Ccaps Blog

New scientific research shows that our ability to spell could be directly related to our genes and not to our level of education or willingness to study.

A gene called KIAA0319 (they could have come up with a more creative name, don’t you think?) which lies on chromosome 6 of our DNA (just in case you were curious), is proving to be directly responsible for our ability to comprehend words and reproduce them, i.e. our ability to read and spell.

According to Tony Monaco, a scientist at the Wellcome Centre Trust for Human Genetics, Oxford University, our ability to spell lies partly in our DNA. “Around 60 percent of the variation in the ability to spell lies in our genes,” he says.

Spelling and reading are the most complex tasks that our brain undergoes. Reason being is that reading and writing are relatively new inventions. “It was invented only 5,000 years ago. It is piggybacked on to our linguistic ability, which was invented 30,000-40,000 years ago,” says John Stein, Professor of Neuroscience at Oxford University Medical School. “The consequence is that many people fail to read or spell.”

Everyone carries the gene KIAA0319 but what scientists are discovering is that 15% of people have a slight variation in the make-up of this gene. This variation can lead to severe problems such as dyslexia, or less severe cases such as poor reading and spelling. According to Professor Monaco, this gene is responsible for guiding brain cells into the cortex. When not working properly, brain cells get lost, end up in the wrong place and hinder our ability to process information. This occurs in the womb so it seems it is decided at birth how well we will spell.

According to Professor Stein, there are two processes that take place when we spell a word. First, the brain has to process what the word looks like, and second, it has to process how the word sounds. This visual and phonetic information is then fed into our lexicon (our mental dictionary) which is located in the angular gyrus just above our ear. This area processes info, tells us how to spell the word and then zips that information over to the part of our brain that controls movement so that we can write the word. Whoo, I’m exhausted already, no wonder spelling is so much work for our brains.

The brain’s spelling circuitry is usually located on the side of the brain that controls speech and writing. For right handed people, this should be the left side of the brain. For left handed people, this should be the right side of the brain.

Scientists also say that irregular words require quite a bit more brain power depending on the type of learner that we are. A visual learner has far more trouble spelling irregular words. Phonetic learners can spell irregular words easier because they translate words into sounds.

Yet to Dr Silvia Paracchini, from the Wellcome Trust Centre, “this is clearly only part of the jigsaw puzzle that explains why some people have poorer reading ability than others or develop dyslexia. There are likely to be many other contributing factors, but our research provides some valuable clues.”

More brainy info at http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2008/081001.html

The localization of files and software programs has become more and more of a global necessity. Proof of this is the World Digital Library launched by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Anyone can access the collection of great libraries and cultural institutions around the world, in seven languages, including Portuguese. And the best part: It’s free!

The image above references the Japanese literary work Genji monogatari (Tale of Genji), by author Murasaki Shikibu. The work is considered one of the oldest novels in the world and is part of the Rare Japanese Book Collection of the US Library of Congress.

This is one of the pearls of literature and is available at the World Digital Library website at http://www.wdl.org. The library offers a huge variety of books, images, manuscripts, maps, films and recordings. All of the written material was localized, including the graphics, logos, menus and options.

To facilitate your navigation, I wrote this “Quick Start Guide” instructing how to get around the site. Each point is numbered according to the image above:

1. Language Bar: Select the dropdown list to choose one of the available languages. Press the red arrow to the right to confirm your choice.
2. Navigation Bar: For a more selective search. There are five available options: Place (divided by geographic region), Time (divided by creation and/or publication date), Topic (divided by subject), Type of Item (divided by type of material such as books, manuscripts, etc.) and Institution (divided by Cultural Institutions and Libraries).
3. Search Bar: For a more extensive search. Type what you are searching for and select the red arrow.
4. Map Search: Click on the number of items available in the region to access them or click on the photo to display the info about that specific item. To see a description of the item and the image in its regular size, you should click on the number of items link (for example, +133 Items).
5. Timeline Bar: Click on a time period to see all the works created in that period.
6. Website Bar: There are five menus in total, including Home Page (regardless of where you are on the site, select this button to return to the Home Page), About (details about the website), Help (a step by step explanation on how to use the site), Contact (web form to get in contact with the staff at WDL) and Legal (legal warnings in regards to the Library collection)
7. Website Logo: Click on the logo to return to the Home Page.

What are you waiting for? Go there and see for yourself!

We love Bushisms! You know, those quirky, nonsensical, grammar butchering expressions that repeatedly slip out of the mouth of the US former president, usually at the most critical moments. The Bush era has come to an end, which means a lot less laughs during presidential speeches. So, in memory of my “oh so eloquent” ex-commander in chief, I have chosen a small sampling of Bushisms to include here in the Ccaps Blog.

“Then you wake up at the high school level and find out that the illiteracy level of our children are appalling.” Washington, DC. Jan. 23, 2004
Yes, George, the level are, I mean, is appalling. And so is the illiteracy level of some adults…

“I can press when there needs to be pressed; I can hold hands when there needs to be — hold hands.” Bush on how he can contribute to the Middle East peace process. Washington, DC. Jan. 4, 2008
Stop the press, pleaaaase!

“Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream.” LaCrosse, WI. Oct. 18, 2000 (Listen to audio clip)
Oh dear, now families is singular and wings are dreaming.

“I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family.” Greater Nashua, NH. Jan. 27, 2000 (Listen to audio clip)
Especially if your family doesn’t have a sense of humor about food fights.

“I hear there’s rumors on the Internets that we’re going to have a draft.” Second presidential debate. St. Louis, MO. Oct. 8, 2004 (Listen to audio clip)
Hey, where can I access this second, secret Internet?

“Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB-GYNs aren’t able to practice their love with women all across this country.” Poplar Bluff, MO. Sep. 6, 2004 (Watch video clip; listen to audio clip)
I am all for spreading the love, but with my OB-GYN? I’d rather not really.

“They misunderestimated me.” Bentonville, AR. Nov. 6, 2000
They misunderestimated your ability as a Neologist, too.

“Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?” Florence, SC. Jan. 11, 2000
That’s because “Is our children learning?” is not a proper sentence, you moron!

“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.” Washington, DC. Aug. 5, 2004 (Watch video clip; listen to audio clip)
Bush never stops thinking about ways to harm our country and our people; that explains a lot.

To paraphrase the slogan of the first translation conference promoted by GALA, “The Business of Language,” I would like to talk a little about this subject, with which we are all very familiar.

A great majority of people who do not work in the translation and localization industry do not realize the complexity that can be involved in our activities. Sometimes I feel a little alienated by people who do not work in our profession when I say that I work in translation. It seems like this industry does not deserve the due respect or cannot rely on an organizational structure such as the one we have at Ccaps.

For you to have an idea, take a look at our organizational chart:

Click to open in a new window

Are you getting an idea of the number of people needed for the machine to function? All with one common goal and aligned using the methods, processes and procedures that have been developed over these ten years of Ccaps activities.

At the top of the structure, we have the Board of Directors, made up of Fabiano Cid and Marco Simões. Fabiano occupies two positions as he is also the Managing Director, followed close behind by Cassius, Production Manager, and by Cecilia, Operations Director.

Fabiano is responsible for the sales and marketing departments. They acquire new clients and work on customer loyalty and prospects. They also make sure to get in touch with customers as soon as work is delivered asking them to answer a questionnaire of satisfaction. After all, quality and client satisfaction are paramount for our business. This is where Vanusa comes in as Customer Relations. She mainly serves domestic clients and coordinates their projects.

Cecilia is responsible for HR, finance and administration, and is assisted by Danielle and Rosiane. These two are responsible for accounts payable and receivable, organizing personnel and making sure that the office is fully stocked (including cookies for our coffee )

Cassius supports and manages the IT area and production per se. This includes everything, from team allocation to making sure that our Internet link is functioning properly, after all without this tool it would be impossible to work in a company whose clients are invariably out of the country and almost all communication is done by email. This is where Antonio enters the scene, our Network Administrator, who is also a localization engineer, but I am getting to that…

In the area of production, we have the heavyweights: global project managers, local project managers, project coordinators and linguistic coordinators. Members of this team include me and Adriana, who are GPMs (Global Project Managers) because we manage multilanguage projects, and Luana, who manages the so-called local projects. We count on the help from Anderson (who is going to get a firm talking to for not having added his profile to the blog yet), Tatiana and Shannon. They are the project coordinators that help me, Adriana and Cassius, respectively. We receive the projects, check internal and external resource availability, prepare project delivery timelines, distribute the workload among those involved in the tasks and control budgets, all while interfacing with the client, Ccaps and its resources.

The work of engineers, DTPers, translators and reviewers is the actual production. They are what I usually call the parts of the engine. On the frontline of these departments are Bruno and Eneida, who is a recent Ccaps addition referred by yours truly. While Bruno is responsible for the technical part of the projects as the localization engineering coordinator, Eneida is in change of linguistics, a more than necessary combination when it comes to localization.

All the parts of this machine work together to achieve a better result. The gears must work to produce a quality end product, of the lowest cost possible in the least amount of time possible. You think this is easy?

So, next time you hear that someone works at a translation company, remember that what we do is serious. Well, at least here at Ccaps…

I almost forgot! The GALA conference that I mentioned in the beginning takes place this week, from September 14-16 in Cancun, Mexico. Would you like to catch an airplane that way? You can find more information here: http://www.gala-global.org/conference.

Seasons come and go, and textspeak (or textese) never goes out of fashion. This was the theme recently printed in Megazine, of Brazilian newspaper O Globo on July 21.

Even I, a somewhat linguistic purist, have caught myself writing “u”, “luv”, and other abbreviations. It’s no use: if in some way we are Internet users, especially MSN, Facebook, Twitter and such, we end up in the same boat. It’s a question of economy, informality, and for some, identity.

Let us think about the speed of our online conversations and the number of online contacts we have. It is only natural that traditional spelling becomes more casual, basic, and therefore new genres and textual types appear, redefining the ideas of right and wrong, as well as rebuking the naive illusion that writing is a solemn act. Highly sophisticated forms, for example, may seem pedantic and inconvenient—you might appear to be from another planet or demonstrate superiority in the virtual realm.

In this sense, it is also interesting to think that language is an instrument literally at the hand of the user. Up to now, everything I have said is old, repeated. What’s new is precisely the possibility, with the alphabet at our disposal on the keyboard, to reCreate and customize the language. Those who think that graphic abbreviations are reductions in form are still out of context. It is these abbreviations that speak and amplify our new “selves” and ways of being. “Unowatimn” could appear bizarre, but through this and other variations we see the world through the lens of communities hr and thr, unowatimn?

You already know my reasoning: I don’t believe that x = y. They are different variables! I mean, textese exists and is doing very well, thank you. It transgresses English; it’s a parallel code, relatively autonomous. The etymology confirms that translation is transformation. Every linguistic form suggests some meaning. If we change the code, the narrator changes. The story is never the same if new storytellers project their own speech and amplify the interaction. Relax! This is not the Tower of Babel nor the Apocalypse; it’s democracy. =)

Therefore, there’s no such thing as “wknd” being equal to “weekend”. Fun begins Saturday, not Sunday!

C u around!

Forbes magazine published yesterday a list of the world’s happiest cities. Guess who made it to the top of the list?

I know it’s been a while since I’ve written, but I am not the only one to blame; this is due to the success of the company where I work.

Now seriously, I had the idea to write this blog post during the frenzy that occurred before the first celebration of the Ccaps anniversary, last July 10th. I say “first celebration” because Fabiano already indicated that this was the first of many parties… The highest point of the celebrations will be an event sponsored by the company that will bring together top names in the localization industry, not only from Brazil but throughout the region. Think Latin America will take place in Buzios, from April 7 to 9, 2010 and rest assured the Ccaps Blog will keep you updated on this.

Congrats, Team! Let’s head for the ruby, gold and diamond anniversaries…

Back to the Ccaps anniversary and the company history, I know that the 2.5 years I have been working here can hardly be considered as a lot of time, but I can assure you that despite all the hard work, the team and the support of senior management compensate all the effort. We have a most united team and have been able to establish an extremely harmonious working environment.

For those who don’t know, Ccaps was founded in 1999 and in its first three years grew more than 1000%! And as Fabiano commented earlier in the Ccaps Blog, we have not stopped growing since then. Did you know that a large majority of Brazilian companies don’t even make it past the first five years? We have already reached maturity!

Besides the success in the Latin American localization and translation market, Ccaps works with milengo, the largest 2nd generation localization alliance in the market. With offices in Europe, Latin America and Asia, the company was founded in 2004 and recently surprised the market by announcing that Renato Beninatto was to become the new CEO. A great achievement, if you realize that Beninatto is one of the greatest personalities of the localization world.

Besides, we have established a valuable partnership with Ushuaia Solutions to increase our service scope and meet the requirements of the Latin American market. Not to mention that we are part of the most important industry associations, such as GALA and Abrates.

Need I say more?