?? A Little Love goes Along Way ?? February Newsletter 2023 ??
Luciana Scrofani Green
Italian<>English Executive Interpreter | EWC Support Specialist | Building Cross-Cultural Relationships in Global Business | End-to-End Management of High Visibility Stakeholders |Partnered with @The Presence Group
Happy February to all my clients and colleagues!
For me, the shortest month brings with it many joys, including slightly longer days, and of course St Valentine’s Day.
In Italy, February is an important month as it brings the fabulous?Carnival in Venice. This year, it runs from Saturday 11th February for ten days, and it’s no exaggeration to say it’s the biggest event of the year in Venice.
Barilla is one of the world’s biggest producers of pasta. As an Italian, I was delighted to see pasta gurus, Barilla’s new, cute, heart-shaped pasta kits, especially designed for?Valentine’s Day.
On another fun note,?National Pizza Day?is on Thursday 9th February.
This much-loved dish can be traced back to 10th century Naples, where a simple flatbread spread with sauce and sprinkled with cheese became popular. What we know today as the pizza margherita was invented somewhat later in 1889 by Raffaele Esposito.
I’m sad to report that Italy recently lost the Guinness World Record for the?world’s largest pizza?– held since 2012 – to a team from Pizza Hut in the USA. The new pizza, made on 18th January, spanned almost 14,000 square feet and stretched across the Los Angeles Convention Centre. Pizza Hut CEO David Graves assured the world that the huge pizza would not go to waste, and that slices would be distributed to local food banks.
I hope you all have a wonderful month, whether pasta or pizza-filled or not, and enjoy the sentiments and happiness that February brings.
The Language of Love
As St Valentine’s Day approaches, I find myself pondering on the potential disasters I’ve seen?when translation goes wrong. As a translator, I’ve witnessed some shocking, translation fails when people rely on tools like?Google Translate.
I always recommend using a professional translator to make sure your marketing campaign – or love letter! – strikes the right tone. Getting it wrong could invoke the opposite emotion intended, or cause huge embarrassment, and even damage, to your business brand.
We’re here to help with your translation requirements, and we’ll make sure you’re always on message.
17th February is Random Acts of Kindness Day
To mark this special date, I’m looking back on the occasion when I provided Italian and English consecutive interpreting for?Betty Williams, Nobel Peace Prize winner, at a UNICEF event.
Betty was co-awarded the prize in recognition of her work as co-founder of Community of Peace People in Northern Ireland.
What few people know is that she also had strong ties with Italy. One of her initiatives led to the creation of the Fondazione Città della Pace (City of Peace for Children Foundation) in the Municipalities of Sant’Arcangelo and Scanzano Jonico.
This Foundation has a mission to provide hospitality, information and integration services. This allows those forced to flee their homes to contribute to the development of the local community which welcomes them.
I like to commemorate Betty with one of her quotes:
“To say that on a daily basis you can make a difference, well, you can. One act of kindness a day can do it.”
21st February – International Mother Language Day
The 21st February marks?International Mother Language Day. Approved at the UNESCO General Conference in 1999, and observed annually ever since, the day serves to highlight the threat to linguistic diversity, as more and more languages disappear every year.
Here are some quick language facts:
? More than 7,100 languages are spoken worldwide.
? At an astonishing 800, Papua New Guinea holds the record as the country with the most languages.
? Only 300 languages have a written form, according to the latest estimates.
? 9 languages a year, or one every 40 days, cease to be spoken, according to Language Conservancy. By 2080, this will have risen to 16 languages per year. And by the middle of the next century, we can expect to be losing our linguistic heritage at the rate of 26 languages each year – one every two weeks.
The Power of the Multilingual Blog
Businesses that blog attract 55% more website visitors and 97% more inbound links than those that don’t. This makes me think about the power of promoting ourselves and putting our thoughts out there. Blogging is a great way to show our customers more about who we are and how we work.
This is why getting your blog posts translated into other languages is so valuable. And it’s certainly not something you should rely on tools like Google for. With thought pieces in particular, you need to be able to rely on a translator with the language skills to convey your meaning and translate idioms and slang text as well as business speak. Only then can you be sure that your true, intended meaning doesn’t get ‘lost in translation’.
Adding a high-quality multilingual blog will widen your target audience and increase your website traffic. It will also give you new content to add to your SEO rating, because Google sees translations as new content. At?One Stop Language Solutions, we’re ready to help with all your translation requirements.
领英推荐
From good to great – what skills define a top-class interpreter?
When the marketplace seems saturated with qualified individuals offering a similar service, how do you know which is the best?
If you have an important meeting coming up, or a conference attended by hundreds of your valued clients, you’ll need to be confident that all of your suppliers are at the top of their game.
Here are a few ways to help you pick the top of the crop:
1. Look for industry qualifications.?Certification or accreditation from an institution like CIOL or IAPTI is clear evidence that an interpreter is committed to their profession, skilled to a high standard, and has the credentials to do your job well. And make sure you verify any certifications your interpreter claims.
2. Read their testimonials and don’t be afraid to ask for references.?Good interpreters will be happy to share their testimonials. I like to share mine on my website and Instagram feed. I’m also happy to refer prospects to my existing clients when they want to take their own reference.
3. Check your interpreter has experience in your field.?While many interpreters have superb language skills, finding one who knows your industry’s terminology will give you extra value. That specialist knowledge along with the language skills and maybe even a familiarity with the structure of your session that the right interpreter can bring, will turn your event from good to great. I list the fields I work in on my website. Check that your interpreter knows your industry before committing to them.
4. What is their offering??Do they go the extra mile? Some interpreters (myself included!) will leave no stone unturned when looking after their client and delivering an excellent service. Perhaps you need your meeting minutes translated after the event, or a follow-up email? A great interpreter will offer those additional services. And they may be proactive enough to suggest them if you haven’t thought of them yourself. Never settle for ‘good’.
I’m excited about these Zoom updates that will make it even easier to provide online interpreting.
Check out?Zoom’s release notes, and update your Zoom app to visualise those changed.
Do you have a Google Business Profile?
If you don’t, then it’s worth spending a few minutes setting one up.
It is such an easy way to put your business on the map!
Creating a profile is so easy. Just head to?Google Business Profile?to get the ball rolling.
You don’t have to give your business address if you’d rather keep this hidden. But adding in your opening hours, providing a short description of your business, and asking customers to leave reviews will all increase your SEO rating and build your credibility as a business.
It is quick, simple and the best part is that it’s totally free!
If you’re interested, here’s mine!
That's all for this month.
I hope you have a wonderful February and enjoy all that the month brings.
Feel free to contact me for any?interpreting?and?translation?requirements, big or small.
I can work to tight deadlines if necessary, and my services are always delivered within the agreed timeframe.
What would you like to read about in my next newsletter?
Thank you so much for reading, and as always, if you have a friend or colleague who might also like to receive this newsletter, then do point them in my direction.
Come and join me on my socials, and let’s stay connected!