I'm please to announce that we signed up several members since the conference in San Francisco (we now publish the names in the Weekly Update so I won't reprint them here). Welcome to you all and I hope you'll extend the value of your membership by joining a committee this month. If you need more information on your options, please call me.
 
Speaking of the conference, our congratulations to Rick Antezana for producing a successful event-and that includes success in the financial area. Many associations are experiencing problems with their conferences this year, owing largely to the economy. However, our event was profitable. That's very important to the ALC; our budget depends on a substantial contribution from this event to supplement the dues we receive. These funds pay for many of the programs you enjoy as members.

On behalf of Randy Morgan, thanks to those Active members who participated in the 2008 Industry Survey. This is an increasingly important project for the ALC--so much so that recently the Board of Directors created a separate standing committee for it, with Randy the inaugural chair. Look for the results in September. If you would like the opportunity to review the results in a webinar format, send an email to info@alcus.org and I'll pass your comment along to Randy.

Finally, thanks to those members that responded to our request for information for an article in a newspaper about telephonic interpreting for travelers. I'm proud to say that our member, Language Translation, Inc., of San Diego, was included in the article, which appeared in The Wall Street Journal. Although we speak with local and national reporters often, this is a PR first for the ALC, and one we hope will be repeated. We have an ongoing PR program designed to raise awareness of the industry and all its services. Your help when called upon is essential to getting the word out that the language services industry is growing and an increasingly important tool for many segments of the American economy.

So, when we ask for your help, please respond promptly. You, too, might wind up on the pages of America's most influential newspapers!

By Doug Strock
 
Machine Translation has existed since the 1960's in early forms.  In fact, the entire set of manuals for the Sputnik spacecraft were done by MT from Russian to English using SYSTRAN software. One of the crusaders in the field, Mr. James Mentele, is a retired Information Scientist from Dow Corning (the only person to ever earn that title).
 
Ms. Hei-Kyong King, founder of GLTaC, was instrumental in adding the Korean language vocabulary text to the SYSTRAN software language set, largely through the funding of Dow Corning.
 
So when it comes to understanding MT, even those with a strong pool of knowledge to draw upon, are constantly modifying processes to find better ways of doing MT and to make the process more efficient.
 
The old computer axiom of "Garbage In, Garbage Out" is very applicable to MT, perhaps more so. Poor quality text input is guaranteed to give you even worse output.
 
Most people, including sophisticated MT customers, think MT is a breeze--a mere press of the magic button and out pops translated text. If this were so, everyone would be doing it.
 
The reality is quite different and the number of variables that affect the quality of the output is huge. Pick up any document on the internet today and you will find it replete with spelling and grammar errors (thanks to our failing education system and text messaging.) Spell checkers aren't any help. Writing style, terminology, how often dictionaries are updated, words out of context, slang, new vocabulary, all combine to throw a wrench into MT.
 
So you may want to enter the field and feel you can overcome the technical hurdles, but the real question is, "Can you make a profit at it?"
 
This is a great question and one you need to study carefully because you will find that professional translators hate MT with a passion and most want nothing to do with it. So having professional translators review MT documents is generally a dead end.
 
MT quality varies greatly by tool and language pair, so a large amount of time and energy goes into evaluations and comparisons of MT software to determine which provides the best output for a specific language pair or subject domain. One size does not fit all.
 
The trends in MT are for faster turnaround and lower cost, with Google and others looking to offer significant capability at no charge. A good explanation of the Google MT approach can be found here. Will MT ever replace Human Translation (HT)? No. Language is too complex and no computer will ever equal the human brain. But as the volume of information grows, and the percentage of that information in languages other than English expands, MT will play a role to make better decisions more efficiently.
 
Doug Strock is the Vice President in charge of IT and Marketing for Global Language Translations and Consulting, Inc., located in Midland, MI and can be reached at djstrock@gltac.com.
 
 
QUOTE
"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go."
 

By Jeffrey Gitomer
 
The Benjamin Franklin Close (also known as "The Balance Sheet Close") is one of the classic old time sales tactics used to close a sale. Never heard of it? Shame on you. Not enough sales training.
 
The scenario is this: You've made your presentation, but the prospect is on the fence and won't make up his or her mind. You've tried everything, but can't get them to budge.
 
Then you say, "Benjamin Franklin was one of our wisest citizens. Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Johnson?" (Get prospect's agreement.) "Whenever he was faced with a decision, and he had some pretty big ones back then, he would take a plain piece of paper, draw a line down the middle, and put a plus (+) on one half, and a minus (-) on the other."
 
"In his genius he discovered that by listing all the positive elements on the plus side of the paper, and the negative things on the minus side, the decision would become obvious. Pretty sound concept, agreed?" (Get prospect's agreement.)
 
"Let me show you how it works. Since you're having a tough time deciding, lets list the benefits--some of the reasons you may want to purchase. Then we'll list the negatives. Fair enough?" (Get prospect's agreement.)
 
Now you list every good thing about your product or service. Get the prospect to say most of them. What the prospect says will be the main points of interest to him. Take your time to develop a complete list. THEN YOU SAY: "Okay, let's list the negatives." Hand the pen to the prospect and push the list towards him. Don't say a word. The prospect will typically think of responses having to do with price or affordability.
 
In theory, this sounds like a good way to close a sale.
 
There's one big problem with the Benjamin Franklin Close. Its old world selling that doesn't work AND annoys the buyer. Try that close on someone who has ever taken a sales course, and it's an insult.
 
The reality of the sale is -- the prospect has already made up his mind -- he's just not telling you.
 
Should you forget it and never use the Ben Franklin Close? Heck no! Just use the Ben Franklin principle in a different way. Do what Ben would have done. Figure out a new way, a better way, and use it.
 
Here's a powerful new way to re-use this classic close. Use it on yourself--before you make the sales call. Use it as a preparation tool. Use it as a strategizing device. Use it to get ready to make a big sale.
 
Get a plain piece of paper (or your laptop), and draw a line down the middle of the page.
 
On the plus side:

• List the prospect's main needs.
• List the questions you want to ask.
• List the benefits and main points you want to cover.
• List one or two personal things in common to discuss.
• List the decision maker(s).
• List why you believe they will buy.

On the minus side:

• List the reasons why the prospect may not buy--and your responses.
• List the obstacles you may have to overcome.

Now you're ready to make the sale, and Ben helped you.
If you use the Ben Franklin Close on yourself before you go in to make the sale, then you can ask the buyer intelligent closing questions. Questions that might lead with the phrases: What are the major obstacles, or What would prevent you from,  or Is there any reason not to proceed with?
 
Try this new version of an old classic. Close yourself before you make the sale. Ben would be proud. So will your boss.
 
I think it was Franklin who said, "A close in time saves nine -- objections," but history has distorted it for the people who knit. Pity.
 
Jeffrey Gitomer, author of The Sales Bible and The Little Red Book of Selling, is the President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer. He gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts Internet training programs on selling and customer service at www.trainone.com. He can be reached by phone (704-333-1112) or email (salesman@gitomer.com).

 
QUOTE
"I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."

By Rick Antezana
 
Mary Majkowski asked me to put together a piece for the newsletter regarding working in a family business; and when Mary asks, you don't say no. In other words, I was happy to oblige my esteemed colleague.
 
Let's start with some basic info: I'm Rick Antezana, VP of Dynamic Language, a family-owned Language Service Provider that has been in business in the Seattle area since 1985.
 
As I've gotten to know ALC members through conferences and other association activities, it's apparent that this particular affliction - that of participating in a business with other family members - is something I have in common with many, many other ALC colleagues. Some of us apparently enjoy the experience much more than others, and I'm happy to count myself among the fortunate few who don't ponder fratricide on a daily basis.
 
Here's more information on our company to give you some background:  Dynamic was originally formed in 1985 by my parents.  My father, Ricardo, worked for 20+ years in the airline industry, and my mother, Maria Teresa, was the director for the Seattle branch of a language school. The decision to start their own business wasn't an easy one, but they jumped in head first and tried to capitalize on the potential they saw in the language industry. My older sister, Sandy, was recruited to work for the company early on in its development while she was still attending college at the University of Washington. Similarly, after my first year of college, I began working part time for Dynamic.  And now, almost 25 years after the company was created, we have over 30 full time employees.
 
So, what works and what doesn't? In my humble opinion, a perfect world would include clearly defined roles and responsibilities for each family member. In reality, though, life in a small business dictates that most of us have to wear a lot of hats to ensure that things get done. On the "what does not work" side, the list starts with bringing personal baggage and history into the office. Unfortunately, Sandy and I have both suffered our share of embarrassing anecdotes being shared with the staff.  Something that works well is strong leadership from up top. And by that, I mean even-handed, clear definition of tasks, and clear delegation, especially to family members.  Easy to do?  No, but worth the effort.
 
Luckily, we collectively realize how fortunate we are with this opportunity to work together, and we'll continue to try and apply the lessons we've learned over the years, hopefully for generations to come. Speaking of which, I'm happy to report that as of this summer, we have three generations of the family involved at Dynamic!
 
Rick Antezana is VP of Dynamic Language based on Seattle, WA and can be reached at Rick@DynamicLanguage.com.