Workforce Language Services

Businesses are starting to see huge profit from Twitter users. Dell, for example, earned $3 million worth of internet sales from their Twitter followers, and companies like Zappos, Whole Foods, and JetBlue are also on top of the Twitter game. The social networking tool is a great way to let customers know about special offers and company news in real time.

In light of the new phenomenon, a Global Watchtower article asks an important question: how can companies communicate to their customers in foreign languages?

They discuss three methods: regular translation, crowdsourced translation, and machine translation. They also suggest repurposing material already translated for local markets into Tweet form.

You should know a few things before you start translating your Tweets. First, not all translations are created equal. Professional translation providers, for example, should provide an accurate and idiomatic reflection of the original text so that your customers get the message right away. Machine translators (or non-native speaking translators), on the other hand, are notorious for botching your business buzz. Nothing sells worse than an idea that doesn’t make sense.

Read the full post here.

We can help! Contact us to ask about our Twitter specials. WLS can translate your Tweets at bulk rate pricing, without rush charges or minimum fees.  And follow WLS on Twitter! wdapn9c2ij

A Cafe Magazine article talks about the progress of dual-language schools in Chicago, and benefits their students are receiving.

To clarify: dual-language education is one of several approaches to bilingual education. Unlike ESL or transitional bilingual learning, the dual-language method teaches both English and Spanish to both English and Spanish native speakers. “Dual-language learning emphasizes the idea that English and Spanish are equal languages and that there is not a movement from a lesser language to a better language, but that both are beneficial to learning.”

St. Procopius Elementary protects the native language by teaching about 90% of the day in Spanish in Kindergarten, and progress to a 50/50 model by third grade. The school’s goal is to graduate completely bilingual and bicultural students.

Another dual-language model is Chicago Public Schools’ Inter American Magnet School, opened 30 years ago on the North Side.

Acting Principal Susan Kilbain states that the school’s program benefits all students. In a school of 650 students, about half of the students do not speak Spanish before entering the program. All teachers are bilingual and, unlike St. Procopius, it does not reach the 50/50 point until seventh and eighth grade. “It’s a very successful program,” Kilbain says. “It’s a schoolwide commitment.”

Dual-language education faces one problem: convincing parents, especially second and third generation Latinos who see a stigma associated with the Spanish language, that there is a benefit to being bilingual. Research aside, many parents tend to discourage learning Spanish.

Click here to read the full article.