Asavari Tamhane Secretary |CITLoB Editor | Indovox More about her here Dear readers, Most businesses today are looking at increasing their presence in the international market by capturing the latest industry trends and strategies to future-proof their businesses. At CITLoB, we are all geared up to welcome everyone at SAMVĀD, our second international conference which talks […]
Most businesses today are looking at increasing their presence in the international market by capturing the latest industry trends and strategies to future-proof their businesses.
At CITLoB, we are all geared up to welcome everyone at SAMVĀD, our second international conference which talks about just that – securing our businesses for tomorrow in this VUCA world.
Our industry is rapidly evolving and growing consistently. Thanks to the technology today SAMVĀD has also been able to overcome the barriers of distance. A marquee event in south Asia for professionals connected with language services and technologies, Samvād has been fortunate to receive generous support globally.
The conference will see a wonderful blend of industry, academia, media, and leading organizations from across the world come together to share their insights.
In this month’s issue do read the President’s address where he passionately pens down the details of our upcoming conference. Register now, to hear the luminaries from across the world and add value to your own growth.
Our Guest article this month talks about the best translation companies in India. Take a look at the filters available when you go to choose a company to get your work done.
Go ahead and give this issue a read and do let us know your Feedback. I hope you enjoy the July issue of CITLoB.
The best translation company in India is… Are you looking for the best translation company in India? How often have we looked at lists of “Top 10 restaurants” or “Top 10 vacation spots” only to realize nothing in it suited you. This is often because these are generic lists and may not be what we […]
Are you looking for the best translation company in India? How often have we looked at lists of “Top 10 restaurants” or “Top 10 vacation spots” only to realize nothing in it suited you. This is often because these are generic lists and may not be what we are looking for.
In the same way, the best translation company for you actually depends on your business requirements, budget, and a range of other factors. There can be no one size fits all when it comes to a service and industry that is so diverse. Let us elaborate.
Thanks to omnipresence of Internet and mobile phones, sweeping changes have come about in the way companies do business, particularly in the way they market and sell their products. Content has become more important to a business now than ever before. But there is not one type of content and there is not one way in which it can be translated.
As a result, language services have become very diverse, too. Which means, that you have a range of translation companies to choose from depending on their specialization, languages offered, pricing, geography, tech infrastructure, or simply how they treat their customers. Let’s take a look at the filters available when choosing a translation company:
1. Specific domains. If you operate in the automobiles sector, you would much rather choose a language service provider (LSP) that has worked for other automobile companies before. The reason being that they are already in tune with the terminology of the sector and the typical workflows. Specialization becomes even more important with domains like finance or pharmaceuticals, where they may even require the translation company to prove their credentials or have some certifications.
2. Specific language groups. If your company is looking to expand into a market or fortify its existing presence, you might be looking for translation services in particular languages. If an LSP focuses on these languages, there’s a good chance that their network of resources for these languages is already strong. So, you can hit the ground running with them. It’s particularly important when you are working with rare language combinations: you can’t be scrambling for resources with a product launch date hovering over your head!
3. Specific types of content, like social media. Content type can often dictate the level of quality required, the timelines, and the tech tools needed to translate and localize it. For instance, social media requires that the LSP have the required tech infrastructure, so that they can handle the volumes at scale. Machine translation and artificial learning systems are deployed to help you gain intelligence on the competition, tap into your customers’ conversations, and more.
Or, it could be to do with media content. With video being all the rage in marketing and training, video localization is a must-ave service for most companies now. However, not every LSP might be able to provide this service. As video files tend to be heavy, the LSP needs to have considerable cloud storage and computing strength to handle such heavy files in large volumes.
4. Specific regions. You might be looking for localization solutions for India, but it helps to get clarity on the regions you would like to focus on. Remember, there are many Indias, and one LSP might not be able to help you with localizing for all the regions.
5. Finally, gut feeling. Yes, sometimes, it’s just how you are welcomed, your queries responded to, the time taken to get back to you that determines whether or not you wish to work with the LSP. This can especially influence the decision when everything else is more or less the same among competing LSPs.
You might think why price is missing from the above. That’s because, you must never start with price. Often, low prices can blind you to the incapabilities of the LSP. Start discussing price only once you feel the LSP is a good match for you on all other fronts.
And, let’s not forget whether or not you get the best translation from your LSP depends to a large extent from your content quality and your willingness to work with the LSP like a partner. If you put some time and effort in choosing your translation company, you can let those “Top 10..” lists be.
Sudheen M President |CITLoB More about him here Hello friends, I am really excited to share the fabulous response CITLoB is getting for our annual conference SAMVĀD 2022. The review committee had a tough time selecting the three papers from the large number of abstracts received on our Call for Papers. The agenda of the online […]
I am really excited to share the fabulous response CITLoB is getting for our annual conference SAMVĀD 2022. The review committee had a tough time selecting the three papers from the large number of abstracts received on our Call for Papers.
The agenda of the online conference covers the interest areas of all the stakeholders of the language industry including the LSPs, language technology developers, and language professionals. The language departments of two universities have already confirmed their participation through our Industry-Academia Connect initiative. To ensure a global perspective, the conference will see participation from the leading industry associations including GALA, ATC, EUATC, Women in Localization, LocLunch, and leading industry organisations like CSA Research and Slator, etc.
The conference will also see participation of the largest, oldest, and the apex business organisation in India, FICCI, which will share Government’s perspective and the initiatives undertaken for the language industry.
For job seekers, the conference is expected to offer over 100 opportunities in the parallel session Career Fair, which will provide opportunity to interact with vendor managers and HR managers of the member organisations.
On the whole, SAMVĀD 2022 agenda promises to do justice to the theme “Future-Proof Your Language Business” with numerous luminaries from across the world sharing their insights, with each session leaving you wanting for more! Definitely, not-to-be-missed event, wherever you are!
Keep in touch with us with INDOVOX and I look forward to meeting you at SAMVĀD 2022.
Asavari Tamhane Secretary |CITLoB Editor | Indovox More about her here Dear readers, This month’s issue brings you some news, initiatives and some highlights at CITLoB. Do read the new President’s Address to get an overview of what’s happening at CITLoB. Something you cannot miss is “A sneak peak into CITLoB version 2.0. where you can […]
This month’s issue brings you some news, initiatives and some highlights at CITLoB.
Do read the new President’s Address to get an overview of what’s happening at CITLoB. Something you cannot miss is “A sneak peak into CITLoB version 2.0. where you can catch our our ex President Mr Sandeep Nulkar in conversation with our new President Mr Sudheen M. Go ahead and register for this event to know more.
We have recently announced our Call for Papers for our annual international conference SAMVĀD and we wish to thank everyone for a wonderful response. The deadline is approaching soon please write to secretary@citlob.in for more details.
This months Guest article is by Rohan Dhar a content professional with a 10+ years of experience as a writer and translator to craft compelling content that readers just can’t scroll away from. In this issue he throws some light on “How OTT giants are changing the way translators are perceived”
Go ahead and give this issue a read and do let us know your Feedback.
CITLoB (Confederation of Interpreting, Translation and Localisation Businesses)is organising its 2nd International Conference SAMVĀD on September 30, 2022.The theme of the conference is “Future-Proof Your Language Businesses”.We invite you to participate and submit your abstracts for talks, presentationsand workshops in our conference.Key Dates:● Submission of Abstracts: Last Date: Sunday, August 7, 2022● Notification of Acceptance […]
CITLoB (Confederation of Interpreting, Translation and Localisation Businesses) is organising its 2nd International Conference SAMVĀD on September 30, 2022. The theme of the conference is “Future-Proof Your Language Businesses”. We invite you to participate and submit your abstracts for talks, presentations and workshops in our conference. Key Dates: ● Submission of Abstracts: Last Date: Sunday, August 7, 2022 ● Notification of Acceptance of Abstracts: Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Sudheen M President |CITLoB More about him here Dear friends, It is a great privilege to be writing my first piece in IndoVOX as the President of CITLoB. The formation of the new team at CITLoB is a testimony to the democratic nature of our association, which is the true representative of the language industry in […]
It is a great privilege to be writing my first piece in IndoVOX as the President of CITLoB. The formation of the new team at CITLoB is a testimony to the democratic nature of our association, which is the true representative of the language industry in India. It is indeed an honour to be bestowed with the confidence of my industry colleagues at CITLoB and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such a crack team on this journey to give back to the industry that has created opportunities for hundreds of thousands across the world.
The Indian language industry saw a first – the listing of Fidel Softech on the stock exchange with an IPO that was oversubscribed by 102 times! The feat indicates an exciting future for the language business and the huge value waiting to be unlocked.
The announcement has gone out for call for papers for SAMVĀD, a marquee event for the language services and technology industry in South Asia that sees participation from professionals, product developers, service providers in addition to leading industry bodies and associations from India and abroad. Given the geo-political uncertainties the theme “Future-Proof Your Language Business” makes this annual conference on 30 September 2022, a not-to-be-missed event where luminaries from across the world will share their insights into emerging trends, technologies, and best practices in the language industry.
I look forward to your support to help unlock the true potential of the language businesses. Keep in touch with the industry with INDOVOX and happy reading.
Rohan Dhar More about him [here] How OTT giants are changing the way translators are perceived When professional translators tell new acquaintances, distant relatives, nosy local “uncles”, or other unsuspecting souls what they do for a living, they’re typically met with a confused look that borders on worry. It’s an expressive enough look that you […]
How OTT giants are changing the way translators are perceived
When professional translators tell new acquaintances, distant relatives, nosy local “uncles”, or other unsuspecting souls what they do for a living, they’re typically met with a confused look that borders on worry. It’s an expressive enough look that you can almost hear the thoughts behind it: “Am I losing my mind? Can you even do that for a living? It doesn’t make any sense. Why would anyone pay you for something so simple? Sounds absurd. I used three languages today before the morning newspaper had even hit the coffee table. What’s the big deal?”
Such reactions only bother rookie translators. Those who’ve been in the game a long time remain unfazed: they’re used to this and more, ranging from “Translation’s something that even I could easily do” to “That’s a nice hobby, but what’s your real job?”.
Why is it that translators (and their much rarer cousins, interpreters) get so little respect? There are several reasons for this. For one thing, laypeople have absolutely no idea that CAT tools exist, and that documents in several important domains need to be translated on a routine basis. Thus, they know neither how translators work, nor what they work on. Moreover, many people these days seem to believe that machine translation is a solved problem. Thus, they can’t understand why translators even exist any more.
Lastly, and this is especially pertinent to the Indian context, many people assume that being multilingual should automatically make you a decent translator. From the perspective of these people, literally every person who’s at a C1 level in French and attended an English-medium school is effectively already a latent translator (and not just from French to English, but the other way around as well!). As a result, so-called professional translators hardly seem special in any way.
How OTT platforms are helping translators get an image makeover
These perceptions of what translation involves might be slowly changing for the better thanks to major OTT platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. How so, you ask? Well, the main reason is that over the past several years, such platforms have been bringing an ever-increasing number of people in contact with translations, in the form of subtitles.
Before the advent of such platforms, it was quite rare for a layperson to watch movies or shows in which the characters spoke one language and the subtitles used another. But given the glut of well-received non-English-language content on such platforms, it’s now become quite common for people to watch foreign-language or even Indian-language content with English subtitles.
This change in behaviour has raised the profile of translators in two interrelated ways:
All around the world, people have begun having discussions and expressing their opinions about the quality of the subtitles on OTT platforms. For instance, the subtitles of Netflix’s global hit ‘Squid Game’ were subjected to a fair amount of (mostly unwarranted, as far as I can tell) criticism on social media, which was then met with several rebuttals pointing out the constellation of constraints translators must operate under in such scenarios. As a result, many viewers are beginning to realise that what they’d assumed to be a fairly trivial operation comes with many complexities they’d been blissfully unaware of.
In the Indian context, a fair number of people watch movies and shows with the English subtitles on, even if the original language is an Indian language that they understand (admittedly, this is an extrapolation based on a rather small sample size, but hopefully it gels well with your experience as well). When doing so, it’s almost impossible to not be constantly hit hard by the realisation ‘I wouldn’t have translated it like that; in fact, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to translate it at all’.
In other words, OTT subtitles can bring home the fact that mere fluency in two languages isn’t enough to translate well: you need something more (study? experience? creativity? all of the above?). It’s not hard to see how such an experience could change someone’s perception of translators and the work they do.
How things should pan out
As OTT platforms continue to reach new viewers around the world, they’re likely to keep bringing about such mental shifts in more and more people. The limited screen space and time available for subtitles, cultural references, context, and just the sheer multiplicity of ways in which any given word, phrase, and sentence can be translated, are all factors that should continue to motivate spirited discussions and debates. It sure seems like the limelight is slowly turning towards translators and the crazy amount of inter-cultural heavy lifting they’re responsible for.
One thing we can definitely be sure of, though, is that with every passing day, we’re going to hear more people go, “Man, that was great; the translators on this show sure did a bang-up job!”. And ultimately, that’s exactly how translators can chip away at the apathy they face: one heart and one mind at a time.
Asavari Tamhane Secretary |CITLoB Editor | Indovox More about her here Dear readers, This month is a mixed bag of emotions for all of us at CITLoB. The Executive Board and all of us at CITLoB thank the first elected Governing Body of CITLoB for all their efforts and valuable guidance over the past two years. […]
This month is a mixed bag of emotions for all of us at CITLoB. The Executive Board and all of us at CITLoB thank the first elected Governing Body of CITLoB for all their efforts and valuable guidance over the past two years. We all at CITLoB are looking forward to welcoming our new Governing body soon.
Here’s a meaningful opportunity at the Confederation of Interpreting Translation and Localisation of Businesses (CITLoB). With the growing spectrum of CITLoB, we felt this is a good time to encourage freelancers and students learning translation who are tomorrows budding Translators and offer them a 6 months internship program. This internship program will help individuals connect to a lot of translation companies and offer them a good networking platform. They can actually get a feel of the industry by participating in industry events and seeing what goes behind the scenes at CITLoB. For more details please contact secretary@citlob.in
From this month IndoVox offers LSP’s a platform to be visible to more than 700 subscribers globally. Get in touch with us to know how you can feature your company and services in IndoVox and reach national and international language industry stakeholders.
Translation is an emerging profession in India. It has a lot going for it in terms of the potential to grow, but at the same time, there are many teething troubles as well. One of their troubles is to do with finding good translators. To know exactly what “What Indian Translation Companies Look for in A Translator” do read our Guest article in this month’s issue
Sandeep Nulkar President |CITLoB More about him here Dear friends, It is with mixed feelings that I am writing to all of you one last time. My term as the first elected President of CITLoB ends later this month and since I decided not to run for this post again, this will be my final note […]
It is with mixed feelings that I am writing to all of you one last time. My term as the first elected President of CITLoB ends later this month and since I decided not to run for this post again, this will be my final note to all of you.
I said that I was writing with mixed feelings because goodbyes always also imply new beginnings and, as much as I will miss interacting with all of you and with our stakeholders in the industry in my current capacity, I am glad that a new leadership team will take over soon. This, in my eyes, is a brilliant opportunity for us to show the world the democratic nature of our association and the immense depth in our leadership. A new team will also bring in new energy and ideas and I am sure you would agree that we can never have enough of those.
I am excited to work closely with the new team and support them in whatever way I can as I hope all of you would too. In fact, the first major event the new team will organise will be our annual conference – Samvād. I will leave it to the future office bearers to talk to you about what plans they have in store.
In the meantime, I would like to urge you to exercise your right to run for one of the posts and/or vote to see your candidate take office. I hope all of you will continue to take advantage of the various activities the association organizes and also support it as you always have.
Do take care of yourself and your families and stay safe. Happy reading and happy CITLoBing.
