About Advocating Global
We write and invite experts to write in about global communication topics in healthcare, corporate communications and marketing, as well as best practices in localization and process management.
Aimed at supporting and building globally competent communication professionals with insight into the global communication strategies that lead to desired behavior and positive end-user outcomes.
Our topics may vary, but our focus is always on the advocacy for the communication professional; to empower them with the tools and best practices to be a global leader and make a difference….one communication by one communication.
The challenges of choosing languages for translation
A common theme has been crossing our desks a lot this summer: choosing languages for translation. Before you can begin selecting qualified translators, making efficient use of technology, or researching terminology, you must establish your source and your target...
Language requirements for conferences in Quebec
A recent project that crossed our desk has presented us with an interesting issue: language requirements for conferences in Quebec. We do a good amount of translation into Canadian French and have written about our experiences and the various regulations around the...
Chinese phonosemantic naming
In our work with linguistic screening of new product/company names that need to be evaluated by speakers of other languages/cultures, we are often asked to screen those names by a Chinese speaker but instead, we recommend Chinese phonosemantic naming. Because Chinese...
Strategies for translation of value formularies
Translation of value formularies and preferred drug lists may not be as straightforward as it seems. The formularies we translate most often have six components: Headings (examples: Drug Name, Tier) Classifications or groups (examples: antifungals, NSAIDs, proton pump...
Pros and cons of automatic dubbing
In March 2022, Google opened early access to their automatic dubbing program, Aloud, to a limited number of audiovisual (AV) content creators. Currently Aloud only translates into four languages, albeit four of the ten most spoken languages in the world (according to...
Priorities for Canadian French marketing translations
If you're looking for Canadian French marketing translations to expand to the Canadian market, you've come to the right place! The Canadian market is not entirely homogenous to the US market, and as large retailers have experienced in the past, it takes quite a bit of...
Don’t dilute your brand! Brand identity and translations
If you are managing global communications for your organization, you have to consider how your brand identity and translations of your global content impact each other. The centralization of brand messaging is the first step in creating a consistent brand identity....
Flip the Script! What you don’t know about the translation of audio scripts
When a translator is working on a translation of audio scripts for narration, they have to write for voiceover which has different requirements than writing for print. It’s usually good project management that guides the translator in this process to ensure that this...
International food packaging translation: a recipe for success
International food packaging translation is a bit like following a recipe: it must include the necessary ingredients in the correct proportions and prepared in a certain way. These “ingredients” will vary by market, which is a lesson that European grocery giant Tesco...
Why you should always hire a professional interpreter
We’ve applied the adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” to managing pain points in translation, but the same can be said for the decision to hire a professional interpreter or translator when you are working with someone who has limited English...