July 2013   You are subscribed as %%emailaddress%%          Version en français

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Translator Spotlight: Terrific Tiffany

Current info

Job: (translator, interpreter, proofreader, etc) Translator, proofreader and quality control of translations.
Professional Languages: English - French (Canada)
Mother Tongue: French Canada
Nationality: French Canadian
Certificates: TÉLUQ (UQAM) University - Undergraduate degree in Translation
Association Memberships Proz.com member since 2011

Terrific Tiffany is one of our professional translators and proofreaders here at Technovate Translations, who brings a great deal of education, training and experience to all translation projects she takes on. With a passion for reading and writing that sparked early on in her life, Terrific Tiffany always found herself acting as a translator and interpreter for colleagues. As such, she was encouraged to get a university degree in Translations. While still in university, she started her career as a professional translator before graduating with her degree in June 2012.

Her love of translating is sparked by her desire to bridge communication gaps between people. Believing that many problems that exist in the world today are due to the lack of proper communication, Terrific Tiffany strives to be part of the solution to closing these gaps. She loves the challenge of constantly researching and learning to find the perfect words to relay the exact message that needs to be portrayed.

Working for Technovate Translations has given Terrific Tiffany a great outlet to help out may clients who are in need of highly accurate translation assistance. Her project base is constantly growing as more and more customers have come to depend on her impeccable attention to accuracy, as well as her time-efficient work ethic. Let Terrific Tiffany take on a translation project for you!

Here are some fun questions we asked Terrific Tiffany

What are some things you enjoy doing on your spare time? — Reading, dancing & listening to music, swimming.
If you only had a choice of taking 1 item with you to be stranded on an island for months, what would it be? — Without Wi-Fi, a dictionary!
What is your favourite English word? — Open-mindedness
What would be your choice of dish for your last meal? — Ask me on that day! lol.. It would have to be something with seafood, so either sushi or seafood pasta.

The Importance of Professional Looking Product Manuals

Technovate Translations has translated hundreds of manuals over the past five years, and as our experience has grown in this area we've come to recognize what makes a professional manual really work. In this article I will want to move beyond the obvious points like quality writing and the importance of staying within the industry's translation standards to focus instead on the appearance of the manual.

As with most things in life, perception is key. The layout and design of your manual can make the difference in being seen as a quality product. Most growing companies cringe at the perceived cost of creating a value-added manual for their customers when handling their product. Companies with tight budgets and shorter product life cycles often skip a professional looking manual and instead offer up a basic elementary manual. What does this mean? A basic manual often has wire frame images with vector graphics. The layout is not designed to reflect what the customer would most likely use the manual for or what parts are most needed.

Indeed, recent research published in the International Journal of Design found that many users, especially older adults, make notes in manuals or engage in other strategies to "compensate for the deficiencies of product manuals." This mirrors the results of another study, which found that users have negative attitudes toward product manuals, even though more than 2/3 of common problems can be solved with a manual. Much of the frustration is due to poor manual layout and design.

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Sometimes companies are so rushed to make the deadline to launch the product that they neglect the importance of a good looking manual to go along with the product. A well-designed manual does more than provide information; it also reflects upon the quality of the product itself.

We have some suggestions for improving your manuals:

1. Use real pictures of the product, including on the cover.
2. Use attractive formatting and layout.
3. Use graphic layouts with arrows on pictures to illustrate less complex ideas.
4. Use a glossary to help customers quickly search for keywords.
5. Use a clear table of contents and index to group similar issues together.
6. Use a product like Adobe FrameMaker, which offers robust tools for designers creating manuals.
7. Use a technical writer familiar with S1000D international specification for the creation of technical manuals to ensure the highest level of quality in your documentation.

Are you presently looking to have your manual translated? Call us today and speak to one of our Account Managers. We'll work with your technical writer or with your completed manual to translate it into the official languages of the countries where your product will be sold. Our experience is vast, and we adhere to the highest standards to ensure that we'll come through for you just as we have before for many companies and their valued products.

Businesses Find Much Greater Success When Expanding Into the International Market

Many small local businesses can have some success strictly with their local market, but many times it is the cross-border expansion of such companies that really provides them with incredible profitability. Lifting international blinders can be the real key to success, as has been the case for many small businesses that exploded on the foreign scene.

Take the following businesses for example, who all made it big when they expanded internationally:

Starbucks — A young entrepreneur by the name of Howard Shultz opened his first coffee shop in Seattle in 1971, with the intent on providing customers with fresh Italian-style espresso beverages. After years of moderate success, it wasn't until the first international store opened in Vancouver, Canada, that business really started to take off for this company. Starbucks has been expanding into the global market ever since.

Apple — Back in 1976, Apple founders Steve Wozniack and Steve Jobs came up with an ingenious idea to create a personal computer. This monstrously successful company started with humble beginnings from Wozniack's California garage. Since then, the two entrepreneurs decided to take their idea to international platforms, where Apple is now considered the industry standard and a billion-dollar enterprise.

Nordstrom — John W. Nordstrom immigrated to New York City from Sweden back in 1887, and in 1901, he opened his first shoe store in Seattle. After some success, Nordstrom decided to expand his business globally, which was a decision that would take his business from a small local company to a multi-billion dollar retail empire on an international scale.

Electronic Data Systems — Ross Perot, who had at one time run for U.S. president, founded EDS back in 1962. Perot worked diligently processing computer tapes and data, and after being turned down almost 80 times, he finally landed his first client. EDS realized average success in its local Texan market, but it wasn't until Perot took his business globally that the real success came in, putting EDS on the list of the Fortune 500.

Small local businesses that are realizing only moderate success can truly realize incredible success by expanding to international markets. Instead of depending solely on the local market, businesses can offer their products and services globally, which can make any company more competitive.

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