been published, I believe that having an initial plan of what needs to be done today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow always pays off. If we have a vision for the next two or three years, in addition to being able to make an easier prediction on the type of content that we need, we will also have a better insight into the localization requirements. Based on that, you will be able to choose a better solution, of course, in collaboration with your web developers.

Why is it important to choose a professional LSP for website localization?

As always, having professional and reliable partners is important. Although we tend to believe that if we can understand and speak, say, English, we can also translate content, we should be aware that a self-service translation (mostly) does not meet the expectations of our audiences on the target markets. If you are targeting British, German, Italian, French, Russian or any other market for that matter, it is important to have a professional translation because your website in most cases serves as your reflection and the place of first contact with your potential clients. Of course, this is something that leaves an impression, so it is important to make the impression you want.

The post The Story of WordPress is the Story of Localization: Interview with Emanuel Blagonić appeared first on Ciklopea.

Our localization requirements have been steadily increasing since the early days and currently include translation of several home and business products, as well as the accompanying documentation and help resources. Since ESET upgrades its products to new versions once a year and performs minor tweaks throughout the products’ lifetime, localization is performed in short, irregular cycles that can last anywhere between a week and a few months.

Localization of ESET software is performed as a part of the software development process, i.e. the new strings are localized as soon as they are updated. It is a typical agile localization workflow that requires fast response, good coordination and short turnaround times.

Translation and proofreading are performed by the linguist team in specific CAT tools (SDL Pasolo, SDL Trados Studio and/or MemoQ, depending on the type of documentation), in accordance with the previously translated and approved elements that are used as the master translation memory (TM).

In addition to the TM, the client-approved Termbase and Style Guide are consulted during all translation projects. The translated and proofread files are then sent to the local distributor (Nort ltd.) for review and approval.

Client review is an essential part of the localization process, one of the reasons being that our technical support experts are in a better position to determine whether a highly specific term requires translation, which often comes across as awkward, or should be left alone. Every time a new localized build – software version – becomes available, our technical support experts perform thorough tests on multiple operating systems and make sure that the translation is in order. Any errors or omissions are immediately reported and corrected.

This process is now streamlined and the application of corrections to the localized software takes up a couple of days at the most.

Our clients have a say in the matter as well – if we learn that the users aren’t quite clear about what a certain program function does or how to interpret our localized help resources, we take steps to clarify the translation.

IT security is a sensitive matter, and users certainly don’t want to see a localized IT security product with an interface that is difficult to understand. The same goes for all communication in local language with the clients, including license e-mails, program installation and setup instructions, and renewal reminders.

In addition to enabling the clients who feel more comfortable with their native tongue to use our products, localization does one more important thing: it demonstrates our willingness to allocate resources in order to make the products more accessible to the end user. This goes a long way towards building client confidence in the product.

The post Successful Agile Localization of ESET Antivirus Software to Croatian appeared first on Ciklopea.

As a localization manager, I mainly encounter two types of challenges. First, on a people management level, I am responsible for the growth of my team and I need to make sure they evolve in the best work environment and conditions possible. My second challenge is maintaining clear and effective workflows and processes between our team and the other departments of the company.

Prezi is our only client, and every department (Product, Marketing, Content, Support, Sales) relies on us to get their content localized.

This means that there are as many processes as there are departments – and sub-departments. On a daily basis, I have to make sure that everyone is on the same page, we need to meet the speed and quality standards expected from us and we must stay within budget. I manage a team who is responsible for the worldwide localization of German, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Italian and Hungarian. Plus, I am personally in charge of localization for the French speaking countries.

Could you describe the localization workflow in your company?

I would prefer to talk about workflows across the different departments in the company as we don’t always follow the same processes.

When working with the Product department, our team is involved at two different stages. First, we start collaborating at the design phase. For every feature, the user experience researchers send the final design to our team on the first day of the development cycle. This is where we get context. Then comes the development phase, where the QA Specialist will run the translation job so our team can provide the localized content. It takes approximately 48 hours or sometimes a bit less to be completed.

The feature then reaches the second development phase, the release candidate stage, where the localized content is implemented and our team performs a QA session and reports any bugs. Once we give the green light, the feature is released.

We also practice overall QA of the product on a regular basis to tackle anything that may have slipped through the cracks.

With the Marketing department, we are asked to localize a wide range of content, such as website landing pages, ebooks, email campaigns, and press releases. We localize pertinent content that is meant to reach all relevant geographies and customers.

We receive the final design and copy via our translation management system (TMS), or we create localization support based on this content. Then, we provide quality assurance for the localized content after implementation and report any bugs before the release. The deadlines to get the localized content ready are mainly dictated by the release date set by the Marketing department.

We are also involved in geomarketing campaigns, where we help create specific content for a targeted region.

With the Customer departments (Support, Sales and Customer Success), we localize all the written support content, video tutorials, sales demos, and training material. For the support material, we work hand in hand with the copywriter and content creators on a daily basis to make sure the updated content is available to our customers as quickly as possible.

Pierre-Marie Gestas

You also cooperate with external contractors – how do you define your cooperation, are there any particular challenges and what are your solutions?

We have a very direct relationship between our in-house language coordinators and the external contractors we work with. For each region, the language coordinator is responsible for the communication with his/her contractor and the management of their workload. For large, time sensitive projects, the external contractors usually run the first batch of translations and the language coordinators review, and then QA the materials before implementation.

This two-level collaboration allows us to ensure good localization quality, especially since we have worked with the same external contractors for a long time and they are very familiar with our needs. This allows us to be consistent across the whole spectrum of projects.

How do you deal with tight deadlines and the pressure to deliver the final product on time?

It starts by having clear processes and regular feedback sessions with the stakeholders of every department. With regular communication, we ensure that urgent localization requests are the exception, and not the norm.

Of course, we are a SaaS company and we iterate very quickly, and therefore we do have some last-minute requests. In these situations,it all comes down to a few things: the professionalism of the team, the passion for the product, and the trust in the company values and mission. Each localization coordinator feels responsible for Prezi’s success in their region and will work diligently to never miss a deadline.

Given the fact that Prezi is present globally, do you consider the localization process to be an essential part of your success?

Prezi is a global company and our mission as a company is to help people become better presenters and to change the way people communicate and share ideas. This mission cannot be limited to one region or country.

We are making a difference because Prezi is unique. If we want Prezi’s spatial, interactive presentation approach to be understood and assimilated by all, localization is essential.

That said, we chose to start the localization of our product in 8 main languages (German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese,and Hungarian), then divided those into two tiers based on the business potential and needs.

Localizing for the sake of localizing would be a mistake if you are not able to ensure the proper customer care and product development in those regions.

Localizing to a language means that your product should be ready to be used in that language, and that your company should be able to provide support agents, customer success managers, and sales representatives who speak that language.

This is what it takes to leverage the full benefits of localizing your product in one language. If you fail in uniting those conditions, then your localization efforts will fail.

What is the composition of your in-house localization team?

Our in-house localization team is composed of native people from each region who have diverse backgrounds (from Marketing to Legal) and a passion for localization. Each team member shares common localization projects, as well as those specific to their respective regions. Stefan Blaschke is responsible for the DACH region, Nicole Chufi is responsible for Portuguese speaking regions as well as coordinating our Tier2 languages (KO JP HU IT), and Raúl Durán Giro is in charge of the Spanish speaking countries.

Localization and technology: would you be able to “live without it”?

No. Technology is essential when you evolve in a fast-paced environment and when you have to ensure speed, quality, and consistency across the board. A good TMS in the cloud that’s linked with our engineering development platforms is the very base of success. We should not fear technology in localization – it removes unnecessary friction and allows localization professionals to focus on what really matters.

Was localization a helpful factor that made your product successful across global markets, or do you think it would not be possible at all without localization?

Localization is an essential piece of any globalization effort. Prezi is not an exception. Whenever we launch our platform in a particular language, the growth and interest in that region is massive and instantaneous.

As I said earlier, the success of Prezi also depends on how well its concepts are understood by the customers from the very beginning. To ensure clarity, to onboard people with the product, to convince people on the benefits and impact of our technology and way of doing things, you have to speak their language on all levels; technical, cultural, and emotional.

We want the world to better communicate, present, and share their ideas in an engaging and memorable way. To reach this, people should be able to use our product with their best communication tools, which are their language and culture. This is localization.

Please share the situations at your job for which you would use the hashtag #Ilovemyjob

There are plenty. The success of a marketing campaign; the successful release of a new feature; the positive feedback from customers; increased international traffic on our website, and the successful performance of our product in of our localized regions. But most of all, working within a team of extremely competent people that share the same goals and passion. We work for a company that carries great values and does everything for their employees to perform at their best and have a good work/life balance. It’s easy to come to work every day in these conditions.

Budapest – we are impressed by the city. You moved here from your native France, what are your impressions?

Budapest is a village hidden behind a capital. It is very easy to live here, and it has plenty to offer while also keeping this slow-paced lifestyle, family-centered kind of feeling. It does not take long to spread your roots and make it your own. It’s a great environment for those who love this blend of traditional and contemporary. Of course, France is and will always be my home country, and it’s always great to go back home.

About Prezi

Prezi is the presentation platform that helps you connect more powerfully with your audience and customers. Unlike slides, Prezi’s single, interactive canvas encourages conversation and collaboration, making your overall presentation more engaging, persuasive, and memorable. Prezi’s latest offering, Prezi Next, is a full-lifecycle presentation platform so everyone can easily create visually stunning presentations, deliver them in a more natural and conversational way, and analyze their effectiveness. Founded in 2009, and with offices in San Francisco, Budapest, and Riga. Prezi now fosters a community of over 85 million users and over 325 million Prezi presentations around the world. Its investors include Accel Partners, Spectrum Equity, and TED conferences.

The post Running the Process of Multilingual L10n In a Global SaaS Company: Interview with Pierre-Marie Gestas, Localization Manager at Prezi appeared first on Ciklopea.

3P Model by Ciklopea

Why localize? What is localization really all about? How does it help my business?

Our infographic provides the direct answers to these questions.

2. Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, Montenegrin: Challenges of Localization

Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, Montenegrin: Challenges of Localization

How many languages are spoken in the Balkans? Is it Serbo-Croatian? Do I have to localize my product to Bosnian or to Croatian? – These are some of the questions every LSP is likely to hear from new clients entering into the markets of Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro or Serbia and this is our answer to these questions.

3. Interview with Renato Beninatto: “What we’re going to translate in five years has not been invented yet”

Tucker Johnson, Zana Čizmin and Renato Beninatto

We met up with Renato Beninatto, the renowned language industry veteran and thought leader and CEO of Nimdzi Insights, earlier this month at LocWorld35 – Silicon Valley conference in Santa Clara. His latest book The General Theory of the Translation Company written with Tucker Johnson has just hit the stores and this was a perfect occasion for our Chief Business Development Officer Zana Čizmin to discuss both the book and the present and the future of the translation industry with Renato.

4. The Curious Case of Translation, Localization and Globalization

Translation, Localization and Globalization

If you are still having trouble figuring out what is localization (L10n), or even worse globalization (g11n), you came to the right place. Many people seem to think these are just fancy words for translation, but it’s not really the case. Even though these terms are interconnected, they have their own specific definitions, applications and scopes of meaning.

5. Multilingual L10n of WordPress Websites: Automated, Unified and Lean

Multilingual L10n of WordPress Websites: Automated, Unified and Lean

Localization of a website to one or more markets is always a serious task that takes time, resources, smart project management and a good deal of patience to be performed the right way. Thankfully, there are technologies designed to optimize the L10n process and integrate it into website development, regardless of the scope of content or the number of locales.

The post Top 5 Posts of 2017 appeared first on Ciklopea.

Well, everybody has a book inside them and I’ve had this book inside me for many, many years. I’ve been doing workshops, teaching and doing things for the last, at least, 15 years, but it has always been based on Power Point presentations.

Last year, The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey invited me to prepare a course on the business of translation. It was a 15-hour course, so I prepared a bunch of slides and a lot of this knowledge is just in my head and I delivered those 70-80 slides, but I was smart this time and I recorded myself and that was the basis for the book. The genesis was this request from the university for a course for graduate students who were going into business.

Perfect. What do you think are the main highlights that might interest the audience and make them want to read the book?

This book is designed for three main audiences.

The most obvious audience are the owners of translation companies. The book is called The General Theory of the Translation Company, so it’s a good way for business owners, partners, executives in translation companies to understand the things they already do from a theoretical perspective and how they can improve their performance in that area.

The second audience are translators. LSPs are the biggest clients of translators and a smart translator would want to know how an LSP works and what are the elements that affect the performance of a good LSP.

And the third audience would be buyers, he buyers of translation services that want to understand where and how their suppliers create value for them. This book describes the framework of 3 core functions that every translation company has – project management, vendor management and sales, and how they affect the performance of the company.

When it comes to the first audience, because we’re also an LSP, we would like to hear more about your main advice for a growing LSP in this ever-changing environment?

The most important thing for an LSP that wants to create a value and growth is to understand the importance of margins. And the importance of understanding the core structure and how to manage that. In our industry today – and this is an advice that I give to every business owner – is that every day when you wake up, you have to think about 3 things: What can I do to grow my company? What can I do to buy another company? What can I do to sell my company?

And when you think about these three things, we’re talking about creating value and exploiting value and the book provides a structure to that thought. You have tools to analyze your own business and even to analyze other businesses. And it’s not a very long book, it’s a quick read.

The General Theory of the Translation Company by Renato Beninatto and‎ Tucker Johnson

Do you think that the clients generally understand what we do or do you think that nobody outside of our industry circles knows our business?

To be frank, I think that we shouldn’t care what the clients know or don’t know. A good LSP will provide such a good service that the client doesn’t have questions or needs to wonder about any of that. But it’s always good to have a third party source or something written in a published book that you can give to your clients, to say “Hey, look, this is how it works! Don’t trust me, look at this!” There’s a saying that what you say about yourself is an opinion and what somebody else says about you is a fact. So when you’re having a dispute whether or not your client needs to get more information about your business, you can always share the book with them.

Good advice! When it comes to that, what we actually feel as a company is that client’s aren’t giving us enough credit for what we do. They’re not taking us seriously.

Well, that’s not their job. I think that one of the problems that we have in the translation industry is that we think too much about how important we are and how much credit and respect we deserve. The key is to think of our activity the same way that you think about a taxi driver. The taxi driver is the most important person in the world for his wife and his mechanic, but for you and for others, he’s just a person that takes you from one place to another. We do the same thing with our clients – we take their product from one language to another and we shouldn’t care too much about them understanding what we do. What we need to make sure is that we deliver the product that creates value for them and that they’re satisfied with that service. How it’s done, whether we are respected or not, that’s not the point. The client pays, we deliver, everybody’s happy.

So, it actually has something to do with the opinion that LSPs are doing something wrong. We’re not doing anything wrong?

No, we tend to have an inferiority complex in our business, which is absolutely wrong. We are experts in what we do. When we go to a doctor and the doctor asks you questions and gives you a diagnosis, you respect that diagnosis. Why? Because he’s an expert.

If you have a leakage in your house and you call a plumber, and even though he doesn’t have three university degrees, you talk to him, he tells you that you need to change this and you need to do that, you respect him. Because he’s an expert.

When it comes to translation, a client tells us I want to pay less, I want it to be done this way and we want it to be done that way, and we lower our ears and we always say yes, sir, yes, sir. And the reality is that WE are the experts and we should be telling THEM how it’s going to be, how much it’s going to cost and what’s the way to go. Of course, I’m talking about an extreme situation here, there is a balance that needs to be achieved, but we in the language industry need to learn to position ourselves as the experts in what we do.

We in the language industry need to learn to position ourselves as the experts in what we do.

That would be your definition of today’s respectable LSP?

Absolutely! The ones that know what they do.

Which services and solutions do you think would be around in five years? A lot will change, of course, even in a year.

Absolutely. We need to keep in mind that ten years ago Google Translate didn’t exist. What we’re going to translate in five years has probably not been invented yet. The jobs that people are going to have in the future are jobs that don’t exist today. We overestimate the rate of change, but we underestimate the impact of change and this happens in every industry. Change is not going to happen as fast, so in five years we’ll be probably doing 80% the same job as we’re doing today, but we underestimate the impact of change. We will probably have completely new types of content, completely new types of products that will need to be translated and localized and they will have significant impact in our day to day lives. We don’t know that because they’re not there yet. I’m very positive of the outcome of the industry, I don’t believe there’s any danger for us in the next several years – at least.

Okay, that perfectly sums up the answer about the future of the industry. Do you have anything else to say to our readers?

Yeah, buy our book!

The post Interview with Renato Beninatto: “What we’re going to translate in five years has not been invented yet” appeared first on Ciklopea.

The Department of Information and Communication Sciences of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb and Ciklopea have been collaborating for many years on internships, summer school and guest lectures and four of our students are now Ciklopea employees. They all work in the newly formed technical department and I believe one of your department managers is also our alumna.

To what extent do you believe that our universities prepare the students for work in the language industry?

Information and communication technologies have become irreplaceable in every field, including the language industry. Application of information and communication technologies represents an essential professional skill in today’s world of global communication, but it involves much more than knowing how to use specific tools. We strive to make our students competent by providing them with a vast knowledge base that will help them choose their desired career later on. The language industry demands a versatile person with technical, information-communicational, organizational, linguistic and marketing knowledge and skills. Knowledge and application of technologies, development of new solutions (such as databases and applications) and new models of integrated systems, quality assurance, process automation and business analysis are in high demand. This is a particularly multidisciplinary field that is continuously developing and we use the knowledge and experience acquired through scientific research and practice to improve education and teaching.

What are the skills that universities should be more focused on developing in students?

Practical experience is extremely important, as well as teamwork and independent research work. The students need to know theory to understand their current level of knowledge, and through their development they can recognize the different approach and application methods, limitations, assessments etc. Software licenses used to be much of an issue until very recently, but many software companies have come to understand the importance of their collaboration with the academia, so we have entered into different agreements on academic use of software packages and resources.

What is Ciklopea’s contribution to preparing young people for the job market through various projects such as the Summer School and internships?

Ciklopea has recognized the importance of such projects and the summer school provides young people with a set of new skills and knowledge, especially for those who didn’t have a similar curriculum at university.

Do you think such projects are useful?

I believe these projects are extremely useful both for the company and for young people, for whom they open up new opportunities.

Are the young graduates without any professional experience ready to work in the language industry?

I believe the students who study information and communication sciences and lingustics are a perfect match. There are various courses covering language engineering, technology application, the necessary technical skills, database development, programming etc. at the Department. The course on language technology is open to other students as well, as an optional course. Judging by the feedback that I received, our students are doing well, but it goes without saying that the required experience comes from work, with subsequent specialization and career development providing for further research work.

We’ve had a student from the Republic of Macedonia for the first time this year. What are your thoughts on that?

The language industry and global communication have no boundaries and collaboration is always welcome.

Do you think there is still room for improvement in the collaboration between Ciklopea and the university? What else do you think we could do for the academic community?

There is always room for improvement, which only serves to benefit everyone involved. I believe there is a significant interest for the summer school in areas of programming skills and business automation. We are also always open to collaboration through guest lectures, where students can ask questions, or through specific workshops.

What part of the Summer School do you think was the most useful to students?

Seeing the practical workflow of file processing – from order receipt, project management, application of technology, problem management, quality assurance, delivery and the importance of communication with the client at all stages. It is important to understand the technology, but it is also crucial to understand the work process and the importance of good communication.

What was the most interesting part of the Summer School for you? Was there a particularly interesting moment?

I was really pleasantly surprised with the working atmosphere in the company – it’s very professional and dynamic, but also positive and relaxed. Good human relations, good communication and sharing a cup of coffee surely contribute to the performance.

You are a highly knowledgeable and competent person. But was there something that you learned at the Summer School? 🙂

Of course. That’s the challenge in this line of work – continuous improvement and finding new opportunities. Is there any better news than the all-round satisfaction of the academia, and the industry, and young people deciding to remain in Croatia?

The post Collaboration between the Language Industry and the Academic Community: Interview with Sanja Seljan appeared first on Ciklopea.

Do you have any aggregated data that show or indicate cost/time savings effect of Verifika QA? 

We rely on our client’s feedback.

They found Verifika to be effective in different applications. A client used Verifika to check terminology in 1041 files instead of a built-in QA feature in the CAT software. Verifika does this swiftly, while processing of a large number of files in a standard CAT tool may take hours and there is always a risk of program freezes.

Although QA software has a great traction in the market, applications may vary from one company to another. A client can benefit a lot from one particular feature. For example, a pharmaceutical giant highly values our back terminology check and powerful check for untranslatable terms. Proofreading had always been a bottleneck in their process, but Verifika made their localization process highly scalable and unified.

Aleksander Gilev

What’s your estimate of cost/time expenses of translation double-checking without using a tool like Verifika QA? 

I’ll share our client’s opinion: five people did the proofreading of practical manuals at a time. They all experienced decrease of attention after 3.5-4 hours of this tedious work and started omitting mistakes. When they started using Verifika, the decrease of attention was no longer an issue. Verifika embraces a system of multiple rechecks, which prevents proofreaders from making a wrong correction.

What features are unique to Verifika? 

Verifika does not only detects errors but also let you correct them from within the software.

Therefore, users perform corrections without hopping around from one software to another. To make this possible, Verifika has a thorough support of all popular file formats. If a client has already switched to a cloud CAT tool, Verifika offers integration with the four most popular cloud CAT tools on the market.

What are the common translation errors that Verifika always detects?

Verifika leverages 49 quality checks pre-set with language specific standards. It enables Verifika to detect accuracy, fluency, terminology errors, and even some stylistic errors (in case there is a customer’s style guide).

What is your vision of the future of software solutions for the language industry and of the language industry itself?

Personally, I think that people in the language industry should be aware of the arrival of the AI age.

AI-assisted translation will lead rapid transformation and eventually ease communication to the extent when “translation” becomes an archaic word. Translation QA software derives from translation imperfections, which is a human factor. For example, translators usually make typos trying to keep up with the fast business pace to make a living. AI technologies are developing very fast. Fewer people are involved in translation, they make less errors, there is less demand for QA. In short terms QA will transform and it will eventually disappear.

Are there any interesting trends among your users that you have noticed?

Automation of everything that can be autoamted. Unification.

What’s Verifika’s greatest challenge in development of their QA tool?

Performing a QA of software designed for QA. People are relying on Verifika, so you need to make sure that every nuance of the check counts.

The post Optimizing Localization Process with Verifika QA: Interview with Aleksander Gilev appeared first on Ciklopea.