In 2009, we will be with you again. No matter what.
For this reason, we decided to share this beautiful video clip of the ‘Playing for Change’ project. A group of musicians gathered to bring peace to the world through music. Maybe this is what we most need at the moment, right? Check this out:
Ccaps will take a break for the holidays but will return on January 5.
Happy 2009!!!
Sorry, no English version of this post.
Click here if you would like to read it in Portuguese.
When someone asks an engineer for some technical help, they usually say: “right now, really quick.” It is not unusual to take these “small technical favors” for granted; we often think they are very simple – until we take a closer look at them.
It all starts when one approaches the maintenance person and says, “Could you fix this problem right now, really quick? It was just a tiny little pipe that broke.” In fact, the “tiny, little pipe” broke because there was too much pressure on it, since there is another part that was bent. This was caused by yet another part that is way on the back, difficult to reach. When the technician takes a closer look at the whole structure, he find out that what was causing the problem was a set of interconnected parts, one causing the other to malfunction and all need replacement.
Although the situation may sound a bit fanciful, this is exactly what happens in most cases. The real problem is not what is right in front of your eyes, but rather something much more complex affecting the apparently obvious problem.
If the repair is to be done “right now, really quick,” the problem will persist — before you would expect. Not to mention that, as the service was done in a hurry, some details were overlooked and crucial aspects may have been ignored.
This is what happens with almost every one: mechanics, electricians and computer technicians and… localization engineers!
A simple Word or PDF file can have way more details than it seems at first glance, especially when it comes to engineering procedures, which involve format conversions, file preparations or more complex tasks. At this stage, 80% of the potential problems that could affect the project appear—these are the worst and most complicated ones. This is when you realize that the automated task that would take five minutes is not working and doing it manually will require 25 hours!
To make matters worse, we often only receive the file at 6 p.m., on the day the client should be receiving it. After all, the procedure would take just five minutes, the client delayed the file handoff (which should be much smaller than the actual batch received), the translator forgot a tiny detail, and the reviewer was working on another small, but urgent project and so on… For all these minute details, the project was not received earlier. By now you have an idea of how big the problem is.
There are other situations when the client sends a Flash file, with audio, written in English with very small fonts to fit on the screen and says that the file is due in three days, “It’s only a few words. And we’re just going to translate to German, Arabic and Japanese.” When the client was supposed to receive the files, one finds a little problem that is going to delay the handback in just a couple of hours. But then another little problem arises. And another one… The actual delivery one happens three days after the due date.
This attitude makes it difficult for the team to devise potential problems, stresses the whole production group, reduces quality and frustrates the client. Next time, think twice before asking your colleague from the engineering department to complete a task “right now, really quick.”
Have you ever felt down? Last week I was feeling that way, with depressive ideas and thinking about giving up. But I suddenly remembered a movie I had seen when I was in college from which I had learnt a lot.
Do you remember the movie Chicken Run? If you have not seen it yet, run to the nearest store and rent it as it is really motivating. The story is set in a poultry farm in Northern England in the 1950s. Chickens are in captivity, dreaming with their freedom. Ginger, the leader of the herd, tries several ways to escape with her chicken friends, but to no avail.
However, her vision, commitment and persistence eventually change the course of things. When the herd is about to escape, a deceitful rooster named Rocky enters the scene and convinces the chickens he is able to fly and teaches them how they can use this ability to escape. The story goes on, but I will not spoil it for you.
The film makes us reflect on the story and compare it with our personal and professional lives. The chickens had a leader to motivate them. I found my motivation by remembering the movie.
After watching the movie, my willingness to improve myself and keep on trying was renewed. I realized there is no better time to set new plans and goals other than the beginning of a new year, which is just around the corner.
Today I am feeling fresh, full of new goals and willing to make things happen. Because every day I learn that, if you want to achieve something in our life, you must persevere in this pursuit and never give up, no matter how many obstacles or difficulties will come along the way.
Therefore, the message I want to leave for you today is “Never give up!”
Last week, Wandrianne and I attended an event organized by MultiLingual magazine and the Localization Institute in beautiful Buenos Aires. The first event in Latin America of Localization World, the successful series of biannual events occurring in the US and Europe that became the biggest attraction for industry professionals.
Localization Latin America also managed to bring together relevant regional figures (localization entrepreneurs and professionals from Brazil, Argentina, Guatemala, Uruguay and Chile), and consultants, experts and representatives from major global localization buyers such as Oracle, VMware and Microsoft.
I was invited by the organizing committee and had the pleasure to share a panel with other important figures of the industry. Renato Beninatto, from Common Sense Advisory, moderated the session and has already published an unmissable post about the event in his corporate blog.
Here is a picture of part of the group after the opening dinner.
Localization friends about to go bar hopping
