WordFitness issue 2
January 22nd, 2010 | 
Author: January 2010
Vol. 2 No. 1
Hi folks,
Welcome to wordFitness, the monthly eZine from The Word Gym. First of all, we’d like to wish you a very happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful 2010!
2010 is a milestone for The Word Gym, as we celebrate our 20th birthday this month. Yes, the company was founded in January 1990, when the Amstrad PC-1512 was still at the cutting edge of consumer computing, fax machines were still pretty cool, and the French still used Minitel. Plenty of water has rolled under the bridge since then, and this anniversary gives us an opportunity to reflect on how the world of words has changed over the past two decades.
Feel free to add your comments to the following timeline – the pace of change over the past 20 years has been amazing, and I’m sure we all have favourite memories it would be nice to share.
Meanwhile, we wish you all good things in 2010.
Lois
20 years of innovation (1,000 words; ca. 7 minutes to read)
Reading copy in another language (450 words; ca. 3 minutes to read)
Howler of the month!
Celebrating 20 years of innovation
January 1990 and The Word Gym was conceived. But why “The Word Gym” and not “Vox Mundi”, or something along those lines? Well, the cofounders were both fitness fanatics as well as wordsmiths, and after an unfit, boozy evening, abandoned posh Latin in favour of the pleasing Anglo-Saxon jauntiness of The Word Gym, which pretty much does what it says on the tin.
So what’s cutting-edge in 1990?
The fax machine is relatively new. The Word Gym blows its equipment budget on 386SX PCs, each boasting a majestic 8 MB (no, not GB) of RAM! We also acquire one of the first CD-ROM drives and liaise with our writers and translators by fax and dial-up modem. Hey, we’re technology leaders!
Other events: Nelson Mandela is released from detention after 27 years in prison; Tim Berners-Lee invents the World-Wide Web; East and West Germany are unified.
In 1991 we work for Mercedes-Benz, BP Chemicals, the Steinbeis Transfer Center and Landesbank Baden-Württemberg.
1991 also sees the dissolution of the USSR and the formation of the CIS.
In 1992 Lois joins The Word Gym; we work for Siemens, Porsche, Volkswagen. The Word Gym is the second translation company in the UK to be certified under quality standard BS 5750 part 2 (now ISO 9002) by BSI.
The first Earth Summit Conference takes place in Rio de Janeiro; war breaks out in Bosnia; Jean Armour Polly coins the phrase “surfing the Internet”.
In 1993 we move to new offices in Crystal Palace; clients now include ICI, Iomega, Swiss Bank Corporation and Unix. The Word Gym becomes the preferred transcreation supplier to Opsrey Communications, Wickens Tutt Southgate and Fox Parrack Fox. We also start working for BBC Music Magazine.
The Northern Ireland peace pact is signed; a reported 15 million people are now connected to the Internet.
In 1994 we work for BP/Bovis Alliance, UBS, DHL and Michelin, and with agency CDP. Other clients include Hitachi Europe, EMC, Thomas-Conrad, Zurich Insurance and Bauknecht.
The Channel Tunnel is opened.
In 1995 we work for the Aga Khan and various European Commission directorates, as well as Banque Paribas, Cherry and Quantel. New agency clients include BST-BDDP.
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin is assassinated; Austria, Finland and Sweden join the EU; Yahoo is launched.
In 1996 we move our head office to Oxford; we work for Renault and Groupe Hexacom in France; K+K Hotels, FIBRO and Sappi Europe in Germany; SEGA, Marconi Instruments, CitiBank and JP Morgan.
US space shuttle Atlantis docks with Russia’s Mir space station; the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is signed by the USA, Russia, France, China and Australia.
In 1997 we work on marketing materials for Scansped Group AB, Europe’s largest logistics operator; also with BP, ABB and Converse. The Word Gym is the preferred transcreation supplier to LSA/Webershandwick and Finex.
Dolly the Sheep is cloned in the UK; Hong Kong reverts to Chinese rule; the Kyoto Protocol is signed.
In 1998 we work on Intuit’s advertising account, and also for the Financial Times, Merrill Lynch, Jim Beam and Opel/Vauxhall. We’re the transcreation supplier of choice to agencies Cogent, DLKW and Publicis, and start working for pharmaceutical specialists Beckman Coulter and Steris.
In Ireland, the Good Friday agreement is signed.
In 1999 The Word Gym works on marketing projects for IBM Tivoli Systems, Nortel Networks, NCR, Amadeus, Lancôme and Oracle Corporation, and on advertising campaigns for HP, AMD and Pioneer. We are the transcreation supplier of choice to FCB.
11 EU states launch the euro; self-rule is initiated in Northern Ireland; the world’s population reaches 6 billion.
In 2000 we write copy for Axa and Palm Computing, and transcreate brochures for Sandals and DaimlerChrysler. We also work with J Walter Thompson, Banks Hoggins O’Shea/FCB and Lowe & Partners Worldwide, Bartle Bogle Hegarty and Miller Bainbridge.
The new millennium is celebrated around the world; the first permanent crew of the International Space Station launches into space aboard Soyuz TM-31.
In 2001 The Word Gym is transcreation agency of choice for Handspring Europe and OmniSky, as well as agencies 3 Fish in a Tree and Partners BDDH.
The World Trade Centre in New York is destroyed; the dot.com crash ravages adland; the People’s Republic of China is granted normalised trade status by the USA.
In 2002 we are the transcreation agency of choice for Sony Broadcast & Professional Europe, Inmarsat Global and agencies Mindshare and Fox Murphy (Balloon Dog).
Estonia hosts the first Eurovision Song Contest in a former Soviet republic; the International Criminal Court is established.
In 2003 The Word Gym is transcreation agency of choice for BI Worldwide, Pinnacle Systems and Sage CRM Solutions, and also works for agencies DPA (FCBi), the Ideas Industry and Meteorite.
Space shuttle Columbia disintegrates on re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere; Sweden rejects adoption of the euro.
In 2004 we are the transcreation agency of choice for Sony Electronics Europe and Sony CRM in Brussels.
Yasser Arafat dies in Paris; NASA’s MER-A rover Spirit successfully lands on Mars.
In 2005 The Word Gym links up with associates in New Zealand, and becomes transcreation supplier of choice to Dare Digital, Profero and SMP. We produce brochures for Ernst & Young in Germany.
Angela Merkel is elected Germany’s first female Chancellor; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf becomes Africa’s first female head of state.
In 2006 The Word Gym’s European HQ moves to Perthshire in Scotland. We become transcreation supplier of choice to Design Motive and DDB France (working on multi-platform tourism materials). We write copy for the Stephen Lawrence Trust.
The New Horizons spacecraft is launched to study Pluto; Google buys YouTube.
In 2007 we are transcreation supplier of choice to Tequila France and Wieden & Kennedy Europe. We write copy and transcreate brochures for the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.
Romania and Bulgaria join the EU, bringing the membership to 27 countries in total; Buenos Aires experiences the city’s first snowfall for 89 years.
In 2008 The Word Gym works on copywriting and transcreation for Crown Europe, and starts working with agency KB49.
India launches its first unmanned spacecraft to produce 3D maps of the Moon; first spacewalk by a Chinese astronaut.
In 2009 we work with Faith the Agency, Highland Spring, the Union Advertising Agency, Momentum Worldwide, L’Etoffe des héros and the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
Slovakia accedes to the eurozone; Albania and Croatia join NATO.
In 2010… well, we’re looking forward to finding out!
About The Word Gym
Independent B2B/B2C copy writing and translation provider for, yes, 20 years, we specialise in promotional copy for corporates and communications agencies worldwide. We also provide language consultancy and management services; find out more on our website at www.wordgym.com, e-mail us, or ring us on +44 (0)1887 820 100.
Reading copy in a language that’s not your own
Advertising and marketing campaigns are often organised centrally. This means the master copy is usually written in English, then translated into the languages of the other target markets.
Nowadays, most managers of central campaigns are alert to local-market sensitivities: they make sure the draft English copy is sent to in-market reps so they can confirm they’re happy with the concept. Once the copy has been approved in all the target markets, it’s sent off for translation. And here we come across one of those little psychological stumbling blocks that make creative work so exciting.
Involving in-country reps is a vital part of campaign buy-in, of course: we thoroughly recommend it. But in our experience, the real communication challenge only happens once the in-country office sees the copy transcreated into their own language. Only then can they really assess the impact of the content on their (stress: their) target market.
Not infrequently, the translated copy is greeted with howls of protest. This may be due to the fact that the master copy has been translated rather than transcreated – it may be technically accurate, yet have all the sizzle and dynamism of a blancmange. Sometimes, however, even a very competent transcreation is unfairly blamed for misgivings that are technical, commercial or political in scope. In short, the in-market rep has realised that now they can read it properly, in their own language, they don’t really like the concept very much, or don’t feel it’s appropriate for their target audience (for more on the relative value attached to different language versions of a creative concept, see this wordFlex entry).
It’s good to talk (no, really…)
At The Word Gym we help our clients navigate through this cultural maze by asking to see the proposed master copy as early in the process as possible, so we can advise on any obvious issues before the copy is finalised. What’s more, we can take over the whole process of liaising with local-market contacts – in their own languages – to discuss and resolve any anxieties or issues they may raise once they see the transcreated copy.
Our direct liaison service can resolve perceived problems very quickly and smoothly, often because frustrated managers trying to express a point in English can sound much angrier and more frustrated than they really are: the actual issue might well be minor, but if the point is subtle, it can be difficult to articulate in a language other than your mother-tongue. Of course we feed back any market-specific issues to our clients, so they can make informed decisions about whether the content should be modified in specific cases.
Moving on these issues as soon as possible saves time and budget. And (paradoxically, perhaps) our local-market liaison can also enhance cross-border relationships within organisations.
Howler of the month!
Names are a frequent source of trouble in international marketing. Here are a few of our faves:
Toyota didn’t stop to check the apparently innocuous name of the group’s most popular sports car, the MR2, when it was first launched in France. Apparently even Toyota’s French marketing specialists failed to spot the fact that in French, MR2 is pronounced “emmerde” – very similar to a French verb meaning “to p*ss somebody off” – and also to the adjective “merdeux”, meaning “sh*tty”. Not good! The car was relaunched as the MR. Mind you, that didn’t stop the French MR2 owners’ club from using the domain name mr2.fr!
Shortly after launching an international marketing campaign, the Kinki Nippon Tourist Company decided to change the firm’s (English) name following a flood of inquiries about “alternative” Japanese holidays from English-speaking readers…
And Perrier’s lemonade Pschitt!, while popular in France, was – for some reason – never quite as popular in the Anglophone world…
What do you think?
We’d love to hear what you think of wordFitness at The Word Gym. Please let us know by dropping an e-mail to lois[dot]thomas[at]wordgym[dot]com
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Copyright in this eZine © 2010 The Word Gym Ltd.
Published and distributed by The Word Gym Ltd.
European Head Office, The Old Sawmill, Camserney,
by Aberfeldy, Perth & Kinross PH15 2JF, UK.
T +44 (0)1887 820 100.
W www.wordgym.com
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word'flex [v] [itr]: to exercise with high efficiency using a cyclical combination of rigorous intellect-stressing drills and playful, low-intensity routines designed to optimise development of mental muscle and encourage objective-driven fitness (slogan: "fit for purpose"). Increasingly popular with Generation Y and other elite aesthetes...
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