Blog | America

Why Starbucks failed and Why Culture Matters

Starbuck’s is the popular US coffee chain that entered Australia.Bunnings is an Australian chain of hardware stores that entered the UK.All three countries -- the US, UK and Australia -- share variations of the same language and share a common Anglo heritage. Yet both ventures failed massively.The reasons deal with culture and faulty market-entry assumptions.Starbucks… Continue reading

Beware! Panic! It’s that Dangerous Friday Funnies Ides of March Missing Foot!

March has arrived like a Lion. Hopefully, you're enjoying a roaring start to this month.With March's arrival, spring is within reach. March brings a renewal of business relationships and fresh, new opportunities for growth. It's the month when companies like ours celebrate National Proofreading Day, and when yours may enthusiastically welcome the arrival of...National Awkward… Continue reading

Software Translations are still wrong. Here’s how.

With the advent of new bots and new methods, many companies still rely on translation software to convey their messages to global audiences. Machine Translation (MT), as it’s officially called, can work well in some languages such as French and Spanish when the subject is very technical. BUT it’s still not perfect.Please see these examples… Continue reading

Angles, Potatoes, Chanting and Stupid Areas – it’s Friday Funnies

One month down and eleven more ahead! February has arrived, filled with dreams of ever-increasing business opportunities, operational efficiencies and services rapidly delivered to clients and citizens. It's the month where hearts beat with desire as we anticipate the annual ritual recognized by young and old alike... National Cabbage Day! And if that's not enough… Continue reading

Translation pricing: You get what you pay for

After 30+ years in the language business, the most common question people ask is “How much do translations cost?” Without receiving specifics, that is like asking, “How much does a car cost?” Answer: As with a car, it all depends. Do you want a clunker that simply runs or a car that runs well and… Continue reading

Frightening dogs. Insane sheep. A unique tourist destination. Defensive driving. January Friday Funnies is here.

Welcome to 2023! The holidays have come and gone leaving many of us with the arduous task of shedding those festive pounds we've added over the past six weeks. Happy New Year, indeed! On the positive side, there are numerous days this month that give us reasons to continue a celebratory attitude. For instance: National… Continue reading

A year-end gift: The craziness of English

As a year-end gift to our clients and supporters, we wanted to offer an amusing example of the total craziness of the English language. Ours is a jumble of adoptions from many peoples, cultures and other languages formed over more than 1000 years; words with double meanings or pronunciations; all mixed with logic, illogic, standards… Continue reading

Season’s Grettings

As year-end approaches, we wanted to remind you that last-minute translation “gifts” of documents, videos, websites and more should be quoted and contracted this week so you can expense them in 2022. That would be a nice gift to many Accounting gnomes while our translation elves can start working in any of our 120 languages.May… Continue reading

A Krampus, Ho, Ho, Ho’s and No, No, No’s – the December Friday Funnies is here

Oh, the weather outside is frightful but the fire is so delightful! December is here and 2022 is rapidly coming to a close. 'Tis the season to get together with family and friends and share food, festivities and fraternity. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Ōmisoka, December is a time of sharing and charity… Continue reading