LATEST ISSUE

April 2024

Cultivating Sustainability in Localization

Climate change is the defining crisis of our lifetime. With so much at stake, businesses have an important role to play in mitigation efforts. This issue of MultiLingual supplies insights on how the language industry can pursue positive environmental impact while ensuring that business thrives in the long term.

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pril is here, and for dozens upon dozens of countries, that means Earth Day is right around the corner. Typically celebrated on April 22, this annual event created to support and inspire environmental protection is an opportunity to consider our impact on the world. Established in 1970, Earth Day events are coordinated across 193 countries — and there’s a good chance yours is among them.

It’s a good reminder of how sustainability applies to not only our businesses and professional output, but also the people and communities beyond us. And in the April issue of MultiLingual, we address it in all its forms. Whether it’s finding the right technology that enables clients’ requirements, implementing business practices with proven effectiveness in the long term, or leveraging professional resources to fight climate change, you’re sure to find ideas and inspiration in this issue.

Consider, for instance, the featured analysis of language-industry attitudes toward climate change in an ongoing survey. If that analytical breakdown leaves you wanting to contribute more, you can find suggestions and tips for confronting climate change using language-industry know-how and communication skills. On the business end of the spectrum, you’ll also find the latest sustainability insights to keep your business financially healthy and technologically modern.

With so many worries and demands on one’s attention, it’s easy to become overly self-focused. But if there’s a single message to take away from the April edition of MultiLingual, it’s the power of community to affect positive change. We’re all citizens of this planet Earth, and part of citizenship is doing one’s part to make a better world for generations to come.

COLUMN

Like a Bridge Over Troubled Waters

By Ewandro Magalhaes

Using three examples of poor translations that changed the course of history, Ewandro Magalhães illustrates the tough job of interpreters in the arena of international diplomacy and how they can also serve as catalysts for understanding and reconciliation.

PERSPECTIVES

Harnessing the Language Industry to Confront Climate Change

By Sultan Ghaznawi

Sultan Ghaznawi posits that — in light of the escalating urgency surrounding climate change — the language industry can play a crucial role in raising awareness, disseminating knowledge, and facilitating targeted adaptation efforts.

BUSINESS

How to Turn Your LSP into a Regenerative, Sustainable Business

By Laura Gori

Are you looking to integrate business success with positive social and environmental impact? Laura Gori urges language service providers to consider the Benefit Corporation model, a framework that helped her business, Way2Global, reach its sustainability goals without sacrificing growth.

How Climate Conscious Is the Language Industry?

By Allison Ferch

A group of language industry organizations surveyed localization professionals about sustainability. Allison Ferch uses the preliminary results to argue that efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change should extend to work, where we spend vast amounts of our time.

COMMUNITY

ISO 5060: A translation quality management game-changer

Interview by Cameron Rasmusson

Nothing gives a language service buyer peace of mind quite like knowing their language partners are among the most qualified in their field. That’s where professional standards come in. Dr. Christopher Kurz and Ilona Wallberg discuss the forthcoming set of standards for translation quality: ISO 5060.

Building the African Language Industry One Project at a Time

By Ngnaoussi Elongué Cédric Christian

Ngnaoussi Elongué Cédric Christian recounts his efforts to bolster the African language industry and preserve linguistic diversity on the continent, including establishing professional communities and creating educational resources. As a leader in the space, he details plans for future initiatives and calls for increased collaboration.

Human Touch

Supported by Translated

Patrizia Boglione, Brand & Creative VP at Translated, describes how to create resonant and impactful creative content imbued with a profound cultural essence.

Igor Marach: Resilience in the Face of War

Supported by Technolex

It’s been more than two years since Russia initiated its invasion of Ukraine. Igor Marach, co-founder and CEO at Technolex Translation Studio — a Ukrainian language service provider — shares his experiences meeting deadlines and making deals while the fighting rages.

Artificial Intelligence

Language Is No Longer Human

By Manuel Herranz

Manuel Herranz predicts that generative AI will make language a commodity and communication prone to automation. He argues that we must strike a balance between harnessing AI’s potential and safeguarding human dignity by avoiding job displacement and promoting responsible innovation.

WORKFLOW

Component-Based Systems: A cure for the common TMS cold

By Didzis Grauss

The idea of a completely centralized global content hub sounds appealing on the surface, but what happens when the TMS itself becomes a liability? With organizations generating more content than ever thanks to AI, Didzis Grauss argues that we need to transform how we manage and deliver content to audiences around the world.