Categories for Translation

Good Copy Starts with a Good Copy Deck Template

A copy deck is a Word document with the copy for a piece. Copy will usually stay in deck form until it’s approved by all stakeholders, then copied and past-ed into the design.

Interestingly, the term “deck” dates to the mid 20th century when presentation slides were stacked next to a projector like a deck of cards. Eventually, the in-dividual pieces that made up the final design were called decks as well (copy decks, strategy decks, pitch decks, etc.).

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You are what you post: A social media warning

Social media is the great equalizer of our time. It gives everyone the same opportunity to share their views, thoughts, wisdoms and gripes — and people take full advantage of that on a regular basis. But the power to say what you want when you want about whatever you want comes with consequences, ranging from public shaming to getting fired.

On the more benign end of the spectrum, consider the story of Alex Johnston, a political candidate for office in 2015’s Canadian federal election. She was called out for a ridiculous Facebook post she made seven years prior about Auschwitz. These posts came to light weeks before voters went to the polls. And while she was a long shot to win anyway, this revelation all but guaranteed a loss. While members of her party won surrounding ridings, she only captured 16% of the vote in hers.

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Kawhi Leonard’s Shot — Heard Round The World

Kawhi Leonard making the shot to win the series 2.7 million Canadians watched Game 7 between the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers, and all hopefully got to see the Kawhi Leonard shot.

It was magic — one of the great sporting moments in our city, and possibly even the country. Right now, only Sid the Kid’s Golden Goal at the Vancouver Olympics, Joe Carter’s Series-winning blast and Jose Bautista’s bat-flip even come close (the Leafs have had their moments, but it’s been so long that they’re hard to remember).

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Fun with Translation — Google Style

Translation is a super-growth industry. Data from the US Department of Labour shows a 100 percent increase in the number of people employed in the translation industry over the past seven years, and 24 percent more translation companies.

And wherever you find growth, you inevitably find Google in the middle of it. Last week on a conference call, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that Google Translatetranslates a staggering 143 billion words every day — for free.

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The Importance of Quality French Canadian Translation

As Canadians, we’ll always remember the 2018 Winter Olympics as a record-breaking performance. But we’ll also remember the PyeongChang games as a reminder of how important it is that French Canadian translation is respected.

During the second week of the games, officials from Hockey Canada allegedly requested that the public address announcer stop using the French Canadian pronunciation of the francophone players’ names because it was confusing to the audience.

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Copywriter tales

On March 10th, 2017, the Page 7 Copywriting brand was folded into Re:word. For nine years, p7 was the copywriting agency of choice for some of the biggest brands and best agencies including Google, BBDO, HP, Bodog, The National Ballet of Canada and Madd Munchies Late Night Food Emporium.

But the name Page 7 was always meant to be a placeholder. Dan promised himself he’d change it when he had some downtime. It never came. Probably a good thing. But if he did change it, Re:word would’ve definitely been a contender. But then Gina would’ve had to take Dan to court and it would’ve been a whole thing.

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Translation #Fails

Contrary to popular belief, speaking two languages doesn’t make you a translator. Sure, you could get the main point across and in doing so get what you want. But that logic doesn’t apply to written communication. Especially when it’s published.

These people seem to think that a few English lessons make them professional translators. Because knowing English better than everyone around you automatically makes you the expert and gives you authority on all matters. Not like anyone would know the difference.

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Lost in Translation: Why Fluency Matters

So you’re at a point in your business where you need to put all your English content into French to make your website bilingual. Great! But where do you start? Instead of trying to summon some of your broken high-school French, look for the most important aspect of translation: fluency.

While knowing the approximate meaning of something in another language is ok if you’re a tourist in search of the local theatre, your business needs the exactness and sensibility of a fluent, native speaker. You want every phrase and every word to say what it intends to say.

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Qualities of an Effective Translation Service

Here’s the thing about translation…you may need it all the time or only once in a long while, but it had better be accurate when you do it. Not many blunders will make you or your organization look as silly and unprofessional as poorly translated text. This is why we dedicated a previous post to the perils of using Google Translate.

It’s also why doing it yourself in any capacity can cause big problems. Even if you can carry on a conversation in French or another language, it doesn’t mean you have the skills to translate effectively. Look for these qualities when you need a good translation service.

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How Google Translate Can Make a Laughing Stock of Your Business

Most business owners and operators who require language translation to keep their companies running have likely heard of Google Translate. For those who haven’t, it is a completely free translation service that Google provides that has the ability to translate single words, complete sentences and even web pages between any of the 64 languages the program currently supports.

Sounds great, doesn’t it?

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Good Copy Starts with a Good Copy Deck Template

Categories for Translation

Good Copy Starts with a Good Copy Deck Template

You are what you post: A social media warning

Kawhi Leonard’s Shot — Heard Round The World

Fun with Translation — Google Style

The Importance of Quality French Canadian Translation

Copywriter tales

Translation #Fails

Lost in Translation: Why Fluency Matters

Qualities of an Effective Translation Service

How Google Translate Can Make a Laughing Stock of Your Business

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