Monday, December 17, 2012

PLG Releases Press Release for Label Translation and Compliance Services

This month, PLG released a press release about its label translation and compliance services. Among media sites that picked up the press release include Yahoo! News and Stores Magazine (an online retailer magazine). As of today, the press release has been read by nearly 1,000 people.

To see the press release on Yahoo! News, visit the link below:

http://news.yahoo.com/precision-language-graphics-offers-label-translation-compliance-services-080623246.html

How do PLG Members Celebrate the Holidays?


PLG would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Above is our holiday e-card that we have created. Click the image above to see a bigger picture. From left to right are Raudel Caldera, Tina Ji, Eric Mora, Eric Zhang, Crista Busse, Helen Shi and Joanna Wong.

Also, the staff at PLG wanted to share some of their personal Christmas or holiday stories and memories with you. Read more below: 

Raudel
Like most Mexican-American families, Raudel’s family celebrated the Christmas holiday on Christmas Eve. As a kid, he has fond memories of waiting up until midnight to open gifts. His entire family would get together, and there would be so many people in the house that he says there wasn’t enough room. One of his favorite parts of Christmas is the traditional Mexican Christmas foods, such as tamales, ponche and buñuelos. 

Tina
Tina says that each year her family decorates the house and puts up a Christmas tree. The family all gets together and cooks a lot of delicious food and takes a family picture. Some of Tina’s friends in China are very interested in American holidays and traditions so for each big holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.) she sends pictures and tells them what kind of things we do over here to celebrate. This year she is sending a recording of her singing the song “Last Christmas” in English.

Eric Mora
Eric’s family also looks forward to the traditional Mexican Christmas foods each year. He celebrates Christmas Eve with his family, and goes to his girlfriend’s family’s house on Christmas day. One of his favorite parts of living in Chicago this time of year is driving through the city to see all the beautiful Christmas lights.

Eric Zhang
Eric Zhang didn’t celebrate Christmas growing up in China so he says that the traditions his family has are a result of living in America. They decorate the house and exchange gifts like many families. Because he doesn’t have extended family in the US, they take the time off to visit friends.

Crista
In Crista’s family, the entire extended family gets together on Christmas morning for breakfast. Then everyone sits in a big circle to open presents. Her grandmother hands out the presents, one at a time, with the help of the young members of the family. After presents are open, they all gather up to finish preparing dinner and have a huge meal. One thing her family is never short on at Christmas is food!

Helen
Along with Eric, Helen celebrates with their children. They exchange gifts as a family and find time to get together with friends. Helen says that Christmas is a nice time to relax and just enjoy the camaraderie of family and friends.

Johanna
In Joanna’s family, they start the day with her daughters coming to her house and opening presents as a family. Then the family goes to Burger King for breakfast every year. In the afternoon, they visit other family members and relax.

We hope you enjoyed getting a little peek into our Christmas traditions. We want to wish all our clients, suppliers and friends a very warm and happy holiday season, and happy New Year! We look forward to working with all of you and sharing more stories in 2013!

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Preparing for International Presence at Trade Shows

The 2012 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago reported that there were over 100,200 registrations, with visitors from 112 countries. The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas also boasted an attendance record of over 156,000 with an international attendance percentage of 22%. With an international presence like this, many U.S. businesses are becoming better prepared to provide their marketing materials in a foreign language. PLG’s Manager of Business Development, Eric Mora, is often surprised by the high turnout of foreign visitors. “When I’m walking around at trade shows, I hear so many different languages being spoken. Walk past one group, and they’re speaking Chinese; another, Spanish; another, Polish” Eric says.


One aspect of preparation for these shows that is often overlooked is translation of company literature in anticipation of the high volume of international visitors. With the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this January, many of the clients that we met last year have already been contacting PLG to prepare for the show.  Below is the most common type of materials that are translated before upcoming trade shows: 

  1. Bilingual Business cards – Have one side of your business card in English and the other in another language. Most common languages include Japanese, Arabic, Chinese Korean, Spanish and French. 
  2. Brochures – Translate your brochures to have out at your booth. If costs are a concern, you may want to only translate important or key information or brochures for your top products. 
  3. Slideshows or other sales materials – If you have a slideshow or other digital presentation at your booth, you may also want to translate that too.  Give your guests the option to receive a copy of the presentation as well, either through a CD or through e-mail. 
  4. Interpreting – If you are hoping to discuss business with a specific market or client, you may want to have an interpreter available with you.

By preparing for the international visitors at whichever trade show you will be attending you are showing that your company has a global presence interested in selling internationally. By presenting information in their native language, your customers will be able to absorb the message that you are trying to send. You may also have potential buyers out there that are going to go with you instead of one of your competitors because you have your materials translated when they do not.

Eric Mora has received some feedback from clients in regards to the benefits of translating company material.  “I actually had a client tell me that if they translate their software program into Arabic, they would have several buyers lined up who would act immediately if it’s available” Eric said. Being prepared could mean the difference between solidifying a sale and having the client walk away.

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