STAR TS Translation Services Blog

This week the Common Sense Advisory released its report on the Top 100 Language Service Providers in the world.

Common Sense Advisory is an independent Massachusetts-based market research company that helps companies profitably grow their international businesses and gain access to new markets and new customers.

STAR ranks as the 7th largest translation agency in the world.

The top 10 are…

#1 Lionbridge Technologies
#2 HP ACGCommon Sense Advisory
#3 TransPerfect/Translations.com
#4 SDL
#5 LanguageLine Solutions
#6 euroscript international S.A.
#7 STAR Group
#8 Welocalize, Inc.
#9 RWS Group
#10 ManpowerGroup Solution – Language Services

We are delighted to be in the Top 10 again this year. STAR has shown consistent growth over the last 25 plus years. With offices around the globe we are perfectly positioned to help our clients grow their global business.

The full report is available from Common Sense Advisory:

Highlights of the report showed that some of the bigger companies got bigger. STAR was amongst the elite 6 highlighted in this area.

The report also detailed some of the fastest growing areas of the international language business. Nearly 75% of respondents reported that translation was the fastest-growing service, followed by website globalization, software localization, and on-site interpreting.  Other areas of note include Voice-over dubbing and narration, and Subtitling. STAR offers all of this services to our clients. STAR’s digital marketing team provide many voice and video services to help clients deliver multimedia content in multiple languages.

Have you ever observed a mothers behaviour in her new-borns presence? She will communicate in a very simplistic language, often peppered with high pitched tones. It is not uncommon to add a particular face, with lip-rounding, as if about to kiss. Parents naturally adopt this attitude, firstly because a baby doesn’t yet know how to speak, and of course because they want feedback, they expect a baby’s reaction: A smile, eyes wide open … This language is only adopted with babies, you will never see two adults talk this way. It would either be patronizing or simply crazy. Sometimes, however, it’s possible to hear this language when we speak with animals though.

Baby talk, is the language adopted with babies, also called Infant Direct Speech (IDS). This type of language used naturally seeks to attract the attention of children who know nothing about the world where they were born, but also to transmit emotional cues such as anger or joy. The two main characteristics of this language are, of course, higher pitch and emotional tone. Sentences are often short and vocabulary is simplistic and improved for the baby.

Studies have shown that babies prefer we talk with a high-pitched voice for them. For a few months, babies were tested. Records of adult-direct speech and infant-direct speech were released during sleep. The results showed clear reaction, electricity and blood flow changes during the broadcast of baby talk.

Similarly, face and voice are essential, since babies don’t know the meaning of words. Babies have been subjected to baby talk but not in their birth language. Positive and negative ideas were communicated in baby talk for them, and their reactions was appropriate. This proves that the attitude has a prominent place in language.

Baby talk is also known to promote awareness of children and language learning. It’s like when we learn a new language, it is important that we repeat the words several times. Emotionally, the child feels acknowledgment, so it can grow with confidence.

This infant behaviour is present in all cultures and all countries, since it is natural to do so, just as parents love their children and it is also a way for them to communicate their love. Only two civilizations, Kaluli of New Guinea and Quiché Mayan don’t converse with their baby or talk to them as adults.

Example of Baby-talk words :

Source :

“A Little Book Of language” by David Crystal

Parenting Science : http://www.parentingscience.com/baby-communication.html

Have you ever met someone and know immediately where they comes from – just by hearing them speak? Accents and tone of voice are often overlooked as powerful means of communication with its intonation, word pronunciations and its expressions.

There are now a multitude of accents in every language all around the world. Accent actually is a legacy of our history; it symbolizes our roots, regional habits, our country. It’s a real identity sign. It defines who you are and where you come from.

Lets look at the English Language: There are a number of variant English accents. Obviously there is the native English accent to the United Kingdom (in all its forms, versions and regional accents). Irish people speak English – so we find the Irish accent, there is the North American accent, Scottish accent, Australian accent and so on. For English natives, it’s easy to identify who is who and what region they come from. For foreigners, however, it’s difficult to always understand.

Besides the geographical aspect, we note for several centuries, accent has been associated with social status. This concept is fading now, but has long been seen as standard. The neutral accent, or no accent, would have been aligned with important people in social hierarchy.  Regional accents have long handicapped poorer people seeking to find a job, for example. Today the neutral accent is often used in politics or on television. Listen to BBC or SKY news. A lot of the presenters whilst coming from a wide variety of national backgrounds speak in a very similar tone and accent.

Accent can be quickly identified, but often divided into categories and described in social terms as: “Ugly”, “Beautiful”, “sexy” and so on…
So there is another definition of how you are seen by your accent. Have you ever spoken to someone on the phone only to find them a “different person” when you meet them face to face?

An American study by Language and Psychology Departments at Stanford University, tested some 3,000 Americans whilst flirting. This study showed that the English accent that seems to appeal most to men, whilst women preferred the Irish accent.

In France, study by the “Parship” dating website, shows that the southern accent (Toulouse city), is the most charming. However the Northern accent, illustrated by the French film “Welcome to the land of Ch’tit”, is just described as funny.

Generally, Facebook fan page users of Lonely Planet travel guide chose in order, the Spanish accent, French accent and Irish accent as sexiest ! (Study for Valentines Day Context).

So what’s your favorite accent ?

Extracted from source : “A Little Book of Language” – by David Crystal

http://www.freelang.com/blog/lorigine-des-accents-regionaux,2011-03/

http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/19246/british-accent-no-longer-sexy-study-finds/

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/blog/2011/02/15/whats-the-worlds-sexiest-accent/

If you want to say “I Love You” in other languages visit http://www.star-ts.com/iloveyou : – .You can here lots of different audio samples.

Its amazing just how much work you do. When you sit down and review a year and count up the projects, languages and things you do the facts stand for themselves.

We’ve compiled a video of STAR’s performance last year – hope you like it.

Here’s a fun poster for you on the word typewriter. Did you know that you can type the entire word using only a single line of your keyboard?

Context is very important in translation. Short ones can have multiple meanings so its important to know what is what. Tablet can have 3 meanings.

STAR specialize in professional translation and terminology management for our clients.

Learn how to say “I Love You” in different languages.
To learn more languages, please visit our special I love page

Morse Code is a communication method which represent the letters of alphabet using long and short pulses of light or sound. Each character is represented by a unique sequence of dots and dashes. It is named after its inventor Samuel F.B. Morse who was born in the 1840s. The most famous code is that of SOS •••–––••• which is the internationally recognised emergency signal. There is much debate about the origins of the term SOS, it could mean “save our souls” or “save our ships”. Historically it is believed the SOS signal comes from the fact that it is easily recognisable, 3 short dots followed by 3 long dashes then 3 short dots. The rhythmic pattern makes it easily recognised.

Seasons Greetings Around The Globe

Joyeuses fêtes de fin d’année

Frohe Weihnachten und ein gutes Neues Jahr

Nollaig Shona Duit

Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo

Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo!

Wesołych Świąt i Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku

From all at STAR Translations Services Dublin!

If you want to see more languages, please go on http://www.star-ts.com/merrychristmas.shtml

Braille is a tactile writing system which enables visually impaired or blind people to read and write. This system was invented by Louis Braille a French educator at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

Each letter is shown in a rectangular cell by a cluster of raised dots that can be felt with the finger tips. Each cell representsa letter, numeral or punctuation mark.