Hoping to get in at least a few great conferences this year? Even if your travel and marketing budgets are starting to open up, it can still be pricey. Global Language Solutions wants to help you out with some tips on event registration discounts. For all of the events listed below, use code GCC400 and receive $400 off your registration fees.

CBI’s 9th Forum on Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO)
May 7-8, 2012
Philadelphia, PA
http://www.cbinet.com/PRO

CBI’s 4th Annual Summit on Clinical Trial Investigator Portals
May 15-16, 2012
Philadelphia, PA
http://www.cbinet.com/portals

3rd Pharma/Bio Boot Camp on Electronic Trial Master Files
May 15-16, 2012
Philadelphia, PA
http://www.cbinet.com/etmf

Forum on Global Publication Planning and Clinical Trial Registries
June 11-12, 2012
Amsterdam
http://www.cbinet.com/globalpublication

8th Annual Medical Device and Diagnostics Compliance Congress
June 13-14, 2012
Washington, D.C.
http://www.cbinet.com/mdcc

5th Managed Care Marketing Summit
June 19-20, 2012
Philadelphia, PA
http://www.cbinet.com/managedcare

3rd Annual Life Sciences Forum on
Social Media Regulations and Compliance
June 19-20, 2012
Alexandria, Virginia
http://www.cbinet.com/socialmedia

CBI’s 3rd Annual Product Launch and Market Access Congress
July 19-20, 2012
Philadelphia, PA
http://www.cbinet.com/launch

5th Annual Congress on Access Programs for Investigational and Pre-Launch Drugs
July 19-20, 2012
Philadelphia, PA

http://www.cbinet.com/accessprograms

CBI’s Biopharmaceutical Forum on Clinical and Commercial
Global Supply Chain Excellence
July 24-25, 2012
New Brunswick, NJ

http://www.cbinet.com/supplychain

Bio/Pharma Summit on Global Market Research
August 16-17, 2012
Philadelphia, PA

http://www.cbinet.com/marketresearch

CBI’s 8th Annual Product Recalls Summit
September 19-20, 2012
Washington, DC

http://www.cbinet.com/recalls

CBI’s 15th Annual Registries and Post-Approval Studies Congress
September 19-21, 2012
Chicago, IL

http://www.cbinet.com/postapproval

*Use Discount code GCC500 for $500 off registration fees.

Hide Sites

Have you ever wondered about the origin of the phrase rule of thumb? Maybe not, but, if you’re a marketing person, business executive, or administrative assistant, you probably do wonder which is correct: Web Site, Web site, Website, or website?

There are several resources, some academic and others entertainingly educational, that we use to check the appropriate usage of words and the meanings of phrases. For answers to these, and many other questions, here are some of the sites the we recommend.

Academic and serious:

AskOxford.com is just one of the sites we regularly visit for answers to questions about some fussiest aspects of the language.

The AP Stylebook is a go-to resource for how to write according to the Associated Press. Here you’ll find out if it’s best to use Web site or website, what numbers you should spell out or write numerically, or when to abbreviate or write out a state, country, etc.

Informational with comedy and flair:

Cracked.com offers list-based posts designed to inform and, well, make you laugh. Consult this article for the top 10 phrases and their bizarre origins.

The Oatmeal is our favorite tongue-in-cheek grammatical resource. The best part is, it may be hilarious, but it’s also accurate. You’ll learn how and when to use a semi-colon, when to use i.e. vs. e.g., and more. Plus, you can buy fun posters to put desk’s side as a constant reminder.

Hide Sites

Let’s crunch some numbers! From the number of Facebook users to type of currency, below are some fast facts and data points about India and Hindi, one of India’s many languages and the featured language in the March issue of the Global Communicator.

Language of business. English is the language of business and higher education throughout India. Though English is not an official language in India, the country is home to the third largest population of English speakers in the world, surpassed only by the U.S. and the U.K.

Tower of Babel. India could possibly be as close as the world comes to Babel. Eighteen languages are officially recognized by the constitution and over 1,600 minor languages and dialects were listed in the 2001 census.

By the numbers. In December 2012, there were over 120 million Internet users in India, representing just over 10% of the population. (Internet World Stats)

Let’s socialize. Currently, there are 45 million Facebook users India, which makes it #2 in the ranking of all Facebook statistics by country. The largest age group of Indian people on Facebook is currently 18-24, and 73% of the total number are male.

Online opportunities. According to IAMAI, a trade association representing the online content and advertising, e-commerce and mobile content and advertising industry, Indians go online for a number of activities including email and IM (98%); job search (51%); banking (32%); bill payment (18%); and matrimonial searches (15%).

Find out more about Hindi in the March issue of the Global Communicator.

Hide Sites

Starting a business is hard. You have to work hard, maximize your resources, and, though it may sound like a cliché, be passionate about your business. If you are passionate about what you do, you will tend to work harder and go that extra mile. And, let’s face it, you’ll need this extra drive in order to make up for the lack of capital.

Global Language Solutions (GLS) launched in 1994 for $800, which was used to incorporate the business. The co-founders of GLS turned their global finesse and knack for linguistics into a successful translation and interpreting firm. Talk about the ‘American Dream’!

How did GLS grow from an $800 shoestring investment in 2004 to a multi-million dollar firm? Hard work, passion, efficiency, and, finally, letting go.

Read more about the start of GLS.

Hide Sites

Life expectancy continues to increase across the globe. Today, thankfully, we are able to overcome diseases that were once impossible to beat. Yet, many of us forget about the medical experts and volunteers who are working hard to find cures through careful research. Every day, clinical trials are used to determine new types of treatment and ways to administer therapies that will improve a patient’s quality of life. In the February 2012 issue of Global Communicator, we wrote about clinical studies and how pooling patient data across countries and cultures is an important part of advancements in global clinical studies. Please read the February issue for points to consider when a Patient Reported Outcome (PROs) instrument is translated in order to help avoid a potentially negative impact on the study data.

For more information about PROs, attend CBI’s Forum on Patient Reported Outcomes on May 7-8, 2012 in Philadelphia, PA. Contact us (melissa(at)globallanguages.com) for a special Global Communicator code and save $400 off registration fees.

Hide Sites

Many people say that Valentine’s Day is just a U.S. holiday — something dreamed up by savvy marketers at greeting card companies or floral shops to get people to spend more money. If so, it works. Valentine’s Day is the second most popular day for people to dine out in the States. But, actually, St. Valentine has been around longer than the romantic Italian restaurant down the street or the paper greeting card company.

Historians trace the origin of Valentine’s Day to the ancient Roman Empire. It is said that in the Rome of ancient times people observed a holiday on February 14th to honor Juno – the Queen of Roman Gods and Goddesses. Find out more about the history and origin of Valentine’s Day.

Today, all over the world people celebrate Valentine’s Day by expressing love to sweethearts, family members, classmates, etc. However, customs and traditions of celebrating the holiday vary in different countries due to social and cultural differences.

Valentine’s Day is celebrated in countries around the world.

Hide Sites

In today’s global economy, issuing press releases for international audiences is a necessary but difficult task for corporate communicators. Now, a new global press release distribution service, Kontax.com, is available in 161 countries.

Kontax specializes in the distribution of multilingual news and information and allows companies and organizations to publish – free of charge – an unlimited number of multimedia press releases in the language of their choice. In addition, registered users have direct contact with Kontax partner translation companies. In the U.S., that partner company is Global Language Solutions.

We are pleased to report that our firm, Global Language Solutions, has been named the exclusive Translation Manager for Kontax USA. GLS has long-standing experience in multilingual communication for its customers and business partners. Companies headquartered in the U.S. can choose to have their press releases translated and published on Kontax in over 60 languages by GLS.

Find out more about publishing your organization’s news at no charge.

Hide Sites

Today at NPR’s food blog, the salt, there is a fabulous blog entry that builds on a topic we have covered before at OneStopGlobal, the localization of McDonald’s restaurants in different countries, and even regionally in the U.S. The entry, entitled, “Why McDonald’s In France Doesn’t Feel Like Fast Food,” discusses why “MacDo” is a popular dining choice and the ways the fast food giant has localized the menu and experience. Also, I was surprised to learn that France is McDonald’s second biggest market.

After you read about the menus and ambiance of McDonald’s in France at NPR, take a look at some of the ways McDonald’s has localized its menu to other cultural preferences and tastes:

China: In China, Chicken McNuggets come with the traditional dipping sauces, but there’s also a chili garlic sauce (very popular in China). The menu also includes crispy chicken wings (called McWings), and a seasonal Chinese New Year meal is available, including Grilled Chicken Burger, curly fries, with a horoscope of the twelve zodiac animals of Chinese astrology and traditional “red” packets, or gift bags, for good luck. McDonald’s is trying to catch up to the country’s fast food leader, KFC, by offering more Western/beef items, such as the “Quarter Pounder,” which is also localized (cucumbers replace pickles, and tomatoes and spicy sauce were added, ingredients that appeal to local tastes.)

The Netherlands: Here you’ll find McDonald’s selling the McKroket, a deep-fried roll containing beef ragouts. Also available is “American Sauce,” a yellow mayonnaise-like sauce with bits of relish – for dipping french fries.

Australia: Love the name of this item…the Kiwiburger consists of an all-beef patty, egg, tomato, lettuce, cheese, onion, beetroot, sauce, and mustard in a toasted bun. Here you’ll also find the Down Under Deluxe – a home-style burger, named via a nation-wide public contest, and a “Made to Order” menu which allows patrons to personalize their item according to their specific tastes.

United States: Even within its home country, McDonald’s localizes its menu according to regional preferences. For example, in the southern U.S., breakfast items include a country ham biscuit and a sausage gravy biscuit, which is a split biscuit served in a tray with the gravy ladled on top.

For more unique regional ‘McItems,’ an excellent round up of localized McDonald’s menus can be found here.

Hide Sites

It’s about that time — preparations are underway in many corners of the globe to ring in the New Year! On December 31st many countries celebrate the change from one year to the next. In the U.S., New Year’s typically begins with lively New Year’s Eve parties on the night of December 31st – and many people watching the ball drop in Times Square in NY (live or on T.V). Celebrations continue on New Year’s Day (January 1st) with most businesses on holiday and scores of people making resolutions for the New Year.

In Europe, Mexico, Central America, and South America, they also party long into the morning hours and fireworks are a popular form of New Year’s celebration. Throughout the world this custom of making noise to ring in the New Year continues. It was started as a way to scare off any evil spirits.

In addition to noise and parties, many food is a popular tradition. Our offices in Hungary tell us there are many traditional foods to eat in order to have good luck in the New Year. And, the Portuguese pick and eat 12 grapes from a bunch as the clock strikes twelve on New Year’s Eve. This is done to ensure 12 happy months in the coming year.

But did you know that there are many different dates of the year when different countries celebrate a New Year?

New Year Celebrations Around the World

It’s the Year of the Dragon! The Chinese New Year starts on January 23, 2012 and ends on February 9th. The festivities ends with the Lantern Festival, during which thousands of rice paper lanterns fill the skies and huge paper dragons are carried in parades through the city streets.

The Persian New Year (Iran, Turkey, Northern Iraq, Afghanistan, and Azerbaijan) is called Noruz and celebrates two different year counts, 1391 for the Islamic count and 2571 for the Kingdom count. It falls on the Spring Equinox March 21-22. But its roots stretch back thousands of years before this to the ancient Egyptians and is a feast of the first spring day of seed planting for the summer crops.

Jewish New Year celebrations occur on September 16 this year. Called Rosh Hashanah, this festival is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve. The New Year’s Eve feast includes bread, known as Challah; honey cake; and fresh fruits. Fish is also served as it symbolizes fruitfulness.

The Islamic New Year (most Arabic countries) comes from the Hijri lunar calendar. It falls on the first day of Muharram in early January, and will celebrate the 1433rd year since Muhammad entered the city of Medina.

The Indian New Year festival is called Diwali and is a festival of lights. The festival is celebrated differently in the various districts of India. In addition to Diwali, India has other New Year’s dates on its calendar, including Baisakhi, which is celebrated on April 13th.

For even more New Year’s traditions, visit: http://www.fathertimes.net/traditions.htm.

Hide Sites

Recently, we shared news about our new offices in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Budapest, Hungary. Today, we’ll share how our teams in Argentina and Hungary celebrate the holiday season. Enjoy and Happy Holidays from all of us at Global Langauge Solutions!

Argentina: Our GLS office in Buenos Aires shares how they celebrate the holidays. Families gather for a big dinner during Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Some of the foods that you’ll find at the dinner table are: different kinds of meat, panettone (sweet bread), wines, and champagne. At midnight, there is a toast to welcome either Christmas or the coming year, and the skies light up with fireworks. Although it is Christmas, summer is just beginning. Schools and universities are off for three months, so now it’s time for youngsters to have fun and leave their studies behind for a while. During this time of year, many people travel to the Atlantic Coast, which gets crowded with families and groups of friends.

Hungary: Our GLS office in Budapest shares how they celebrate the holidays. In Hungary, people typically decorate the Christmas tree on the 24th of December, which is the holy night and when baby Jesus leaves presents under the tree. Christmas dinner is usually fish – there is a special fish soup that some families only eat at this time of the year. Another customary food to eat is stuffed cabbage cooked from sour kraut and pork, and Gerbeaud, a cake which has walnut filling, apricot jam, and chocolate icing. The country really slows down until after the 1st of the year – anyone who can is on vacation and most offices are closed. On New Year’s Eve you are not supposed to eat any poultry, because it takes your luck away for next year, but you should eat pork, which will bring you luck in the New Year.

Hide Sites