Lao and Thai – same, same but not really

The shared history Thailand and Laos have long been considered as sibling countries, having shared a history even before the colonial era began. They share not only the same origin…

The Chinese dragon – an ancient protector of the Chinese people

China – a country of many impressions. When people refer to China, the things that usually come to mind are facts such as the population of the country, the difficulty…

What is the Asian version of Bon Appétit?

When you’re in Asia as a foreigner, the main focus usually falls on the food. Asian cuisine is a masterful – as strange as it might sound, look or taste!…

Netflix and chill in the realm of Chinese productions?

Netflix may be prohibited in China – where government regulation favors homegrown rivals like iQiyi, Tencent Video, and Alibaba’s Youku – but that hasn’t stopped the US-based streaming-video giant from…

A witch, a clowder and an impossible localization project

Our story begins with a Project Manager named Clarice, but it doesn’t end with her. The end of her day found her clutching her forehead in her palms, sat down…

One continent, 49 countries and 2300 languages. Asia!

When referring to a language spoken in Asia, people often use the term “Asian language family”. Here’s an educational fact – there’s no such thing, nor is ‘Asian language’ a…

5 key business manners you should get acquainted with when dealing with Asian people

As business professionals, we’re trained to notice and recognize advantageous and favorable situations on the market. It’s a fact that Asia is the fastest-growing economic region and the largest continental…

Discovering Hmong: A language from a culturally and historically rich ethnic minority.

If you’ve been to the north of Thailand, Vietnam or the south of Laos, Myanmar, and China, you’ve probably seen someone from the Hmong ethnic group or heard them speaking…

6 tips on translating a book with an Language Service Provider (LSP)

We often receive questions about translating large volumes, and to be honest, the best projects are the big ones. But managing a big translation project isn’t a simple process. That’s…

Different online chat applications across Asia and their popularity.

These days, there are a lot of online chat applications being used around the world. You’re probably familiar with WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or others. In Asia, some of these apps…

Why do Koreans and Japanese understand each other?

Japan and Korea have shared a common cultural tradition of broadly defined Confucianism, which in general is quite different from the Western tradition. Their modern fate diverged after the East…

Quality Definition: Key ingredient for a good partnership

I’ve been hearing about and discussing the evergreen topic of Quality in the translation and localization industry ever since I joined the industry 2 years ago. Having spent over 10…

The Four Great Classics of China – truly great reads with a tinge of ancient modernism

As autumn is already knocking on our doors I come with an exquisite list of must-reads for those who consider themselves fans of Eastern culture. How I discovered the Four…

Building your business through Localization

Having read many market researches and afterward developed a product that fits consumers around the world, at some point any business would want to reach the expanding and diverse Asian…

Indonesia – an archipelago of languages

Today we’re turning our looks to the country that happens to be a home to over 700 indigenous languages. If it didn’t come to your mind instantly – we`re speaking…

The Challenge of Transcreation in Asian Languages

Transcreation is highly used in marketing and promotional materials. In this globalization era, many businesses and brands are expanding not only within their countries but across continents. As a result,…

The Essentials of a Quote

We’ve all asked about offers for various services in our daily routine. A situation that nobody is a fan of is when an offer is either delayed or not understandable…

What a nightmare! Translation and Localization of marketing materials in different languages

Any marketer has encountered a task at least once presenting a company to a foreign market. This is something we do on a daily basis in order to achieve our…

The Yin and Yang of Translation

The Philosophy Yinyang is a Chinese philosophy derived from Taoism (Daoism). Although its conceptual meaning has been interpreted differently by many school of thoughts, it is safe to say that…

Thai words that do not exist in English

Thai culture plays a crucial role in shaping the Thai language. Some of the culture has created various Thai words that do not exist in English. To translate these words,…