Re: Humor 'n' more

[Max Wyss <prodok -at- PRODOK -dot- CH>]

Janice,

it is a very cheap attitude when one complains about the cost of
translation. IMHO, if providing adequate documentation to a certain
language market is too expensive for a company, they better should not try
to get into that market at all; they will not be successful. Well, unless
their product is superior in some other ways (quality, features, price,
etc.).

And, isn't it just those companies who then spend lots of money for
advertising in the target language area?

And again, a good translation does not need to cost more than a mediocre
one, if good translators are engaged. It may be worthwile looking at the
workflow in this field...

And some additional 2 cents.


Max Wyss
PRODOK Engineering AG
Technical documentation and translations, Electronic Publishing
CH-8906 Bonstetten, Switzerland

Fax:  +41 1 700 20 37
e-mail:  mailto:prodok -at- prodok -dot- ch    or    100012 -dot- 44 -at- compuserve -dot- com


Bridging the Knowledge Gap ...

... with Acrobat Forms ... now for belt drive designers at

       http://www.prodok.ch/prodok/riemen.html




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>
>With the amount of money it costs just to translate straight technical
>text, I certainly wouldn't recommend adding the extra burden on the
>translator (and thus extra time and cost to you) of trying to figure
>out the probably culture-based humor, and then having to think of an
>appropriate local equivalent.
>
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>*
>Janice Gelb                  | The only connection Sun has with this
>janice -dot- gelb -at- eng -dot- sun -dot- com      | message is the return address.
>http://www.geocities.com/Area51/8018/index.html
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>*