Ipad Translation Tool. Really?

Ever wondered what you would do with a portable translation tool? No, this is not a machine translation app. Well, wonder no more. Wordfast has launched Anywhere, the first professional translation memory software application that allows you to translate on the iPad. It is the largest cloud-based translation environment, which is also the fastest growing, there have been approximately 7,000 users since it's launch about 4 months ago. 

Moreover, the best aspect of Wordfast is that this new application is free and accessible to all translator. It also claims to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of the source content, and all TM content. It has a “software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model that allows you to use a translation memory without having to pre-install any software, instead you can just access the application via Safari web browser

Normally you would upload/download files in Wordfast using your main computer. Now, you can translate files (DOC, PPT, PDF, etc.) that are available from the net - by simply using a URL provided by and LSP or client. Once translation is complete, the translated file can be temporarily stored on Wordfast server for three days. You can for example, inform a client or a Project Manager that the file is available, by just providing the URL. 

This makes it possible to complete a full job with an iPad, from source file upload to the delivery of the translated file (using a full suite of Translation Memory, glossaries, Machine Translation, etc.), without ever dealing with a local hard disk. You can of course log into WFA from your main computer at any time to upload or download files. With Apple's external keyboard  the translation experience is the same as on any other computer. 

Some of the key features:

• Work in groups and collaborate with other translators. You can set permissions to share memories and work together online
• Perform automatic translation integrated and compatible with a wide variety of file types.
• Aligning source and target texts for different languages, and create parallel texts from a translation memory. 

In short, this application allows you to do virtually everything needed to perform the task of translation. This makes translation more accessible to would-be translators.  The limitations of exposing your TM and confidentiality come into question, and this might be a big risk for larger LSPs and their clients, but for small scale translators and small businesses that have in-house employee translators, this could be an easy accessible solution to using a translation memory tool.

ICD has Moved

We moved into our new office this week:


International Communication by Design, Inc.
13040 West Lisbon Road, Suite 600
Brookfield, WI 53005
Ph# 262-781-1644
Fax# 262-781-1654


We are excited to begin a new chapter in our company's history. 

ICD's New Home

International Communication by Design, Inc (ICD) is excited to announce that we are moving! For the past 19 years, ICD has been located in the  “Fortress Building” in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Due to sustained growth, ICD will relocate to a larger more advanced facility in Brookfield, Wisconsin by October 15, 2010. 

Here’s our new contact information:

International Communication By Design, Inc.

13040 West Lisbon Road, Suite 600

Brookfield, Wisconsin 53005

Phone: 262-781-1644

Fax: 262 -781-1654

translate@icdtranslation.com

www.icdtranslation.com

We are delighted to move into a larger space, adding more staff, and implementing new technologies to better serve you and improve your presence in the Global Market Place.  We’d love to show you our new facility the next time you’re in the Milwaukee area.

Together we can Translate To Evolve^SM.

ICD is Moving Soon

ICD will be moving its headquarters from Milwaukee to Brookfield, WI. We'll be moving to a larger more advanced facility in an effort to expand our presence in the industry. Our new address will be posted soon. I'll also post some pictures of our new facility once it's ready.

ICD in the Milwaukee Business Journal

Recently, Catherine Deschamps-Potter, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and one of the founders of ICD, was profiled in the Milwaukee Business Journal.


She talked about how trade agreements, international politics and the worldwide economic recession have wrought huge changes to the global marketplace in the last 20 years, and how one thing has remained clear throughout: The U.S. economy will grow increasingly dependent on the global economy in years to come. This outlines the basic importance of Translation Service Providers.

Photos form Recent Shows in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Las Vegas

Here are recent photos from Trade Shows where ICD was an exhibitor.

MWTA Trade Days: Milwaukee

ASTD: Chicago

AEM Exhibitor Education Meeting: Las Vegas

ICD's Experience at the AEM Exhibitor Education Meeting

AEM Exhibitor Education Meeting, May 18th-19th, 2010

Danielle and Catherine attended this meeting as ICD sponsored the AEM vendors meeting, and is the  chosen vendor for CONEXPO translations. Here is Danielle's insights on the meeting:

The CONEXPO Trade Show can appear quite daunting at first glance: In March 2011, over 2,000 exhibitors from countries all over the world will come together for a five day trade show in Las Vegas. During the 2008 CONEXPO show, over 144,600 industry professionals representing 28,000 companies attended the show. Come to think of it, even after a second or third glance, the CONEXPO is still an imposing figure. How does a company prepare to exhibit at a show of this magnitude?
This is exactly the question that The AEM Exhibitor Education Meeting sought to answer for its attendees. Over the course of two days, industry professionals and trade show analysts provided seminars on a diverse range of topics, such as marketing, booth design and how to create the best return on investment. However, two topics seemed to be the underlying message of the show: the importance of branding your company, and the need to create a goal or objective for your company experience at CONEXPO.
Branding your company into a unique entity within your industry is essential to stand out in a tradeshow of 2,000+ exhibitors. Creating a Branding Proposition for your company means promoting your company not just as “the best of the best,” but instead as the only company that does what you do. How will we stand apart as different than our top 3 competitors at the show? To do this, we will need to create a brand that goes deeper than great quality, low prices and excellent customer service, and instead look at what makes us unique and memorable within the industry.
It is also important to have an explicit goal or objective for exhibiting at CONEXPO. Without a clear objective, it becomes too easy to be swept up into the enormity of the CONEXPO show. Before the show, staff will need to be trained on how to accomplish our goals, the booth will need to be designed to best reflect our objective, and marketing materials will need to be sent out that will aid our goals. During the show, every action the company takes should be working towards our final goal. After the show, a thorough analysis and reflection will need to be taken to make sure all of our efforts were used to accomplish our goals for CONEXPO. March 2011 may seem like a long way off, but every moment of planning will be essential to create a positive experience for International Communication by Design at CONEXPO.