In an effort to bring a CEO’s personal perspective to Avantpage’s clients, prospects, partners and alliances, we are presenting a series of short video interviews on YouTube with Avantpage CEO, Dr. Luis Miguel.

WATCH VIDEOS HERE

In these quick vignettes, Dr. Miguel reveals why he chose to work in the linguistics field, offers his take on quality, integrity and trust as they relate to client/business relations, and describes how Avantpage embraces the use of proprietary translation technology to deliver higher quality, faster turnaround time and lower costs to clients.

For Dr. Miguel, a recurring theme in his work is the connection between linguistics and communication. Through Avantpage, he sought to create a company that fostered and supported communication between cultures, while at the same time providing a service that he could feel genuinely good about.

For a fascinating glimpse into Avantpage’s mission and vision through the eyes of its founder, don’t miss these engaging, insightful video entries. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of Dr. Miguel’s commitment to his clients, his passion for linguistics and communication, and his dedication to constantly delivering a product of quality and value.

As Lead Project Manager for Avantpage, Vera Hooijdonk is a master at juggling projects, time, and people. Her job requires an incredible amount of attention to detail, quick thinking, and highly-developed communication skills as she guides Avantpage’s translation and production teams to accomplish their tasks, meet deadlines, and deliver the quality work Avantpage is known for.  

Vera, a native of the Netherlands who speaks English, Dutch and Spanish fluently, has always had an interest in language and linguistics. While attending the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, she majored in Spanish language and literature, and then earned a Masters degree in translation studies. According to Vera, “Other majors like Economics are always popular, but I chose to follow my passion and study languages.”

As Lead Project Manager, how does she keep projects on track and on time, and her team engaged and working cohesively? Planning, patience and flexibility –– all hallmarks of Vera’s own personal management style. As she explains, “I thrive in a fast-paced work environment where deadlines come up quickly and a sense of urgency and excitement permeates the workplace.” 

She loves working as part of a close-knit multicultural team, where people from different industries, cultures, and countries work together. As a problem-solver and troubleshooter, Vera loves working with Avantpage’s clients, solving linguistic problems, handling a variety of translation projects, and being exposed to new people and industries. Vera also enjoys working with Avantpage’s translator team, and commented, “Our translators take their jobs seriously … which makes my job that much easier. They are proud of their work, they enjoy what they do … it makes a huge difference in the quality and consistency of the projects we deliver.”

When Vera has free time, she enjoys traveling. Perhaps because of her multicultural background growing up in Holland, she has long had an appreciation of other cultures and a yearning to explore other countries. Vera has traveled extensively in Europe, and her future travel destinations include Japan, South America, and Russia.

To reach Vera with questions about project management, contact Vera Hooijdonk at vera@avantpage.com or at 530-750-2040, x8.

Recently, the federal government indicated that Sacramento County must print ballots and other voting materials in Chinese in time for the next election.  Only 15 other counties throughout America are required to print ballots in Chinese. New census data has shown that there are about 39,000 Chinese (all ages) living in Sacramento County, and of those, about 15,500 speak English “less than very well.”  The U.S. Voting Rights Act requires ballots to be translated into a foreign language when more than 10,000 voting age residents or 5% of a jurisdiction don’t speak English fluently. Currently, Spanish is the only other language voting materials are translated into in Sacramento County.

This election year, Chinese voters will be able to read ballot information in their first language, an important step in getting more Chinese Americans to visit the polls.  While many Chinese-speaking voters do read and speak English (albeit “less than very well”), they prefer to read and respond to voting information in their own language.  Sacramento County’s move to translate ballots into Chinese will give Chinese Americans a larger local political presence and voice –– something they may not have felt they possessed in previous election years.

Avantpage’s team of highly skilled translators is ready to step in and deliver high-quality, accurate, affordable translation to meet ballot requirements in Sacramento County and elsewhere. We can translate voting information into Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Russian, Vietnamese, Hmong and many other languages. Read more about how our election translation services can help your county.

Russian is a language with a long and varied history, and today, approximately 147 million people speak Russian as their first language, and 113 million speak it as a secondary language. In the United States, large concentrations of Russian speakers make their homes in Alaska, New York, California, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. Russian is the official language of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. It is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Russian is one of three East Slavic languages, along with Ukrainian and Belarusian, although more people speak Russian than any other Slavic language. Standard Russian spoken today is called modern Literary Russian, and first appeared at the beginning of the 18th century. During the end of the 18th and into the 19th century, (the “Golden Age” of Russian literature), grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation were standardized. The Russian writing system is based on the Cyrillic alphabet. Today, in the United States, there are more than 90 Russian-language publications, more than a dozen Russian language radio stations and four Russian language television channels. There are approximately 4 million Russian speakers living in the United States.

From ballet and painting to architecture and literature, Russians have made immense contributions to world culture and art. Russia has also produced some of the world’s top scientists, physicists and mathematicians (not to mention chess players). Russian literature, including works by such highly respected authors as Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov and Nabokov, is taught in US high schools and colleges, and Russian ballet dancers and choreographers such as Baryshnikov, Nureyev and Balanchine have made their artistic mark on the US stage.

Avantpage receives many requests for Russian translation, and we have a team of expert Russian translators in place to handle documents, media, localization requests and more.

For information about Russian translation, click here.

As the U.S. economy struggles, companies like The Gap and Levis are expanding their presence within lucrative Asian markets. Chinese consumers in particular are snapping up slim-cut, distressed, edgy denim designed specifically for slender Asian figures, and sold by Levis and The Gap exclusively in China.

Both The Gap and Levis now have a presence in China, and The Gap opened its first franchise in Vietnam in September of this year. Asian consumers love Western brands, their disposable income is on the rise, and they typically spend more on clothing than Westerners do.  

Other retailers making their mark in China include Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Apple. As Asian countries continue to grow in retail power, more American companies are sure to take heed, expanding their marketing efforts into China, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and Cambodia. Translation and localization will play an ever-increasing role in Asian expansion, as companies tailor their marketing message to reach their Asian consumers. Reaching Asian purchasers both in the U.S. and in their home countries requires knowledgeable, sophisticated translation processes to ensure that marketing campaigns are executed successfully.

For over 15 years, Avantpage has specialized in the high-quality, accurate translation and localization required to communicate to Asian consumers. For more information on our Asian language capabilities, call 877-ANY-LANG or email sales@avantpage.com today! 

We look forward to hearing from you, and are ready to create a lasting language partnership to support your sales and marketing efforts into foreign markets.

How Avantpage provided translation services in 25 languages –– accurately, quickly and with exceptional attention to detail and quality

The Task

The California Department of Education (CDE) needed a translation project completed within seven days. This project was a survey piece intended for parents, entitled “A School Climate Survey for Parents and Guardians.” This piece would be used by the CDE to determine how parents felt about a particular school and the education process within that school.

The CDE asked that Avantpage translate a portion of the survey into 25 different languages –– 11 core languages (languages usually required by the CDE) and 14 others including Japanese, Farsi, Somali, Punjabi, Urdu, Hebrew, Portuguese Brazilian, Continental Portuguese, and Samoan.

Avantpage’s Solution

Avantpage's project manager choose 25 translators, sent them the specifics of the project, waited for them to confirm availability, sent the files to be translated, received and proofed the files, and delivered the finished project to the client.

Avantpage was able to work with our “preferred” translators for this project –– 25 dedicated vendors who have all worked on previous CDE projects, and were familiar with their preferences and requirements. This project demanded an extensive amount of teamwork from everyone involved. Trust played an important role as well –– it was critical that Avantpage be able to rely on translators who they trusted implicitly to perform this job quickly and accurately.

“This project was challenging in terms of the quick turnaround and sheer number of languages involved. To maintain quality and keep on top of the project’s daily progress, everyone involved in this project –– the Avantpage team, the translators and the CDE’s point person –– had to fully commit to working together every step of the way.” – Vera Hooijdonk, Avantpage Lead Project Manager

The Outcome

Avantpage was able to deliver this project on time, completing all 25 translated language pieces within the time frame indicated. Avantpage translators for Samoan, German and Hebrew did notice discrepancies in survey text they were asked not to translate, but to leave intact from a previously translated document. Even though our translators were not required or expected to look at this part of the document, they did, and made suggestions for changes that would bring the entire document up to Avantpage standards of quality. The CDE agreed to these suggestions, and these files were also delivered within the 7-day turnaround.

Avantpage’s work with the CDE ensures that schools are able to communicate effectively with parents who are not fluent in English, giving them a voice and involving them fully in the education process. Research has shown that parent involvement in education improves student achievement across the board. Students with the most to gain from parental involvement in their education are children from low-income and culturally and racially diverse families—and these families may need documents translated into their first language to fully participate in their children’s education process.

Avantpage was proud to be a part of this survey project, and looks forward to working with the CDE to improve educational opportunities through translation in the future.

Recently, on their blog forum Room for Debate, The New York Times invited contributors to discuss strategies for educating immigrant children and helping them to meet rising academic standards. The conversation stemmed from a report on Cecil D. Hylton High School, a school in Virginia that is separating immigrant children from the general student population in an effort to teach them English. The practice had mixed results: many of the children did master English, as well as American history and other subjects required to meet high school test standards. However, some students felt isolated in their “school-within-a-school” –– unable to relate to or communicate effectively with their English-speaking peers, and hampered by so much daily contact with others like themselves who did not speak English fluently. Contributors weighed in with their posts, and the result is a fascinating discussion of this hot-button topic.

While there is no single answer to the question of how best to educate immigrant children in our country, educators nationwide are striving to discover what works, what doesn’t, and which methods provide the best hope for limited English speakers to eventually master English and go on to earn college degrees.

As more immigrant children are educated within our school system and strive to create a life for themselves here in the United States, they are creating a generation of bilingual, educated achievers … people who are building a future for themselves, their families and future generations.

At Avantpage, we strive for similar goals—to connect with other cultures through language, to make understanding and comprehension of key concepts easier and more intuitive through translation, and to offer ways for organizations to reach out more effectively to non-English speakers. Even though many children of non-English speakers are assimilating fully into U.S. culture and language mastery, their parents may still be struggling with language and communication issues. This is where Avantpage can offer expertise and assistance: translating critical information into 150 languages, website localization, interpretation, linguistic engineering, and much more.

Industries we specialize in include healthcare and life sciences, banking and finance, education, marketing and public relations, gaming, government, human resources, insurance, manufacturing, and technology. When you choose Avantpage for your linguistic needs, you’re partnering with an industry leader with over 15 years of experience!

As you know, at Avantpage we take translation seriously, and pride ourselves on our unfailing attention to detail, our absolute dedication to our clients and their projects, and the incredible work ethic practiced by every member of our team.

The flip side of that? We love the lighter side of language as well, and we'd love to share a book that recently came to the attention of the Avantpage team. 

It's called I'm Not Hanging Noodles on Your Ears and Other Intriguing Idioms from Around the World, by Jag Bhalla, published by National Geographic and available on Amazon.  You'll discover priceless sayings like, "To live like a maggot in bacon," (German for "to live in luxury"); "ant milker" (a miserly tightwad in Arabic); "When frogs grow hair," ("never" in Spanish); "Fine words don't feed cats," (Italian for "talk is cheap") and of course, "I'm not hanging noodles on your ears," (Russian for "I'm not pulling your leg").

Also fascinating was a chapter on how the meanings of English words have transformed over the centuries. Did you know that nice originally meant foolish, ignorant or senseless, bully meant darling or sweetheart, and silly meant happy or blessed?

This book comes highly recommended by the Avantpage team, This fun collection of idioms is guaranteed to elicit a smile from linguists, writers, editors, translators, and language lovers from all walks of life.

At Avantpage, our project management team is indispensible. We thought we'd take a moment to reveal just what our PMs are responsible for and why they're so critical to our success.

At Avantpage, our project managers are the liaison between our clients and translators. They are responsible for ensuring that projects progress smoothly, that everyone is on the same page when it comes to expectations, and that communication between all project team members and client representatives is flowing freely.

What are the characteristics our project managers share? For starters, the ability to think on their feet and change focus midstride is paramount. Add to that, a knack for solving problems in an instant, staying calm during crises and the ability to handle multiple requests without breaking a sweat.

Project managers for Avantpage are familiar with all aspects of language translation, customer service, billing issues, and technical support. They act as troubleshooters, expert communicators, quality control specialists, production coordinators, sales support, and tech advisors. 

Our project management team is responsible for assessing and distributing workloads, organizing client meetings, monitoring performance and productivity, organizing training and support for team members, communicating client needs to the translation team, overseeing AvantForum, AvantFlow, AvantMemory and other translation technology tools, ensuring that processes and procedures remain cost-effective throughout the life of a project, and keeping tabs on quality issues. Our PMs keep your projects on track, on target and moving forward, every step of the way!

To find out more about Avantpage's PM team, call 877-ANY-LANG or email info@avantpage.com today!