Susanne Evens in BusinessWeek: How to Reach Customers in China
Before you invest any time or energy into an international project, make sure you have a real shot at attracting overseas customers, advises Susanne Evens, founder and president of AAA Translation, in an article that appeared last month in BusinessWeek (written by columnist Karen Klein), titled "How to Translate Your Website to Reach Customers in China."
How a "Little" Translation Mistake Can Lead to a $71 Million Blunder
We've all heard the saying, "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional, try hiring an amateur," and most of us can tell stories about how, in our personal or professional lives, this has rung true. Yet, in the foreign language translation and interpretation field, we see professional organizations working with amateurs all the time and how their "little" translation mistakes can lead to big blunders that cost companies a bundle!
$71 Million Mistake. One example given in a recent article by linguist Akira Okrent relays the story of Willie Ramirez, who was admitted to a Florida hospital in a comatose state. His family thought he had food poisoning, but they only spoke Spanish. Translation was provided by a bilingual staff member who translated "intoxicado" as "intoxicated." A professional interpreter would have known that "intoxicado" is closer to "poisoned." The doctors proceeded as if he suffered an intentional drug overdose, and because of the delay in treatment, Ramirez was left quadriplegic. He received a $71 million malpractice settlement.
What They're Saying...
"Translations, for us, are usually very time-sensitive. I can count on AAA Translation for both promptness and accuracy. They are a pleasure to work with."
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We recently translated Premier Proteins' food brochures into Korean, Chinese and Japanese. They service retail and distribution markets of specialty meat throughout the U.S and world.
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