Spanish Variant to Choose for Website Translation

November 5th, 2008 Amir

No widely spoken language is spoken the same everywhere, US and UK English, French and, to a larger extent, Spanish. Each region it is spoken in adds their own flavour to it, changing accents, meanings of words and grammatical constructions.

This results is what may sometimes seem like a completely new language. Volado – Spanish past perfect of fly. Are you sure? In Columbia it means angry, in El Salvador it is an object. So how do we request a translation and ensure the document will be easily read by Spanish speakers from so many different parts of the world?

There is no correct or better Spanish; we simply try to use a Spanish which is comprehensible to all, despite what is spoken in a particular region day to day. Man rather than lad, guy, dude or bro. This concept of a standard Spanish variation has not surprisingly been named “Neutral Spanish”.
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Turkey: Business is a Personal Affair

September 29th, 2008 Alina

To round up our series of articles on Turkey, we are no exploring business etiquette after having provided some insight into marketing challenges and interesting sectors to do business in. Thinking of business as a personal matter will help you to better understand Turks, their strategies and their customs.

While very similar to European and North American business practices, Turkish etiquette comes with its very own Asian and Islamic flavors, making the whole business experience an interesting yet sometimes challenging process.

Istanbul University

Building Relationships

The first thing you should forget about when coming to Turkey is extensive personal spaces. From the table settings in restaurants to the closeness people practice when talking, everything is a bit more intimate than foreigners are used to. You should try to adapt and see it more as friendliness and openness than prying into the other conversation.

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Marketing Challenges: Turkey

September 16th, 2008 Alina

Are you by any chance thinking of expanding your business and conquering the Turkish market? Good choice, indeed! The economy is growing, they have strong companies, which translates into great business partners and they are implementing all modern technologies at a fast rate. To support the business growth, they are working on a great infrastructure: from building roads to making the visa process easy and to adapting to all potential customers or partners (learning new languages, keeping themselves informed, organizing huge industry events).

There are a few challenges however. Strong competition is the most important one, the local companies’ great skills to adapt to what customers demand, their drive to stay connected with what they need and a long tradition of trading, negotiating and offering high class services only add to the list.

Istanbul Shops

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Doing Business Abroad: Japan

August 26th, 2008 Amir

Being successful in a different country than your own requires to quickly adapt to the customs, rules and culturally bound rituals of that particular country. Understanding those you negotiate with, showing them the proper deference can do wonders in boosting your market success.

Mount Fiji, japan

Japan is one of the countries where doing business is a true art for any gaijin (foreigner). Everything follows a certain ritual, everything one thought is normal behavior isn’t, things generally considered impolite are subject to every day conversation. Learning enough about the Japanese culture to do business in this part of the world takes lots of time and dedication.

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