We already know that professional language services like translation and localization are imperative for reaching foreign markets, but what about those languages which are less-commonly translated? Could minority languages also offer major branding opportunities? Well, in the words of Nelson Mandela: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” Very little can be added, right? Let’s cle

Did you know that 82% of all internet traffic will be video content by 2022? Yes, video is exploding, and maybe more customers could be watching your videos. But how? Well, with videos being on their way to become the most important communication medium globally, it is essential to have engaging video content tailored to specific audiences. And there is where translation plays a big part. Thanks to video translation, you could be reaching a bigger audience. But that’s not all

Today at YOKO we aim to appreciate the importance of the language with the largest number of native speakers in the European Union… Any guesses? Yes, the German language has played a vital role for centuries in Europe and on the world stage, and it is spoken approximately by 130 million people around the world (as mother tongue or functional second language.) German plays a vital role for economy too – Germany, the most populous nation in the European Union, is one of the top

Museums and cultural institutions everywhere recognize the diversity of their audiences, and in order to excite and inform visitors about their exhibits, they are going above and beyond to become more inclusive and accessible in every way while adapting to changing times. This is the case, for example, of those institutions which take advantage of technologies like apps, QR codes, geolocation, specialized websites or even augmented reality, but also of those who provide audio

Communication barriers can lead to a variety of problems in countless occasions. But had you ever thought about the importance of avoiding communication errors between a healthcare practitioner and patient when one or both are speaking a second language? The primary task of a medical interpreter is to bridge the communication gap between patients and healthcare providers to make sure that the patients are given accurate diagnoses and prescribed the right medication and treatm

Did you know Portuguese is the most widely spoken language in the southern hemisphere? Yes, that’s right, the Portuguese language is one of the most widespread languages… it has a presence in almost all of the continents! Thanks to this strong geographical projection, Portuguese is destined to increase. In fact, there’s a demand for Portuguese Language Experts in various sectors such as accounts, technology, technical support, finance, exports, tourism and education. Here som

The translation and interpreting industry is wide and demanding, and usually falls victim to plenty of myths and misconceptions. Some time ago we decided to debunk three myths about translation and interpreting, and now we are here to cover in depth three new misconceptions. MYTH #1: You can get accurate translations online for free FACT: Sometimes urgency leads us to use some virtual tools the Internet offers and, no doubt, they offer quick solutions to our problems. And yes

There is no doubt that adapting existing products to new markets through translation and localization management is key for global growth – the ability to expand a company’s potential customer base is crucial. What is not so easy, however, is to draw up a solid business localization strategy: what type of localization service you need or whether localizing software products is important or not may be the questions that come up to your mind if you are planning to launch your p

Deeply rooted in history and establish as an official language of the United Nations in 1946, the Chinese language stretches to the corners of the world and continues to fascinate people for its uniqueness and richness. UN duty stations around the world celebrate six separate days, each dedicated to one of the Organization's six official languages. Today, as every April 20 since 2010, it’s UN Chinese Language day! Along with the UN, at YOKO we want to pay tribute to this genu

Tourism represents development opportunities, promotes solidarity and understanding beyond borders around the world, while domestic tourism also helps to foster cohesion within nations. The global success of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry can only be achieved if businesses manage to reach all customers, regardless of their native language. Hence translation plays a key role in ensuring the growth of this major sector in many countries economy. Usually, tourism i

In today’s increasingly global business landscape, the ability to connect with people from various cultures is key to creating strong business relationships. Additionally, employees interact with colleagues, customers and prospects from different parts of the world on a regular basis. What is not that easy, however, is to form a bond without understanding of cultural nuances. But why can’t the meeting just be hold in English? Why is culture so important? On the one hand, whil

Live, love, eat; there’s no doubt it, food lies at the heart of our cultural identity, it is the cornerstone of life. Gastronomy is the core of every culture and country worldwide, and believe it or not, cultural and culinary translation is one of the major areas of specialized translation. If you enjoy exploring different types of restaurants around the world, you may have noticed it is not so unusual for some restaurant owners to Google Translate the ingredients and names o

When international companies need to make their marketing campaigns, they must create assets that audiences in local markets are drawn to, just as audiences in their home markets are. However, launching a product globally is no easy task, and definitely not a case of translating content from one language to another. Take the computer-chip manufacturer Intel. The brand changed its successful slogan “Intel: Sponsors of Tomorrow” for the Brazilian markets. Why? Because research

From Cleopatra to Rosa Parks and Malala Yousafzai, the world --and our history-- is full of inspiring women whose PASSION, WORK and IMPACT in their community encourage us to follow a certain career path, choose a specific field of study, and become economically empowered. In all, they INSPIRE us. March 8th is a day to RETHINK the capability and contribution of women, and to remember all those women that empowered us. Having female role models can have an incredible influence

By helping businesses, companies and people all around the world communicate effectively, the language service sector is currently one of the most powerful up-and-coming industries. As the necessity for global communications continues to grow with the pace of international business, translation and interpreting services are on track to get even more popular. But have you ever wondered which are the industries that benefit most from these services? Let’s get a quick insight in

The UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) International Mother Language Day is celebrated on 21 February worldwide (every year since 2000) to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism and to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions based on understanding, tolerance, and dialogue. The phrase “mother language,” otherwise known as ''mother tongue'' refers to what we are taught at home from

Every language has its own ways of conveying particular meanings; words or phrases which are language-specific or culture-specific, or even specific to a particular dialect within a language. Just look at the English language for example. At a glance, it seems easy to grasp, but if we dive a little deeper, we’ll quickly discover that there are literally thousands of slang words and expressions which can cause real problems when attempting to make content relevant to other cul

When we usually think of the fashion industry, images of catwalks in Milan or Paris are usually pictured, even though that represents only a very small part of it. And what about fashion translation then? Is it actually all about translating clothes descriptions or interviews with models? The truth is that fashion transcends borders and languages. In fact, most of the global growth in fashion today is coming from emerging markets, and as emerging consumers begin to travel mor

French is one of the fastest growing languages in the world, and it has become quite essential for the global economy. In fact, it is not only one of the richest languages when it comes to its cultural presence, but it has laid its roots in a number of industries across the globe, making it a universal language. Want to discover why? Keep reading and enjoy some of the most interesting facts about the French language! 1. Did you know French is the official language of Senegal?

In today’s world, going into global markets represents a solid growth opportunities for companies. As a consequence, most companies understand the importance of making their websites accessible to people within different countries and therefore add different language options to their sites. It is clear then that new website visitors won’t stick around if they cannot understand the content. However, many companies make the mistake of gathering the text from their website and r