Ccaps Blog

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This week we started the festivities to celebrate Ccaps 10th anniversary!

And I could not have received better news than the one shared by Cecilia on the 50% growth we achieved in the first semester of 2009, when compared to that of last year. In 2008, we had managed to increase our revenue in 70%, yet with the so talked about and much feared crisis, I decided to keep it low key. To tell you the truth, I had meagre hopes of reaching 30% growth in 2009.

Crisis, what crisis, dude? Half year is gone and we are way ahead our expectations. And the best of all is that the optimism seems to be everywhere. Yesterday’s headline of Brazilian newspaper Valor points to reviewed growth figures for Brazilian GDP and in another story Brazil is the next place to look out.

It was worth fastening the seat belts tight, facing the adversities and risking. This video clip is for you, client, collaborator, friend or family member who believed in Ccaps and helped us create this success story:

But the celebrations have just started. Soon we will have more news for you. Stay tuned!

Have you heard of it? Neither had I until now… Language Access Ratio is a measurement of language comprehension availability in a given region. It is used commonly in the medical system to determine how many people do not have proper access to healthcare based on the fact that they cannot understand the doctors, nurses nor read the medical forms.

It determines how many interpreters are available versus how many are needed and determines how this will affect the quality of healthcare for speakers of a foreign language. Yet how does it work? Let’s use an example of Language Access Ratio in a hospital in the United States.

First, three factors need to be identified:

1) Total number of hospital beds;
2) Percentage of individuals who speak a language other than English at home according to the primary ZIP code (or other factor determining region boundaries) where the hospital is located, based on the 2000 U.S. Census data; and
3) Amount spent on interpreting services in the most recent fiscal year.

The formulas are as follows (for those mathematicians out there who want to “play” with the numbers):

Source: Common Sense Advisory, Inc.

In this example, the Language Access Ratio is $107.00 per bed for LEP (Limited English Proficiency) assistance at this hospital.

Currently, Language Access Ratio is used to determine Hospital budgeting in a given area based on LEP requirements. This tool can be used for advanced planning so that people that lack proficiency in a language are not poorly serviced when and if they need to use hospital services. The same can be applied to Marketing, government programs, etc. and can be applied worldwide. This tool could give us an idea of language interpretation costs so that we can plan to make information and services available to everyone, regardless of language or ethnicity.

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!”

When it comes to project management, three things are necessary: good communication, reasonability and some experience.

Once I heard from a project manager colleague of mine that a project manager should divide his or her time in two parts:

• 75% should be dedicated to the relationship with stakeholders
• 25% should be used with project management tools

While browsing the Internet, I came across an article that can be useful for the layman and the fairly experienced professional. The article seems to confirm what my colleague said.

To access the article (in Portuguese), visit the following link:

http://blog.pccastelobranco.net/2008/04/gerncia-de-projetos-e-os-seus-10.html

And do not forget: focus more on relationships yet never ignore the necessary techniques.

We have recently received a comment (in Portuguese) from Denise Bottmann about a very important topic: copyright. This comment made me think about the subject and write the following post.

For some time now, the name of translators started to appear in the credits of movies, sitcoms, documentaries and other TV programs, which seems pretty fair to me. Aren’t the names of make-up artists, directors, cinematographers and all the other people involved in the movie production there? Why then should the translator be left out?

However, with the exception of books and movies, the translator is usually an anonymous professional.

I have never seen a single page on the Internet that displayedthe credits of the professional in charge of the website translation. Some websites include the credits for the designer responsible for the development, but the translator always remains incognito.

If photos are always accompanied by the name of the author, why should we not do the same with the names of translators, reviewers, content generators? It doesn’t have to be anything big or fancy. A small reference or note for the professional who created the material would do.

Here’s my idea. If you agree, raise your hand (and I will give you some credit…

Are you having some problems with your project deadlines? How many times have we gone crazy just thinking about how tight our deadlines are and how the client doesn’t give a damn because all he or she cares about is getting the project delivered by the due date? All I can say is: you’re not alone and there is a solution for everything.

To complete a project successfully, we all have to follow methodologies. It is precisely the methodology that gives us better control of the project and enables our team to be more efficient as the project is likely to be delivered within the planned deadline and budget.

Running out of time?

In the July issue of the Você S.A. magazine, there was an article on the techniques project managers use to better control timeframes. Featured options include: delegating, acquired experience and the use of specific software for creating the project timeline.

You can read the article (in Portuguese) by clicking here.

If you are not using any of the options mentioned in the article, it’s about time you start it. I guarantee you will gain a lot from that!

There is one thing in particular that was beneficial after all the changes in the job market: professionals today can work in different fields, while becoming experts in various areas and acquiring knowledge of other activities that revolve around his/her main occupation.

Multifunction professionals can execute several different activities within the company. They are the result of corporate downsizing of the past few years, forcing employees to learn other roles besides their primary ones, or due to a need to expand their knowledge to remain competitive in the market.

I am particularly identified with this ‘label’ because since the beginning of my professional life (I was 15 years old back then) I’ve always enjoyed to venture and learn different things, although in most cases I didn’t even know where to begin. I think it’s great to be able to help in some way, and I also believe we shouldn’t let any learning opportunity escape.

I joined Ccaps in 2000 as Administrative Assistant, then I had the chance of working in the Customer Relations Department and today I work with Sales and Project Coordination. I could say I know a little bit of everything here. I may not be the greatest specialist in these areas, but I do know them quite well and, whenever needed, I can help my colleagues with activities that are not part of my primary position.

Some years ago, the only thing I was able to do was to work as a secretary. Today, thanks to God and to the opportunities received, I am much more knowledgeable. And I drew a lesson from this: only by facing a difficult situation will you be able to learn something, grow professionally and get out of your comfort zone.

Are you up for it?

The idea for this blog post occurred to me when I was accessing the recently created milengo intranet. milengo Inc. is a company formed by Ccaps and 15 other partner companies worldwide. The goal of the intranet is to allow the people who are part of the milengo family to be at the same place, at least in the virtual space.

The idea behind the company is rather interesting: “milengo is an alliance of leading localization companies situated in the most important global IT markets.” Each member brings in a great deal of experience to the group and follows both a unified and proven quality-assurance methodology and a centralized project management system.

It is clear that, despite the uniform methodology of this “single” company, it is actually comprised of 16 different companies, with their own particular structure and working habits. How then can these “branches” embrace milengo’s identity and work as one company?

Bearing this in mind, I created the following list:

Cons
Different Metrics – Because each language has its own particularities, sometimes it is hard to have a single metric for all languages offered by milengo, making it more difficult for the GPM to elaborate quotes.
Working Methodology – Each company has their working methods established, and these are often different from the unified methodology of the corporation.
Cultural Differences – Since the 16 companies are located throughout Asia, the Americas and Europe, we are in the middle of a genuine Babel Tower.
Long Distance Relationships – Personal contacts are invariably done in the virtual space, contributing for potentially superficial relationships.

Pros
Response Time – despite the variety of time zones involved in the process, the response time of a global company is undoubtedly shorter, when compared to that of independent companies.
Working Methodology – These various methods are acknowledged and often times incorporated into milengo’s unified methodology
Cultural Differences – As GPMs, we have to work exclusively with the partners, which allows us to learn how to deal with such differences and benefit the most from them.
Long Distance Relationships – The impossibility of communicating live with your colleagues is rather challenging, yet when properly conducted can result in long lasting friendships.

Apparently, the pros have been more powerful than the cons as milengo is gaining momentum by the day and has helped me grow both as person and a professional.