Stefan Huyghe
Stefan Huyghe is Vice President of Localization at Communicaid Inc. where he focuses on running high-level operations, workflow optimization, database development, social selling and community building. He has over 20 years of experience working in the language industry is fluent in Dutch, French, German, and English.
Stefan Huyghe
"My message to fellow professionals is simple yet profound: Embrace your voice, however unsteady or imperfect it may seem."
Real-world AI-driven Applications are Signaling a New Frontier in MT
At GlobalSaké’s Q3 Interactive Virtual Event this past September, innovative localization teams from companies like BLEND and Subway — yes, the sandwich company — shared how they incorporate artificial intelligence into their localization workflows. Here, Stefan Huyghe recaps some of the technology and perspectives that folks shared at the event.
The Language Game — How improvisation created language and changed the world
Often, the language sciences view linguistic communication as a monologue: As if, when we are talking, we simply churn out an idea that resides in our head in the form of a signal transferred through speech and simply unpacked by the listener.
Localization impressions around Europe: Is there a silver lining?
If you were to visit localization folks around Europe, what would be some of the undeniable recurring themes? With this question in mind, I set out to meet with a half a dozen industry leaders in the flesh this summer.
Where to take your games abroad: a practical guide
The gaming industry is forecasted to grow at an explosive rate of over 9% in the next three years. One of the fastest-growing industries worldwide, the global games market is set to reach almost $257 billion by 2025, according to Statista. More than 2.5 billion people worldwide now play games regularly.
Design thinking: why it matters in global growth and localization
Design thinking is a non-linear way of developing original products and services through an iterative process of understanding users, challenging assumptions, and redefining problems. It involves continuous prototyping and testing, and in its best application, even has the potential to uncover latent needs.
User feedback: the only quality measure that counts in localization
User feedback — direct information from those who use your product — is both the most important aspect of any good methodology and also key to any localization effort. Contrary to popular belief, the most relevant indicator of localization quality is rooted more in user experience than in any linguistic review.
Continuous localization: Why you shouldn’t wait with localization until the end of the production cycle
In the localization universe, we now use the term continuous localization (CL) for the implementation of tools and processes built to facilitate a constant flow of communication between all the stakeholders adapting a product for success abroad. So what are the elements that a company must have in place to conquer global growth in an agile way?
Settlement agreement mandates that Chicago public schools provide interpreting and translation services for IEPs
On Friday June 23, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Board of Education of the City of Chicago agreed to a settlement with a group of parents who filed a federal lawsuit after being denied interpreting and translation services.
Top-10 details to include in the ideal transcreation brief
As businesses become more globally aware, the world of transcreation continues to blossom. To successfully reach an audience abroad, a message often needs more than just translation, it needs to be geo-adapted to the target audience while maintaining its original intent, style, tone, and context.
DALL·E 2 AI program baffles scientists by inventing new language
Two researchers at the University of Texas Austin working on the DALL·E 2 program have come to a stunning conclusion: the artificial intelligence (AI) program is now inventing its own language.
Language advocacy groups outraged over airline’s Afrikaans language test
Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline by number of passengers, has come under a wave of criticism after forcing UK-bound travelers flying with a South African passport to prove their nationality by taking a test in Afrikaans.
Kingdom of Characters: How linguistic innovation turned China into a modern powerhouse
Kingdom of Characters, a fascinating new book by Yale University professor and historical scholar Jing Tsu, argues that China's most daunting challenge after its meteoric economic rise over the last century was a linguistic one.
Los Angeles Chargers reverse-localize schedule release with anime spot
What if you could turn the concept of localization on its head and use a distinctly foreign culture and language to make a local product look even cooler? Well, it’s exactly the kind of reverse-localization tactic the trail blazers at the Los Angeles Chargers seem to have pulled off.
Netflix expands translations on Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Netflix is making it easier for everyone to enjoy its content — on Global Accessibility Awareness Day, no less. Heather Dowdy, the company’s director of product accessibility, announced a major plan to expand its audio description and subtitle translations for customers who are blind, deaf, or hard of hearing.
Bill supports New York City Chinatown’s English-Chinese street signs
Since the 1960s Manhattan’s Chinatown has featured bilingual street signs. Installed following a massive influx of Chinese immigrants to the city with the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965, the signs aimed to make navigation easier for Chinese New Yorkers who might not read English.
Multilingual Boom at Netflix. An update with Katell Jentreau
International entertainment is key to Netflix’s global expansion strategy. And with foreign-language hits like Squid Game on the company’s hands, that strategy is starting to pay off.
Katell Jentreau, Regional Globalization Manager at Netflix, is one major reason for that success.
What are the most important African languages in emerging markets?
Roughly 30% of the world’s languages are spoken in Africa. The continent has an estimated 2,000 languages from over 3,000 tribes and 55 countries. But what are the African languages widely spoken in the top-10 investment prospects?
French Canadian Language Activist Michel Thibodeau wins victory against airports
The rulings came in court cases brought by long time language activist Michel Thibodeau. Thibodeau is an Ottowa resident who had never set foot in either airport before making the complaints, which he based on his online research.
Dialect or language: What separates one from the other?
When you look up the difference between language and dialect you will discover that a language is generally defined as a system or method of human communication either spoken or written, consisting of words that are structured by grammatical rules.
Algospeak: a new language to circumvent AI-powered content moderation
Recently, social media saw the birth of a whole new language coined Algospeak, employing code words and phrases to prevent posts from being removed, demoted in rank, or demonetized by automated content moderation systems.
Ten more mistakes to avoid in localization
Helping customers avoid these mistakes is no small matter — it wins loyalty and trust. Since there are no shortage of errors that can trip up any work project, here are ten more mistakes to avoid in localization.
Bet you didn’t know that much of your English is actually Dutch
Although Dutch might be spoken by only around 28 million people worldwide, the official language of Belgium and the Netherlands has left a considerable stamp on the English language. That's largely because of its importance in maritime history.
How French made its mark on the English language
An estimated 80,000 English words are of French origin, with expressions like “c’est la vie” or “je ne sais quoi” a common part of English vocabulary. But how did that particular language have such a profound influence on its linguistic cousin?