Dancing on ice

Somerset House's ice rink in a purple/blue light

It is much easier it is to explain or bring an idea life by using images from another field. Innovation on ice leads to reflections on translation innovations.

I grew up watching British ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean. No Brit could forget their artistic performance or their perfect scores at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics. The British gold medallists were highly innovative in their day.

Judged against my past experiences, the young Canadian ice skaters of Le Patin Libre caught me by surprise. There were no lifts. Few jumps. No fancy costumes. Few artistic flourishes.

The four skaters stayed largely upright as in their Vertical title. They looked like four pillars dancing separately in formation.

The music and light seemed stark. You could hear the sound of their blades cutting into the ice.It formed a deliberate and integral part of their performance.

Some of the movements were decidedly angular and unorthodox. They even dug their exposed blades into the ice at diagonals.

The ice dance rulebook had been thrown away. What would the traditional Olympic ice dance judges make of this?

And yet... my eyes focused on the movement of the skates. I traced their weaving and circular patterns on the ice. I marvelled at the technical mastery.

No star
There was no star. All four skated as a group. There was the occasional solo. It was not an opportunity to show off. Not a cameo. Each solo remained part of, and in keeping with, the group performance.

Even the female member of the group was not there to be pretty on the eye. She was dressed in the same casual, street dance style as the men. She had earned her place in the team as a technical and athletic equal.

Technical mastery
I watched the performance as transfixed as I had Torvill and Dean in the past. It was different. Innovative. It seemed raw at first. On closer inspection, it was masterful. Or, as one member of the the audience remarked: awesome.

Somerset House trailer for Le Patin Libre:

Translation innovation
When something new bursts onto the scene, we naturally tend to judge it by past experiences, rulebooks and standards. Technology is disrupting the translation industry in a similar way. Tomorrow's translators can expect to work together as a group on large projects. The edges may look raw at first sight. On closer inspection and with greater familiarity, we recognise a new form of professional mastery.

Landing on a Comet

It woke up. Phew!

It bounced a bit. Well, the unplanned bounce had unexpected benefits.

Two scientists described the European Space Agency’s Rosetta Mission to land the probe Philae on a comet. Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko to be precise. Comet 67P for short.

The New Scientist magazine hosted the lecture at London’s Conway Hall to a packed house. The words “To Thine Own Self Be True” were emblazoned above the stage. The two strong characters on the stage, Matt Taylor and Monica Grady, certainly lived up to that expression.

As they discussed the highs and lows of the Rosetta Mission, my mind could not help wandering. I contemplated the occasional bruising bounces of the freelancer’s life.

Portent of doom?

Comets were traditionally seen as portents of doom. A comet appears in the Bayeux Tapestry. Doom for Saxon Harold, but not for Norman William the Conqueror. His Tower of London still stands firm on the banks of the River Thames today. Many more recent constructions have fallen or been demolished.

Stefan Gentz issued a wake-up call at ITI’s 2015 conference in Newcastle. He foretold the doom of the traditional translator. While we slept 99% of the market has been lost to Google and Microsoft. The remainder is still sizeable and worth the fight.

I’m convinced that language professionals will survive under a different guise. They will perform different roles and tasks.

We must reposition the translation industry. We must reinvent, rebrand and promote our creativity.

A past innovator

A suitable comparison emerged from the Wallace Collection’s Friday Late in June 2015. The exhibition was entitled: Joshua Reynolds: Experiments in Paint. This British artist is widely regarded as one of the greatest portrait painters of the 18^th Century. His taste for innovation and experimentation with pigments have not always stood the test of time. And yet, you can see in the life and creativity of his early portraits that he was destined to excel his master.

Historical Professional Guilds

The Guild of Wigmakers was so outraged that young men were wearing their hair naturally that they protested to the King. The Guild of Wigmakers ultimately gave way to the Guild of Hairdressers.

One man’s loss is another man’s gain.

The Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers was founded in 1322. Its first Royal Charter dates back to 1453. Today, it maintains its link with metal. Now it focuses on charity work.

Technological disruption in translation

The translation community is experiencing major technological disruptions. Barely has one innovation bedded in as more appear on the horizon. For practitioners, there is a choice. You can either rigorously hold onto the past or embrace technology. The later course offers the best chance to shape the future and nudge it in a more palatable, less threatening direction.

By way of example, there is an enormous gap between the modern active Hair Council and the historic relic of a Worshipful Company.

Free oxygen

As freelancers in the disruptive digital age, we may feel that we are trying to land on a comet. It sounds crazy to even try. The Rosetta Mission succeeded and is ongoing. It is sending high resolution pictures back to Earth.

In October 2015, Rosetta’s scientists discovered oxygen in the comet’s atmosphere. The finding contradicted long-held theories that free oxygen can’t survive in space.

As we head rapidly towards 2016, freelance translators can take heart from the inspirational Rosetta Mission. The translation profession is not doomed. It is simply undergoing a major transformation as professional guilds have done in the past.

The choice of direction is ours.

Biometrics 2015

The Biometrics 2015 Conference and free exhibition will take place from 13-15 October in London. The conference's subtitle is Secure Identity Solutions Now! This clearly conveys the topical and urgent nature of secure identity management today.

The 3-day conference will discuss issues and applications relating to:

·      ID management in the digital world

·      Law enforcement, forensics and military applications

·      Borders and travel

·      Developing economies

·      Mobility and payments

The event is organised by the scientific, medical and technical publishers Elsevier in partnership with the Biometrics Institute.

Biometrics 2014

I attended Biometrics 2014 at the QEII Centre in Westminster. Biometrics is an ideal domain for Anglicity's translation and copywriting services. It intersects my financial background, specialisation in technological innovation and keen interest in human rights' issues.

Secure border controls and identity authentication in the banking world are of even greater concern in 2015 than in 2014. Following Biometrics 2014, I was invited to attend Biometrics in Banking at Citibank on 24 October 2014. The European Association for Biometrics organised that event with Financial Fraud Action UK. 

Developments in biometrics were initially driven by the US military and Homeland Security. Technologies developed for national security purposes cannot simply be transferred to the banking world. Banks have to strike the right balance between security, respect for privacy and serving their customers.

Mobile and Contactless Payments

In the past year, I have become a big fan of the ease of online payments using my laptop, mobile or iPad. I am very used to Oyster card or contactless payments on the London Underground and buses.

I have just read the latest revelations from whistleblower Edward Snowden on how GCHQ can track and access your mobile remotely.  At a UKTI event at London's City Hall, I was introduced to the company that produces TFL's real-time maps of commuter movements. They assured me that all data is anonymised. It is hard not to wonder what fraudsters might do in future - or can possibly do already.

Fraud

I have had two fairly recent experiences of fraud on my personal bank account. On the first occasion, I was impressed by how quickly my bank called my mobile to advise me of the attempted fraud. I had only just reached the store's exit following a purchase. A lost debit or credit card is easily replaced and any losses are covered. 

The second fraudulent transaction took place online. I spotted the problem and advised my bank. Amounts were debited from my account in the Netherlands. A series of debits hit my account. Although my losses were covered, the incident was more alarming and took more time to rectify.

Password Alternatives

I would welcome alternatives to reduce the number of passwords that I need to remember. Banks have to find an alternative or combination of alternatives that the public will accept. Just today, I overheard a conversation in which a customer did not wish to give her credit card details over the phone while travelling.

Different age groups have different expectations. All customers want convenience without any security worries.

The loss of biometric data would be even alarming than either of my two experiences above.

Range of Technologies
At Biometrics 2014, I was amazed at the range of technologies in use or in development. Last year I saw or heard about the following biometrics:

·      Fingerprint

·      Palm

·      Hand

·      Vein pattern

·      Face recognition

·      Voice recognition

·      Iris

·      Behavioural

·      Real-time signature recognition

·      Gesture recognition

·      2-factor

·      Multimodal

I am looking forward to an update from the experts at Biometrics 2015.

To discuss your communication requirements, email karen@anglicity.com

Red light for innovation challenges?

Walking and waving a red flag in front of a moving car? Preposterous! Yet, the US and the UK had just such a law as a safety precaution in the 19th century.

Driverless cars, drones, unmanned aircraft, space rockets, satellites and probes to Pluto... What on earth would our ancestors think? Technology is moving at a faster pace than the majority of us can take in. Should we rein in our modern day innovators, pioneers and explorers with red and amber flags while we catch up?

Driverless cars

Google reported that its driverless cars keep having accidents. The June 2015 report stated: "Not once was the self-driving car the cause of the accident". Inattentive humans are the problem.

Is the obvious fix to ban all human drivers from the road in future? It's not that simple.

Car hacking

A current Wired article is entitled Hackers remotely kill a jeep on the highway - with me in it. In a test, hackers toyed remotely with the air-conditioning, radio, windscreen wipers and then the accelerator at 70 mph...  Off the road and into a ditch... The manufacturer has issued a recall to prevent the vehicles from being controlled remotely. Recalls don't come cheap.

Accidents on land can be contained. What of the skies?

Drones

There is alarm about drone safety - particularly the unregulated use of hobby drones. In late January, Le Monde reported that drones had flown over 17 French nuclear power stations since October 2014. 

After the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, the world is understandably uneasy. A major earthquake followed by a 15-metre tsunami disabled the power supply and cooling of three Fukushima Daiichi reactors. An unpredictable sequence of events?

Unmanned aircraft

Unmanned craft already fly the skies on spying missions. NASA's unmanned Global Hawk can remain aloft for up to 30 hours at high altitudes. It is being used for atmospheric analysis, but was originally developed for military use. 

Challenger
NASA employs some of the world's most brilliant scientists. They've known both glorious successes and heart-breaking disasters. The Challenger Space Shuttle accident cost 7 lives.  Just 0.678 seconds after lift-off, there was a strong puff of grey smoke. The two cameras that should have reported the precise location were inoperative. A rapid series of events from 72.20 seconds followed. Challenger exploded after 73.137 seconds.

The Presidential Commission's report on the Space Shuttle disaster is full of technical detail. The accident was due to faulty design. A faulty pressure seal caused a major setback in space exploration. In the NASA control room, they knew the astronauts. They knew their voices.

Rockets explode. Satellites and probes malfunction. Space is filling up with junk.

3D printing

Technology is developing at such a pace that it is hard to predict all the challenges in advance.  Some are overstated. When 3D printing came to the fore, people worried that it would be used to make guns.

Today, most geeks content themselves with posting pictures of epic failures or cereal-box-style Star Wars characters online. 3D technology is saving lives in the medical field today.

Hacking inevitable?

Experts treat hacking as inevitable. They seek to minimise risk. Total prevention is not viewed as realistic. The "good guys" play catch up with the "bad guys". Hacking pays well.

Red and amber flags?

Modern technology is exciting. The pace is so fast. There is little time to question if technology is always being used in the best interests of Man. History should teach us caution. Do we need to slow down a bit and take stock? Issue some red and amber flags?

Shared planet

If only the best minds could work on climate change for all Earth's residents. We never get on well with all our neighbours. We just have to find a way to coexist.

Relocation isn't an option. NASA hasn't found another habitable planet for us.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is
an entrepreneurial
French to English
translator, editor,
content writer and
marketing consultant. 

Contact karen@anglicity.com 
for further information 
on Anglicity's services.

 

At the Centre Georges Pompidou

Inside the Centre Georges Pompidou

"Where on earth?" That was my thought when I visited the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris for the first time. I had never seen anything like such architecture before. I still remember how the external pipework and escalators fascinated me as a young teenager.

When I revisited on 21st March, the enormous building still looked very innovative. Its visitor numbers and the very long ticket queues suggest that Beaubourg has retained its power of innovation and popularity.  The contents on the inside took me by surprise this time. 

Jeff Koons' Magenta Balloon Dog

Jeff Koons

I visited the modern art collection of the American Jeff Koons. Although much of it was pleasing to the eye, I am afraid that I found the majority somewhat shallow. I didn't really know what to make of the brightly-coloured and overgrown balloon sculptures. The Incredible Hulk, Popeye, a huge red lobster, etc all left me cold. 

Jeff Koons' exhibition at Centre Georges Pompidou

It all seemed too superficial to me. The explanatory blurbs generally seemed too contrived for my taste. Maybe they was some criticism of the modern commercial world and its fascination with how things look? The gold figures of Michael Jackson and his pet monkey might confirm this.

Hervé Télémaque

I much preferred the artworks in other galleries. For example, the ones that offered some historical comment or reflection on the current state of the world - e.g. racism depicted in the work of French Haitian-born artist Hervé Télémaque. 

Artist as archivist

There was a simple mound of white square blocks in one room. Some bore Arabic script. Some in Latin Script bore simple historical date information. I understood this to be a pile of grievances built up over centuries in the Middle East. The blocks could topple over at any time.

In the corridor outside were the two large works that had the greatest effect upon me. One was a painting. The faces seemed Far Eastern in origin. All were crying out looking at the sky. The colours were very bold - yellow, orange and red. What imminent disaster could they see in the sky? Global warming? A nuclear explosion? Armageddon of some sort? 

On the opposite side, there were shelves full of world globes. Each globe looked very swollen as if nursing large wounds. The wounds were taped over. Over and over again. Pinned to the shelves were pictures of major incidents. They looked Middle Eastern in origin - the scars and after-effects of fires and bombed-out buses. 

The American artist's balloons seem all the more superficial and detached from real life.

 

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is a

marketing consultant

with project management, 

technical writing and

translation skills.

Please do not hesitate to contact Karen for further information on Anglicity's services karen@anglicity.com

Big Data with UKTI in France

UKTI event at the Residence of the British Ambassador in Paris

On 19^th March, I attended a very informative event at the Residence of the British Ambassador in Paris entitled:

 "How Big Data and Analytics are Energising Economic Growth - Accelerating Innovation, Building Trust, Powering Performance".

UKTI's Lyon-based team planned the programme to explore the business, social and technical challenges created by Big Data and analytics.

Sir Peter Ricketts, the British Ambassador to France, opened the day's proceedings and underlined how both Britain and France are at the forefront in the field.

The day comprised of 4 panel discussions in the morning and a series of roundtables in the afternoon. The event was very successfully chaired by David Reed of DataIQ and involved a well-selected blend of knowledgeable UK and French panel speakers and roundtable hosts.

The 4V's

In his introduction, David Reed referred to the 4V's of Big Data:

·      Velocity

·      Volume

·      Variety

·      Veracity

He stressed the pace of change and the importance of unlocking the value in data. Unstructured data is of no value whatsoever. We need to work out how to structure it. A new skillset will be required.

Female caution

There were many knowledgeable female panellists. It was generally the women who raised the main notes of caution and ethics in this new Big Data "gold rush".

The event covered so much ground that it is impossible to do the subject justice in a single blog. My main takeaways are summarised below:

1. Infrastructure will be key

Structuring huge amounts of data will be power-hungry. 

2. Doubts over ability of mature cities to expand

Global Switch datacenters commented that most mature cities are struggling with ageing infrastructures. No additional capacity in London; tough situation in Paris. You need a window of 3-5 years to get a reliable new electricity supply. (Major financial centres cannot afford to lose even a day's trading or want to risk resorting to back-up systems).

3. Structuring data

Data needs to be structured and segmented to unlock value for different demographics, locations and requirements.

4. Right "TechCity" location

Four key factors:

(i) TechCities need to be sited near universities producing graduates with the right skills from data science courses with very current industry relevance.

(ii) Access to local staff with technical know-how (examples of Barcelona, Toulouse and Montpellier given).

(iii) A supportive local Government

(iv) Must meet demanding bandwidth requirements (rural areas should not be excluded. Reverse of UK trend to live in countryside in France).

4. Verifiable identity and privacy

The ability currently exists to identify more than 50% of the world's population. It was suggested that identifying the remaining 50% could be achieved within 5 years. Accessed via worldwide agreements, but dangers and concerns exist over privacy.

5. Consumer at the heart of regulation 

Concern for the consumer needs to be at the heart of regulation. Only the right people should have access to given data. Access rights need careful segmentation.

6. Standards and good governance

Standards are important - ISO/IEC 27001: Information security management.

Significant numbers of organisations are simply not doing enough on security protocols.

7. Data security breaches

US requires that data security breaches are reported within 72 hours. Most companies do not realise that they have been attacked for 200 days. The average cybercriminal only needs one day to succeed. In 69% of cases, a cyberattack is detected by third parties - usually the customer with a fraud on his account.

8. Hacking of health and medical data

Major and powerful pharmaceutical companies are very keen to access data relating to medicines. There is a major concern about the security of medical data. Credit card details can be changed. Medical data cannot be changed if hacked. French example given of hacked blood tests with extortion demands. 

9. Potential role of innovation centres

Example of TUBA in Lyon to capture local ideas. Aim for a bottom-up rather than top-down approach. Success of the Lyon scheme should be unveiled in October 2015.

10. SMEs for innovation

There is concern over private sector involvement in research. Often findings do not make it into the public domain. Innovation needs to happen with SMEs. Is FrenchTech competitive approach one to be copied? Tech clusters already exist around the UK.

What next?

UKTI hopes to build a UK/French collaborative business campaign around the Information Economy. Plans are already afoot in Big Data and IoT. The new Eurostars scheme may offer French and British SMEs opportunities to collaborate.

If you would appreciate help with your technical communications, email karen@anglicity.com or call Karen on +44 (0)20 8581 9369.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is a

technical writer and 

translator with over

15 years' marketing

experience. Anglicity offers

marketing consultancy and

content marketing with a 

particular focus on innovation.

10 communication challenges only humans can solve

As an international marketer, your head must be spinning. Technological advances are demanding so much of your time and energy. Rest assured, technology won't change everything about international communication. Anglicity suggests below what won't change* about your future communication needs:

1. The customer will remain human.

2. The customer will remain delightfully and almost wilfully unpredictable

            - despite all market research

            - despite all market predictions

            - despite endless analytics.

3. There will always be a need for well-written, original creative copy with emotive appeal in the customer's own language.

4. Even the best machine translation will always present a brand risk without human input, because languages will keep evolving.

5. There will be an increasing need to customise your message for the idiosyncrasies of different global and regional target audiences.

6. Strategic marketing planners will always need advice on how to adapt to

            - the uneven roll-out and uptake of new technologies and devices globally

            - frequent updates and new trends

            - differing media preferences globally

            - differing attitudes and preferences between the generations.

7. There will always be a need for language experts with advice on cultural, linguistic, historical, legal and regional sensitivities. Fail to consult at your peril.

8. Making both the original and the translated word work effectively with pictures, in presentations and in videos will remain a challenge.

9. There will always be a need for conscientious communicators who check every last detail. Experienced marketers like you don't take short-cuts or risks with their brand.

10. There will always be innovative businesses needing expert guidance and consultancy services as they venture into export markets for the first time.

Yesterday's world is history. There are always new challenges to face.  Technological challenges are nothing new to the translation world. Experience of facing yesterday's challenges counts.  It demonstrates the ability to adapt to the new challenges ahead. Today's human translators are evolving into the linguistic, cultural and marketing experts that international marketers like you need. When your head is spinning with all your communication challenges, isn't it reassuring to speak to a human expert instead of a machine? Do you agree?

If you would appreciate some human help with your international marketing communications, email karen@anglicity.com or call Karen on +44 (0)20 8581 9369.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is an

experienced international 

marketer with 15 years' 

experience. Anglicity offers

marketing consultancy,

content marketing, translation

and transcreation services with a 

particular focus on innovation.

The above blog was inspired by comments made by Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos.

Bristol: 2015 European Green Capital

Historically, Bristol has had a flair for innovation. My home city in the West of England has its own unique character and sense of fun. On 4^th May 2014, a hilly, city-centre street was closed to traffic and turned into a giant waterslide. The event was part of the local council’s Make Sundays Special programme. The pictures of Bristolians sliding went viral on social media.  A positive image of the 2015 European Green Capital was broadcast not just locally, or even nationally, but globally.

The potential of a green, traffic-less city received active promotion. This communications success clearly shows that green policies can spread from small, local initiatives. The memory of a great day without traffic will live on in the collective, local memory. Hopefully, other European cities will be inspired to carry out similar ventures.

Global warming concerns

Not all great initiatives have to be disseminated from a nation’s capital city. There is often a greater sense of belonging outside the capital. I have spent my entire working career in London, but my sense of “home” is still firmly rooted in the West Country. The potential consequences of global warming hit me this summer when I saw the flooded Somerset levels. Global warming maps seem to predict that my beloved Somerset may be permanently under water in the future.

Brunel: a great innovator

Bristol has strong historical connections with innovation. The city is closely associated with the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the second most famous Briton. His Clifton Suspension Bridge still stands as the city’s most famous landmark (see above). Brunel is also renowned for the Great Western Railway linking Bristol and London and the steamship SS Great Britain.

Bristol and the New World

Bristol even lays claim to the discovery of America. Christopher Columbus did not land in South America until 1498. Italian-born John Cabot sailed from Bristol to discover Newfoundland and thus North America in 1497. Bristol’s merchants financed his voyage. It has even been claimed that America was named after Richard Amerike.

Nantes sets an example

Bristol has played a great role in British maritime history. The city’s past is not all glorious. It cannot be denied that Bristol grew wealthy as a result of the slave trade. There remains some unease in Bristol as to how to handle this past. The French city of Nantes perhaps showed the way by confronting its role in the slave trade with its Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery. Nantes took the lead as the European Green Capital in 2013. The city won recognition for its leadership in water management and waste recycling.

Bristol setting an example

We Bristolians are immensely proud of our city. Like many of us and many other cities, Bristol has both great and unsavoury elements in its past. Environmental concerns mean that we all need to reform our habits. We can all do our bit. Going green may mean choosing the long-term over short-term option. We may have to select a more expensive energy efficient, environmentally friendly product. We need to make conscious efforts to recycle and walk or cycle instead of taking the car.

Bristol is looking forward to leading the way as Europe’s Green Capital in 2015. Take a look at Bristol's modern digital website revealing plans already under way.

What green initiatives should Bristol take in 2015?