Dialogue

Why language service providers are the key to refugee and asylum support

Robert Shimwell — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 10:27:13 +0000

In the year ending September 2024, 52,739 people were granted refugee protection in the UK. Of these people, 47,605 (90%) were granted refugee status[1]. This gives them protection against the conflict, violence, or persecution they have fled in their home country, and allows them to legally live and work in the UK. But this is only the beginning of their journey into settling in this country as they navigate the challenges of finding work, suitable housing, and access to benefits, education and healthcare.

Unfortunately, refugees who have come to the UK to escape atrocities and war in their home country often face isolation because of language and cultural barriers. Many report feeling alone and unable to communicate their everyday needs when they arrive in a completely foreign culture where they don’t speak or understand the native language. This problem gets compounded when met with the sheer amount of information that needs to be understood, and paperwork that needs to be filled out before they can start rebuilding their lives. Left unsupported, these language and cultural barriers lead to a wider social impact. They are left feeling isolated, anti-social, vulnerable to mental health difficulties, and reluctant to seek help.

Time and time again, refugees coming to the UK with skills and experience are unable to use them effectively because of these communication barriers. That’s why language and culture play a vital role in the successful integration of individuals. But the good news is that we as language service providers can help in many ways, such as:

Interpreting important information during legal, medical, educational and social appointments – giving individuals the opportunity to ask questions and better understand the system and their rights.

Translating information and advice into their native languages, as well as more practical elements such as forms and paperwork – to ensure the information is properly given and received both ways, and to avoid further hurdles and frustration later down the line.

Giving language and cultural training to enable people to better integrate into and understand the target culture and acquire the language skills needed to live and work there successfully.

We all want people fleeing persecution to be able to get their new lives in a new culture off to the best start possible. As language service providers, it’s our duty to help with the basics. If you’re able to, why not reach out to your local refugee/asylum seeker organisation to find out how they could use your support?

[1]
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-september-2024/how-many-people-are-granted-asylum-in-the-uk#:~:text=In%20the%20year%20ending%20September,applicants%20and%2012%2C363%20were%20dependants.

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The importance of data security and privacy in the translation industry

Robert Shimwell — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 10:33:32 +0000

Are your documents safe when you submit them online or email them for a quote? What happens to your information afterwards? These are valid concerns, especially when dealing with sensitive information. Reputable language service providers should be constantly addressing and mitigating any risks to your data security and privacy. Here’s how you can look out for them.

Word-of-mouth

A good reputation implies trust. When people have a bad experience, they tend to talk about it. It’s always worth doing a bit of background research into the company first to find out what people (especially ones who have worked with or for them) are saying about them.

Website

When you need a quick quote, uploading your documents onto a website is a convenient option. But before you fire off your private information, think first: do you trust this website?

One indicator of security is whether or not the site supports HTTPS (the secure version of HTTP). You can sometimes see HTTPS in a site’s URL, but it can also be hidden. You can check via the security status symbol to the left of the web address. If you notice a warning triangle there, be cautious. It means the site is not secure and may be dangerous.

Have a look at the site’s outward appearance as well. Regularly updated websites are probably more likely to follow security protocols, and outdated websites are more likely to get hacked (based on the assumption that they aren’t up-to-date with their security).

Automated content

The use of AI can pose some security risks. Much of this depends on the model used, and whether it is kept regularly updated. Your language service partner should be able to respond to your queries about automated content transparently, being able to tell you what measures they have in place to mitigate security threats.

For machine translation, remember that if you upload documents to a free machine translation platform you could be granting them a licence to use and/or publicly display your content in exchange for their service. Security is one of the many benefits of using a paid machine translation service.

Online TMS systems

One of the reasons language service providers use online translation management systems is because they are secure. Most also provide the option of restricting downloads, so your data never leaves the TMS if you don’t want it to.

Supplier vetting and agreements

It goes without saying that a good language service provider will always carefully vet the people they work with, and all of their suppliers must have signed an NDA and agreement before being sent any of your information or documents. You can always ask to see these documents before proceeding.

Accreditation

The ISO 27001 is an international standard for managing information security. To meet the standard, organisations must be able to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve an information security management system (ISMS). In short, being ISO 27001 accredited is a good indication that an organisation is implementing sufficient risk management processes and developing appropriate mitigation strategies to identify potential threats and protect your data.

Wider security measures

Always check through the provider’s policies first so you know your rights and understand what they intend to do with your data and what security measures they have in place to protect it. These can include storing information on secure servers and utilising user names, passwords, encryptions, and anonymisation where appropriate.

(Here are the links to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy)

It’s right to be concerned about security and privacy in the translation industry, and a reputable language service provider should have outlined, carefully-considered measures in place to protect your data. Before handing anything over, we recommend you do your own checks first, and always ask their data protection lead for more information if you have any doubts.

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Accessibility and inclusivity through sign-language interpreting

Robert Shimwell — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 15:25:21 +0000

Do you think you would be less inclined to go to an event if you knew there would be no information available in your native language? Or less enthusiastic about an ad campaign that doesn’t address you directly? Given that most people prefer products with information in their native language[1], the most likely answer is yes.

Next question: have you considered the deaf and hard of hearing when considering accessibility? Some companies and organisations misguidedly believe that by providing subtitles and closed captions, they are being fully inclusive – but that’s not necessarily the case.

According to the World Federation of the Deaf, there are more than 70 million deaf people worldwide using between 2-300 different sign languages. British Sign Language (BSL) is the preferred language of over 87,000 deaf people in the UK (although the total number of people who can use BSL is closer to 150,000). For them, English is a second, or even third language. This means that providing subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing can be comparable to giving someone information in a non-native, or completely unfamiliar language. It can lead to frustration, due to increased cognitive load, and miscommunication – particularly if the only available option is laggy, inaccurate auto-generated captions.

For many, sign language offers a more comprehensive, enriched experience than captions. This is partly because also it incorporates the use of facial expressions and gestures, which in turn can make content easier to understand than written captions. This might be because literacy rates among the deaf are generally lower. Written words are based on units of sound, and we learn to read through spoken language. If you are born deaf, reading can be a challenge for this reason.

Sign language in videos provides the same benefits that translation does. Your message gets accurately conveyed to a new audience of native speakers, who will ultimately be more persuaded to buy your product or service if you’re speaking their language. The same goes for internal information given to your organisation’s members and stakeholders. Like translation, this needs to be done by professionals who can provide an accurate interpretation of the video speech (not captions), that mimics the original style and includes additional information, like for example about the opening soundtrack.

It’s worth noting that some people prefer to use captions alongside sign language and lip reading. – it all depends on individual preferences and circumstances – but the important thing is to have the option. We feel that companies that overtly offer sign options will lead the way in setting trends for inclusivity and open themselves up to more business (not to mention staff attraction and retention) because of the positive message of inclusivity and accessibility they are sending out.

[1] https://csa-research.com/Blogs-Events/CSA-in-the-Media/Press-Releases/Consumers-Prefer-their-Own-Language#:~:text=Consumers%20prefer%20products%20with%20information,with%20no%20English%2Dlanguage%20competence.

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An exciting new chapter for Dialogue

Robert Shimwell — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 09:35:17 +0000

Announcing an exciting new chapter as Dialogue joins forces with The Translation People, embarking on a new phase of growth

We are delighted to announce that Dialogue Language Services International has joined forces with The Translation People, a well-established and respected fellow language services provider. This is a move that highlights the dedication of both organisations to enhancing service offerings, content security, and expanding global reach.

All localisation services will continue under Dialogue Language Services International and the training division of Dialogue (business languages and cultural awareness) will continue to support you as Dialogue Language Training. Contact details for all parties remain the same, so you will continue to enjoy the high-level, human-centred service as before.

This strategic acquisition will bring significant benefits to Dialogue, our clients and suppliers, notably gaining access to an expert technology team focused on leveraging the latest innovations and security in AI. In addition, we will benefit from enhanced project management capabilities, a wider pool of linguists, and in-house localisation engineering and DTP teams.

The Translation People has over 40 years’ experience of delivering high-quality localisation services globally. With a strong focus on customer service, flexibility and the use of state-of-the-art technology, the partnership represents a positive move for Dialogue against the backdrop of shared values and priorities.

Jasmin Schneider, Managing Director of The Translation People, said: “We are delighted to have concluded this acquisition. DLSI has demonstrated steady growth over the last few years and complements our existing offering. We are thrilled to welcome the DLSI team into the group and look forward to supporting their professional development. Together we can continue to support DLSI’s existing clients who will benefit from the larger infrastructure of the combined businesses.”

Cathy Branson, Managing Director at DLSI, agreed: “We are very excited to be joining forces with The Translation People. There is strong cultural alignment between us and both companies are equally focused on a commitment to quality and customer service. Joining a larger organisation will offer new resources, capabilities and technology to our clients and also provide new growth opportunities for our staff. Our clients can rest assured they will receive the same excellent service they are familiar with, plus numerous added advantages from having access to new resources.”

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How to get the most out of your remaining localisation budget in Q4

Robert Shimwell — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 09:16:19 +0000

As the government’s Financial Statement date looms (set to be held on 30 October 2024), you may have budgets on your mind. But rather than holding fire on essential localisation projects when budgets are tight, why not rethink your strategy instead? Read on to find out how to get the most out of your remaining localisation budget, without compromising on quality.

Hire a professional

The quality of your translations will reflect the quality of your product or services. Paying a higher rate for a professional translation is always worth the investment – particularly when you’re dealing with high-visibility content. You get what you pay for: a carefully-crafted translation will take you far, but a linguistic blunder could land you in hot water and cost far more to fix in the long run.

Start with the source text

If the amount of content you can send out for translation is limited, try condensing it first – making sure the most important points get covered. If you know your content will be translated, bear that in mind when writing. If at all possible, avoid filling the text with idioms and cultural references that take longer and more expertise to transfer to the target audience.

Finalise your copy

To save time, clients often send a draft version of a text for translation, so the translators can make a start. This is perfectly manageable but will end up costing you more (both time and money-wise), as translators will have to go back and update your changes in the target text. To avoid overspending, ensure you send out the final, signed-off version for translation, in plenty of time (to avoid any added urgency fees).

Check out what you’ve already got

Before sending your document for translation, look at the content and reference material that you already have. You never know – part of it may have been translated before. And if you have any sentences for translation that have already been reworked in the past, they can probably be reused – thus shaving off a proportion of the word count for translation. Even if you don’t find any duplicates, reference material will help your translation team find your preferred terminology faster.

Think about what kind of service level you need

The service level you need can be dictated by your content requirements. We absolutely don’t recommend skimping on high-visibility content, but maybe internal documents won’t need an additional proofreading step if you have the capacity to work on them in-house?

Let AI tech support you

AI technology can help you save money translating large amounts of low-visibility, non-specialist content when paired with teams of specialist Machine Translation Post-Editors. These specialists are trained to understand the process and its potential pitfalls. Opting for Machine Translation should be a carefully-considered decision aided by your language service provider. If it’s something you’re interested in, have a look at our Buyer’s Guide to Machine Translation Engines.

It can be difficult to navigate important decisions that affect your translation quality and spend. We’re here to help you get the most out of your remaining budget. If you would like some advice, get in touch with our team and we can discuss your requirements.

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Have you added Language Quality Assessment to your translation strategy yet?

Robert Shimwell — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 11:50:02 +0000

Before you start making a plan, it’s best to understand what you’re dealing with. Could it be time to start assessing your translations’ quality?

Language Quality Assessment (LQA) does exactly what it says on the tin. Your existing translations are analysed by professional linguists for quality and given an overall score – with any errors graded by severity and type. You’ll get an overview of the overall standard of the text, with insights into when and where there’s room for improvement.

Language Quality Assessment can be used in many ways:

Perhaps you’ve found some legacy translations in your organisation, but you’re not sure who did them, or where they came from. An LQA can tell you whether or not they’re suitable for reuse as they are, or if they need to be updated in line with your current terminology, values, and branding.
Maybe one of your website pages isn’t performing as well as you’d hoped. Testing the quality of the translations might help you get to the bottom of the issue.
You might need an impartial second opinion on the quality of another provider’s work.
If you’re considering Machine Translation, you can use LQA to find out whether the quality of the output is suitable for your documents, and test out different Machine Translation Engines to find one that best supports your needs. Or it can help train your own custom MT engines.

Once the LQA is done, you’ll gain a clear understanding of any issues and how to fix them. This could be adding in an extra proofreading step to your process in case of frequent grammatical or spelling issues. Or in cases of serious miscomprehension, you could look into different available translation options. You might discover it’s time to collate reference material or create a style guide or glossary if there are inconsistencies and wrongly translated internal company terminology. And for missed cultural references, you might need to hire a localisation expert to properly adapt your text for your target audience.

The LQA is impartial, because it is graded based on a pre-approved framework. Any subjective decisions will be documented through detailed commentary – so you can just focus on moving forward with the facts. And if you’re unsure where to go from there, your language service provider will be able to guide you in your decision-making and help you optimise your translations and process.

A smooth translation process means three things: saved time, saved money, and better quality. But to make these advances, you’ll first need to find out what areas you should work on. We think identifying and focusing on main areas for improvement is the key. Building a solid foundation and team to carry you through your future translation process is much more effective in the long term than blindly applying costly solutions to non-existent problems.

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A Buyer’s Guide to Machine Translation Engines

Robert Shimwell — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 11:46:41 +0000

The post A Buyer’s Guide to Machine Translation Engines appeared first on Dialogue.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion in localisation – getting the tone right for your company values and culture

Robert Shimwell — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:47:52 +0000

Most companies now have diversity, equity and inclusion firmly on their radar, and for good reason. A greater number of backgrounds and cultures means more experiences, wider perspectives and different innovation and problem-solving opportunities. Prospective employees feel the same way. According to a LinkedIn survey, 76% of employees and job seekers said diversity was important to them when considering job offers. But to what extent are language use and a safe and equal work environment interlinked? Localisation – the process of adapting content for a specific country, culture, or region – can be an effective tool in your diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy. Want to know how? Read on for some insights into how localisation can help you build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.

Almost 1 in 5 people across the world speak English, but only 26% of them are native English speakers. English (and in fact any other language) can be a bridge, but also a barrier to communication. People normally have a greater depth of vocabulary in their native language, meaning they might find it easier to express themselves. Investing in localisations that speak to them directly sends them an important message: you are seen, and your language, input, and understanding is important. This will ultimately lead to better relationships and better outcomes, and is applicable not only to your workplace, but your wider audience as well.

If you demonstrate cultural intelligence and sensitivity, you’re showing awareness and acceptance that other cultural identities exist. Your audience is likely culturally diverse, even if they’re only in one country. There will be a myriad of other subcultures as well, defined by everything from age to region, heritage, religion, and even social class. To avoid excluding a proportion of your audience, it’s important to acknowledge and accept all cultures, and avoid recognising one over another. Don’t opt for a localisation strategy that narrowly targets only a certain demographic of your audience, or you risk excluding people. Take religious holidays as an example. It’s unlikely that your workforce or audience only celebrates one religion. Instead of greeting everyone with a religious message that will only be relevant to a portion of people, you could opt for a more inclusive way to spread cheer, like ‘Happy Holidays!’

Be aware of inequalities in language which could impact your perceived company values and culture if you miss the mark in localisation. Language rooted in racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and sexism can be hard to spot, especially if it is not your native language and you are unaware of word/phrasal origins and background sensitivities (which are changing all the time). Adding inclusive language to your localisation strategy is the best way to avoid unintentionally hurting people in this way.

Make sure your content is accessible. This is relevant not only physically, through subtitles, voiceovers, audio descriptions, and readable interfaces – but also by using Plain Language to facilitate readability and understanding. Your localisation team should be able to help you make your content easier for everyone to access and understand.

At the core of diversity, equity, and inclusion is recognising, understanding and celebrating cultural differences. Inequality cannot be eradicated overnight, and there is no single solution. But an effective localisation strategy that demonstrates awareness of cultural sensitivities will be a good start in setting the tone for your company values and culture, by placing your people and customers at the heart of your business.

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How localisation and cultural training can help you attract and retain top global talent

Robert Shimwell — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 15:37:55 +0000

As your company grows and moves into new markets, so might your recruitment efforts. Top candidates from across the world bring well-needed diversity and local representation to your business, but attracting and sourcing talent from other cultures can be tricky. A good HR localisation strategy, which includes cultural and language training, can help you find the right people, with aligned values and skills, and boost employee retention and integration across your global teams. Not sure where to start? Read on for some things to consider when planning.

Employer value proposition and branding:

It’s important to stay authentic and keep your employer branding consistent if you want to attract and retain the right candidates for your business. While globally, the principles of your EVP should stay the same, it is important to recognise cultural differences across different regions and divisions that could be adapted without straying away from your core values. By understanding what different cultures expect or value in a workplace, you can tailor your recruitment materials to target these values.

Some examples:

Compensation: different pay expectations and evaluations depending on the market and local laws.

Working hours: some cultures value clear working hours, whereas others may prefer flexible working

Time off: consider that it’s the norm in some cultures to take longer periods of leave once a year, rather than several shorter breaks.

Benefits: think about things like childcare norms, eating habits, expected retirement age, and healthcare entitlement before communicating the benefits – to ensure that they really are beneficial to a different culture of employees.

Compliance and legal: international and local laws will often require hiring paperwork, employee handbooks, safety documentation, contracts, and confidentiality agreements to be translated into all native languages, not just the company language. Not only will this compliance keep your employees safe, but having all official documentation in their native languages will reinforce workers’ responsibilities and empower them to understand their role and rights.

Feedback: people best express themselves in their native language, meaning you’re more likely to receive valuable, constructive feedback if you allow employees to answer surveys and give feedback in their native language (if it differs from the company’s working language). Multilingual feedback can then be translated by professional translators specialising in HR, to give you an accurate picture of your employees’ shared thoughts and feelings.

Language and cultural training: this can help you empower, unite, and support your team and break down cultural barriers. From business etiquette and communication and management styles to cultural norms that affect work and home life, having an understanding of your local team’s cultural habits and taboos is essential for a smooth integration of global teams.

The little extras make a big difference…

Think about all the content (e.g. careers landing site, recruitment newsletters, and social media posts) you’re putting out there to find and retain the best people for the job. It’s been well documented that people prefer to buy from websites in their native language, so it stands to reason that the same could be said for employer branding as well. While it’s important to mention any language requirements in these materials, adapting your recruitment-related copy and strategies to local audiences might just make the difference between them sitting up and noticing you, as opposed to seeing content in another language and immediately switching off, without realising it is designed ‘for them’.

All these considerations add up. By staying authentic and tailoring your HR localisation strategy to local teams’ needs and requirements, you’re more likely to attract, and more importantly, keep the best people for the job within your teams, in a positive working atmosphere.

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Bullseye! How to ensure your marketing messages hit the spot

Robert Shimwell — Tue, 21 May 2024 11:04:04 +0000

You make your aim. And it lands. Your marketing message has reached your target audience and prompted them to sit up, listen, and take action.

This level of success sounds easy to achieve, but it’s not. We know how much hard work and careful consideration went into it:

– Understanding your audience

– Ensuring your message stands out

– Offering the solution and / or benefit they’re looking for

– Motivating them to take action

If you’re looking to expand to other global markets, it can be easy to think that the hard work has already been done. But the same message directed towards a different audience will not always land the same way. The target might be further away, or an obstacle might be blocking it. It’s now harder to reach the target from where you’re standing. Hitting harder won’t work. You’ll need to change position before attempting a throw.

You may be targeting the same demographic, and trying to solve the same problem. They might even speak the same language as you. But if your messaging is not culturally relevant, it’s not for them.

There are many differences across cultures. These differences, such as humour, everyday routines, work and travel norms, language, and eating customs, affect the way brand messaging is written and received, and create obstacles or distance between you and your target audience. An expertly crafted dry joke could be perceived as sarcasm by a culture that prefers a more slapstick sense of humour. Family dynamics and traditions vary, and different cultures hold different values. The 9-5 grind might not make sense to countries that don’t have the same 5-day, 40-hour working week. Attitudes and expectations towards gender roles and identity vary. Perspectives are different: a long drive? Do you mean three hours or three days? It depends on where you’re from.

If you want your marketing message to resonate with your target audience in the same way that your local one did, you’ll need to adapt it to them. This process is called ‘localisation’. It differs from ‘translation’ – the written communication of words from one language to another – because it goes further. Localisation looks at everything: from idioms and puns to names, numbers, cultural references, colours and symbols, and different meanings. It leaves no stone unturned, taking the meaning behind your message and carefully adapting your original content for your new market.

Localisation shouldn’t just be a strategy for external marketing. It’s key in boosting productivity and driving international engagement across a global workforce by ensuring everyone feels connected. Adapting policies, internal communications and news, interfaces, and instructions can make things easier for local users and open up discussions and feedback with a wider range of people.

When you’re directing messages or information to a different culture, it can be hard to know where to start. With our cultural expertise and dedicated team of project managers and localisation experts, we can help you embrace the unfamiliar and carve out a localisation strategy that’ll help you hit the mark, no matter where in the world your target audience is.

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