But China passed a recent law banning English to be printed in Media and on the Internet. This seems like an outlandish concept for a country that has over 10,000,000 English speakers, according to the Wikipedia based on a survey several years back. The numbers must be much bigger now.

China also requires its students to learn over 20,000 English words and is expected to have a larger number of English speakers by 2025 than the rest of the world population combined.

The ban, which was put in place by the General Administration of Press and Publication, is a result of the belief that English or half-English (I am coining the phrase Chinglish, you heard it here first. ?) is a threat to the purity of the Chinese language and is a disruption to China’s “harmonious and healthy cultural environment.”

English words or abbreviations can only be used if a Chinese translation immediately follows. This is an interesting concept for the translation industry as I imagine that someone will have to create new Chinese words for words that were previously expressed in English. The ruling is so serious that violators will be punished by law.

One company that has already seen repercussions even before the official ruling is Yeeyan, which is a news site dedicated to translating English news into Chinese and vice-versa. They have been taken offline several times by the Chinese government and have struggled to remain online. Let’s see how they accomplish this with the new ruling…

I believe it’s possible to be successful or not in any profession. In Brazil, a good example comes from the teachers, whose income is knowingly low, but many of them still make a fair or even a great living out of their work!

So how do we “get there” in our sector? Or better yet, what does getting there even mean exactly? Is it about getting paid well or becoming recognized? And what would that recognition be?

We all know that you don’t need a specific education to work as a translator; “all” you need to do is translate from one language into the other, and ideally write well in the target language. So for me, “getting there” means doing a good job and getting my deserved personalcompensation, not only in terms of self-esteem but also financially, since no one wants to live out of charity.

Localization (L10N) is the process of adapting products and services originally designed for a single Market, so it can be launched in international markets. The adaptations go far beyond the language (translation) and include changes to any information that could compromise the understanding that the user has of the product.

Although the localization and the localization testing are not strictly a part of the process of software development, localization only becomes possible once you have developed the software and prepare it for localization; this process is called internationalization.

Localization testing checks how well the software has been localized to a specific target language. In addition to verification of the translated content, called a language test, functional tests should be performed. In these tests, we check whether the entire application is really working and is ready to be marketed and is ready for use in the market for which it was localized.

In the next post I will talk about what should be taken into account in the localization testing process and where you should focus on when carrying out the tests.

Researchers have tested volunteers in different environments and have verified that music doesn’t boost productivity at all. Volunteers were placed in an acoustically treated room (silent) to carry out their tasks, while others worked to the sound of artists such as Rihanna, The Stranglers and Arcade Fire, in addition to the track “Thrashers” by  the Death Angel group, which nobody liked.

Do you know what the result was? Those working in silence had a much better performance than that of their other colleagues. Experts say this is because during working hours, acoustic variations confuse us and make us less efficient. They also suggested that the ideal solution would be listening to music before starting work as a way of preparing the mind for daily tasks.

Well, this topic raises lots of discussion and opinions vary. But what I want to know is what you think…

Oh, and you don’t have to get mad at me over this post. After all, your boss doesn’t have to know this research exists, does he? =)

The other day, as suggested by a friend, I watched the video “Try something new for 30 days” by Matt Cutts and I felt that a whole new world was opening up before my eyes.

Here is the idea: Do something new (or stop doing something) for 30 days. I have never liked New Year’s resolutions. At least for me, who tends to not be a very dedicated person, doing something new for a whole year can turn out to be rather difficult. I usually give up and end up feeling weak. But by following this concept, it would only be for 30 days. Not too long, but long enough to create a habit. If it works, great! I can add a new habit to my daily routine. If it doesn’t, at least I completed my goal. I can move on and try something else.

And like Cutts suggested, we can do this with simple as well as complex stuff. Some ideas I had include exercising daily (you have no idea how difficult this is for me), cut out sugar, try new things, and read about different subjects. To start up the process, I am going to watch a different TED video every day; each day a different topic.

In 30 days I will be back to tell you all about this first experience. By the end of the year I hope to have plenty of new activities to share with you!

Care to join me?

That is right; motivation is a process that happens from inside out. It depends on what each one wants, what motivates you to buy, work better, sell, and so forth. Motivating is a way of changing a person’s attitude through stimulus. In order for such change to happen, you need to know your ideals, life plans, and strategies.

This is a very serious and controversial topic, full of theories, which requires a lot of observation, thought and courage. People usually confuse motivation with benefits and compensation. These aspects represent an important portion of the equation, but they are not the only ones.

Executive Carlos Ghosn, global CEO of Renault, said the following: “The only thing that makes a difference is motivation. If you lose motivation, you gradually lose everything.” Martin Luther King, on the other hand, said that “even the starless nights can herald the dawn of a great achievement.”

Therefore, when you place important reasons into several contexts of your life, only then will the opportunities to create motivation become greater. Many human behavior experts have emphasized that an external stimulus will have an effect on mood and well-being, but it doesn’t mean it will motivate someone.

As described by Ian McDermott and Joseph O’Connor in the book Practical NLP for Managers, extrinsic motivation can buy behavior, but not motivation. Motivation is an inner process lasting much longer than a simple state of mind.

How many people do you know who get support, stimuli, rewards, but do not move? There are people who have many needs and desires such as a better salary, better education, a better life, and so forth, but they spend a great deal of their time without doing anything to get what they want. They expect satisfaction to come from the external world and do not realize that the quest for satisfaction is what generates motivation. Being motivated is never giving up to get what you want.

Don’t wait for external conditions to become favorable to start acting and become more successful in your personal and professional life.

I’m going to give you some tips on how to improve your personality, which you should also add to your list of resolutions.

1. Develop an interest in people

Try to find out what people need. Learn about their likes and dislikes, interests and beliefs. By doing that, you’ll be known as someone with an attractive and likable personality.

2. Admit your weaknesses.

Do not consider yourself to be perfect. Just as people have their strong points, they also have their weaknesses. In order to improve your personality, you must admit your flaws.

3. Admire your friends.

Pay them compliments. Let them know how important they are to you.

4. Try to stay close to successful and happy people.

Seek the company of people who can reveal new perspectives, renewed hopes and a purpose for life.

5. Don’t be ashamed to demand or ask.

Ask for advice and direction. Your friends can provide you with valuable information about life experience. You can learn from their knowledge and apply it to improve your personality.

What’s more, you can also develop new abilities, such as public speaking, negotiating and understanding people’s attitudes and beliefs.

Improving your personality involves hard work and dedication. Even though it demands great effort, it can be interesting and fun because you are focusing your attention in order to  have a better rapport with others and make yourself a better person.

Happy New Year!!!

Thousands of people gather together every year on December 31 on Copacabana Beach – most of them dressed up in white – waiting to greet the New Year. The highlight of the party is an intense and memorable firework display set at midnight sharp that lasts around 20 minutes! A unique spectacle!

Along with the New Year’s celebrations, mystical and religious aspects take place since  lots of Brazilians worship Iemanjá, and this celebration also happens on the turn-of-the-year. Loads of candlelight offerings are delivered into the waves in honor of the “Queen of the Sea.” Whenever you come to spend New Year’s in Rio, don’t be scared if you come across tons of candles spread all over the sand and the beach quite dirty. =)

Every hotel gets ready for the big party by preparing sophisticated meals and providing the tourist with the best in hospitality. The local people go out to celebrate and enjoy the fireworks by the Copacabana Sea.

The party goes through the night and the same festive atmosphere that started at midnight is over only on the morning of January 1.

Let the New Year begin!

Last year, we prepared a special gift for you: Andressa, a lovely Brazilian girl to whom we sent monthly donations in an attempt to make her life and that of her family a little better.

She was sweet enough to answer the letters we forwarded from those Ccaps friends who wrote to her and recently we received the 2011 Progress Report from the institution that acts as an intermediary. In the report, Andressa tells us that she is now 7 years old, is healthy and was approved for her next year in elementary school. The projects managed by the organization to which she is affiliated help Andressa and her family strengthen interpersonal connections and create an environment favorable for the full development of the child.

In the letters we received throughout this year, Andressa and her family members told us that she is a joyful, spontaneous, charismatic, responsible and happy child, who loves to learn and play. They thank all Ccaps friends for the help we have been sending them and wishes success to all of us in our lives. In the last letter, Andressa herself (who until then seemed a little shy and had her sister or cousin write on her behalf) wishes us health, peace and tranquility.

Here are Andressa’s letters for your enjoyment:

(Click to enlarge)

If you feel like saying hello to this adorable kid and show your affection, just send an email to andressa@ccaps.net and we will have your message translated and forwarded to her.

I have no doubt that knowing that there are people from all over the world who know about her existence and care about her will bring yet another smile to this cute little face.

Thank you for your support and Happy Holidays!

- Vanusa is Black. Adriana is Catholic. Luana is African.
- Is she really?
- Renata is from the Northeast of Brazil.
- I thought you said Midwest!
- Wandrianne is Argentinean.
- No wait, Iván is Argentinean!
- Billy is Brazilian…
- With such a strong accent?
- Shannon is transgender and mulatto.
- Of course she is not!
- Bruno is a Kardecist Jew.
- How come?
- Claudia is gay and Fabiano is a lesbian.
- Yeah, right!
- Danielle is Evangelical.
- But she adores Yemanja!
- Renata is a German Muslim born in Brazil.
- That doesn’t make any sense…
- Silvia is an Italo-American man.
- She is the mother of two!
- Iván is a Buddhist.
- What is that rosary doing on his chest then?
- Marcelo is Jewish, Caucasian and Cuban.
- Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

Any or all of that might be right. But who cares?! We certainly don’t.

Come along with us into the beautiful future that unfolds with 2012. Together we can bring in the new dawn where no one would know the meaning of discrimination, intolerance and bigotry. Just share the message!

Definitions don’t matter any more. Nationality, social class, color, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or else shall be as insignificant as the shape of our earrings or the design of our tattoos. Because, eventually, we all have just the same curve for our smiles.

We’re individuals who are members of a greater community. If globalization doesn’t have all the answers, let’s try Universalization. Embrace the diversity of the 7 billion beautiful people that can turn this planet into an even better place for future generations.

Life is short and fragile. Labels don’t hold. Just… Viva la vida!