Living in a host family - London

There is nothing more exciting than having an experience abroad, either to study or to work. I am currently working in London as an intern in a superb translation agency, in a very friendly and young environment, where the music is always on and this implies that if you are not an English native speaker it is a real performance speaking on the phone successfully, especially when the call is a marketing one and they ask you how many sockets you have in the office...what the hell do I know about it? J Anyway, I will discuss this topic later on.

Now I would like to focus on how it is living in a host family and why you should choose or not choose this option for your accommodation during your stay abroad. Before coming here, I was asked about which kind of accommodation I preferred to go for and with no doubt I decided that the best option would be to stay in a family. I thought that if I had the chance, I should have tried to stay with a local family. After all, an important reason to go abroad is to go crazy in a place where nobody knows you. Moreover this is the best way to pick up the language much faster, as you have to communicate with them in local language most of the day; they can also give you advice on the area you live and above all you can learn a lot on their culture, believes, cuisine, an insight that you will hardly get when you live with other foreign student in a flat. If you are unable to find a family to live within a foreign country then people often look for translation services for communication purposes.

Since I arrived I have already changed two families and I must admit that my first one was really funny and I got on very well with them. A month ago I moved to another area, in the south of London, to get near to my job place so now I have a new family. They come from Jamaica, and that is not surprising at all in a melting pot like London, but what’s more my new “parents” have two wonderful daughters, but with the exception that they don’t even speak or look at me J  In a multicultural city like London people are always looking for professional translation in order to help them settle down in a new place. However I have never faced such an issue in a busy city like London.

I know that living in a host family is not for everyone and sometimes it can also seem daunting. Here are some tips to make your stay easier. It would be good to bring them a small gift when you arrive, tell them if you have special needs and ask if they have any rules about meal time, which rooms and appliances you are allowed to use, whether you may have a space in the kitchen for your own food. I know people who were not allowed to have a shower every day and their stay turned into a real nightmare. It is also important to ask them why they decided to host a person; they may have a variety of reasons, from wanting to get in touch with people from abroad to simply needing the money that comes with renting out a room. Cultures and languages play a very important role whilst leaving with a family from different country and nationalities. People often look for a translation agency to seek advice and help on these matters. It is also important to speak to them and to show them that you want to get to know them by making an effort to start a conversation every day, which is exactly what I try to do every day with the young girls, but with no result at all. It takes a lot of patience J As you need to show you are open to interaction, you also have to leave them alone together.

Things probably won’t be perfect, but what’s important is keep trying and enjoy as much as you can J

EVERYONE HAS AN ACCENT

This means everyone who speaks has an accent.  To speak is to have an accent. Accent defines and communicates who we are. Accent is the map which listeners perceive through their ears rather than through their eyes to ‘read’ where the speaker was born and raised, what gender they are, how old they are…’. 

As the markets become increasingly global, organizations are more likely to employ people from different countries whose languages and accents clearly identify them as different from the local workforce. With the surge in multiculturalism we have also seen a rise in the demand of professional translation in a city like London. This is more likely to happen in London, a real melting pot, where different languages, dialects and cultures cross each other and where it is really amazing discover how people manage to interact and communicate beyond borders. The UK is a rich landscape of regional accents, evidence of English society’s continuity and change, local history and day-to-day lives. 

Translators and interpreters are supposed to convey the right message and understand foreign languages, but the way people speak is important as well. Our accents can tell the listener everything about us, they reflect our experiences. Understanding the impact of accents is vital because accents can be salient in the same way as ethnicity, age, gender, and skin colour. Multilingual society around us has helped Translation services providers to multiply their business globally. This represents a challenging task and sometimes can be frustrating because consonants and vowels are the building blocks of linguistic meaning and slight changes in their quality carry large differences in meaning, which we detect immediately, and can trigger problems. 

Notwithstanding recognizing the linguistic patterns of those around us can be a thrilling and exciting opportunity to learn more. If something is hard to do, then it is worth doing and what really marks the difference in our life and our work is being tenacious and passionate about what we do. 

Community Interpreting and Translation

With the rise of immigration and settling of minority groups in urban areas, there is an increasing need for community interpreters in the UK. In urban areas, where there is a high concentration of ethnic minority groups, there is an increasing need for individuals who speak and write minority ethnic languages such  as Hindi, Guajarati, Farsi, and many more.

As the UK experiences a surge in its immigration and pockets of minority communities settle in large urban areas, some of these immigrants have a limited or poor grasp of the English language. These community interpreters provide a service where they can translate and interpret at court hearings, police stations, tribunal hearings, and other such situations.  They can also provide translation services in the production of government paperwork, where forms and documents are translated to community languages to enable these individual’s access public services. 

Community interpreters also work with the police, social services and the Home Office to assist where necessary during court cases, at community meetings and at application hearings.  This service is set to grow even further as the UK becomes more and more multicultural in its make-up.  This means there is set to be an even greater need for individuals from these communities to train as interpreters and translators to facilitate the integration of these community groups into the wider society.

How can this be addressed?  Currently there are not enough trained individuals to carry out these roles so raising awareness of what they do could be the first step in recruiting individuals to act as interpreters and translators. Secondly, community interpreting should be made more widely available and its services encouraged particularly in urban areas that have high concentrations of migrant communities.  Also community interpreting should be made widely available as a course at colleges and education centres, once again with more publicity being provided to raise public awareness.

Community interpreting and translation is also a good way of fostering community relations and integrating these communities fully into society, while at the same time respecting and acknowledging their differences. It is a good way of promoting the value and importance of languages in the community.

Olympic Games 2012

London is normally a very busy city, but for two months this summer it will be the busiest it has ever been. The reason? The Olympic Games 2012. Every two years the Games are held by a country chosen by a committee. And this time, it is London`s chance to show how to plan a “party” in English style.

Years of building, planning, rearranging and all the things have finally paid off. The stadium in Stratford is nearly ready to go, a massive shopping centre has been built by it side to better cater for the thousands and thousands of tourists coming into the city and posters are being put up on every tube station informing about routes and closures to those coming to watch the best players and athletes achieving high scores and breaking their own records.

So, in July, the atmosphere in here will feel electric, exciting, amazing and… crowded. With the amount of people expected to land in here for the games, the main concern now is how London, already so full, will accommodate everybody. The answer is still hanging in the air, the authorities trying to figure out a plan to help minimize the effect this human flood will have in the town and its day by day life.

But not everything is bad news. Jobs in the catering front are blossoming by the day, so are positions in translation agency and hospitality roles. People are also being hired to work in the games site on security, logistic, information services and so on to assist visitors ensuring they will have the best experience possible.

Another business opportunity that is growing is lodging. Due to hotels being already fully booked for the period, home owners are starting to realize that they possess a great source of income in their houses, where they can easily rent a room for as much as a thousand pounds and benefit from all the fuss that the Olympic Games are bringing to England.

Therefore, if you are a tourist coming to cheer for your country or if you reside in here, all you have to do is try your best and enjoy as much as you can this once in a life time event. 

Finding a job....

Over the last five years I have been hearing a lot about the global recession. When the current recession started I was in my teens and wondered what could be the possible meaning of recession. During 2005 – 2006 I was working with a Multi National company in India with a good salary and a great work environment. However I always had a dream to study in an international university and get a business degree.

United Kingdom has one of the best education systems across the world. I came to the UK during the spring of 2008 with high hopes and expectations. With great interest in the field of business, marketing and management I decided to pursue an MBA degree from a renowned UK university. My education journey in the UK was a roller coaster ride. After getting a Masters degree in business from a UK university I had plans to find a good professional job and gain some valuable international experience. I had always planned to go back to India and continue my professional journey in my home country. However some international experience can make a significant difference to your CV and future job hunt. But little I knew of how bad the economic situation was in the UK.

After finishing my education in the spring of 2010 my journey of finding a decent job began. It was a phase where I struggled through several rejections and de-motivating comments from employers. After nearly 6 months and several interviews I decided to pursue an internship in Online Marketing. The journey of finding an Internship with a good company was also a struggle. However I took up an internship with a renowned Translation Agency based in London specialising in Translation services. After successfully completing my Internship I was hired as a full time employee working as a digital marketer. Journey to finding my current job was stressful, tedious and to a certain extent de-motivating. The current global recession has taken a toll on young graduates and even on the experienced professionals looking for a career progression. The journey of finding a good job in today’s economic crisis is not easy and requires a lot of self motivation and determination. 

From Evolution of Language to Translations

This article is aimed at outlining human progress from invention of language to use of Translation services. Back in the ages, humans communicated with each other using sign language. Most of the ancient scriptures used pictures to record literature, events or information that they wished to pass on to the next generation. These visual forms of communication can be still found in across several historical monuments. 

The origin of human language is difficult to predict as many scholars and scientists have tried to explore this subject. There have been several outcomes of such studies ranging from human organs that facilitate speech to visual forms of speech. However, the invention of human language can still exactly not be dated.Humans have always been evolving and hence language and forms of communication. At present, we live in the globalization era, with 195 countries and over 1000 languages being spoken across these countries. In order to facilitate communication for several purposes, we have started using Translations services. This itself has grown in such a huge industry thanks to increasing communication across nations. The importance of Translations services is growing to a great extent as a result. Businesses are spreading across nations. Immigration of people across nations has increased innumerably. This has forced people to learn multiple languages. English is so far been known as one of the widely used International languages. This created a common mode of communication across nations. English thus also helped people learn other languages.


Today, in this internet age, in a matter of clicks through using several Websites, any language can be translated and learnt. We are referring to free translation services here which still haven’t been able to replace the ProfessionalTranslation agencies running all over the world. A company planning to venture into a different country for business uses the local translations company for translating its business documents. Legal document translation adds to another branch of Translation services. Hence, Translation services can be termed as one of the core industries in this globalization era.    

We love to chat with people......

We always talk about the different technological advancements and explain their importance in our day to day life. However if these technological devices are no use for us then what’s the point of their existence. We at Translation services 24 realise this and use the latest technological trends to help our clients. Our company’s name says it all. We love to talk to people and solve their translation and interpretation issues. We try to provide high quality service no matter the language. So following this trend of technological advancement we have started a live chat option for our precious clients.

Our live chat option helps users to solve their quires online and get instant quotations about their project. Currently we have a high quality UK website with the online chat option for the users. And one of the aspiring plans of the management is to open new sites for our U.S and Indian clients with the online help option. Several companies have tried to adapt this strategy and provide instant solutions to their clients. At TranslationServices 24 we believe in setting new trends in the market and provide exceptional client support. People often get lost whilst on websites and need some help instantly. We all have gotten into such situations. So to solve this problem and better help our clients the online chat option was the superior choice.

We thrive to provide high quality professional translation and the only way we can achieve our objectives is by using all the available technology to serve our clients. One of the main objectives of the company is to be recognised as a Global Translation agency. And this live chat option is one step closer towards achieving this target. We want users to enquire about our services from all around the world and thus expand our reach globally. We are trying to expand our communication channels by starting online chat and we continue to grow as a company thriving to be the best in the translation industry.  

Bilingualism: greater quality in the translations

Some scientists define bilingual people as those who are able to speak and write and, as a consequence, to perfectly translate into two (or more languages) in a symmetrical way. Bilingualism is everywhere, in every social class and age range. A recent research certifies that 50% of the global population is bilingual or trilingual. This phenomenon has been caused by many contingent factors, like migrations for political, economic and religion reasons. The western countries, based on a monolingual culture, consider bilingualism as an exception. Actually, bilingualism is a natural phenomenon which is due to a contact between different languages combined with the contingent need of the individual to be able to communicate. Increasing use of different languages has helped multilingual people to make plenty of money. They have become freelance translators undertaking jobs like professional translation and document translation.

The advantages attributed to this phenomenon are the precocious cognitive development in the child, a strong creativity, a greater open-mindedness and tolerance, etc...However, any possible advantage or disadvantage is related to the social class he or she belongs to or to other factors such as the education level, so that it is impossible to give a unique definition of the phenomenon. As for the translation agencies, these are more willing to rely on bilingual people rather than professional translators who have been studying different languages for years and have eventually reached high quality standards.

Any kind of translation agency will be more likely to work with professionals who are perfectly bilingual because they know that their translations will never have mistakes regarding the content or the choice of the proper term. They are perfectly aware that being bilingual is synonym of complete reliability in the field of translation. This is for sure one of the main advantages of the bilinguals: if the person has a high cultural and educational level, then he or she will certainly have many chances to enter the path of the translation or linguistic services in general.

Thinking in Hindi and talking in English.....

To start with I will like to inform everyone that ‘Hindi’ is the national language of India. I come from the ever developing city of Mumbai based in the heart of the country. Mumbai is a very multicultural city like London or New York. Several languages are spoken in the city and people from different religions live under the same roof. However Hindi is the most widely spoken and accepted language in the city. I have been living in London for the last 3 years and have cherished my journey in a new country. As most of us are aware there are several cultural differences between India and England. Not just the culture the languages spoken are completely different as well.

English is the national language of the British people. I have been speaking the English Language since I was in school and my entire academic studies were completed in English. So I have never experienced any difficulties whilst communicating in English. However do I still think in Hindi before I speak English? Illiteracy numbers are continuously decreasing across different cities in India. But there are still thousands of Indians who face issues with speaking languages other than their mother tongue. Whilst we talk to a Translation Agency we always come across incidents wherein Indian people request for Translation services like documenttranslation to overcome their communication barriers.

Personally I never faced communication issues whilst in England. However during conversations there are moments were I think in Hindi and then convert my thought process in English before replying. And I believe this is common among all Indians whose first language is not English. I have several Eastern European friends from Poland and Lithuania. They are not highly conversant in English and face difficulties whilst communicating in English. During conversations they take several seconds to think before replying. The reason being they think in their mother language before replying in English. These pauses during conversations can increase if the person is new to English or any other language he/she is not familiar with. Personally when I hear a new phrase in English I start to think about its meaning in Hindi. However during normal conversations I rarely think in Hindi and then reply in English. So the more unfamiliar you are with a particular language the more likely you are to struggle during conversations.

What should you do to be a translator?

I can say that this is a beautiful job even though at the beginning it can’t be easy to understand and to find. Before you start doing this job you need to know that is important to be very patient and determined to face any kind of translation that can be offered to you together with the possibility, in some moments of the year, of not receiving any work to translate.

To become a translator it is fundamental to read a lot and to read different types of articles and books with different registers, a good suggestion is to read even grammar books and editing books. Basically any written article or book or newspaper will be useful for you. At the beginning of one’s carrier maybe everything can appear really difficult. But consider that you can even have this kind of feeling no matter what kind of new job you are starting anew. A translator’s job can be very challenging since they have to provide high quality translation services.

In particular, being a translator implies the development of other qualities. You need to be able to promote yourself, to proof read your work or better to find somebody ready for proof reading your translation works. The quality and accuracy of translation is increasingly important and vital part of a translator’s job. Increasing importance of document translation services as ensured that translators translate all the documents accurately with high quality.

Consider that all the actions I have mentioned above are part of a process which will last forever. Moreover, sooner or later you will even be able to create a group of long term good clients willing to work with you. For example you can find Translation Agency London wherein a group of professional translators assemble for high quality translation projects. This step can be reached while beside you will always continue to promote yourself building up for example your website page, offering your card according to the situations you are experiencing or leaving, and taking somebody else’s card can be a good option too.   

  

Be always updated about the world news; be able to have more than one computer at your disposal to work with, and while doing your translation work start to build up your own glossaries. These ones together with online dictionaries and other specific dictionaries you have to buy will accompany you through this fabulous journey!

Life of An Intern

As most people probably know, if you want to boost your career to high levels in the field of translation and interpretation, the best thing is to have a study or working experience abroad and then get a job there, if you are lucky enough to meet the right person at the right time and at the right place. I completed my studies two years ago in Italy and I am currently working as an intern in a translation agency in London, after having had a similar experience last year in Spain.

As most people who moved abroad probably know, getting used to another country implies becoming familiar to different customs, a different life style and a different language that you believe to know and that you are supposed to have a perfect knowledge of, but in most cases things are not as simple as someone could assume.  Living in a different country, not mentioning working in a different environment might sound like an easy thing, but it isn’t.

 The second week of my internship as a “would be project manager” has come to an end and now I’m a little bit more confident about what I have to do, but I can assure you that the first days I was pretty worried because I didn’t want to say or to do anything wrong. Working as an intern is notoriously hard and it is never easy to get used to a new environment, to new people you don’t know anything about, especially if you are supposed to work in a big, busy Translationagency London where you think no one really will have any time for you.

Fortunately, there’s an exception to every rule.  The way people work in Translation Services 24 is stimulating and enjoyable. They are very empathetic to me and my “boss”, besides being very professional at his job, is really willing to teach me and he is the most patient person I have ever met in my life. I’m very eager to start a career in this field and I’m sure that in some weeks, besides sending emails, I will be able to work fluently within the team and I won’t be panicked to answer the phone...maybe.J My current experience with the Translation services London provider has been exceptional stepping stone in my career. 

Doing an Internship within a Translation Agency

If you are looking for a job within a translation agency, or you just want to restart your career, you can always think about an internship before getting started to your new position.

Doing an internship in today’s global market can always put you into reality. In fact it means being able to face any sort of new job environment and job tasks. Instead of just dreaming in our own inner reality about what could be this or that job, it simply and better to just walk into it and start.

You will discover not only the department you are working in but also how the job we have chosen in is whole. Doing an internship means being open-minded and ready to understand the job chain of work and production.

It is for sure that it will give you expertise and the possibility of deeply understand what the real job you really like do to in the future and also give a very clear insight into how agencies work and what type of work is in demand. For example as legaltranslations and technical translation services grow you may consider becoming an expert in these fields.

Internships sometimes are paid or sometimes they cover your travel expenses, this is according to the society you are going to work in. Normally an internship is meant to be training through your work. You will generally have a tutor explaining and introducing you to the new job. Sometimes you could be just surprise you can even have an internship with no tutor and in that case would be just up to you, to your capabilities to sort out what is the best thing to do. Either you stay trying to find out by yourself any kind of solution you may need or you will try to explain that a tutor, a real one, could be helpful together with your capabilities to have a wonderful experience.   

Translation is wrong, Localisation is correct!

You have probably heard translation agencies stress the need to not only translate marketing and ad campaigns but to also localise them into the local culture. However, the notion of localisation can easily be overlooked when launching campaigns between two English speaking countries. For instance the USA and UK are both English speaking countries so the why would marketing and ad campaigns need to be localised? Because making the assumption that what your culture associates with a particular word, character, colour or event are the same as another cultures association is defiantly a school boy error to make.

This is defiantly a challenge for the modern day translation agency, mistakes are made with countries that speak the same languages let alone marketing campaigns that have gone through translation. Research shows that consumers are stubbornly demanding communication with brands in their native language, this is why the jib of a translation agency is not only to translate the words but to recognise the message of the words and portray that in the translation.

Marketing agencies need to recognise that rather than finding single translators (no matter how good they are) simply will not do the job. Rather this, marketing agencies need to outsource international marketing campaigns to a modern day translation agency. The translation agency will use all recourses combined such as translators, cultural experts, graphic designers, native speaking proofreaders and experienced project managers to ‘translate’ the marketing and ad campaigns more effectively.

If you still don’t understand the importance of recognising cultural differences within translating, let me leave you with this thought. Both Saudi Arabia and Spain are religious countries, where giving to charity is a deed that is linked closely to religion. If a charities ad campaign in Spain mentions the name of Jesus, the message of this ad can be portrayed into Saudi Arabia. However a simple translation will not consider the difference in the religious belief, but recognising this difference the name of Jesus can be changed to Allah. Same message but a localised translation has taken place. 

International Business Relies Heavily on Translation Services

Today, international business is more profitable than ever before. Most companies already operate internationally or, at least, plan to enter the world of international business soon. Even if not actively seeking to enter the international market, every company competes in some form or another against other international businesses. Consequently, translation services are more crucial to international business than they've ever been in the past. Because technological advances enable even small companies to compete on the international market, international business relies heavily on translation services for daily operations.

International business-to-business and business-to-customer transactions are the current norm. But many companies never consider the prerequisites needed to engage in international business transactions. International business involves sales, investment, transportation, logistics, and other types of commercial transactions between companies from two or more countries. In order to engage in business with foreign companies, a company must be able to communicate with its potential business partners. The key to these kinds of successful communications is unerringly accurate translation between different languages.


Siemens, for example, a German company, has been doing business with the United States for many years, as have Bosch and Miele, which are known for their appliances. None of these companies would be able to do business in the U.S. without a clear understanding of legal contracts, business agreements, or trading pacts. In such cases, communications between the German and American companies require good translation services. This holds especially true for legally binding contracts because misinterpretations and misunderstandings on this level of international business can be costly for both parties. It’s particularly difficult to translate legal terms and contract terms, so legal translations are essential to accurately understanding binding agreements.


Business transactions invariably require translation services from beginning to the end. Referring back to the previous example, say Bosch has developed a new state-of-the art washing machine that it offers to a U.S. retailer. Bosch sends a detailed description of the new machine to the retailer, including technical specifications. Unless Bosch employs a translation service, the technical data will be indecipherable. Only after translation can the retailer decide whether or not the new model will be a worthy addition to its product line.


Taking this a step further and say that the retailer decides to buy a couple of thousand of the new Bosch machines to distribute among the stores of its retail chain. Purchase price, taxes, discounts, distribution, shipping requirements, warranty terms, and many other details have to be translated and negotiated before either company can agree to a legally binding contract. Legal translations ensure that both parties understand the terms of a contract, so it's important that legal terms are made clear by translation services well versed in the legal terminology of each country. The need for translations extends into other areas of business operations, as well. From public relations to branding and marketing campaigns, translators now are involved in every aspect of business operations. The reason so many companies now employ professional translation services is that translation is now considered an essential business expense. 

China Investing into Africa

Asia has developed in a number of ways in recent years, and within the continent, has received a lot of economic growth and strength. Many Asian countries have gained a nuclear status, and are seen as a potential threat to the  west politically speaking. Asia has become very integrated into global trade and investment inside and outside. India has received a lot of investment in the services sector and China has been dominated by manufacturing to obtain a competitive advantage. FDI has had a significant impact on the success of these Asian countries. In early 1990, Deng Xiaoping's policy of renewed domestic investment in China, opening up of China, foreign direct investment, with an increasing number of wholly owned subsidiaries of foreign companies, but a huge improvement in terms of GDP, which is reinvested for the further development of the country.

As Africa and Asia become increasingly integrated in trade and foreign direct investment, Africa could begin using the criteria of FDI and the management structure of the Asian followers should accept as an example, if Africa is to develop economically in the same way. As Asian countries like India, China and Singapore further develop at this this fast rate, they must consume raw materials and fuel in the country. These internal goods are scarce and require careful economic, environmental and political attention. Of course, if countries are investing in Africa, the economic conditions of the countries want something in return. "Africa is almost 90% of the world's cobalt, 50% gold, platinum 90%, 70% tantalite, 98% chromium, 64% magnesium and 33% for uranium, (economywatch.com / world_economy / Africa, 2010). There will be an increase in the demand for legal translations and marketing translations.


And 'by multinational companies (MNCs) and foreign direct investment from emerging Asian economies, especially in Africa. It 'important to note that many of these powerful transnational corporations with close ties to their governments, gaining a lot of political support, which in turn would mean that the political objectives of some of what you approve of the multinationals, this is the point Critical is strongly driven by domestic investors from the west (bbc.com / news / Africa, 2010). In 1960, China has invested $ 500 million to build a railway linking Tanzania and Zambia, which is known as "Freedom Train". It represents the freedom of people under colonial rule, people had very limited movement. It has created jobs for local people in Africa, and around the track, has encouraged the colonies to build close to the line, which created the development of local economies and the public about the benefits of infrastructure development of the local population.


A diverse workforce in terms of nationality, ethnicity and languages, the demand for translation services in the country.


However, it was also a strategic move by the Chinese. First, it hurt them in a good light compared to dealing with Africa. The railroad and additional infrastructure is developed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), natural resources law to move efficiently from one place to create a future for the search for efficiency purposes. Developing countries are increasingly importing oil from foreign sources, even more than developed economies, with China as the second largest importer in the world. As with America, China's economy is heavily dependent on oil consumption. The state oil company CNPC in China is the largest investor in foreign direct investment in Sudan, which operates under the name of Petro China and Sinopec. CNPC is present in many different ways under names of membership, giving them the benefits of intra-firm, an overall advantage of the global production and distribution (D, Salvatore, International Economics, pg. 429 ).

They refer to the lines necessary pipeline construction, build and operate refineries, mining logistics and distribution. This vertical integration gives the advantage of China to secure its oil supplies. CNPC also that their financial situation and control over their infrastructure is so well established that restrict competition to enter the market. For local businesses in Sudan, making it very difficult if not impossible to compete with that organization. However, the CNPC statement that they have hired 4,000 employees and more than 7,000 Sudanese local newspaper (www.cnpc.com.cn / eng / cnpcworldwide / Africa / Sudan, 2010). They also provide extensive training in the industry, sending the local populations in Darfur to international colleges and universities to acquire new skills and experience. This is positive for the Sudan in the development of its workforce and increase in disposable income, we hope to raise the standard of living. It's clear to see the link between FDI and professional Translation Services.

Ubuntu And Cultural Differences

Ubuntu concept


The concept of Ubuntu comes from the Bantu language, which is the traditional language of southern Africa. The professional Translation of a common used phrase is, "I am what I am because of what we all are." The overall concept of the population values ​​Ubuntu as a community, rather than taking an individualistic approach. The Zulu's  have a saying "umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu 'means a person is a person through other persons. The humanist way of life that keeps ethics and morality at the forefront of everything. The main ethical values ​​of Ubuntu has respect for others, helpfulness, community, sharing, caring, trust and altruism. Moral such as compassion, cooperation and communitarianism are very popular and well-being of any society is an overall objective.

"A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, do not feel threatened that others are able and good, because he or she has a good self-confidence that comes from knowing that he or she belongs to a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed "(Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 1999).


Although the concept of Ubuntu is an African philosophy and way of life, became more evident with the abolition of apartheid in South Africa. Leaders like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, spoke of using the concept of Ubuntu in a broader context in terms of policies and programs of the general relationships between people and organizations within an integrated system effectively.


"The spirit of Ubuntu, that profound sense that we are human only in African humanity of others - is not parochial phenomenon, but added the global search of a better world in common" (Nelson Mandela, 2000).


Culture


It 'important to understand the Ubuntu does not approach, or method of control. And 'deeply rooted in the culture of people living in the region of South Africa. Culture is defined as "the ordered system of meanings and symbols of social interaction takes place" (Geertz, 1973). This definition shows deep among the peoples of a culture and a common understanding of the sense and reason. Culture is defined as "the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another" (Hofstede, 1984). This definition suggests that when the person is already programmed, morals, behavior and the interaction between the meanings of that group can not be changed.


In fact, even if the environment changes and the individual to interact with people of different cultures, it is very difficult for individuals to adapt to a new culture, because they are already "programmed" with the norms of their culture.


Misunderstanding cultural management


When examining the differences in cultures and potential problems of misunderstanding and misconceptions that may arise mainly, it is important that common ground is reached, and careful consideration given to cultural norms opposing . This is one reason why more and more companies and people are using translation services.


"Workers in a South African mining company had a conflict with management. When they invited the CEO to issue regulations on the issue, their request was rejected. Instead of leadership responded by sending messages through emissaries and written statements posted on bulletin boards. Frustrated, the employees decided to strike "


This is an example of European leadership in South Africa working with a local workforce, but they failed to take into account local cultural norms and paid the price.

International Marketing And Translation Services

In the world of marketing, many factors account for a company to think about. There are many differences between culture and market environments that are critical to the success of a marketing strategy for global organizations. First, we must consider the external environment that may affect international marketing. There are political agendas that can be monitored, which could affect business in terms of trade barriers such as tariffs and quota systems. Logistics is also an important factor, a country may have a demand for a product, but if the country lacks vital infrastructure for distribution, which can be difficult to distribute effectively in terms of greater and client.

The standardization of technology has helped more than challenge of international marketing. The term "global village" implies that the world has become accustomed to similar tastes and trends, which is something the marketer to consider international. With the advent of professional translation services, even the language barrier between international organizations is not an issue.


The concept of culture is a problem that international marketing must be very aware. Global Marketing is a fine balance between globalization (standardization) and location (differentiation). The delicate balance is called Glocal. The communication Gap between two nations can be overcome with the use of professional translations.

Impulse Buying Within The Fashion Industry

Impulse Buying within the Fashion Industry

For clothing, fashion orientated impulse buying refers to a person’s awareness of perception of fashion ability attributed to an innovative design or style.

Fashion orientated impulse buying occurs when consumers see a new fashion product and buy it because they are motivated by the suggestion to buy new products (Han et al., 1991)

It has been suggested that the most common individual circumstances marketers must focus on when trying to identify their target audience when formulating impulse buying techniques are: -

1. Social Circumstances: Cultural, Sub cultural

2. Social Class: Groups, Family

3. Personal Factors: Age & Life Cycle, Occupation, Economic Circumstances, Lifestyle, Personality & Self Concept. Park E. (2006) p 443

Amongst these personality and self concept has been identified as the most important and relevant.

Academics believe  fashion is an industry, which primarily exists to feed ones self identity. A really simple example of this is a woman would not buy men’s jeans, as she does not want to be seen as a man. This can be supported by different fashion groups, which can be identified in labels such as Goth, Trendy, Sporty, Indie, Urban, etc. Research also shows the need for marketing material to be localised into the language of the shopper which is a branch of Translation Services.

“Many marketers use concept related to personality a persona self concept (Also called self-image). The basic self-concept premise is that people’s possessions contribute to and reflect their identities: that is, ‘We are what we have’. This, in order to understand consumer behaviour, the marketer must understand the relationship between consumer self-concept and possessions” Park E. (2006) p 446

Since fashion can be grouped it has been noted that identifying the shopping groups that purchase particular fashion types is vital to trigger impulse buying. Within that focusing on entertainment, excitement, interest, aesthetic store design and music may be just as important for marketers in triggering buys as well as getting the price exactly right. Weekes T. (2004) p 121

Merchandising within the fashion arena is seen as more important when reflecting sales as any other buying arena there is. First the selection of in season goods is vital but equally as vital is the way in which current merchandise is displayed. Most shoppers go out with a particular style in mind as appose to a particular item. Displaying the items grouped according to style with posters of people who have a particular relevant style to your shoppers with your merchandise on is seen as very successful in improving sales.

“For clothing, fashion-oriented impulse buying refers to a person’s awareness or perception of fissionability attributed to an innovative design or style. That is, fashion-oriented impulse buying occurs when consumers see a new fashion product and buy it because they are motivated by the suggestion to buy new products”, (Han et al., 1991). 

FDI in Africa

Africa, a continent abundant with natural recourses, a continent with the second highest population after Asia, a continent so diverse in terms of culture and land, is also a continent with much negativity associated in the eyes of investors. Even so, with the lack of infrastructure and political stability, Africa has always been a large receiver of global foreign direct investment (FDI) which has mainly been in the commodities sector. Why? Other than to state the obvious, I am going to investigate current examples, focusing on the objectives of the investing multinational corporations.

 Traditionally, inward FDI was received from former colonial rulers and the USA as political ties were in place and a lot of African countries were in debt, preventing full independence of choice. Over recent years Africa has started to rectify many issues such as the IMF debts and other debts with the West like the odious debt incurred by South Africa, this has allowed certain countries to develop cities and economies which can compete on a global level. For the first time in history Africa hosted the World Cup, facilitating to thousands of tourists, not only does this show how well the continent has developed over recent years but it also shows the potential Africa has for further development and investment. However, the FDI inflow into Africa is very geographically and sector concentrated. In fact, South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Algeria and Chad equate 86% of FDI inflow alone, (UNCTAD.org, 2010).

Considering Africa is made up of 57 countries, this goes to show that a lot huge amount of Africa is deemed non investable, for now maybe? The investment regimes into Africa have positive effects for the development of local economies on the surface, but when we examine some of the consequences Africa faces, it will become clear that FDI doesn’t always serve the purpose to benefit the African people. FDI from the West, into Africa has declined over recent years, this has been due to many factors but the financial crisis and the fall in commodity prices played a significant role. Henceforth, over recent years the FDI inflow to Africa from developing economies has been growing significantly. With the increase in foreign investment, the world has seen a growing demand for translation services where multiple documents are needed to be translated from business to business.