Whitepapers

Simplicity is Key- A Unified European Patent Court

(December, 2012)

Battle of the Brands- Who is infringing this time, Apple or Samsung?

(December, 2012)

Battle of the Brands- Can Louboutin own the Color "Red"?

(December, 2012)

Russia's Membership in WTO

(November, 2012)

As one of the “BRIC” countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), Russia is a force to be recognized as its economy continues to grow. Currently, its economy, which has been one of the world’s fastest growing over the last decade, is now the world’s 7 th largest and has the highest per capita income of the BRIC countries (1).

Russian Gains New Status in Ukraine

(October, 2012)

The history of the Ukraine is closely tied in with that of Russia. Although Ukraine has been independent for the past twenty-one years, Russian influence still remains.

In the past, there were two official languages in the country: Ukrainian and Russian. Currently Ukraine has only one official national language: Ukrainian. This means that all official documents and verbal communication must be in Ukrainian. However, colloquially, citizens of Ukraine use both Russian and Ukrainian on a daily basis. Ukrainian is mostly used in the west and north while Russian is mostly used in the east and south. While some use one language exclusively, others use both on a daily basis depending on which setting they are in. Since Ukraine’s independence in 1991, Russian has become a language used in private or among family and friends. The number of Russian schools has decreased in the last 21 years, so most children learn Ukrainian in school regardless of which language they speak at home.

Demand for Trained Medical Interpreters

(October, 2012)

The United States has historically been a country of immigrants, with many different immigrant groups contributing to the growth and diversity of the country. Brazilians are among the more recent ethnic groups migrating in growing numbers - approximately 1.4 million Brazilians are currently living in the United States. Moreover, 20-30% of Brazilian immigrants choose to live and work in the Boston area, although several other states also have significant Brazilian populations. But for those who have not had the opportunity to complete their education, language is an issue. According to the 2000 U.S Census Bureau, 34% of Brazilian immigrants living in the United States do not have a high school diploma. This makes learning English considerably more difficult. One recent study shows that 25.7% of Brazilians living in the United States have Limited English Proficiency (LEP), meaning they speak little or no English at all.

Anticipation in Interpreting

(September, 2012)

Interpreting has become over the past few decades an essential part of international communication. Although there is a high demand for interpreting, being able to interprat a professional level is far from being easy. Among the numerous qualities an interpreter must acquire, there is the one of anticipating. Indeed, for how difficult it maseem at first glance, interpreters not always interpret a phrase after the interpreted speasays this phrase, for respecting this natural order can turn out to be impossible. In otheterms, interpreters sometimes have no other choice but to anticipate what the speaker igoing to say.

The Decline of the Russian Language in Georgia

(September, 2012)

In declaring its independence in 1991, Georgia resolutely severed its ties to the Soviet Union’s communist bloc. Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Georgia’s first democratically elected president, was, in turn, given the task of rebuilding this newly sovereign country. By doing so, he instituted a drastic new policy which substituted the Russian language in public schools with English, believing it was essential for the success of Georgia’s long term augmentation plans.

The Siberian Yuits: a Russian People by Kerry Drew and Abigayle Eames

(August, 2012)

Recently, Language Connections had the fortunate opportunity of receiving an inquiry about a language known as Central Alaskan Yup’ik. The client was in need of transcription and translation services to document an ongoing environmental project in Bristol Bay, Alaska. There, many of the local elders were not able to communicate in English.

India’s Biologics Manufacturing

(August, 2012)

By the year 2015, it is estimated that biologic drugs worth more than $80 billion in global sales will lose patent protection, presenting a major opportunity for biogenerics – the generic versions of biologics. Leading industry analysts predict that by 2016, bioengineered vaccines and biologics will account for 23 % of the global market, up from 17 % in 2009, a significant percentage of which will be biogenerics. Moreover, biologic-based drugs are expected to push the contract manufacturing industry to grow exponentially over the next few years. Several emerging countries in Asia, including India, will become important biomanufacturing centers. India is already experiencing significant growth in the biogenerics manufacturing sector. However, there are significant obstacles to outsourcing biomanufacturing to India that must be considered. The factors that support and impact the biogenerics manufacturing industry in India will be the primary focus of this article.

The Business of Language: Trends in Biotech Collaboration between China and the West

(July, 2012)

Several studies and surveys have been conducted over the past few years aimed at defining the parameters responsible for facilitating collaboration between biotech firms in Western developed countries and China, as well as the factors that have imposed limits. The results of these studies provide greater insight into the impact of language barriers on the growth of international collaborations in the biotech industry, specifically with respect to China.

The Issue of Ethics in Translation & Interpreting

(April, 2012)

Most people focus on doctors, lawyers or judges when they think of ethical choices that professionals must make. What about translators and interpreters? There are several common ethical standards which are accepted across all professions. For example, finishing a project by a certain deadline, declining to undertake a project for which the professional is not qualified and certified, not overcharging the client when a price has already been quoted or keeping the client’s information confidential. In other words, there is a set of standards that when applied helps to ensure the best results will be achieved for the client. Although ethical issues appear to have little to do with translation and interpreting, most translators and interpreters will in fact face more than one ethical dilemma throughout their career.

The Origins of Interpreting

(March 2012)

Communication has always been a key element throughout the ages to convey messages to others. Eventually, the interaction between different tribes, peoples, cultures, or entities, would define the need for interpreting as essential. The urge for conquering lands made men feel powerful and, as a way to impose themselves in the defeated region, the dominant people would spread their language. During ancient times it was the duty of the slaves to provide interpreting as it was considered undignified. It was not until much later, during the post-World War II Nuremburg Trials, that interpreting became accepted as an important profession.

Getting the Most Out of Your Translation

(March 2012)

Why Translate? There are many reasons why a company may decide to translate a document. Perhaps they’ve formed a new partnership abroad or they want to expand their customer base. New business challenges and opportunities constantly arise, and translation, or the process of rendering written texts in one language (the source language) in another (the target language), is one way to meet those demands head on, no matter which business sector you are in. Language is one of the most important “currencies” in the global market, allowing greater access to products and services worldwide.

E-Commerce in Russia: Accessing the Russian Market via the Internet

(February 2012)

Recent changes in Russian policy, such as its recent ascension to the WTO,[1] have led to the promise of the further opening of its markets – entering into serious dialogues with foreign companies and establishing conditions for business cooperation in Russia. [2] The opening of its doors, so to speak, has led to a proliferation of companies seeking to do business in Russia. E‐commerce, in particular, has recently begun to boom due to growing access to the Internet as well as the relatively small investment needed to enter new e‐commerce markets.

Rusnano to Jump Start Russian Nano-Industry

(December 2011)

The Russian state-owned nanotechnology investor Rusnano has been heavily shopping all around the world, trying to import the newest technology into Russia and become a world leader in the evermore important nano-industry. A great part of the company’s investments are focused on nanotechnology developed in the United States, where the majority of advanced nano research labs are located. State-owned Rusnano, and thus Russia itself, has thus become an important investor of the new American industry.

From High School to St.Peterburg

(November 2011)

As the value of eastern European business has increased over the past years, so has the importance of Russian business, language, and culture skills. There is a great demand from both business and government for excellent communication with Russia or Russian speaking countries. That requires experts on these subjects. But these experts don’t grow on trees, and the interest in Russian or the culture has drastically decreased since the fall of the Soviet Union. Through government sponsored programs this trend is meant to be reversed by getting the youth involved and training the potential future experts for both business and government collaboration.

The Ukrainian Language Policy

(October 2011)

Russian and Ukrainian history has always been tightly interlinked. This is reflected in the languages spoken in today’s Ukraine, with almost half of the population speaking Russian. The strong neighbor Russia has had a strong influence on the people and culture, throughout history, very often forcibly integrating the Ukraine into its territory. Today, a strong movement has developed in the anti-Russian Ukrainian government, which seeks to reinstate the Ukrainian language as the only official language in the country and slowly push the importance that Russian plays in the daily life of the Ukrainian people back. But this political push is experiencing fierce opposition, not only from politicians, but also from the Ukrainians themselves.

Learning to Speak Iowan

(October 2011)

Until recently the issue in many U.S. cities has been addressing language and cultural barriers between American doctors and immigrant patient populations. With greater numbers of foreign doctors being encouraged to work in rural America, new communication barriers have arisen. The cultural gap between foreign doctors and the communities that they are asked to serve is further widened by the fact that both parties are unfamiliar with each other’s culture. As a solution, some rural hospitals are making it mandatory for foreign physicians to complete cultural adaptation and training programs.

Russian Language in the Post-Soviet Space

(March 2011)

In the two decades following the collapse of the Soviet Union and advent of non-Russian successor states, the issue of Russian language and Russian-speaking minorities living abroad has followed a complex trajectory, encapsulating social, cultural, and political dimensions. The diffusion of Russian language is a result of complex historical events including the preference of Russian as the language of governance under the USSR, and the long-standing Soviet relocation program to move ethnic Russians to the outskirts of the empire to build infrastructure, manage local bureaucracies, and educate native populations. As a result, when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, 25 million Russian speakers suddenly found themselves living outside of the Russian Federation in foreign countries.

Germany’s Biotech Industry Going Strong

(November 2010)

Germany is now one of the leading nations, after only the US, in biotech research and manufacturing, and the leading nation in Europe. Research in the field of medical biotech includes microsystems technology, information and communication technology, nanotechnology, molecular and cell biology, regeneration technology and pharmaceuticals.

Biotech in France: An Update

(November 2010)

The French biotech industry is ranked third in Europe after the UK and Germany, and has become a major player in the European biotechnology sector over the last two decades. France has a diversified industrial base. There are about 400 biotechnology businesses in the country, employing around 6000 people. French biotech companies, such as Bio-Alliance, Nicox and ExonHit are at the front-line of research in the field.

Prescription Labeling and Language Barriers

(July 2009 )

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, almost 50 million Americans speak a primary language other than English at home. Among those, 22.3 million have limited English proficiency (LEP). Over the past ten years, the number of LEP individuals in the United States has increased dramatically. Major cities such as New York are experiencing the greatest impact. With continued growth in LEP populations there is a greater need to overcome language barriers and maintain quality health care, and recent studies indicate that language problems should not be ignored.

Translation of Investigational Medicinal Product Labels (IMPs)

(November 2008)

The successful completion of a clinical study largely depends on a patient’s adherence to protocol; therefore the labeling and distribution of clinical trials supplies must be well controlled in order to ensure their validity. Conveying accurate dosage, treatment schedules, and other specifications is a major factor affecting patient safety. Therefore, translating labels into a patient’s native language is the best way to ensure patient safety and compliance.

The Return of the Sea Turtles to China: the tides of biotech are shifting

(October 2008)

Returning ‘sea turtles’ or ‘hai gui’ (a Chinese expression for returning Chinese-born, foreign-educated scientist) are bringing their Western expertise to the Chinese biotech industry and helping to bridge the gap between China and the West. They are providing an incentive to Western companies already taking advantage of China’s lower manufacturing costs, to expand their biotech investments into research.

Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing and Offshoring in Puerto Rico

(June 2008)

Puerto Rico is well established in offshoring due to low-cost, low-tax opportunities for manufacturing. Along with significantly lower labor costs, geographic proximity to the U.S. and coinciding time zones further distinguishes Puerto Rico from other developing nations currently emerging as new locations for biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Despite English proficiency among much of the Puerto Rican population, language barriers among manufacturing employees must be considered.

Clinical Trials in Asia: Double-Digit Growth, Multi-Lingual Challenges

(March 2008)

The number of clinical trials in Asia has risen tremendously over the past few years. In addition to significantly lower clinical research costs, the region offers the advantage of a genetically diverse population of over 4 billion. Despite the advantages, outsourcing to Asia introduces new complications that must be addressed, including differences in regulatory procedures, infrastructure, medical practices, language, and culture.