Evidentlyeveryonehastheirownstyleofexpression.It’salmostimpossibletopreciselydecode
everyexpression,maybethat’swhyweneedlanguage;toconveyourmessagewiththeleast effortsbutinthemostefficientmanner.Everybodyknowslanguageisthebestmannerof articulationanditplaysavitalroleinourcommunication.
Sincebirth,westartacquiringknowledgeofournativelanguage;yet,holdingacompletecommandover thatlanguageisratheratediousandtimeconsumingprocess.Nowimaginethereareroughly6,500 languagesspokenintheworldtoday.Ifwestruggletoconveyourthoughttosomeonewhospeaksand comprehendsthesamelanguageaswedo,conversingwithsomebodywhohaszeroideaaboutyournative languageismorethanjustimpossible,isn’tit?
“
It is important not only to think about what you say, but how you say it.”
Weallhavethatexperiencewherewe’veaskedanaddresstosomebodyfromothercountryinourpoor dialectandthatpersonlookedatuswithagravequestionmarkonhis/herface.Effectivecommunication capabilitiesareaprerequisiteforthosewhotravelfrequently,orforsomeonewhoaddresseshis/herglobal clientele.Thisiswherelanguageservicesplayacrucialrole.Languageservicessimplyallowassociatesto expresstheirvisioninawayanyonecouldunderstand,andalsoenablethemtocommunicateglobally
Particularly,intheextensivelyintegratedglobalbusinesscommunitytheabilitytocommunicate effectivelyisbecomingmoreandmoreimportant.Communicatingdirectlywithnewclientsand companiesintheirnativelanguageisoneofthefirststepstofoundingalasting,stableinternational businessrelationship.Beingabletodothisautomaticallyputsanylanguagespecialistaheadofhisorher peersinthecompetition.
Anadeptlanguagespecialistexactlyunderstandshowimpactfulstatements,phrasesorsimple sentencescancreateanenduringimpactoncustomerminds,andpositionswordsaccordingly.It’snot justaboutpositioningthewordsappropriatelybutitisalsoabouttheabilitytousetheperfectwords, andrequiresacredibleskilltofindtherightwordattherighttime.
AccordingtoaresearchbyOcla,approximately2.5%oftheworld’spopulationpossesses theskill ofwriting,interpretingortranslating,andestablishingateamofsuchindividualsisquiteatask. That’sexactlywhatlanguageserviceprovidersdo.
Hence,anannuallistingof“The10MostRecommendedLanguageServiceProviders, 2018”acknowledgessomeoftheleadinglanguagesolutionproviderswhicharetranslatingvisionsof associatedorganizationsintowords.
FeaturingascoverstorywehaveJonckers.Since1994,Jonckershasbeenaleadingforcein translationservicesandlocalizationtechnologies,supportingtopinternationalbrandsindeveloping theirmessageandglobalpresencewithspeedandefficiency.
WehavealsoincludedcompanieslikeAgnewMultilingualwhichisaleaderinprovidingforeignlanguagetranslation,interpretationandmulticulturalcommunicationservices;CapitaTIisaleading globallanguageservicessupplier;Cloudbreakthathelpsenableallofyourtelehealthsolutions throughasuiteofindustry-leadingservices,atthepushofabutton.CSOFTisaworldleaderin localizationandglobalcommunicationswhichprovidesturnkeysolutionstocompaniesfacing challengesinengagingcustomersandmarkets;Lan-bridgeisaspecialistChinesetranslation agency.
Pangeaisatranslation,localizationandcontentserviceproviderfocusedondeliveringhigh-quality product,professionalserviceandfastturnaround;Protransisalanguageserviceproviderwhichwill alwayshaveapersonaltouch,neverallowingonlythecomputerstodoallthework;TheTR Companyiscommittedtosettingthehigheststandardsforqualityandclientserviceinthe translationindustry;TraductaisaLanguageServicesCompanyforbusinessesandorganizations seekingoptimaltranslationqualityandcustomerservice,inalllanguages.
Alsodon’tforgettoflipthroughthearticleswrittenbyourveryowneditorialteamandvarious motivationalspeakers.
Let’sstartreading,shallwe?
Kedar Kulkarni
“We
Businessesthatfunctionacrossinternational bordersandlanguagebarriersarecontinually lookingforfastersolutionstodelivertheir messagetomarketquickerthantheircompetitors.For them,everyspokenandwrittenglobalcommunicationis notonlyanopportunityforgrowthbutalsovitaltime takentodeliverproductsandservicestotheircustomers. TheneedforspeedisnowthemostrequiredUSPfroma languageserviceprovider.
Deliveryofcontenttimeframeshavenarrowed significantlyinrecentyears.Customerswantforquality hasbeenovertakenbyaneedforfastersolutions. Qualityisnowexpectedasstandardwiththeadventof NMT(neuralmachinetranslation)andtheshiftoffocus tocontinuousdeliveryasthemainrequirementisnow uponus.
Fortunatelyforclientslookingtofulfilthusneed,thereis Jonckers.
ittakestoeverysolutionappliedtoindividualprojects, andthefollow-upsupportthatcharacterizeseveryclient relationship.
Inabidingbythesecornerstonesofsuperiorservice delivery,Jonckershasestablisheditselfasanindustry leaderwhichcanbereliedupontolocalizeanyword,at anytime,inanyplace.
Jonckershasalwaysembracedapolicyofbalancing stabilityandinnovation.Thecompanybeganwitha focusonfastandaccuratehumantranslationservices, andthiselementremainsanessentialpartofits repertoire.However,Jonckersisalsocommittedto adoptingtechnologicalinnovationsthatsimplify, accelerateanddemocratizetranslation.Thisisthe impetusbehinditscloud-basedtechnologyplatform, WordsOnline.
TheconceptofWordsOnlineevolvedfromworkingin partnershipwitheCommercecustomers,processingover 30millionwordseachmonth.JONCKERSknowthat continuousdeliveryiskeyforsectorssuchasretailtoget productsandmessagestotheiraudience.Theyneededto keepupwiththisdemandandbuildontheirspeedy solutions.
Forover25years,Jonckershasprovideda comprehensiverangeoflanguageservicestomajor brandsandorganizationsacrosstheworld,helpingthem expandglobally,anddelivertheirmessagetopreviouslyinaccessiblemarketsanddemographics.
Amongitsmanyclients,Jonckerslistsindustrygiants fromfieldsasdiverseassoftwarepublishing,consumer electronics,globalretail,communications,gaming, eLearning,financialservices,manufacturingandtravel Itsreputationhasbeenbuiltonthedeliveryof consistentlyhighquality,irrespectiveofthesize,nature andlanguageofaprojectoritstargetaudience.
Keytothissuccessisthecompany’scommitmentto excellence,speedandscalability,evidentintheapproach
NoneofthesuccessesthatJonckershasearnedwould havebeenpossiblewithoutatalented,creativeand committedteambehindtheplatform.Goodpeopleand cultureareimperativeinmakingacompanyasuccess. Jonckersemploypeoplewhohavearealpassionfor languageandprogression.Thebusinessisdedicatedto thesuccessofit’scustomersandhavebecomean integralpartnerformanyorganizationsnotjusta supplier.
Adoptingacustomer-centricapproachallowsJonckers tohaveanintimateunderstandingoftheircustomer’s needs,whichin-turnallowsamorepro-activeapproach. Understandingwhatissuestakepriorityforcustomers, makesitmucheasierfortheexperiencedteamto
Wedeliverwhenyouneedtopquality translationsontime,everytime.
developtherightsolution,combiningtechnologyand servicestoaddresstheissue.
“WehavebeenworkingwithJonckersforover15 years.Theirloyaltytoexcellencehasbeenrewarded withaPartneroftheYearAwardandtheycontinueto provideconsistencyintheirdelivery.”Oneof Jonckerslongeststandingpartners,globalUSbased techgiants.
CEOGeoJanssenshasmadeitveryclear,itiseven moretruetodaythatflexibilityiskey.Therearenow multipleservicelevelstoaddressthe3componentsof projects:
Ÿ Costs : an issue all businesses must address and become able to offer various service levels tailored to specific customer business goals. Generating cost effective solutions helps the client get the most from their resources.
Ÿ Quality : demands have undergone a shift in recent years. Quality is now a variable target based on the content’s purpose, shelf-life, etc. It is expected as standard, with more focus on speed.
Ÿ Speed : the importance of delivery is increasing all the time. Companies produce and procure larger volumes of content and there is a need for that content to be in front of their customers faster than ever before. This is a result of the widespread use of Agile and the expectations of the end-user.
Withtheknowledgeandunderstandingthatthese dynamicforcesareatplayineveryaspectoftheLSP industry,Jonckersisabletoformulateunique solutionsthatnotonlyaddressthecurrentneedsofits clients,butalsotoanticipateindustrytrends.
Jonckersleveragesthatforesighttokeepaheadofthe curveandallowitsclientstodothesame.
Thepaceatwhichtechisadvancinginthelanguage servicesindustryhasbecomeacriticalpartofhow
Engage with your customers across every language, culture and locale.
Chiara Raimondo VP of OperationsJonckers Board member & Chief Strategy Officer
organizationsarestrategizingforthe comingyears.Recenttrends;the adventofMachineTranslationand automationforcontinuousdelivery, haveledtocapabilitiesthatwere firmlyintherealmofsciencefiction notverylongago.
Withaworldmovingmoretowards AIandinstantdelivery.Jonckers WordsOnlineportalhasbeen producedspecificallytomeetthe needsofthatshiftandchangein consumerbehavior.Thecontinuing evolutionofNeuralMTmeansthat techisnowbeingusedaspartof day-to-daydeliverables.Theuseof machinesastheprimarytoolfor localizationservicesisnolongerin development,itisalreadyareality.
Anothercriticalfactorwithwhich Jonckershashadtocontendisthe
exponentialincreaseinthevolumeof audio,videoandmultimediacontent, andtheaccompanyingaccelerated demandforlocalizationservicesthat ithassparked.Multimedia,multiplatformvisualandinteractive contentisnowcommonplaceacross manysectors.Videoandaudio requirementisnothingnew,butwith smartdevicesnowallowingaccessto thistypeofcontentwiththeuseofa simplefinger-tip,thedemandisatan all-timehigh.
Toaddressthis,Jonckershas designedanNMTengineforquicker /real-timetranslations,developed withintegratedsupportforabroad rangeoflanguagesanddialects.This productiscoupledwithintuitive neuralengineswhichareconstantly beingimprovedforevenfaster deliveryofmulti-platformcontent.
Thecompanyalsorecognizesthat notallaudio-visualcontentneedsto beproducedtosamequality standards.Itinsteadidentifiesthe levelofpolishrequiredforindividual projectsanddevelopssolutionsto matchthesourcequality,meaning costeffectivesolutionsbasedonthe projectrequirements.
Byapplyingthisnuancedand balancedapproach,Jonckersisable toofferawiderscopeofprice balanceandfasterturnaroundtime, matchingproductstoaclient’s budget.Thisdoesnothowever influenceitscapabilitytodeliverthe high-valueserviceswhichremainthe lynchpinofitssuccess.
Marc
AgnewMultilingual agnew.com
CapitaTranslation andInterpreting capitatranslationinterpreting.com
Cloudbreak cloudbreak.us
CSOFTInternational csoftintl.com
Jonckers jonckers.com
Lan-Bridge CommunicationsLtd lan-bridge.co
PangeaTranslationServices pangea.global
IreneAgnew
Founder&President
AntonioTejada ManagingDirector
JameyEdwards CEO&Co-founder
AgnewMultilingualisaleaderinprovidingforeign-language translation,interpretationandmulticultural communicationservices.
CapitaTIisaleadinggloballanguageservicessupplier.
Cloudbreakhelpsenableallofyourtelehealthsolutionsthrougha suiteofindustry-leadingservices,atthepushofabutton.
ShuneeYee
Founder&CEO
GeoJanssens CEO
MichaelZhu Founder
MichalShinitzky ManagingDirector
CSOFTisaworldleaderinlocalizationandglobal communicationswhichprovidesturnkeysolutionstocompanies facingchallengesinengagingcustomersandmarkets.
Jonckerstaglinedescribesitsservicesperfectly:AnyWord,Any Time,AnyPlace.
Lan-bridgeisaspecialistChinesetranslationagency.
Pangeaisatranslation,localizationandcontentserviceprovider focusedondeliveringhigh-qualityproduct,professionalservice andfastturnaround.
Protrans prolang.us
THETRCOMPANY thetrcompany.com
Traducta traducta.com
ElenaG.Rojas Founder&CEO
Protransisalanguageserviceproviderwhichwillalwayshavea personaltouch,neverallowingonlythecomputerstodo allthework.
ManuelRubina Marketing
YvesDesjardins
Founder&CEO
TheTRCompanyhasbeencommittedtosettingthehighest standardsforqualityandclientserviceinthetranslationindustry
TraductaisaLanguageServicesCompanyforbusinessesand organizationsseekingoptimaltranslationqualityandcustomer service,inalllanguages.
Corporationsareshiftingtheir marketingservicesin-house andre-definingrelationships withtheirsuppliers.Thisisastrategic shiftbroughtaboutbyaconfluenceof technical,socialandpoliticalchangeon aglobalscale.Atthecoreofthis movementisthecorporation’sneedto controlglobalbrandmessagingquickly inanincreasinglyregulatedworld.Is thisatemporaryshiftoristheremore toit,andhowfarmightitgo?
Theriseofmobilecomputingcombinedwithanexplosion inSaaSsoftwaredevelopmenthasledtomoreintuitive purpose-builtapplicationswithbuiltinlearningtools.The neteffectisthatcorporationscandomuchmorewithless. Hence,therapidlyacceleratingmovetotakeinternal controlofthecorporateglobalsupplychain.More specifically,controlofprocess,digitalassets,resources,and thebrandmessage.Evidenceoftheshiftcanbeseenin globalcorporationslikeP&Gwhoinrecentyears consolidatedtheirpackagingprepresssupplychainfrom hundredsofcompaniestoonlythree.TheANA (AssociationofNationalAdvertisers)committeefor in-houseagenciesincludesmembersfromhundredsofthe Fortune1000.AGooglesearchrevealsmanyrecentarticles detailingtheriseofin-houseadagencies.
Thedriversofthisshiftareaffordableandeffectivenew technologyandtheneedforspeedtomarket.Thevalueofa middlemancontrollingportionsofthemarcomworkflow hasdiminished.Thisdoesnotmeanthateverythingisbeing producedin-house,justinternallycontrolledandmanaged byin-housestaffwhoaredefiningnewbestpracticesfor theiragileenterprise.Manycompaniesgobackandforth betweeninsourcingandoutsourcing,butthistimeitis different.Companiesarefocusedonprocess,anditisnot justmarketing,legalandbusinessanalytics,recruiting, employeeservicesandevenprovidingin-househealthcare.
Withchangecomesopportunity.Demandforbusiness processmanagementtoolsisgrowingrapidly.Manynew companiesaredevelopingSaaSproductstofurtherenable theagilebusiness.Onlineworkflowmodelingandbusiness processmanagementtoolsarebecomingmainstream.File sharinganddigitalassetmanagementservicesarewidely accepted.Integratingtheseservicestomeetthe requirementsofaprojecthasneverbeeneasiernowthat RESTfulAPIshavebecomewidelyavailable.Artificial intelligenceappliedtobigdataanalyticswillprovidethe agilebusinesswithinsightspreviouslyinconceivable.Best ofall,theenterprisecansecurelyaccessmostSaaSservices withoutmakinganyupfrontinvestmentsorlongterm commitments.
Atthecoreoftheagilebusinessisanintegratedbusiness processmanagementplatform.Thisisthetoolthatenables distributedprocesscontrol.In-houseisonlypracticalwhen thetechnologyenablesthestafftodoanorderofmagnitude morewithless.BPMsystemscapturehugeamountsofdata
thatcanbeanalyzedasaserviceinreal-time.Theabilityto analyzeanycombinationofprocessandbehavioraldata yieldsvaluablepredictiveinsights.Standardssuchas BPMNnotationandtheXPDLfileformathaveallowed developerstosimplifytheuserexperiencefordefining, managing,andsharingprocessmapsacrossBPM platforms.Avirtualtaskcanautomaticallyserveupthe toolstheuserwillneed.SaaStoolshaveonethingin common.TheycanbecalledthroughaRESTfulAPI withouttheneedforasoftwaredeveloper.Theworkflow canbeconfiguredtoinvokeaccesstotoolsbasedonthe natureofthetask.Forhealthcareworkflowsadigital radiologyfileformat(DICOMWeb)enablessecure cross-platformviewingandcollaborationoverapatient’s scannedimagesandmedicalhistory.
Businessagilecompaniesadjusttomarketconditionsfaster byadoptingacultureofmanagedchange.Itisnolonger acceptabletobesodisconnectedfromyourprojectsthat youcan’tevenaccessyourownbrandpackagingand promotionfiles.Thesameistrueforlegal,regulatoryand compliancework.Theagilecompanycontrolsallofthese processes.TheirDAMenabledBPMsysteminteractswith aSaaSreportingservicelikeEZBIthatconcatenatesand reportsondataacrossdistributedsystems.Lean manufacturingandSixSigmaprogramsareusedto configurethesesystemstomonitorcompliancetoregulated processes.
Thesechangesarefarmoreprofoundthanmayappearon thesurface.Thegigeconomyisfuelingavirtualcottage industrythatcirclestheglobe.Projectmanagersare increasinglyindemand.ThisisnotjustanITthing,every businessrunsonprojects.Thecertifiedprojectmanagement professionalPMPisanewcollegecertification.Rachel BurgerinaCapterraarticleexplainedThe5BiggestProject ManagementTrendsShaping2018.Inbrief,“business agile”isthenewwayofdoingbusiness.Avisittothe Fiverr.comwebsitewillshowhowoneSaaSserviceis bringingbuyersandsellersofcreativeservicestogether.
Thisin-housetrendisnotjustanotherswingofthe pendulum.
Intoday’sbusinessworld,communicationisplaying amorevitalrolethanever.Theneedforlanguage servicesisrapidlyincreasingacrosstheglobe. Organizationsrangingfrommultinationalcompaniesto small-scaleenterprisesarelookingforprofessionalsto translate,interpret,localizeandglobalizetheircontent foralltypesofcustomers.Inthisscenarioofgrowing demandforlanguageservices,AgnewMultilingualhas beenaleaderinprovidingforeign-languagetranslation, interpretationandmulticulturalcommunicationservices.
Foundedin1986,Agnewprovidesculturallysensitive andhighlyeffectivelanguagesolutionstoFortune500 companiesandsmallbusinessesalike.Itserves companieswhichareexpandingintotheemerging marketsoftheMiddleEast,Asia,AfricaandLatin America.LocatedinWestlakeVillage,California, Agnewdrawsonover1,500translatorsandmultilingual talentworldwide.Awoman-ownedbusiness,Agnewis ISOandWBENCcertified,andregisteredasSBE,WBE andDBEwithstateandnationalagencies.
TheorchestratorbehindAgnewMultilingualisIrene Agnew,theFounderandPresident.Shehasmorethan 30yearsofexperienceinthetranslationfield.Priorto establishingAgnewin1986,shewasaconsultantfor BunkerRamoCorporationonmachinetranslation research.ShetranslatedRussianradiobroadcastsforthe U.S.StateDepartment.Shewastheheadtranslatorfor RandCorporationandwroteamonthlycolumnfor ScienceDigest.
Irene’sprimarygoalistomakesurethatclients’ multilingualmarketingeffortsnotonlymeetbutexceed
theirexpectations.SheisfluentinRussian,witha workingknowledgeofJapaneseandSpanish.
DistinguishingAgnewfromindustrycompetitorsisthe factthatitisnotburdenedwithlayersofbureaucracy. Itsteamcanrespondimmediatelytoitsclients’needs. Thecompanykeepsitsadministrativestafflean,but expandableatamoment’snotice.Ithascarefully assembledalargeanddiversetalentpoolcomposedof linguists,programmers,narrators,designers,web developers,andvideoeditorstocreateaccurate,on-time andon-budgetdeliverablesforprintanddigitalprojects.
Agnewisacompanymanagedbytranslatorsand linguistsdedicatedtoprovidingthebestpossibleservices andsolutionsbasedonlinguisticskillsandtechnology. Thecompanycommitstoexceedingitscustomers’ expectationsfortranslationquality,responsiveness,and professionalexcellence.Itdoesnotlimititsserviceto projectdeliverybutisalwayswatchingoutfornew opportunitiesforitscustomerstogetthemostreturnon theirinvestment.Itstrivestopursuenewdevelopments inlanguagetechnology,cultural&internationalmarkets, andpolitical&economicconditionsthataffectits customers’missionininternationalbusiness.Italso maintainsthehigheststandardsofethicalbehaviorand professionalintegrity.
Agnew’slanguagesolutionshelpclientsachieve measurableresultsbyreachingouttonon-English speakingcommunitiesandconsumermarketsboth domesticandinternational.Itservesvariousindustries includingaerospace,healthcare,media&entertainment,
advertising&marketing,biotechnology,consumer products,utilities&communicationsandgovernment.
ThetoppriorityatAgnewistoensurethemeetingofits clients’communicationneedsinafast-pacedandeverchangingenvironment.AgnewMultilingualprovides interpretationforinteractivewebinars,smallmeetings, andlargeconferenceswiththousandsofattendeesfrom acrosstheglobe.Itsinterpretersareselectedonthebasis oftheirsubject-matterexpertise,educationand experience.Itprovidesfulllinguistic,logisticand technicalsupportforallinterpretationevents,including equipmentandprofessionalaudioengineers.
AgnewMultilingual’sexpertisegoesfarbeyond languagetranslation.Theinteractivenatureofthe internetrequiresacoherentdesigntoaddressthe technicalchallengesofpresentationinotherlanguages andtheculturalexpectationsofthetargetregion.Its videoproductiondepartmentdeliverssuperior-quality audioandvideoproductionservicestohelpitsclients reachtheirEnglishandnon-Englishspeakingcustomers. Agnew’sabilitytoprovidebothtranslation/transcreation andaudiorecordingorsubtitlingmakesitanidealchoice fordiscerningclients.
Agnewisaversatileandforward-thinkingtranslation agency.Sinceitsinception,ithasbeencommittedto
Founder & President
continuouslyimprovingitsservices.In2013,Agnew establishedadedicatedDigitalDepartmenttomanage thegrowingnumberofmultimediaprojectsrequiredby today’stechnology-drivenbusinessenvironment.Its expertiseinproposals,websites,corporatevideosand videogameshassetabenchmarkintheLanguage serviceIndustry.
Agnewtranslateshundredsofpagesofproposalsfor internationalbusinessintoMiddleEasternlanguagesfor oneofthenation’slargestaerospaceanddefense contractors.Itlocalizeshundredsofwebpageswith thousandsofwordsintomultiplelanguagesalongwith periodicupdatesandmaintenance.Itprovidesrepetition discountsforlargescaleprojectsandfull-service technicalsupportandstagingforworry-freecontent management.Itproducescorporatevideoswithvoiceoverand/orsubtitleswithon/offcapabilityforweb streamingrangingfrom1-minuteto60-minutesfortech companies,biopharmacorporationsandinternational manufacturingfirms.Apartfromthese,thecompanyalso producesretailtrailersanddemosintomultiple languageswithvoice-over,animatedgraphics, internationalESRBratings,UPCcodesandpackaging usingSonyandMicrosofttemplates.Itsclientsare amongtheindustry’slargestdevelopersandinternational distributorsofvideogames.
—
Irene Agnew
We bring your message to the world.
Weliveonaplanetwithmorethan7billion peoplewhospeakmorethan7000languages. Over50percentofthepopulationspeaksat least2languages.Butthequestionremains,howdowe communicatewitheachotherwhenthereisalanguage barrier?Onecompanyhelpingeradicatelanguagebarriers whilebringinglocalizationandglobalcommunicationsto individualsaswellasbusinessesisCSOFTInternational.
CSOFTInternationalisaleaderinlanguagelocalization andglobalcommunicationswhichprovidessolutionsto companiesfacingchallengesinengagingcustomersand marketsbecauseoflinguisticandculturalbarriers.
CSOFTleadsthelocalizationindustrywithnextgeneration, suppleandon-demandtranslationtechnologiesand solutionsthatdisruptlegacytranslationmodels.Most recently,theydevelopedtheworld’sonlyfullyautomated humantranslationsolutionthatcanbedeployedonall devices.Theplatform,Stepes,helpsclientsachieve unrivaledtranslationspeedandscalability,whileallowing multinationalenterprisestoaccelerateglobalbusiness growthandsucceedinternationally.
ShuneeYeeistheFounderandCEOofCSOFT International.Withover25yearsofexperienceinthe industry,sheworkedasanexecutiveinAsiaMarket Developmentforamajorlanguageserviceproviderpriorto foundingCSOFT.Responsibleforitsorganicgrowthfroma start-upinatwobedroomapartmenttoanindustryleader, YeeoverseesCSOFT’soperationsacrossdualheadquarters, 16regionaloffices,and3continents.
LedbyYeeinJune2016,CSOFTlaunchedtheShenzhen 100reportwhichutilizedharddataandqualitative indicatorstocreateaChinaGlobalMaturityIndextoassist theShenzhenMunicipalGovernmentinimplementing policiestosupportglobalmarketstrategies.
Yeeisarecipientoftheinternational Stevie Award forBest AsianEntrepreneurforWomeninBusiness,a Fortune Most Powerful Women award,andwasidentifiedbyCNNMoney asoneof Technology’s 36 most powerful disrupters. Throughouthercareer,shehasalsobeenfeaturedina numberofpublications,includingtheBostonGlobe,The Economist,FortuneMagazine,andInvestor’sBusiness Daily.
CSOFTInternationalbringstogetherover10,000 professionalin-countrylinguists,cultureexperts,andthe latestlanguagetechnologiestodeliverlocalizationsolutions toglobalbusinessesinIT&telecom,lifesciences, automotive,manufacturing,financialservices,consumer electronicsandmore.FewservicesprovidedbyCSOFT are:
· TechnicalandSoftwareLocalization:CSOFT hasastrongtechnicalbackgroundduetoextensive softwaredevelopmentexperienceacrossmany platforms.Itprovidesend-to-endsolutionsfor softwarelocalizationincludingapplicationGUI translation,linguistictestingandcosmetictesting. Poweredbyprofessionalin-countrytechnical translators,CSOFTprovidesconsistentquality localizationforvirtuallyallsoftwareapplications.
· eLearningandTraining:Intoday’sglobalized economy,businessesmusteffectivelyeducatetheir internationallydistributedworkforcesand customerstomaximizebusinesssuccessacross diverseregions.CSOFThasboththelinguisticand engineeringexpertisetohelporganizationssuchas GE,EMC,Google,andothers,effectivelylocalize theirtrainingmaterialsforglobalaudiences.
· MedicalTranslation:MedL10N,whichstandsfor medicallocalization,isCSOFT’sbusinessunitthat offerstranslationstothelifesciencesindustryand
isalsooneofthefirstlanguageserviceproviders toholdISO9001:2015andISO13485:2016 qualitymanagementsystemcertifications.
· GlobalCommunications:TheGCbusinessunit specializesincreatingtop-qualitycontentwritten directlyintargetlanguagesbyateamofnative speakersconsistingofexpertsinmarketing, journalism,PR,telecommunications,computing, lifesciences,anddesign.Byonlyemploying highly-experiencedcontentspecialistsnativeto targetmarkets,theglobalcommunicationsteam ensuresabrand’smessageiseffectively communicatedtoallcustomersaroundtheworld.
Businessestodaydemandtranslationsinhoursoreven minutesversusdaysandweeksinordertorespondto changingmarketdemandsquickly.CSOFT’sabilityto translatedigitalcontentfastandon-demandenablestheir customerstobeatthecompetitionandgetaheadfasterin theglobalmarket.CSOFTbelievesinimprovingcustomer experiencebymakingtheirservicesbetter,simpler,and costeffective.
Afterestablishingthecompanyin2003,amajorchallenge wasrunningasaChina-operatedcompanyandretaining globaltalent.CSOFTrecognizedtheimportanceofastrong culturewithintheirpeopleandthisuniquequalityhas cultivatedastrongcorporatecultureandidentityinthe multinationalteam.
Shuneealwayswantedtocreateacompanythatusedthe latesttechnologytopowerlanguagecommunications
solutions;theperfectharmonyoflanguageandtechnology. ThisisthereasonbehindthenameCSOFT: CommunicationsSolutionsofForeignTrade,withtheword ‘soft’affordingtheimplicationoftechnology.Asa technology-drivenorganization,CSOFThascreateditsown technologysuiteovertheyearsincludingtoolssuchas Termwiki,tohelpwithterminologymanagement,and Ubrta,forbettermanagementoftranslationprojects.
CSOFTcombinesthepowerofAIandhumantranslations tohelpcustomersachievethehighestreturnontheir localizationinvestment.Theyhavesimplifiedmuchofthe workflowintoaneasy-to-useand24/7onlinemodel. CSOFTisaworldclasstranslationserviceproviderwith theexperience,trackrecord,breadthofservices,andunique just-in-time(JIT)andtranslationtechnology.Thedigital transformationhasfundamentallychangedcustomer expectationsforspeed.
Lastly,aschampionsofprovidinglanguageand globalizationsolutions,CSOFTpeoplearetrueglobal citizens,workingfromaroundtheworldtoenablebetter communicationsamongbusinessesandtheircustomersand morebroadly,toenablebetterunderstandingbetween cultures.
CSOFThasruncampaignssuchasITranslate,ITransform, createdtocelebratetheworld’slinguists,aswellasthe #GetSchooledInitiativethatusedCSOFT’snetworkinover 170countriestotrainandeducateabouttheproblemsgirls faceineducation.Eachday,theybreakdownmoreand moreoftheworld’slanguagebarrierstorealizetheirlongcherishedvision, One World, One Market, and One World, One Team
—
Lth ocalizationisthe4 fastestgrowingindustryintheUnitedStates.Theconceptstartedbackin1980swhen
Americansoftwareenterprisesdecidedtoexpandglobally.Clearly,therewasaneedfortheseservicestoadapt accordingtothegivenmarketandthisneedcontributedinthedevelopmentofLanguageServiceIndustry.The languageserviceindustryisgrowingatanannualrateof6.46%andisexpectedtobe$45billionby2020.Itislistedasthe mostfavorableindustrytostartabusiness.
AllthesefactsraisethequestiononwhytheLanguageserviceindustryisnotcausinganydisruptioninthemarket.The answerislackofattention.Theindustryisspecifictocommunicationbutasthedemandforglobalcommunicationis increasing,thepopularityoftheindustryisalsogrowing.Inrecentstudiesitwasfoundthat75%ofthepeoplepreferred theirlocallanguagewhileshoppingonline.Thereisgrowthinotheraspectsaswellincludingthetranslationinthewritten materialanddocuments,interpretingandsignlanguageservicesanddigitaldocumentation.
• Glossaries:Glossariesmakessurethatthetranslationisaccurateintermsofstyleandvoicefromtheoriginaltextand maintainsthequalityoftranslations.ForexampleonewordinEnglishlanguagemeanssomethingelsewhentranslated inFrench.
• StyleGuide:Itisastandardizedpatternwritingand formattingdocuments.Itcanbeforgenericuseorit canbeusedspecificallyforanindustry.Styleguides bringstandardizationandconsistencytothecontent.
• TranslationMemory:Translationmemoryisasetof storedinformationthatisalreadytranslatedbefore.In ordertoperfectthenewcontent,itiscomparedwith thetranslationmemory.Thiswillenhancethe accuracyandreducethecostatthesametime.
• CATTools:Theprocessoftranslationtakingplace throughCATtools.Thisimprovestheefficiencyand thequalityoftheprocess.Thetoolbreaksthetextinto segmentsandtranslatesthemseparatelyandcompiles itliketheoriginalsource.
• WiththeMNCsBooming
Forenterprisesthatcrossthebordersorflyoverseasto expandtheirbusiness,languageserviceshasbecomea musthavestrategy.ItbecomesconvenientforMNCs torunabusinessusingtheregionallanguage. Moreoveritenablesthecompaniestoshareand receiveinformationfromacrosstheglobefrom differentbranches,withoutanymiscommunication. Propertranslationoflanguagemakessureeveryoneis onthesamepage.
• ExternalAffairs
Nationscommunicateonvariousglobalissuesincluding business,politics,environment,etc.Theseissuesare addressedinvariouseventswheretheideasand thoughtsaresharedamongtheauthorities.However, thelanguagebarriermaytakethetollonthepurpose oftheevent.Thisiswhythelanguageservicesare veryimportantforgovernments.Itcanbeanew economicpolicyoraglobalsummitinwhichglobal leadersexpresstheirthoughts.
Languageservicesarethemostimportantinstrumentfor newsandbroadcastingagencies.Theseagenciesshare newsandinformationfromacrosstheworldandit needstobetranslatedintolocallanguages.Beit internationalorregional,effectivetranslationof languagehelpsinordertotransferthenews.
Tourismisoneofthemajorresourcesforcountriesasit
notonlygeneratesrevenuebuthelpsintradeandthe overalldevelopment.Butlackofcommunicationcan reducethelevelofsatisfactionfromthetouristsand thatiswhylanguageserviceindustryis complimentarytotourismindustry.Propertranslation serviceslikepreferredlanguagematerialsand personalsenrichestheexperienceoftouristsandalso increasesthepopularityofthecountry.
Theentertainmentindustryandtheliterarysocietycross theborderforbusinessandthecontentneedstobe translatedinordertoberelatabletothelocalaudience. Whilethetranslatedandsubtitledversionsoffilmsare earningtremendouslyonglobalplatforms,themusic industryandthewritersarealsobenefitedbythe languageservices.
Enterprisesthatareonthevergeofexpansionneed languageservicestrategiesinordertoestablishoverseas. Butitisnotaneasyjobtosetuptheteamthatinsures qualityandconsistency.Itisabetteroptionforthemto outsourcetheservicesfromprofessionalservices.There arevariousadvantagesofhiringalanguageservice providerratherthanhavingin-houseteamincluding guaranteedquality,costefficiency,professionalism,and betterservices.
Inconclusion,thejourneyofthisunderdogindustryhas juststarted.Itmayhavebeenonthesurfaceuptillnow buthasgreatpotentialandaverypromisingfuture. Howeverthereishugescopeforqualityplayersthatare yettoenterthemarket.Thefutureseemsbrightbecause astheglobalizationandlocalizationisgrowing,the demandforlanguageserviceswillkeepgrowingandit willcomeoutasanimportantserviceformanyindustries.
Whenwasthelasttimeyouwatchedafilmnotin yournativelanguageandnoticedthesubtitles ordubbingdidn’tsoundright?Ormaybeyou weretryingtofollowaninstructionalmanualandthe directionsdidn’tmakesense?Astheworldbecomesmore connected,localizationplaysanimportantroleto businessesacrossavarietyofindustriesandsectors. Localizationgoesbeyondstraightforwardtranslation,it ensuresthatthenewcontentresonateswiththeintended audience,takingintoaccountcultureanddialect.One companywhounderstandsthischallengeisCapita TranslationandInterpreting.
CapitaTranslationandInterpreting,alsoknownasCapita TI,isaleadinggloballanguageservicessupplier,witha strongfocusoninnovationandtechnology.Itisapartof Capitaplc,theUK’sleadingproviderofbusinessprocess managementandintegratedprofessionalsupportservice solutions.
CapitaTIprovidestranslationandinterpretingservicesto commercialandpublicsectorcustomersvia2technology platforms,namely SmartMATE,atranslation,automation andworkflowintegrationplatform,and LiveLINK,aremote interpretingplatform.
SmartMATEprovidescustomerswithinstantandsecure accesstoalltechnologyproductsattheirfingertips.From onecentralplace,customerscanrequestatranslationor interpretingproject,downloadreports,trackandretrieve projectsandviewhistoricalinformation.CMSconnectors allowusersofWordPress,MagentoandDrupaltosend contentfortranslationwithintheirCMSdashboard, removingtheneedforcopyingandpastingordownloading content.
LiveLINKisavoiceandvideoremoteinterpretingplatform whichallowscustomerstoreachanexperiencedinterpreter
inaslittleas15seconds.LiveLINKcovers170languages andcanbeaccessedviamobileapp,webbrowser, telephone,ordirectintegrationwithcustomer communicationsystems.
ManagingDirectorofCapitaTI,AntonioTejadahasover 25yearsofexperienceinthelocalizationindustry.He beganhiscareerasatranslator,withsubsequentrolesin operations,salesandtechnology.Itishisexperienceand understandingoftechnology,andhowitcanbeleveraged withintranslation,thathasimpactedCapitaTIthemostin bringingnewdevelopmentsinboththeSmartMATEand LiveLINKproductsuitestoimprovethecustomers’ experience,increaseefficienciesandhelptodeliver sustainableservicestothem.
TherearetwokeyfactorsthatsetCapitaTIapartfromthe competition:
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Itscapacitytointegratethebestpeopleintheindustry withcutting-edgetechnology,todeliveraninnovative andcustomisedlanguageecosystem.CapitaTI’s technologyfocusesaroundtranslationtechnologyand remoteinterpreting.
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Itsreliabilityasacorporatepartner,basedonthestrong foundationsandgovernancethatcomeswithbeingpart ofCapitaplcandtheunderstandingoftherequirements oflargecorporations.
Acquiredin2011bytheCapitagroup,thecompanyhas undergonemanychangesandimprovementsinthepast7 years.Initially,itwashighlydependentonalarge interpretingcontractwiththeMinistryofJusticeintheUK, butnowthebusinesshastransformedtowardsahighly
innovativetechnology-basedlanguageserviceprovider, withabalancedserviceofferingintranslationand interpreting.
Inlate2016,CapitaTIalsore-focusedtheirinterpretingand publicsectorservices,decidingnottore-bidforthe MinistryofJusticeinterpretingcontract,followinga strategicdecisiontofocusondevelopingthecontractswith otherpublicsectorcustomersandfurtherdeveloping remoteinterpretingofferingwiththelaunchofLiveLINK.
In2016and2017,CapitaTI acquired2nichetranslation providers,includingITR,whichfocusedonsoftwareandelearninglocalization,andamitycommunications,highly gearedtowardsfinancialandlegalcontent,whichinvolved integrationandoptimizationofsystems,processes, customersandsuppliers.
CapitaTIfirmlybelievesthatasasociety,wearelivingin anincreasinglyvisualworld,reliantonmultimedia. Clients usevideoandaudiotoconnectwiththeiremployees, partnersandpotentialclients,andassuch,thedemandfor high-qualityaudio-visuallocalizationgrows.
Inaudio-visuallocalizationprojects,therearesomany variationstoconsider,suchastranslationofthescript, culturalnuances,voice-overartisttalent,matchingthe speedofthetargetlanguagespeechtothesourceandthe listgoeson.Andifanyofthesecomponentsdon’tgo accordingtoplan,itimpactstheentireproject.Therefore,
CapitaTIhasadopteda6-stepprocessforaudio-visual localization,ensuringthatallthesecomponentsandteams worktogetherforacost-effectiveproject.Thestepsare: Ÿ Prepareabrief
Confirmandsign-offscript
Usehigh-qualityaudio
Synchronizingscript,voiceover,subtitlesand animations Ÿ Selectpreferredvoiceoverartist
Qualityassurancecheck
AccordingtoCapitaTI,translationandinterpretinghave becomemoreofabasicrequirementforbusinesses.The needforspeedhasincreased,whilststillmaintaininga high-qualityoutputandmeetingbudgetexpectations. Hence,automationisvitalinaddressingthisneedand bringingefficiencies,allowingcustomerstorespondto marketdemandsindifferentlanguagesthroughautomation oftasksincludingfileprocessing,linguistassignmentand qualitycontrols.
What’smore,thecompanyalsobelievesthatmachine translationhasdevelopedinrecentyears.Whatstartedas softwaretranslatingsimpleandshortphraseshasadvanced tocustom-built,sector-specifictranslationengineswith hugetranslationmemories,deliveringcostreductionsofup to30%.
Our mission is to combine innovative people, process and technology, to enable our clients to communicate with anyone, anywhere.
— Antonio Tejada Managing Director
Medicineasafielddoesnotjusttreatillnesses,it treatshumanbeings.However,complications canarisethatgetinthewayofqualitycare.That iswhereCloudbreakHealthcomesin.
CloudbreakHealthisaleadingtelemedicineplatformthat specializesinprovidingassistancetonon-Englishspeakers, deafpatients,andpatientswithmentalimpairment. CloudbreakHealthisunifyingtelemedicine,makingiteasy toaccessmultiplespecialitieswithatpushofabutton.
CloudbreakHealthisheadquarteredinColumbus,OHand onamissionto#HumanizeHealthcare. Theydeliveronthat missionbyresolvinghealthcaredisparitieswiththeir unifiedtelemedicineplatformwhichincludesCloudbreak Connect(theirprivatebroadbandnetworkoptimizedfor telehealth),CloudbreakCatalyst(afullyprivate-labeled softwaresolution,videocontactcenterandworkflow engine)andCloudbreakCollective(amarketplaceof healthcareservicesthatbreaksdownsilosbetween healthcarefacilities,allowingthemtocollaborate seamlessly).
TheirMartti(MyAccessibleReal-TimeTrustedInterpreter) servicelinepioneeredthevideomedicalinterpreting industry.Itcurrentlyperformsover90,000consultsper monthatover800hospitalsnationwide,buildingtrust throughcommunicationbetweenhealthcareprovidersand theirLimitedEnglishProficientandDeafpatients.
TheCloudbreakbrandwasestablishedin2015.However, thecompanyisanindustrypioneerwhichwasoriginally foundedasTheLanguageAccessNetworkin2003byAndy Panos.Atthattime,thetechnologytodelivertheplatform wasveryexpensiveandasinglecartcostmorethan $25,000.
Astheindustryevolved,technologycostsdecreased significantly.TheMarttiplatformisnowavailableona multitudeofdevices,includinganyPC,iOSorAndroid device. Inaddition,Cloudbreakhaspursuedadevice-
agnosticstrategywhichallowsinteroperabilityacrossmany ofthemission-criticalsystemsusedinhospitals.
BeforeCloudbreak,hospitalsandmedicalcentersfoundit difficulttostaffinterpretersbecauseitwasimpossibleto accuratelypredictthedemandfortheserviceonanygiven day.Cloudbreakpioneeredamodelwhichallowedthese institutionstosubscribetoamonthlyminutepackageto meetthestaffingdemandcurveoftheirclients. This dedicationtoqualityhasbeenthehallmarkofCloudbreak’s service.
Duetoconnectivitychallengesforvideoovertheopen internet,theyimplementedastrategytoconnecttopartners overtheirownprivatebroadbandpath allowingthe Companytoprovidemoresecureconnectionsthatensured higherqualityvideo.Whilemoreexpensive, thisstrategy providedamoredirectpathbetweenCloudbreakandits clientsaswellasthedeploymentofQualityofService (QoS)onitsnetworkandinsulationfromchangesinNet Neutralitymovingforward.
BehindCloudbreak
JameyEdwardsisaCo-Founder&CEOofCloudbreak, aleadingTelemedicineandLanguageServicescompany currentlyperformingover90,000encountersinmorethan 800healthcareorganizationsnationwide.
PriortoCloudbreak,JameywastheCEOofEmergent MedicalAssociates(EMA)andleditsgrowthintothe leadingmulti-specialtygroupintheSouthwestUS.He remainswithEMAasaBoardMemberandisalsoaBoard MemberoftheSantaMonicachapteroftheAmericanRed Cross,PartnersinCare(ahealthcarethinktankinnovating solutionsfortheunderserved),andRuntoRemember(a charityhonoringfirstresponderswhohavediedintheline ofduty).
HeisalsoamemberoftheSantaMonicaBaychapterofthe YoungPresidentsOrganization.JameyhasbeenanHonoree fortheErnst&YoungEntrepreneuroftheYearAwardthree timesandtwiceanHonoreeoftheLosAngelesBusiness JournalHealthcareLeadershipAwards. Underhis
guidance,CloudbreakhasbeenrecognizedasaMedTech BreakthroughAwardWinner,aPatrickSoonShiong InnovationAwardWinnerandasoneofthetop entrepreneurialcompaniesinthecountrybyEntrepreneur Magazine.
JameywasalsorecognizedasoneoftheTop40Healthcare TransformersnationwidebyMM&MandasaHealthcare TransformerbyStartupHealthforactivelyaddressingthe CosttoZeroandIncreasingAccesstoCaremoonshots.He isaproudmemberofthe#PinkSocksTribeofhealthcare innovatorswhoareworkingtodisrupthealthcarefromthe groundupanddrivepositivechangeforpatientsand providers.
JameyreceivedhisMBAfromCornell’sJohnsonGraduate SchoolofManagement.
WithitscoreMarttiplatform,Cloudbreakisanend-to-end servicespartnerthatcanfulfillallitsclients’languageneeds fromoutsourcingtheirdepartments,totakingadvantageof theirexpertiseandnetworkeffects,toselectingservices fromCloudbreak’sofferingsbasedonaclient’sspecific requirements.
Thecompanyoffershealthcareprovidersafullsuiteof servicesincludingvideomedicalinterpreting(VMI),over phoneinterpretation(OPI),documenttranslation,on-site interpretation,languageaccessplandevelopment, education,trainingandotherconsultingservicesthat optimizeanddriveROIontheirlanguageservices department.
Cloudbreakhasbeenregularlyrecognizedforitsleadership andcommitmenttoexcellencewhileitsinterpretersserve assubjectmatterexpertsfornationalcertificationexams.
Whileinitiallytargetingtoensurealevelstandardofcare fornon-englishspeakinganddeafpatientsvs.theirEnglish
speakingcounterparts,theCompanyrealizedthatitsvideo endpointsandexpertisecouldbedeployedtohelpits partnerhospitalswiththeirbroadertelemedicinestrategies andbringskilledspecialiststounderservedcommunities.
Cloudbreakoffersitspartnerssinglevendorsimplicity, customizedworkflowsandafullyprivate-labeledsolution spanningmultipletelemedicinespecialties.Thisis complementedbytheintegrationofitslivevideomedical interpretationservicesforLimitedEnglishProficientand DeafandHardofHearingpatients.
ThecompanypioneeredVideoMedicalInterpretingandhas grownrapidlyasaresultofitsfocusonqualityand customerservice. Allofthecompany’svideointerpreters arebasedintheUnitedStatesinHIPAA-compliant languagecentersandareallCertifiedMedicalInterpreters oronthepathtocertificationwithin6monthsof employment.
Cloudbreakalsooffersunifiedreportingservicesthatallow ahospitaltogainafullperspectiveontheirlanguage servicesdepartments,withinteractivedashboardsgiving themtheinsightstheyneedtooptimizethemanagementof thesedepartmentstodrivebettercomplianceandpatient satisfactionacrossvendors.
Cloudbreakhasexperienceddramaticgrowthoverthelast fewyearsandtheirrateofgrowthisaccelerating. The demandfortheirserviceswillonlyincreaseasthecountry shiftstoaMajority-Minoritypopulation,achangewhichis happeningfasterthanexpected.
Asthecountry’spatientpopulationincreasesindiversity andthetechnologycostscontinuetodrop,Cloudbreak expectstoseeevenmorerapidadoptionoftheirservices.
Our mission is to humanize healthcare by leveraging technology to break down language barriers, provide access to multiple medical specialties, and build trusted communication and relationships between patients and providers.
— Jamey Edwards CEO & Co-Founder
WithsomuchattentionfocusedonArtificial Intelligence(AI),it’sworthrememberingthat onesizedoesnotfitall.Therearespecific business-relatedpainpointsinmindwhenacompany decidestodeployAItechnology,somakingtheright choicescanbeatrickytask.
Forexample,severalmonthsago,anAIrelated breakthroughwasannounced–arobotlearnedand demonstratedtheabilitytoperformaperfectbackflip. Whileitiswellacknowledgedthattheinvestedresearch anddevelopmentforthismissionwashugeandthe commercialpotentialforsomeapplicationsisenormous,it issomewhatunclearhowthisspecificinnovationorthe coremodelsandalgorithmsofit,canserveotherindustries andverticals.Hereinliestheproblem.
Mr. Jay Klein drives Voyager Lab’s technology strategy and core intellectual property. He brings more than 25 years of experience in data analytics, networking and telecommunications to the Company. Before joining Voyager Labs, he served as CTO at Allot Communications where he steered Allot’s data inspection and analytics core technology offerings, and as VP Strategic Business Development at DSPG, where he was responsible for strategic technology acquisitions. He also co-founded and held the CTO position at Ensemble Communications while founding and creating WiMAX and IEEE 802.16. He also served as the CTO and VP of R&D at CTP Systems, acquired rst by DSP Communications and later by Intel. Jay Klein holds a BSc in Electronics & Electrical Engineering from Tel Aviv University as well as numerous patents in various technology elds.
GaugingAIsuccessinonefieldinmanycasescanbe meaninglessforanother.Tomakethingsworse,evenwhen tryingtogodeeperintothetechnologyandattemptingto evaluate,forexample,whichMachineLearningalgorithms areutilizedbytheproduct,orwhatarethenumberof layersintheDeepNeuralNetworkmodelsmentionedby specificvendors,intheenditwillbepossiblypointlessas itdoesnotdirectlyreflectthesolutiondeployment ‘success’implications.
Nevertheless,itseemsthatthemarketignoresthisreality andcontinuestoevaluateAI-basedproductsbybuzzword checklistsusingfamiliarandrelatedAIterminology(e.g.,
Supervised,Unsupervised,DeepLearningetc.).While checklistsareaneffectivetoolforcomparativeanalysisit stillrequiresthe‘right’itemstobeincluded. Unfortunately,whattypicallyisabsentaretheitemswhich areimportanttothecustomer,fromaproblem-solution perspective.
IntroducingAuthenticAI
Givenallofthis,thereisaneedtochangethenarrative aroundAItechnologyandsolutionstosomething meaningfulandauthenticthatreflectsthereal-life challengesandopportunitiesthatbusinessesarefacing. ThisisthetimetointroduceAuthenticAI.
TheMerriam-Websterdictionarydefines‘Authentic’as both ‘worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact’and ‘conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features’.Thisisnotabout‘Fake’tobe contrastedwith‘Real’.It’sabouttheessentialfeaturesof AIwhichneedtobeacknowledged,andhence,redefine the‘checklist’.Often,theseessential‘authentic’features arehiddenandonlysurfacewhenaCIO/CDOisfaced withanewproblemtobesolved.Thisisseenespecially whentheAIaspectsofaproposedproductorsolutionare fullyexploredbyaskingquestionssuchas:
- IstheAItechnologyutilizedbytheproductaimed specificallyformyproblem,optimally(e.g., performance,cost,etc.)?
- Isitcapableofaddressingthecompleteproblemor onlyapartofit?
- Canitbeassimilatedintotheexistingecosystem withoutimposingnewdemands?
- Canitaddressthecompellingenvironmental conditionsoftheproblemspace?
Theseissuescanbegroupedintothreedifferent‘classes’‘Original’,‘Holistic’and‘Pragmatic’:
Original–Howinnovativeisthesolution?Thiscanbe quantifiedbyassessingthefollowing:
- theinventionofnewalgorithmsorevennewmodels and
- theuseofcomplexorchestrationtechniquesor - throughthecapabilitytohandlecomplexdataformats andstructures.
Whilethereisnoneedtore-inventthewheelrepetitively foranyproblem,therearedistinctivecharacteristicswhich requireoptimizing.
Holistic–HowcompleteistheproposedAItechnology?It takesintoaccountthecapabilityofhandlingtheend-to-end aspectsofthesolution,thecompetenceofharmonizingthe operationofthevariousAIcomponentsofthesolutionand theabilitytoadapttoeverchangingconditionsoftheAI application.
Pragmatic–Canthetechnologysolverealworld problemsintheiractualandnaturalspaceina commerciallyviableway?Thismeansthatforexamplethe datasourcescanbeprocessedintheirmostnativeformat (bothunstructuredorstructured)aswellasprovide insightsorresultsmatchingthepragmaticneedsofthe specificmarketexpectations.Inaddition,theabilitytobe quicklydeployedandrapidtoactareassessed.
Alloftheseelementsshouldbeusedtosystematically assessandevaluateAI-basedproductsandsolutionsto assesstheirauthenticityandthereforeeffectivenessin specificusecases.
Forexample,manyhome-loanmortgageevaluationand recommendationsystemsutilizeasomewhatisolated machinelearningbasedapplicantclassificationmethod, oneofmanyotherprocessesincludedwithinthesolution. TheAIinthissolutioncannotbeconsideredAuthenticAI toahighdegreeasit‘scores’lowonthe‘Original’and ‘Holistic’classesasitisn’tinnovative‘enough’(froman AIsense).Inaddition,theAIcomponentitselfdoesnot coveronitsowntheend-to-endaspectsofthesolution (henceaffectingtheoverallperformanceandprecision).It couldbeconsideredtobe‘Pragmatic’tosomelevelifit canhandletherequireddatasourcesoffinancial institutionsorthecustomerapplicationsnatively,andifthe solution‘output’aretheexplicitresultsrequiredasa specificrecommendation(e.g.,loanconditions).However, thedeploymenttimeline(time-to-market)andcommercial aspectsneedtobeevaluatedaswell.Thisisjustone exampleofmanyothers,coveringallkindsofvariations.
Perfectbackflipsmaygrantyouagoldmedalifyouarea gymnastbutifyouareamasterchessplayerdon’texpecta winningmove.
Thelanguageserviceindustryisincreasingly beingsupportedbydifferenttechnologies.There arecompaniesthatconsiderthisasundesirable butsomeexpertsbelieveitisanexcitingtimetobeat theforefrontofthisrevolution.Languageservice providersaredeployingmoderntechnologytocore languageoperationssuchasspellcheckandeliminating grammaticalerrors.
Thishasallowedexperttranslatorstoleavebasic languageoperationstothemachineandfocusontheir coreobjectiveofrecreating/translatingtheessenceofthe originaldocument.Duetotheinclusionofmodern technology,businesseshaveachievedhigher productivityandefficiencyinmanycases.Acompany thatishelpingclientsachievesuchresultsisPangea TranslationServices.LocatedinCyprus,thisfirmhas adoptedmodernanduptodatetechnologyinthe industryinordertostayaheadofthecurve.
AsaTranslationandLocalizationcompany,Pangea focusesondeliveringhigh-qualityendproduct, professionalserviceandfastturnaround.Itspecializesin avarietyofsectorsincludingonlinetrading(Forex, Cryptocurrency,Binary),iGaming(Casino,Sports Betting,Lottery,Bingo)andvideogames(mobile, social,PCs/consoles).Realestateandtourismaretwo newsectorstheyaretestingatthemomentandtheyare recruitingthelinguistsneededtoofferahighquality specializedresult.TheprofessionallinguistsatPangea
havetheexperienceandknowledgetotranslatevarious kindsofcontentrangingfromarticles,mailers,manuals, legaldocumentsandplatforms.Theyensurethatcorrect terminologyisused,especiallyinsensitiveindustries suchasthelegalsectorsothattheoriginalcontextis maintained.Currently,Pangeaisofferinglocalization servicesinover50languages.Itsobjectiveistohelp businessesreachnewmarketsworldwidebydelivering impactfulcontentinthesecompetitivemarkets.
MichalShinitzkyistheManagingDirectoratPangea TranslationServices.Shehasovertwentyyearsof experienceinlocalization,softwaredevelopmentand linguistics.Throughouthercareer,Michalcombinedher technicalknowledge,linguisticcuriosityandpassion whichhelpedherplayanimportantroleinmanagingthe localizationdepartmentsofseveralprestigious companies.In2015,Michaldecidedtoexpandher horizonsandexploredifferentoptionswhichledtoher experiencingmanychallenges.Shethenestablished PangeaTranslationServicesandtoday,sheisbringing additionalexpertisetothelanguageindustrywithher passionandexperience.
Thecompany’sprojectmanagementservicesarecatered toclientneeds.Someofitsclientsrequestformoretech-
basedsupportorforlocalizationconsultancyand Pangea’sprojectmanagementteamcandeliverjustthat. Apartfromthis,theprojectmanagersidentifytheneeds ofeachclientandproposeadditionalservicessuchas copywritingorlocalizedgraphicdesign.Thisway,it reassurestheclientsthatPangeaisawareoftheir marketingneedstoo.
Althoughthecompanyisrapidlygrowingasafast-paced company,itstillmanagestonurtureacloserelationship betweenitsprojectmanagersandclients.Itembedsstrict qualitychecksaspartoftheentirepackageandtakes prideinachievingthoroughnessandaccuracyasa standardpractice.Overtheyears,thecompanyhas learnedtobalancequalityandspeedtomeetclient expectations.
Sometimes,itusescutting-edgetranslationtechnologyto achievethebestresults.Thecompanyonlyuses technologytoacertainextentwithtranslation managementsystemsandtranslationmemory,ensuring thatallhumanjobssuchastheactualtranslationsare performedbylinguistexperts.Toundertakethese detailedoperations,Pangeadividesitstranslatorsinto teamsbasedonindustryexpertise.Forinstance,itnever offersachanceforafinancialwritertotranslateapiece ongaming.
Nowadays,Pangeahasthecapabilitytoofferqualityand fastturnaroundservicestoitsclients.Italsorecruitsand
delegatestherightstaffmemberswhocansupport Pangeatoachieveitsmissionsandconquerthenext milestone.
ThePangeateamexpressesthattheirjourneyhasbeen aninterestingandsurprisingonesofar.Theyfindevery experiencetobefilledwithpositiveandrefreshingvibes. ThebrightsideofworkingforPangeaisthechallenge presentineverynewproject.Aboutitsfuture,although thecompanyhasn’tdelvedtoodeeplyintotranslations formultimediaexperiences,itisdippingitstoesintothe waterbyofferingsubtitlingservices.Asthedirectorof thecompany,Michalsays, “We are keen on looking further into audio, video and multimedia localization services in the near future.”
—Michal Shinitzky Managing Director
There’s no fun if the whole journey is a smooth and simple ride.
VR is a way to escape the real world into something more fantastic. It has the potential to be the most social technology of all time. — Palmer Luckey
Virtualreality(VR)hasbeenaround formanyyearsnow,inspiteofthisitis averyunderdevelopedtechnology.It holdsavastpotentialoutsideof entertainment,ithastakenovervarious aspectsofourlivesrightfromtheway weshop,experience,converseand evenwaystoconductbusiness.
Withtimethistechnologyhasgained popularitywithmanypowerhouses, whichhasencouragedthemtoinvest profoundlyinVRtechnology.Ithas becomemoreandmoreaccessiblefor users,withmanufacturershaving alreadyreleasedhouseholdsetsandare continuingtodoso.
TherecentadvancementintheVR technologyhasmadeitmore accessibleforthegeneralpublic.Due tothis,ithashadaremarkableimpact onthebusinessworldalso.Thesole aimofthetechnologyistochange humanperceptionusingvirtual systems.TheadoptionofVRbyusers isstillinitsnascentstagesandhas gainedpopularity,andmoreandmore businessesarecomingupwithVR basedsolutions.Thereducingpricesof VRheadsetshavealsoposedtobean advantagefortheconsumersaswell.
Ithasalsoposedtobeanadvantagefor theconsumersaswell,withthe reducingpricesofVRheadsets.This hasprovedthatVRisatoughand emergentmarket,withgreatscopefor platformswhichcanallowbusinesses toleverageVRforprocess developmentandadvancedmarketing.
BusinessesareUsingVRtotheir Benefit
VRhasthepotentialtobecomethe mostimportanttoolthatbusinessescan leveragetoaddontotheirsuccess. Establishedbusinessesaretakingthe helpofVRtotraintheirnew employeesinamorecost-effectiveand efficientway.WiththehelpofVR,one canhaveanemployeeinLosAngeles meetingwiththeoneinLondonasif theywere/areinthesameroom.
VRoffersanaddedadvantagewhenit comestotheoutwardfocusofthe businesses;itallowsanovelwayto connectwithcustomers.Thecompany canbuildupamorestorydrivenway ofmarketingwhichdrawspeopleinto thecompany'sbrand,inatangibleand relationalway.Virtualrealityhas potentiallytransformedtheworldof media.Ithasopeneddoorsfor businesses;toadvertiseinawaythey hadneverimaginedbefore.
Consumersarenow equippedwiththe abilitytotestoutandexperience products,thattheyintendtopurchase, inanentirelynewway.Itallowsyouto preciselyvisualizehowapieceof furnitureorpaintingwouldlookina particularroom,oreventestdifferent makeupstyleswithoutleavingthe room.Astructuredassessment, planningofthefutureofbusinesses, andwiththerightdataVRcaneven giveavaluableinsightintothesuccess ofthebusiness.
VRisnowbeingusedtosimplifyand reducethecostoftheprocessof productprototyping.SinceVRhas madeitverycost-effectivefor businessestodesignaproductoran intricatecomponentofanoutsized machinevirtuallythanactuallybuild
theprototype,theuseofVRinthis sectorislikelytodevelopquickly.VR andARhavealsoadvancedtheareaof Computer-AidedDesign(CAD). Prototypescannowbeshapedwithin thevirtualspace,allowingdesignersto accuratelypindownitsworkingway beforetheresourcestobuildthe productareacquired.Thishaseased theprocessoftestingtheproductwhile savingbothmoneyandtime.
Themajorsetbackthatthee-commerce industryfacesisthesales;customers arereluctanttobuyproductsthatthey haven’ttried.WiththehelpofVR,the consumerscanpotentiallytryoutand visualizedemonstrationsforvarious productcategories.Allowingamore clearvisionofhowtheirpost-purchase experiencewilllooklike.
There are as many applications for VR as you can think of; it’s restricted by your imagination. — John Goddard.
VirtualRealityhasnumerous businessesperspective;notjustby providinginnovativefeaturestothe businessproducts,butalsoinhelping innovatorscreatenovelbusinesseswith thesetechnologiesatthecore.
Justlikeold-fashionedcafes,VRcafes wouldsoonbeahit.Theseplaceswill beasocialgatewayforpeoplelooking foraugmentedandvirtuallyenhanced experiences.VRcafeswouldoffer choicesondiversevirtualreality equipment,comprisingofgames, videotapes,team-buildingexercises, socialmediapractices,3Dbooksand contentexperiences,andvirtually enrichedmeditation. Inrealestatemarkets,VRplatforms
permithousetourstopeoplefrom anyplacearoundtheglobe.Peoplecan designandevenpainttheirhomeswith thistechnologyastheywouldinreal lifesetting,toprovideanoutlookinto thefuturelookoftheirhomes.
CarslikeAudiR8offersaVRpowered“testdrive”experience. Similarly,evenAirbushasintroduced aircrafttoursforitsairlineexecutives, whichallowsthemanenriched experienceandtouroftheaircraft withoutactuallyvisitingit.
AsVRandARcarryondevelopment, moreandmoreknowledgeabouthow itcanbeefficientlyincorporatedinto thebusinesseshascometolight,this amalgamationofnewwiththeoldwill potentiallyhaveahugepositiveimpact oneverysector.Newentrepreneurs, startups,andbusinessesshouldsurely keepaneyeoutforthistechnology,as ithasbecomeanintegralpartof marketingandbusinessesprocessesin thenearfuture.
Bearinginmindhowseveralindustries andbusinessesarequicklyvalidating andacceptingvirtualreality,the estimateisthatitwilltakeoverthe businessscenarioalmostcompletely, isn’tbloatedbyanymeans.
Internationalcommunicationshavebecomeavital partofthebusinessworld. Thisglobalreachis achievedthrougheffectivecomprehensionof variouslanguages. Languageisoneofthemostcomplex yetmostimportantmediumtomaintainclear communicationanddatatransmission.Togivesimplicity tolanguageanditsunderstanding,Professional Translators&Transcribers,Inc.,(dbaProtrans)has comeupwithitscutting-edgesolution. Protransisa privatecorporationwhichprovidesfederal,stateand locallawenforcementwithAnalyticLinguists. These areelitelanguageexpertswhoworkalongsidethelawto investigatecrimes.
Protransoccupiesaspecializednichethatother LanguageforSpecificPurposes(LSPs)entitiesdonot provide. Protransisdedicatedalmostexclusivelyto providingexpertlanguageservicesinsupportoflaw enforcement. Itscreens,trains,assessesandcertifiesits AnalyticLinguiststhroughTranslationSkills Training’s™(TST’s)program,administeredin partnershipwithMontclairStateUniversity(MSU).
Inaddition,Protranssponsorsapplicantsintheprocess ofobtainingsecurityclearanceoncetheyareaccepted intoTST’strainingprogram.SinceProtransisasole proprietorship,ithasnobureaucracy,makingitableto adapttochangeofallkindsandrespondquicklyto satisfytheneedsofclients.
TheCEOofProtrans,ElenaG.Rojas,founded ProfessionalTranslatorsandTranscribers,Inc.(dba Protrans),in1972.Sinceitsinception,shehasbeenthe soleandcontinuousowner,expandingitsoperationsand
creatingTranslationSkillsTraining™(TST)in2014. Alongtheway,inadditiontoprovidingexpertlanguage services,shehasalsowonprestigiousawardsand recognitions,inspiredherstaffandtransformedlivesall alongtheway. AdedicatedCEOwhoneverconsidered herselfasthe boss, countedherselfasmoreofan employee,tomaintaindisciplineatwork.
ShebeganbyprovidingherservicestotheCalifornia DepartmentofCorrections,thentotheLosAngeles PoliceDepartment,andeventuallytotheDrug EnforcementAdministration(DEA). WhileattheDEA, theneedforelitelanguageexpertslikehergrew exponentially,andMs.Rojaswasaskedbythemtotrain morelanguageexpertstodotheevenmorespecialized levelsofworkshewasdoingfortheDEA
ProtranshasgrownbecauseMs.Rojascommitted herselftodevelopthecompany’soperationsalongside maintainingharmonywiththechangesinthegeneral workenvironmentsinthelinguisticsindustry. Being au fait withrelevantemergingtechnologiesaloneisnot enough.Protransalwaysaimstohaveapersonaltouch andneverletthe computers dothework.
ThispersonaltouchextendstoMs.Rojas’spinoff company,TranslationSkillsTraining™(TST)whichis exclusivelydedicatedtoscreening,training,assessing andcertifyingProfessionalAnalyticLinguists.
ProtransprovidesAnalyticLinguiststoavarietyof federal,stateandlocalagenciesandprivateentities, offeringlanguageservicesinvariouslanguages,to interpretortranslatefromonelanguageintoanother,to
monitororalcommunicationinterceptsinforeign languages,summarizingtheminEnglish,aswellas transcribingverbatimoralcommunicationinterceptsin thesourcelanguageforsubsequenttranslationinto English.
Themostprominentchangesinthelanguageservice industryhaveresultedfromtechnology.Technological innovationshaveandwillcontinuetoimpactalltypesof LSPsinmanyways.Wordprocessingandemailhave enabledLSPsandfreelancerstoworkremotely,freeing everyonefromeventhemostseveregeographical restrictions.
Theinternetandaccesstovastamountsoflexicaldata andinformationhaveempoweredtheLSPsandlanguage expertstoharnessthesetoolsandworksmarter.Some LSPsandfreelancershaveadvancedinComputerAssisted-Translation(orMachine-AssistedTranslation) whichisknownasCAT/MATsoftwarethathas increasedoutputandearnings.
Similartothecasewithliteraryworks,theidiosyncratic natureofthespokenlanguageofvariousgroupsand types,especiallythecolloquial,cannotbetranslatedby automatedmeans. Thisrealityhighlightsthefactthat skilledlanguageexpertsneedtobetrainedfurtherin ordertoworkasAnalyticLinguists.
Thechallengesinvolvedknowingwhatwasneededfrom apedagogicalperspectiveinordertodeveloptraining
thatspecificallyaddressedtheskillssetsneededby AnalyticLinguists.Thistrainingrequirestechnologies fordeliveringinstructionandassessmentefficiently, whilemaintaininghighstandards.Thistwinchallenge offeredopportunitiesandMs.Rojassoughtexpertsof variouskindstodevelopanin-housecurriculum. The demandcontinuedtogrowuntilitwastoogreatto handleunderoneroofandthatbecamethestimulusfor Ms.Rojas’screationofTranslationSkillsTraining™ (TST).
ProtransandTSTareceaselesslydeliveringtheir respectivecutting-edgeservices,andinso,definingthe futureoftheirindustries,andarecommittedtoremaining so.Whetherintermsofdevelopingandcontinually improvingitsintuitive,effectivewebsiteinteractions withclientsinneedoflanguageexpertsontheonehand, or,ontheother,deliveringonlinelearning,Protransand TSTarealreadyaheadofthecurveduetothe specializednatureofeachoftheiractivities.
—
Elena G. Rojas Founder and CEO
Protrans will always have a personal touch, never allowing only the computers to do all the work.
Inthepresentbusinessworld,multilingual translationservicesareextremelyimportantifone isobservingopportunitiesintheinternational market.Toreachtheglobalmarket,organizationsneed toconstantlycommunicatewithclientsfromalloverthe worldandmakeeffectiveinteractions.Oneofthe prominentrequirementsofdoingbusinessnowadaysisa strongonlinepresence.Theofficialwebsiteisthefaceof abusinesstotheworldandwhileittargetsawider spectrumofaudience,itneedstobetranslatedand localizedintopreferredlanguages.
Traductaexcelsatdeliveringprofessionaltranslation servicesoffersindustry-specificbusinesstranslation servicestosupportfieldsasdiverseasRetail,Healthcare andPharmaceutical,RealEstate,HumanResources, Marketing,ConsumerElectronics,andmanyothers.The company’svalue-addedservicesareDesktopPublishing, TerminologyManagementandon-demandOver-thePhoneandVideoRemoteInterpreting(OPIandVRI).It deliversconsistentqualityinanylanguage,anysubject matterandanyformatanorganizationmayrequire.
YvesDesjardinsistheFounderandCEOofTraducta HedidhisgraduationfromtheUniversityofMontreal withaSpecializedDegreeinTranslationin1976.Yves acquiredsolidexperienceintranslationasanemployee oflargeInternationalCorporationssuchasMerckSharp &Dohme,StelcoCanada,RCACanada,andIBM Canada.Thewealthofexperienceandunified
knowledgeinlanguagetranslationinspiredYvesto initiatehisowntranslationfirm.
Therefore,inearly1978YvesfoundedTraductaa MultilingualTranslationServicesCompanywhich majorlyfocusesontranslationsolutionsforbusiness professionals.Yvesmanagesthewholebusinessand contributestothecontinuedsuccessofthecompany. He’salsoactivelyinvolvedinthecompany’sQuality Assuranceprocesses.
Traductaiscelebrating40yearsinbusiness,makingit oneoftheoldestTranslationCompaniesinNorth America.Itaimstoconsistentlydeliverquality, regardlessthecomplexityofprojects.Thecompanyhas standardprocessesandunifiedtools,alongwithan expertteamwhichguaranteesitscustomertogetbest valueandquality.
Traductaoffersmanyunifiedservicesincluding MultilingualTranslationServices,whichcovers DocumentTranslation,AdaptiveTranslation,and ProfessionalInterpreting.Thecompanyalsooffers leadingLanguageReviewServiceswhichconsistof threetypesofrevisions,namelyUnilingualRevisions, MultilingualRevisions,andThirdPartyRevisions. TraductaalsodeliversLanguageProcessConsulting Servicestoitsclientstoensuretheirentirelanguagerelatedworkflow.
Yvesstatesthat “Traducta has been providing professional multilingual translation services for 40 years into over 150 languages. The most popular translation services we provide in North America are English to Spanish, English to French and English to German, close to English to Portuguese.”
Traductaisprovidingitscustomersusingfunctionality withthehelpofunifiedCustomerPortal.Itenablesthem tosecurelysubmittheirdocuments,tracktheirstatusand retrievefinalversions24/7.Thecompanyalsooffers servicestoconnectauserwithaprofessionalinterpreter overthephoneorviavideocallinanylanguage.The wholeprocessworkswithin30secondsthroughanapp installedontheirsmartphone.
Overtheyears,Traductahasreinventeditselfseveral timestoadapttothechangingprospectoftheindustry. Backin1978,thefirmreceiveddocumentsbycourier, whichweretranslatedontypewritersusingcarbon copies.
Inthe1990’s,thecompanywasrevolutionizedwith computersandtextprocessing.Atpresent,the company’sproductioncapacityenablesittoturnaround largequantitiesoftextinthesameday,whileensuring thesamequality.
GlobalizationandtheriseoftheInternethavehada significantimpactonthelanguageindustry.More contentiscreatedeveryday,andbusinessesneedto communicateinmorethanonelanguagetostay competitive.
Traductaisalsofocusedonthisprimaryreasonto developacompactnetworkoftranslatorstocover practicallyalllanguagecombinations.Thecompanyis consequentlyworkingontranslationservicesmore effectivelytoenhancebusinesscommunication.
Overthelastyears,Traductahasdevelopedprocesses andtoolstohelpitscustomerswithaudio,video,and multimedialocalizationrequirements.Thecompanyhas developedsomeprojectsincludingNationalTV Campaigns,RadioSpots,E-LearningMaterials, Microsites,andSocialMediaContent,etc.Traductais alsoestablishedinhandlinganyfileformatvirtuallyand deliveringpublishing-readycontentinanylanguage.
— Yves Desjardins Founder & CEO
VideoAmpturns4yearsoldthismonth.Somany memories,andsomuchgrowth.Let’sreflecton someoftheworstdecisionsandassociated learningsthathavebeenfundamentaltoourgrowth.Why theworstyousay?Becausewhenyouaccelerateyour learningrateinafail-fastenvironment,itthenallowsyouto makefastdecisionsvstheanalysisparalysispredicament.
Oneofmyfavoritewildcardinterviewquestionsfor managersis:“Describethefailureyou’remostproudof.” Thissometimescatchespeopleoffguard,soI’llsharemine firsttogettheconversationgoing.Inevitablyitcomesdown tochoosingbecausetherearesomany.
Youcan’ttalkaboutgrowthandsuccesswithouttalking aboutthesefailures.Unlessyou’re somekindofhybridAIrobot-space-alienwho’sabsolutelyperfect,there’sgoingto bemistakes.What’simportantisthatasaleaderyouown yourmistakesandbetransparentaboutthem.
Findingtherightpeopleisthesinglemostimportantaspect ofgrowingastartup.Thebiggestmistakesinhiringhave been:
Ÿ “Hiringoutofhand”orshortcuttingthenormal processesbecausethecandidateiswellknownbyother engineersinthegroup.
Ÿ
“Promotingoutofhand”isanothervariationof thiswhereyoudon’tputsomeonethroughthe normalduediligencebecausetheyalready present.Inourcase,individualcontributor(IC) engineersdon’tgothroughtherigorous referencechecksthatnewmanagersdo.
“Hiringunderduress”orloweringyourbar simplytomeetheadcountgoals.Istrongly advisetohirefewer“full-fullstack”senior engineersvsabunchofjuniorormid-level careerdeveloperswhorequiremoretime, nurturingandpreciousattentionunitsfromyour seniorstaff.
Thisisamovingtarget,andonewhichhasdefinitelybeen anongoingseriesofblogs.Intheearlystage,we“over prescribedscrum.”Somethingthataveryearlystage companycando,alongwithtoomuchagileprocessestoo soon.
Forexample,prototypesandproofofconceptsshouldnot havearigorousdefinitionofdone,withendlessunit, functional,andend-to-endtestsbecausetheproduct’s requirementswillprobablyzig-zagwildly.
Conversely,havingtoolittleprocesswhenyouare supportingenterprisecustomerscanalsobea problem.IspentmypriordaysasanICand
contractorretrofittingandscalingCI/CDpipelinesand trainingengineershowtowritebettertests.
Thechallengeisright-sizingthisallalongtheway,andthe triggerpointsonwhentochangemaynotbeobvious. Isay thisbecausewegrewheadcountby22engineersfromOct 2017toFeb2018,andintheprocesswedidnotmodifyour simplifiedKanbanapproachtoaprescribedScrumprocess quicklyenough.Growingpainsemerged,tosaytheleast. Nowwe’reinaspotwherewecanwithstandamagnitude scaleofgrowthwithroughlythesamesquadandtribe-level process.
RiffingoffrapidgrowthofBrainsinengineering,wedidn’t scalemanagementfastenough.Almostallstartup engineeringorgsstartveryflat,withallICsandno management.Youhave“techleads”whomaysplittheir timedoinglightmanagerialfunctions,buttheyallwrite codeanddiveintotheoperations.
ThebiggestfailhereinscalingtheICswasnotscalingthe organdmanagementstructuretofollow.At~44engineers anddatascientists,wehaveadutytodeliveronourmission toprovideanenvironmentwheretheyhavetheopportunity todothebestworkoftheirlivesandbeworthmoreinthe marketplace.
Withoutthisvitalmanagementstructure,thereisavacuum. Donotboltthisonlater,builditasyougo.Wetook inspirationfromSpotify’smodelofengineering organizationalscaling.
We’vetalkedaboutallofthesefails,howaboutsomething thathasworkedwellforus?
Whendoinginitialcontactwithacandidate,Ioftenask “whyareyouinmarket?”Ihaveseencountlessfolkswho arelookingbecausetheircurrentmanagementdoesnot havetheirgrowthandcareerpathinginmind. Inextreme cases,theycandoaday’sworkinfourhours,feellikethey areunder-challenged,andhavenotlearnedanythingin years.TheyworkinanenvironmentlikethemovieOffice Space.
Takinganoppositeapproachistoengageinthegrowthand pathingofeveryindividual.Wedothisby: Ÿ Aligningthegrowthoftheindividualwiththe company’sgrowth. Ÿ Havingmanagementcheckinfrequentlyonthesuccess ofthis,and Ÿ Settingupformalquarterlycheck-insonmeasuring thesegoals.GoogleadoptedthisearlyonfromJohn DoerrintheformofOKRs,andtherearegreat platformsouttherewhichcanformallymeasureand tracktheseobjectives.
Careerpathingisalonger-termconcern.Iaskcandidates fromthestart“sowhat’sthenextjobafterVideoAmp?” Thisoftencatchesthemoffguard,thenaftercarefulthought mostreplywitharole1-2levelsbeyondwherethey’reat now.It’sourgoaltohelpsteertheminwhateverpaththey currentlysee.
Manyearlier-careerengineersthinkmanagementistheir ultimatepath,butIhavefoundthatmanywillstayona tractofengineeringexcellence.Whetherit’saPrincipal EngineeroraVPofEngineering,thegoalistoorientthe newchallengesinamannerwhichgrowstheminthat direction,evenifwecan’tfullyrealizetheirultimate pathinggoalwhileatthecompany.
Bypayingcarefulattentiontothesedetails,wehavefound ourannualretentionrateinthehigh90%.
