#10 Nominalizations – releasing the power of smothered verbs

…It is a simple truth that in most sentences you should express action through verbs, just as you do when you speak. Yet in so many sentences the verbs are smothered, all their vitality trapped beneath heavy noun phrases based on the verbs themselves. There is nothing wrong with nominalization as such – it is a useful part of the language. But overusing it tends to freeze-frame the action…. (Cutts, 1996)

This is the final post in my summer series on machine translation (in September my guest writers will be returning with lots of interesting topics), and I’d like to briefly look at nominalizations. Basically, a nominalization is a verb converted into a noun. The fun usually starts when it needs support from another verb, such as in the phrase “to give consideration to” (where “give” helps out) meaning the same as “to consider something”.

       He is interested in obtaining a quotation for…
       He expressed his interest in obtaining a quotation for…

Business and science tend to have a penchant for indirectness, verblessness and personification:  

       Die Schnelligkeit der Rückantwort und die Bereitstellung der Antworten
       [The speed of reply and the provision of answers]
      Cleaning and user maintenance should not be made [carried out] by children unless they are older than 8 years           and supervised.

Psycholinguistic studies have found that nominalizations seem to pose greater processing demands than individual sentences containing verbs, mainly because the results of nominalizations tend to be complex multi-clause sentences.

       My going to the store afterwards led to Sam’s objecting most vigorously.
       The sheriff pursued the cattle-rustling cowboys.

So, let’s release the vitality of verbs trapped beneath heavy noun phrases and see what the free online translation programs think. “No small part of language’s value lies in its flexibility” (Quirk & Greenbaum) after all, so there should be scope for remediation.

       Zur Erfüllung eines Bauvertrags sind in zahlreichen Fällen Mitwirkungshandlungen des Bestellers erforderlich.

A literal translation could be:

       The fulfilling of a construction contract in many cases necessitates participatory action by the customer.

Not very nice, is it? Or (with a different focus):  

       In many cases, the customer’s participation is necessary for the fulfilling of a construction contract.

Or even less literal, less formal translations, depending on the context. We don’t really need to be so literal unless it’s a legal text. But I think the machine also felt that the nominalizations sounded a bit odd in English:












It gives us “in order to fulfil” and “the customer is required to participate”. Interesting. Not a nominalization in sight! And if we hand the translated sentence back and ask it to translate it into German, we get:

Um einen Bauvertrag zu erfüllen, ist der Kunde verpflichtet, sich in zahlreichen Fällen zu beteiligen.

The meaning has changed slightly, but still there are no nominalizations. Thank goodness.

Writing well and writing for an international audience are two sides of the same coin. Get the one right and chances are you (and your machine translation tool) will succeed in getting your message across no matter what language you are writing in. Make sure you avoid the pitfalls I talked about in this series on machine translation, such as when using punctuation, the active and the passive voice, literal translations and special vocabularies, homonymy and misspellings, and you’ll capture your audience (and save time and money to boot).

Good luck! And have a great summer!

​#9 Semantics, spelling and vocabulary: creating a new kind of ambiguity?

The study of language in use is a truly rewarding experience. Human discourse is a treasure trove of variation and creativity, and languages like English and German come in a number social and regional varieties used for a multitude of interaction purposes. Often, their most distinguishing characteristic is their lexicon, their vocabularies. Let’s look at what free online translation tools know about special purpose vocabularies. Here’s an example from the language of science and engineering:  

For the purposes of this part of ISO 9117, a single coating or multi-coat system of paint or varnish or related material is considered to be through-dry when a specified gauze under specifies pressure, torsion and time does not damage the film.

Für die Zwecke dieses Teils von ISO 9117 wird eine einzelne Beschichtung oder ein Mehrschichtsystem aus Farbe oder Lack oder einem verwandten Material als durchtränkt angesehen, wenn eine spezifische Gaze unter spezifischem Druck, Torsion und Zeit den Film nicht beschädigt.

Even if you don’t know what “through-dry” means, I think you would be able to hazard a guess, wouldn’t you? It’s something to do with being dry. The German translation provided by the machine, however, means “saturated, impregnated” (i.e. quite the opposite of being dry)! The correct term is “durchgetrocknet” (or “durchgehärtet”), a documented and standardised special purpose term (in chemistry and related fields). So, what went wrong here?

Machines need databases of word lists to tap into when converting sentences from one language to another. Glossaries of special purpose vocabularies and annotated lists of technical and scientific terms, for example, are fed into these databases to provide the raw material for the computer to access at high speed during the conversion process.

Let’s look at an example of social variation. We had one in an earlier post – the “dings” used by DIY enthusiasts. Here’s another example from a different field, illustrating the power of creativity:
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       One beef with the BMI is that burgers cannot easily be traded across borders.

BMI in this sentence stands for the “Big Mac Index” produced by The Economist, and the author uses the phrase “to have a beef with someone” (have a complaint) partly for comic effect, as “beef” belongs to the same lexical field as “burger”. Unfortunately, the machine doesn’t understand the context (or the joke) and gives us the meat (“Rindfleisch”) instead:
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       Ein Rindfleisch mit dem BMI ist, dass Burger nicht einfach über Grenzen hinweg gehandelt werden können.

Well, at least we still have something to laugh about.

Similarly, the slang term “binge”, here used in the sentence starting with “You can binge on…” presents a problem:

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​​Unfortunately, the machine is way off track with “auf die Beine stellen”, which means “to organise/mount something” (e.g. an exhibition). If you have a clue as to why this is, please write to me. Maybe the machine is short-sighted and needs glasses, which is the only explanation I could find for the following example:

[Er] nutzt die Daten unserer Newsletterempfänger jedoch nicht, um diese selbst anzuschreiben oder an Dritte weiterzugeben.

However, [he] does not use the data of our newsletter recipients to write them down or pass them on to third      parties.

The verb “anschreiben” has various meanings (both in standard and colloquial usage, as well as in combination with the verb “lassen”), but is here clearly used to mean “to write to somebody”. The context makes this clear. But do you see how the pronoun “diese” – “them” is misinterpreted, missing the coreference with the newsletter recipients? That is the reason for this semantic error.  

One last example:

       They stand by him when an attempt is made on his life by a gang of rockers who were paid to kill him.

       Sie stehen ihm bei, als eine Rockerbande, die dafür bezahlt wurden, ihn zu töten, versucht, sein Leben zu retten.

The phrase “attempt is made on his life” has a relatively low frequency in the English language (less than 0.01 occurrences per 1 million words, cf. Sketch Engine), but it is not ambiguous in any way. It means to try and kill somebody, not to save somebody’s life, as the machine would have us believe. It seems that machines still have a lot of learning to do; they are “inexperienced”.

Would you like to share some examples or discuss the topic? Write to me below or on Facebook. I look forward to hearing from you!

​#8 Semantics, spelling and vocabulary: creating a new kind of ambiguity?

Hi again, and welcome to part 8 of the series on machine translation and plain English. Let’s look at some “lazy solutions” for simple problems.

Do you know what the English word “snap” means? It can be a verb or a noun and it can have several meanings. It’s what linguists call a homonym, a word that has the same form (and sound) as another word with a different meaning. In the following sentence the word “snap” refers to the audible cracking sound the component part makes when it is slid into place:

       You will hear a firm snap when the earcup cushion is properly in place.

In German the word would be “Klicken”. In the given context (in connection with the verb “hear”) the word “Einrasten” (also “Einschnappen”) is acceptable, as one free online translation program suggests:

       Sie hören ein festes Einrasten, wenn das Hörmuschelpolster richtig sitzt.

(Note: „Polster“ is the Austrian German word for German „Kissen“.) Another program, however, suggested this:

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​“Schnappschuss” is the sense of the word snap used when talking about photography: taking a snapshot. So, this is a case of the computer offering the wrong sense for homonyms in context. Not what I call helpful. 

We looked at a similar situation in an earlier post. Remember the “match head” flickering? The computer thought that “match” referred to a game and translated it to the German word “Spiel”:
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       The flame on the match head danced and jumped in her fingers…
       Die Flamme auf dem Spiel Kopf tanzte und sprang in den Fingern…

This is a very obvious example, and there many are other cases where it’s not immediately apparent that the semantics have changed:

On your initial visit to the chiropractor, he or she will take a thorough case history and give you a full physical examination. Your blood pressure may be tested and blood or urine specimens sent for analysis. The practitioner will frequently feel the spinal column to reveal where movement is restricted or excessive, as well as possibly testing mobility in other joints. X-rays are taken, if necessary.

In this example the reader is being told what to expect from the visit and the examination. The machine translated the underlined sentence as:

…Der Behandler wird häufig spüren, dass die Wirbelsäule anzeigt, wo die Bewegung eingeschränkt oder übermäßig ist, sowie möglicherweise die Beweglichkeit in anderen Gelenken testen. Röntgenstrahlen werden, wenn nötig, genommen.

This conveys the “perceive by touch” meaning of „feel“, rather than the “examine or search by touch” meaning intended and indicated by the immediate sentence context, the co-text. If the machine had read the context correctly, it would not have made this error. Nor would it have produced the rather confusing (and co-referentially faulty) version of the following sentence, where “should look at it” is rendered as “darauf achten” (take care that…, make sure that…) and the translation of “it” in “If it does fail” does not refer to the mower but to the manufacturing and testing:

The mower has been carefully manufactured and tested. If it does fail, an authorised customer service agent for our products should look at it.

Der Rasenmäher wurde sorgfältig hergestellt und getestet. Sollte dies fehlschlagen, sollte ein autorisierter Kundendienstmitarbeiter für unsere Produkte darauf achten.

Readers (and human translators) rely on the context to help them understand the meaning of a text. Machines do, too, but sometimes they get side-tracked by unfamiliar constructions or constellations and come up with sentences like this one:

Bent under hoods of raincoats or with plastic bags on his head, some with blankets over his shoulders or over his heads, some carried bags, others pulled suitcases, the windscreen wipers beat rhythmically back and forth, like hands who wanted to blur the picture, wiping away, he heard the navigation device: “Please turn around if possible!”.

Confused? (And no, it’s not science fiction. The text is not about people with more than one head! It describes a group of refugees as seen by the driver in the car and should read “…on their heads” etc.) Luckily, if you know German, you would notice this kind of error quite quickly. The situation is slightly different for the following example:

Sind die Daten für die Erfüllung vertraglicher oder gesetzlicher Pflichten nicht mehr erforderlich, werden diese regelmäßig gelöscht.

If the data are no longer required for the fulfilment of contractual or statutory obligations, they are regularly updated.

If your data are being “gelöscht”, they are being deleted. Updating may include deleting, but I do think that there is a difference between these two actions, and seen from a legal perspective, this could certainly be an issue.   

Let’s briefly look at misspellings. Typos. Letters switching position. A wrong spelling or the autofill on overdrive. They happen, don’t they? And they’re not really an issue if your translator is a human being. But what would happen if you were to enter sentences like the following into a free online translation program?

Despite his looks, the man had an aurora of calmness and competence about him.
He couldn’t help his eyes wondering up her shapely legs.

Can you guess? What do you think?
See you next time!

#7 Semantics, spelling and vocabulary: creating a new kind of ambiguity?

As a rule, if you want to make life easy for your readers (and the machine), follow the recommendation of the plain English movement which states that you should use words that are appropriate for the reader. This means that word choice depends on the given textual and situational context. If you’re writing for DIY enthusiasts, for example, then you will probably use the terms, the vocabulary, familiar to members of this group of people:

Fill all dings and deep gouges with quality wood putty, is possible. Use a flexible putty knife and fill in all the areas needing attention.

This was translated by the computer as:

Füllen Sie nach Möglichkeit alle Dings und tiefen Hohlmeißel mit hochwertigem Holzkitt. Verwenden Sie ein flexibles Spachtel und füllen Sie alle Bereiche aus, die Aufmerksamkeit erfordern.

There are a number of issues with this translation, the most obvious one perhaps being what in my last post I called the “make-do” and “inexperience” strategies. The American English word “ding” is left untranslated (“Dings”), probably because it is usually categorised as a slang term (meaning “a small dent”) and isn’t in the computer database. Then there is the translation of “deep gouges”: this refers to a groove in the wood, but what the computer selected (“Hohlmeißel”, chisel) is actually the tool (!), which is, of course, totally wrong in the sentence context. So, it’s 0 out of 10 for this sentence. I think it’s safe to say that a human translator would NEVER have made this mistake, simply because the text is about filling in dents in wood, not the tools making the dents. (Even I gathered that much.) A human translator not familiar with a subject area will research the field to find the correct terms plus suitable alternatives depending on the readership.

Next, we have the phrase “a flexible putty knife”, translated as “ein flexibles Spachtel”. This means that the basic form of “Spachtel” would be “das Spachtel”, a neuter gender noun. Except it’s not. “Spachtel” is masculine in most part of Germany (“der Spachtel”) and feminine in Austria (“die Spachtel”). Who put the wrong form in the computer database?

Let’s look at another case of “I-don’t-know-so-I’ll-just-use-the-English-term”:

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In this example the word “scrim” is left untranslated (“Scrim”) in the first, but translated as “Schreiber” in the second sentence. Both are wrong. However, what saves the day a little (but really only a tiny bit) is the fact that in the first sentence of the text it actually tells you what the scrim is (“…the black cloth inside the earcup”) and the translation reproduces this. But then the second sentence suddenly talks about a “Schreiber”. What? Why, for goodness sake? Are you feeling confused? I don’t blame you. My suggestion to the computer program in this instance would have been to leave both instances of “scrim” untranslated (and wait for scrim to become a loan word, maybe, who knows).

When the computer leaves words untranslated this can have either of two consequences:

1.      The reader will not be able to understand the text. Unfamiliar words can be looked up, but if this is not an option,          comprehension will suffer.
2.      The unfamiliar word will be accepted by the reader and interpreted in a way which may or may not conform to              the original, thus adding or removing parts of the original meaning.

To illustrate the second point, let’s look at the following sentence:

He turned and moved away swiftly, his slight limp masked almost completely by the use of his hawk-headed stick.

Er drehte sich schnell um und bewegte sich weg, sein leichtes Hinken verdeckt fast vollständig durch den Gebrauch seines Falkenkopfes.

I don’t want to go into detail here and discuss what’s wrong with the whole sentence but concentrate instead on the word “hawk-headed stick”. Did you form an image in your mind when you read the description of this ornamented walking stick? I bet you did. Reading the German sentence, however, entails having to make a mental leap to realise that it is in fact a walking stick that is being talked about. Although there are some cases of figurative language use (metonymy, pars pro toto) in German where an attribute replaces the whole (which would mean that a “hawk head” would stand for “a walking stick with the handle shaped like a hawk head”), this is not the case for “Falkenkopf” (yet).

It’s perhaps laudable that computers are trying to fill the lexical gaps in our languages with coinages of their own to create so-called neologisms, but this is not something you want to happen when you’re trying to reproduce your original text and meaning. The danger is that meaning(s) will be lost or, worse still, incompatible meaning(s) added. I still remember the shock I felt when I received a translation of a story in which someone is cleaning out their room using black plastic bags (bin liners) and these were rendered as black body bags! Not a very nice connotation to be confronted with! (It was around Halloween; maybe someone had gotten distracted.)

So, this post has been about the kind of “make-do” translation free machine translators provide us with. Next time I’ll talk a little bit about more about homonyms and also about misspellings and the “lazy solutions” on offer for those. If you have any examples of your own that you would like to present to us, go ahead and use the comment function below. I’d love to hear from you!

Before you go, here is another example (in German this time) for why some things are better left untranslated:

Zunächst hatte die Eurostat brav geliefert. Die Antwort war ausführlich, gespickt mit Zahlen, aber nicht hilfreich.
Statisten! Hatte Bohumil achselzuckend auf Deutsch zu Martin gesagt.
Du meinst: Statistiker!
Ja.

Jokes and word-play are notoriously difficult to render in another language. In the example above, Bohumil uses the word “Statist” (by mistake?) when he means “Statistiker”, presumably because it sounds similar. Like a malapropism it comes across as funny. If you had to translate this correctly to English, the lexemes would be “extra” and “statistician”. You would lose the similar sounds and the humorous effect. An alternative could be, perhaps, to leave those two words untranslated and indicate this using quotation marks. What do you think?

#6 Semantics, spelling and vocabulary: creating a new kind of ambiguity?

Continuing the series on machine translation and plain English, I’d now like to take you on a tour around the wonderful world of word meanings. I’ll talk a little bit about what you need to watch out for when you hand your text to a machine to get a free translation meaning the same thing as the text you put in.

Actually, I had quite a bit of fun with this instalment. Not only because the errors really are legion and easy to come by, but also because some are quite funny. In fact, some are droll, some are infuriating, and the majority seems to be so well hidden in plain sight that it’s really no surprise one tends to overlook them. I had to come up with a selection for this post, so below I’ve tried to reproduce the best examples for you. Here we go…

Broadly speaking, there are four categories of machine output you will come across time and again, which I’ve decided to call

a)     “literal” – a word-for-word translation gone wrong,
b)     “make-dos” – words are left untranslated,
c)      “lazy solutions” – offering the wrong sense for homonyms and misspellings in context, and
d)     “inexperienced” – when words in restricted use are simply not available, e.g. slang words.

Let’s start with the first one and some examples. (In each case the sentence represents a genuine source language sentence and the word with the asterisk is what one (or all) of the more popular free online translation programs had to offer for the underlined word.)

Mobile phone case with precise camera cutouts and button covers… -->*Kameraausschnitte

The scrim is the black cloth inside the earcup and protects the earcup components. --> *Ohrbecher, ohrbecher

Eine Begrenzung aus Maschendraht sieht ja oft ein wenig schlaff und ausgebeult aus, ein Jägerzaun wirkt rasch verblasst nostalgisch und ist deshalb so gut wie ausgestorben. Dafür umziehen nun vielerorts sogenannte Stabmatten die Gärten, die mit ihren strengen Stahlgittern ebenso gut im Gewerbegebiet eingesetzt werden können und zur Einfassung von Sportanlagen bestens geeignet sind.  ​--> *hunting fence… bar mats move around the garden…

Finally, your authority will be weakened. Your old buddies – the ones with weird hair but brilliant ideas and total loyalty – will have to be hidden in the basement. --> *…müssen im Keller versteckt sein.

The “camera cutouts” in the first sentence are undisputedly those little holes in the phone cases that are left for the camera to see through, right? Yes, well, in German these are called “Aussparungen” or similar, not “Kameraausschnitte” or “Kamera-Ausschnitte”, which is a literal, word-for-word translation but actually refers to the detail or frame selected for a picture (for example by zooming in). You will find this translation on some websites, but it simply isn’t German (yet).

Similarly, an “earcup” or “ear cup” on a headphone refers to the part (on so-called earcup or over-the-head earphones) that looks like a cup and goes around or lies on your ears. This is called a “Hörmuschel” (or, more precisely, a Kopfhörermuschel) in German, lit. a “hearing shell”. “Ohrbecher” is a word-for-word translation but wrong.

The next sentence, the one in German, mentions a type of wire mesh fence right at the beginning and then the “Jägerzaun”, which is a very popular type of rustic wooden (!) lattice concertina fence (see the picture below this post). The free translation program probably got sidetracked by the mention of the wire fence developing a slack and looking baggy in the first clause and so decided that a “hunting fence” (i.e. an almost literal translation of “Jägerzaun”, actually a “hunters’/hunter’s fence”) must be the right word to use in this context. (Note: the sentence structure makes it clear that two types of fence are being talked about. A human translator would not have been sidetracked in this way, since he or she would have noticed the additional hint of the “verblasst nostalgisch” (nostalgically faded), which indicates a wooden fence.) "Jägerzäune" were traditionally used to keep hunting quarry out of plots and gardens, but they were never used to hunt with. The word “umziehen” (surround, enclose) in this example, wrongly translated as “move around”, is a bit unusual, I admit. A more common term would be “umgeben”. But what the program did is a trifle too clever: it thought that maybe “umziehen” (which actually has another sense, namely "relocating, moving house", etc.) is related to "herumziehen" (wander about, move around/about). Yes, well…

Of course, for some of these examples most programs offer alternative lexical items if you hover or mouse over the word that you consider inadequate, so the information is there for you to find. But how do you know that you are supposed to change the word if you don’t speak the language?

Finally, the sentence starting with “Finally,…”: probably a case of misunderstanding. What the English phrase means is that they will have to be hidden in the basement in the future. The German translation says that you can assume that they are hidden in the cellar now. Not wrong, but wrong in the given context.

Fun, isn’t it? Next, I’ll look at words being left untranslated (and why this is actually a good idea sometimes). In the meantime, let’s hear from you!

#5 Punctuation

Did you know that a typo can land you in jail? Oh yes, you could end up like this poor fellow:

       Walker sorgt sich um die Sicherheit seiner Freunde und wird des Mordes beschuldigt.
       [Walker is concerned about his friends’ safety and is charged with murder.]

And just because someone left out a pair of commas:

       Walker concerned about his friends’ safety gives himself up and is charged with murder.

In the original (source text) sentence, Walker gives himself up to the police. There is no mention of that in the translation. In fact, the translated sentence taken out of context suggests that his being concerned for his friends is the reason or cause for his being charged. (I once saw a similar sentence in which a rocket was being built, which ended up being fired (!) in the translation. More than wishful thinking.) What ever happened? 

Put the commas where they should be and the reason becomes clear (and you also get a perfectly acceptable translation): 






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Losing bits of information is one of the most common ‘errors’ in automated translation, and one of the most annoying. And the reason is not always an erroneous input. Let’s look at another example, taken from the Wikipedia page on the serial comma:

       My usual breakfast is coffee, bacon and eggs and toast.

Google translates this correctly as: 
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      Mein übliches Frühstück ist Kaffee, Speck und Eier und Toast.

What happens if we decide do add the serial comma that groups the bacon with the eggs?
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       My usual breakfast is coffee, bacon and eggs, and toast.

Well,…nothing. It’s still:

       Mein übliches Frühstück ist Kaffee, Speck und Eier und Toast. 

The machine doesn’t understand cultural references of any kind. It doesn’t know how ‘bacon and eggs’ are eaten or that in German you could use the phrases ‘Eier mit Speck’ or ‘Speck mit Ei’ to indicate the proximity of the foodstuffs on the plate. All it does is look up the words, the frequency of appearance in a corpus and the most likely combination. Which is why the serial comma is simply ignored: it isn’t mandatory and so isn’t used by all speakers of English.

You can leave out commas to your heart’s content where there is no danger of a misunderstanding:

       Your new financial friends will be abstract, obsessed with numbers [,] and keen on comparing you with your                  competitors.

But (!) be aware, that the machine has a creative mind of its own and will add a little variety:

Ihre neuen finanziellen Freunde werden abstrakt sein, von Zahlen besessen und darauf bedacht sein, Sie mit Ihren Konkurrenten zu vergleichen. 

Deine neuen finanziellen Freunde werden abstrakt sein, von Zahlen besessen und darauf bedacht sein, dich mit deinen Konkurrenten zu vergleichen.

Apart from the fact that ‘financial friends’ is not normally translated as ‘finanzielle Freunde’, I don’t see why the comma should lead to the informal ‘du’ being used all of a sudden. Do you?

Commas also serve to indicate relative clauses. In the following sentence the noun ‘fingers’ is modified by a relative clause:

The flame on the match head danced and jumped in her fingers, which had yet to stop shaking.

The translation I received from one of the free programs available on the net was:

Die Flamme auf dem Spiel Kopf tanzte und sprang in den Fingern, die noch zu schütteln aufhören musste.

You had better be able to read German if you wanted to use this. Not only is ‘Spiel Kopf’ (not even a word) not even close to ‘match head’, but there is no subject-verb agreement, i.e. the number of the finite verb ‘musste’ is singular rather than plural (‘fingers’)! Well, you could always count this as a typo, I guess. ;-)

Perhaps the comma in the previous example caused some confusion. Let’s now look at the parentheses (or round brackets) and dashes indicating an interruption in the following sentence:

They don’t have to reveal their agenda (are they long or short your shares?) and try to tease out gossip with which to speculate.

translated as:
Sie müssen ihre Agenda nicht offen legen (sind sie long oder short ihre Aktien?) Und versuchen, Klatsch zu entlocken, mit dem zu spekulieren.

And with a dash (single or double):

They don’t have to reveal their agenda - are they long or short your shares? - and try to tease out gossip with which to speculate.

translated as:
Sie müssen ihre Agenda nicht offen legen - sind sie long oder short ihre Aktien? - und versuchen, Klatsch herauszupicken, mit dem man spekulieren kann.

In the second version (the one with the dashes) the ‘und’ is correctly reproduced in lower case and the clause ‘mit dem man spekulieren kann’ has the correct finite verb form ‘kann’. There is no obvious reason for the lexical variation. Perhaps you have an idea. I’d love to hear from you, so just write your comments in the field provided below. 

#4 The active and the passive voice

The best advice for budding writers and translator I’ve come across is that you should go over your text with fresh eyes and ruthlessly cut out anything you feel is redundant or superfluous. For me, it’s often cut, cut, cut, with my grey cells screaming, ‘You want to get rid of WHAT?! You CANNOT be SERIOUS!’ So, when I write in this blog I tend to just let loose and give in to the inspiration of the moment without regard to good writing practice. I hope you will forgive me. And I hope you’ll find something interesting to read. Continuing in the series on machine translation this week, I would like to talk to you about two interesting things I’ve noticed coming up time and again. First, let’s look at the passive voice.   

You can make writing clearer by using verbs in the active voice and avoiding the passive. For instance, if you want to make it clear who is doing (or supposed to be doing) an action:

       Make sure you update your virus protection programs regularly.
       Do not continue to press the On/Off switch after the machine has been automatically switched off.
       Before you can claim your tax refund, you will need to verify your identity.

This is a sensible precaution when conveying vital information. Passive voice verbs can keep readers guessing as to who is doing what if no ‘agent’ (or ‘doer’) is mentioned. Consider the following sentences:

       It must be insured that the virus protection programs are updated as quickly as possible on all computers when a        new virus is detected. 
       Appropriate measures must be prepared and tested.

Do you know who is doing the action? Do you know who is supposed to be doing it? (Could be you.) What about the following example?

       If the cable is damaged or cut during work, do not touch the cable.

It seems we don’t have to know. This is because sometimes the context makes it irrelevant as to who is doing the action conveyed by the verb. For example:

       Do not continue to press the On/Off switch after the machine has been automatically switched off.

You don’t need do know who did the switching off, the machine itself or maybe some external electronic system. 

​Let’s now look at a different example and ask the computer to do some translating for us.

       The tax may be refunded if the traveller has exported the purchased goods outside the European Union not later          than on the last day of the third month following the month in which the purchase was made.



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​The English sentence contains two passive voice verbs (‘refunded’ and ‘made’) and a verb in the active voice (‘exported’) plus an agent given as ‘the traveller’.

       The tax may be refunded if the traveller has exported the purchased goods outside the European Union not later          than….

The traveller is clearly doing the exporting. What about the ‘refunding’? Do we need to know who is doing it? No, but we are told something about the restrictions that apply:

       …if the traveller has exported the purchased goods…not later than on the last day of the third month in which the        purchase was made.

Again, the passive ‘was made’ does not tell us anything about the agent of the action – it could be ‘the traveller’ or somebody else –, but we do know that it was a ‘purchase’ that was made.

And now let’s put the machine to the test with a sentence that isn’t formed quite so well. The following English sentence came up in a text recently:

       A tax refund can be made if the traveler purchased goods exported outside the EU no later than the last day of the third month following the month in which the purchase was made.

As you can clearly see, there has been a mix-up and the sentence no longer makes sense. A human being will recognise this error and rephrase the sentence accordingly because he or she understands the meaning. The machine, by contrast, takes the clauses provided and translates them literally to read:

       Eine Steuerrückerstattung kann erfolgen, wenn der Reisende Waren, die außerhalb der EU ausgeführt werden,          spätestens am letzten Tag des dritten Monats nach dem Monat, in dem der Kauf getätigt wurde, gekauft hat.

As in the source text, the goods are being purchased after having been purchased. Makes your head spin, doesn’t it? Could these issues have been avoided by putting everything in the active voice, for example, ‘You can claim a tax refund if…’? Maybe.

In any case, before you hand your text to the machine it makes sense to:

• determine whether, if at all, you need passive verb phrases;
• turn them into active phrases to ensure that the person doing the action is clear;
• avoid errors which will be translated literally.

Easier said than done? Well, it’s usually not too difficult. And it’s worth it. Next time, I’ll tell you about how leaving out seemingly insignificant commas will make the machine change the meaning of your text completely. Lots of fun to come!

3: Chopping up snakes 

One of the tenets that most proponents of an easily comprehensible style of writing seem to agree on is that

     sentences should not be too long.

The Plain English Campaign, for example, recommends that clear writing should have an average sentence length of 15 to 20 words. Complex sentences can cause havoc because the structure and meaning may not be clear.

​Let’s put a machine to the test. The following German example (in box on right) contains four short sentences.

As you can see, Google Translate is quite capable of delivering a correct English version that makes perfect sense.

​What happens if we turn three of those sentences into one long ‘snake’ of a sentence? Let’s add some conjunctions:

       …eine einfache Deinstallation, denn die Macher…, sondern bauen eher darauf…

Again, the result is satisfying:

​









​Note how the program even offers a bit of stylistic variation by differentiating between “are likely to believe” and “rely on”.

This result doesn’t really surprise, given that machine translation tools are being developed with ever greater computing power “brains” and learning mechanisms modelled on human neural networks. Services such as Amazon Translate are cheap to use and capable of handling large batches at high speed. Cryptic product descriptions such as the following will soon be a thing of the past:​

This isn’t such a long sentence – and you could find longer ones, containing several subordinate clauses, in some kinds of fiction or philosophical texts, for example –, but let’s not dwell on that. What we can see is that syntactic complexity is handled quite well.

So why do blunders and howlers still occur? Any idea? And why is the following sentence (from the AWS website) not perfect? (Clue: it has to do with the translation of ‘simply’.)
      
Wenn Ihr kostenloser Nutzungszeitraum abgelaufen ist oder Ihre Nutzung das Kontingent übersteigt, zahlen Sie einfach die üblichen     nutzungsbasierten Preise.

Send me your answers and let’s start the discussion. Alternatively, come back in a few weeks’ time when we’ll take the topic further to talk about nominalizations, semantics (vocabulary) and the role of punctuation in machine translation. And on how to avoid losing vital bits of information. See you then!

References:
Duden-Ratgeber Technische Dokumentation. Beschreibende und anleitende Texte erstellen. 2012. (von Andreas Schlenkhoff in Zusammenarbeit mit der Duden-Redaktion) ISNB: 978-3-411-74721-4
Martin Cutts. 1996. The Plain English Guide. How to write clearly and communicate better. ISNB: 0-19-860049-6

by Samuel Gitukui

There are many situations in the workplace that can affect the performance of employees. Conflicts are one of them. For some managers rushing in and firing an employee seems to be the first and only way to solve the issue.

However, the best business leaders seek to understand the underlying issue and find solutions. In this way they can increase the motivation of the employee and boost their performance. Let’s find out a few ways on how to improve the motivation for an underperforming employee.

       1.      Ask for a Private Meeting

The best way to handle an employee is by asking them in for a one-on-one meeting. You want to avoid addressing the issue in front of peers and colleagues, as that can create resentment and cause them to get into a defensive state.

Instead ask them to the office and talk about what is causing their lack of motivation. The employee is more likely to open up. Once you have leant the issue, take time to find the best way to handle it. This makes the employee feel part of the family and is itself the first step towards making progress.

       2.      Analyzing the Problem

Some issues are easy to solve. If the employee is regularly arriving late, then reversing this situation is only a matter of managing time. Helping the employee understand what he is doing wrong should not be a lengthy process.

For some problems however, it’s a bit more complicated. Assume a situation where one of the employees doesn’t get along well with the rest of the colleagues.

This will require you to take time to decide how best to approach the matter before calling the employee back in for a second meeting.

       3.      Some Issues Can be Ignored

The best leaders will tell their employees what to do as well as how to do it. However, it is not a bad idea to let employees find their own solutions. Some employees will have a messy desk and look disorganized but could end up being quite productive. 

Sometimes by letting such employees find their own solutions, you are able to determine whether they are affecting the productivity of the company. If not, then perhaps the issue is not worth calling them in for a meeting.

       4.      Don’t Waste Time

When a problem needs to be addressed, you need to do so with utmost speed. This will prevent the problem from persisting and spreading onto other employees.

When you solve the issue and the employee does in fact show progress, you also communicate to the rest of the workers that your instructions are to be adhered to and taken seriously and that you are not willing to accept complacency. 

       5.      Don’t Make it Personal
​
Problems need to be handled the right way and this means avoiding making the employee feel like you are attacking them. Pass on your views and suggestions in a mature and calm way that does not create resentment in the employee.

#2: Simplified English, Plain English & Co.

The basic idea behind writing in a simple style is not new and has been taken up by educators and technical editors worldwide. Simplified (technical) English has been around for a long time, helping staff in technical domains pass on their knowledge (in instruction manuals, product descriptions, safety guides etc.) to non-native users of English. Basic English once found a place in education as a simple style suitable for students learning English as a second language but has been widely criticised as being too restricted. It was consequently superseded by plain English in modern times, a much ‘broader’, much more flexible and versatile concept. Plain English was devised with the aim of making documents, especially legal and government documents and forms clearer and easier to understand. In Germany, the concept of Leichte Sprache (engl. easy language) is based on a similar premise, with accessibility and the inclusion of readers with disabilities very much in the foreground.

What these approaches have in common is that they provide guidelines for creating written texts in such a way that they will be more easily readable for a wide range of readers and thus more easily comprehensible to them. By restricting the use of certain constructions and terms, and by being consistent in the use of a preferred vocabulary and syntax, plain language is thought to become more easily recognisable. In other words, a certain level of standardisation can help make life easier for readers and translators alike. But what about machines? 
​

by Samuel Gitukui

​Millennials are a group of young people between 18 years and 34 years. They hold a significant section of the client market of any business. However, this is a group that is also diverse. In the US alone, up to 43% are a different race other than white and a quarter of them speak a second language other than English.

As much as millennials are diverse they do come with some similarities. Understanding them is the first step towards knowing how to market your products. Second, you can also perform niche marketing to target different segments of the millennial market. Let’s find out how.

       1.      Mobile Marketing

It’s nothing new that marketing through mobile phones is essential in the modern business world. More than 90% of millennials are always using their smart phones. This places further emphasis on the need to do mobile marketing.

Factors such as call to action, fast loading times and good graphics need to be taken into account. You can add advertisements and links to mobile applications. This is an excellent way to reach a group of people who spend a lot of their time on their mobile devices.

       2.      Adapt to Their Way of Thinking

Millennials are a generation that question the traditional way of thinking and doing things. Concepts such as family and community tend to be looked at from a different perspective. 

Considering the current economic situation, millennials also have a challenge with things like buying a home. For some, however this is not even a priority. They are set towards a traveling lifestyle where business is also carried out on the go.

Marketers need to adjust their habits accordingly if they want to reach out to millennials. A good example is instead of going after a group of people based on their stage in life, you can do so based on social groups. These are groups that focus on social factors which in turn creates a greater attachment for them.

       3.      Go Online

Most millennials have spent their entire lives with the internet. This means that it is far tougher to convince them in a face to face conversation. To be able to reach them more effectively, you need to employ online based marketing which is in fact an extension of mobile marketing.

Remember you are dealing with a group that focuses on solving their issues their own way by finding solutions online.

You need to place emphasis on becoming even more engaging. Why? Because millennials value the opinions of friends. What this means is that if you are able to engage a group of people and make them loyal, they will go ahead and refer their customers.

If you cannot find a way to be relevant and engaging, this group of people are very likely to ignore your presence and associate it as just another source of noise which is often the result of a global interconnected system with too much information at any one time.

by Samuel Gitukui

What separates successful entrepreneurs from the rest is their ability to bounce back from failure. Have no doubt about it! Everybody fails at something every once in a while. When it comes to business this can be a major setback or a chance to bounce back even stronger than before.

Let’s consider a few tips to handle failure and how to step back in the game without losing your motivation.

       1.      Mourn

This might seem like the last thing a strong-willed entrepreneur needs to do but those feelings of disappointment are every real. You want to take the time to embrace this period. Like everything else, it will pass and only then will you move on.

However, as much as you need to mourn, you also have to make sure that it doesn’t continue for too long. Otherwise you will be spending too much of your energy wallowing on things past.

Give yourself a recovery period. Whether its 48 hours or one week, once this time lapses, get back in the game, find out where you went wrong and get better ways of doing things differently.

       2.      Replay the Scenario

Once you are ready to bounce back, it’s time to analyze what happened. A point to note is that you need to avoid being biased and be willing to acknowledge that you indeed made mistakes. This can be daunting. However, it is the first step towards making the right changes.

Having someone else look at the situation will give you another unbiased opinion. Once you find out that you actually did things wrong and there was a better way to handle the situation, you can make the necessary adjustments for your next move.

       3.      Take Responsibility and Forgive Yourself

For some people, getting over a hard situation takes longer than it actually has to because they still haven’t forgiven themselves for the blunder. Instead, they blame themselves which puts them further into mourning.

Once you have forgiven yourself, you can find the courage to try again.

       4.      Do What Makes You Happy

The feelings that follow failure and disappointment are negative and will do little to help you recover. In order to ward off these negative feelings you have to replace them with positivity.

The best way to do this is to engage in an activity that you like. Gradually as you begin to feel joy, you will find that things take a positive turn.

Failure is a part of life. When it occurs too frequently however, it may bring down your motivation and drive to an all-time low. If you want to achieve success, the possibility that things may not go as expected is a reality you will have to face and confront. 

Knowing how to handle failure and stress means that you have a solution in case things go awry. You will be able to get back up on your feet and try again. In this way, you will see your business thrive.

Introduction

Ever wondered about what you have to do to get a free translation?

One way is to hire a good translator on a long-term basis. My advice for making your money go further: interact on a regular, as-needed basis and build up a database of texts and terminologies that you can use again and again and adapt to suit new developments or new product launches. Not actually free, but cheap in the long run because you’ll avoid delays and costly mistakes.

The other way is to use one of those free computer programs available online. You’ve probably heard of them: Bing Translator, Google Translate, DeepL.

But no doubt you’ve also heard about the problems associated with using one of those programs indiscriminately. That’s right. They get it wrong! But what other options do you have? How about writing in a ‘simple’ way to make it easier for the program to understand the text and do its work properly?

The idea of restricting certain elements of language use with the aim of improving comprehension is quite old, actually, and the simplification approach has been successfully implemented in a number of ‘controlled’ language varieties. It is also claimed that controlled, simplified language facilitates machine translation.

This is the topic I would like to discuss with you over the coming weeks here on the blog. As it is written, this blog article would not pass muster for ‘writing in a Plain English style’. Why not? What are the guidelines and recommendations for writing in a plain English style? Does it improve computer translation results? Or does it create new instances of ambiguity?

Watch out for weekly updates throughout July and August here on the Witinall Blog! Come and join the discussion!

by Samuel Gitukui
The future is unpredictable and this means that even while your business may be doing well now, there is always the possibility that something could go terribly wrong. Think of a natural disaster that is simply out of your control. Sometimes a public relations issue may go viral.

It might seem that there is nothing you can do about such cases but in the actual sense there is. By following and putting in place a few measures, your business will be in a far better position to weather out the storms. Let’s find out a few ways to ensure your business remains resilient.

       1.      Bring in a Partner

A co-founder may be one of the best decisions you can make with your business. Some people will often start their enterprise solo. However, it a well proven fact that co-founders contribute to the overall success of the business.

By having another person assist in the management of the business, you are able to balance your strengths and weaknesses. Securing funding is also easier as the lenders can see that the business is under more than one management, which often signifies a well-functioning enterprise.

When choosing a co-founder, you need to do a bit of analysis. This should be the type of person that you not only get along with but is also strong in the areas that you are not. If you are good at being a wordsmith but poor in marketing, the right partner should be skilled at marketing.

The key note here is not to rush. After all, the enterprise is expected to continue for a long time. You don’t want to get into business with someone you cannot get along with, only to end up separating after a couple of months.

       2.      The Employees Are Part of the Game 

Sometimes the business will be in a chaotic situation. There’s is a PR problem to deal with, there a deadline that have not been met and there are suppliers that need to be paid. And even then, the employees are not panicking but continue to do their work.

But how do you do this? By showing appreciation, giving positive feedback, always motivating your workforce and offering guidance when necessary. It’s all about communicating and offering support.

This does not mean that you should strive to be popular. It simply means that you need to show your employees respect and they will in turn respect you and be willing to help you out.

       3.      Show Resilience in Tough Situations

Sometimes a co-founder by your side is not enough to solve the problem at hand. Things will get sticky even for a workforce that is willing to have your back. When this happens, they will look up to you for advice and guidance.

You will have to show them that you are still the leader in the company and offer a way forward. The best way to approach this is by taking a step back. You will not make rush decisions and will have more time to analyze and come up with a solution.​

by Samuel Gitukui
Integrity and honesty in business is one of the most important traits that any entrepreneur can have. In fact, the foundation of leadership has to lie in honesty and integrity. It might seem like something that need not be taken seriously, but trust me, it translates to success in the future.

In the words of billionaire Jon Huntsman, “There are no moral shortcuts in the game of business or life. There are, basically, three kinds of people, the unsuccessful, the temporarily successful and those who become and remain successful. Their difference is character.

There are stories of people who became successful and later lost business simply because of a lack of integrity. Cheating will catch up to you eventually, and the success that those leaders once had will just be temporary.

But what does integrity mean. This simply means that you do the right things the right way just because it’s the right thing to do. Leaders who are honest and have integrity are not interested in being flashy. They just concentrate on doing things the right way.

Integrity means that once you make a promise as a leader, you are keen at seeing it through. This also means that you will be very selective when it comes to which promise and who you are making that promise to. Otherwise, people who are less honest—the “yes” type, will agree to anything just to close a deal.

The truth tends to confuse a lot of people even in leadership. There is a difference between how you want things to be and how things actually are. Integrity means that you are not afraid of the truth. As much as a business leader needs to be brave, he also needs to be accepting of the fact that there is a possibility that they could be wrong.

Failing because you will simply not accept the fact that you are wrong is a very real possibility.

In this day and age there is too much information going around. There is every possibility that you could make an assumption that is wrong. This is not to say that as a leader it is wrong making assumptions but it’s important to leave yourself open to the possibility of being wrong.

Integrity and Honesty should be the underlying principle with every entrepreneur. There are no excuses for this. It is not situational but should be a constant state of mind. If for example you are able to compromise on the small things, you will eventually find that you will also compromise the integrity with the big situations simply for convenience sake.

As a leader with integrity and honesty, you will be able to treat people justly even when they are unfair. This will eventually create a more hospitable working environment and relationship with your employees. What’s more, when they view you as both strong and just, they are more willing to respect you and follow your lead. 

by Samuel Gitukui

Having a business is one of the best choices most entrepreneurs admit to ever making. It gives you a sense of security where you are not worried about your income. However, to remain in the game, you need to avoid being complacent.

Remember that yours is not the only business offering that service or product. If you do not stay up to date and ahead of your competition, you may find yourself in a tricky situation where everything suddenly becomes uncertain. To do this, shift your focus on your business strategy. It’s time to up it. let’s take a look.

       1.      Take a Wholistic View

Keep an eye on the trends. We are not simply talking about applying new paint to your office to make it look more presentable when we speak about the business strategy. The first thing that you need to do is find out how the customers’ interests are changing and how the competition is adapting to provide even better services.

You want to be more appealing to your customers. But how can you do this? Business magazines, attending conferences and reading trade journals are a few ways to keep yourself up to date.

Once you learn of new methods in your industry, the task now becomes implementing them in your business in the right way.

Before you start adding new concepts to your business, you need to first consider how it will affect the entire business as a whole. You want to implement new strategies in such a way that it joins neatly into the fabric of the organization.

Any significant change that you make will certainly reverberate through the business in what can be viewed as a ripple effect. This is why its important to take your time, learn the concept in its entirety and find out how to best merge it with your business.
​
       2.      Go Back on Previous Concepts

Whenever you introduce something new, it’s easy to get carried away and lose focus on the past. However, as much as you need to keep up to date, you also need to go back on previous concepts and find out if there are any improvements that need to be done.

In this way, you will not run the risk of losing ground as you look for even more customers. The trick is learning how to strike a balance between going back and moving forward.

       3.      Be Open to Advice

The best advice comes from people who are leaders in your industry and who you can get in contact with. They can tell you how to make the right changes. As an entrepreneur, you just cannot presume to know everything.

However, on the other hand you need not reveal too much as you are asking for advice. Business requires you to stay on your toes. Look for solutions but never reveal too much about your organization as you may unwittingly pass on information that the competition could use to their advantage.

​by Samuel Gitukui

Some people are naturally more persuasive than others. It comes down to their personality and the fact that they tend to be likeable people. When such a skill is brought into the business concept, it can prove to be an invaluable tool.

But what happens when you doubt your personality? Does that mean that you simply cannot take advantage of the power of persuasion? The good thing is, such tricks can be learnt and taken full advantage of. After all, which business person wouldn’t want to be able to convince others to buy more of their products?

Let’s take a look at 14 tricks that can significantly raise your ability to persuade people. Without further ado…

       1.      Understanding Your Audience

Before you even take the initiative to talk to someone, you need to understand them. Some audiences are made up of highly strong-willed individuals with dominant personality traits while others may be shy.

With the former, you need to also show that you are assertive for them to be willing to listen to you. The opposite is true with shy people. By lowering your assertiveness, you are less likely to appear too strong.

       2.      Create a Rapport

Most people approach other people as a target to be achieved. It’s no wonder their ability to convince them is questionable. For someone to be willing to do what you ask them to do, you need to create a connection at a more personal level.

Imaging if someone simply started explaining to you the benefits of a product. Your first impression would likely be that this is yet another sales person trying to sell me something. However, if someone began by telling you a story and creating a conversation and then gradually introducing a product, you would be more likely to make a purchase.

       3.      Don’t Be Too Pushy

People are naturally weary of people who come on a bit too strong. In fact, the natural reaction is to head the other way which would give you little chance to get them to buy your products. Subtlety is the name of the game. You need to be confident and yet still able to let your audience ease into the conversation.

Once your audience gets comfortable, your chances of convincing them goes up. By appearing friendly and introducing your product while giving your target a bit of time to make a connection, you can convince them that this is the best solution for their needs.

       4.      You Can’t Show Doubt

Using words such as “I think” or “possibly” is not the best way to appear persuasive. This instead makes you sound unsure. You need to appear confident and introduce the concept it in an articulate manner.

You also want to avoid talking too much. A good way to approach this is to ask questions and give your audience the chance to respond and to provide you with their views and opinions. This also helps to create an even better connection.

       5.      Express Yourself the Right Way

One of the best ways to get people to open up and become more receptive is by using the right tone, and body language. Crossed and uptight will normally revoke the same feelings from the audience. Try letting loose, less formal and talk in a casual and friendly way.

In this way, people will view you as a simple person to interact with which only makes it easy to establish a fruitful two-way conversation. Note that the trick is to share positive energy and you can only do this if you feel positive yourself. Other ways include maintaining eye contact and being enthusiastic.

       6.      Talk in a Clear Fashion

Remember what we said about being articulate? You will have to learn the subject so well that you can easily explain it to a child fast and easy. And when you are trying to persuade someone, you will also be able to tell them all about the important factors with a few short and concise words. After all you want to avoid being too mouthy.

If you can explain it to someone who doesn’t know anything about the product, you can definitely persuade someone who has some background information.

       7.      Uphold Honesty and Integrity

Trust me, people can tell a fake. If they spot any untrustworthy character in you, your chances of making a sale are pretty much over. People want to deal with people they can trust and they feel are genuine as opposed to someone who could sell you something that could potentially cause you harm.

To be persuasive, you simply need to be yourself. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is trying to be another person simply to make a sale. You do not have to step outside your character. Simply talk in a friendly way and show that you can be trusted by displaying a deep understanding of the product.

       8.      Accepting Other People’s Point of View

Try using statements like, “I see what you are saying” and “that’s a good question”. This expresses your willingness to listen and concede to the opinions of others. What that says to them is that you are not forcing your opinions and views onto them.

By showing that the opinions of others are valid and worth being considered, you gain more respect and appreciation which makes you better able to persuade them.
​
       9.      Ask Questions

As much as you need to explain your views, it is also highly important that you listen and ask questions. Most people get too much into explaining and do not give the other party a chance to talk. By asking relevant questions, you give your audience a chance to speak back.

People like people who listen. As you ask questions you are showing that you are attentive and that you care about what the person is talking about. That alone is enough to gain you the respect as well as the appreciation necessary to convince them to do what you want them to do which is to purchase your products.

       10.  Make the Presentation More Vivid

People are far more likely to understand a concept where visual presentations are made. But what if the situation doesn’t allow for this? You can breathe life into your explanations by including stories that help the audience to relate with the situation.

These stories will resonate in the minds of your audience for a long time. They create their own imagery which also makes it easier to persuade them.

       11.  Creating a Long Lasting First Impression

The first impression is crucial. You can make or break the progress of a conversation with the first impression. In fact, research has shown that people already have an impression of you within the first few seconds.

The remainder of the time people are often justifying their judgement. With this information in mind, you can decide on the right approach to create a strong first impression. You can achieve this by having the right posture, tone of voice, smile and being enthusiastic.

Once you succeed in making the best first impression, your potential clients will remember you and may stay loyal to your products.

       12.  Offer Your Clients Some Time

Being patient is a virtue that anyone in business should master. If you rush and become too urgent, the audience will likely hold onto their original opinion. However, people need time to accept change. By being patient with your clients, you are more likely to change their opinion to yours.

Sometimes the presentation might be a completely new concept to your audience. Before they can be familiar with it and get comfortable with it, they will obviously need time. Allow them a period for things to sink in. You will be surprised at the results.

       13.  Refer to Someone by Their Name

Names should not only be used when you meet a person. It is always as a good idea to refer to them by their name every now and then during the conversation. It gives them a feeling of validation making them more open to having a conversation with you which brings you even closer to making a connection.

Some people have trouble with names and tend to forget easily. However as with everything else, you can improve on this by training your mind to recall the names of different faces. In due time you will find that you can recall much more easily.

       14.  The Importance of Smiling

When you smile during a conversation you will find that people often smile back. Have you ever tried touching your eye when looking at someone and found that they were doing the same? This is because of human psychology where people naturally mirror the actions of someone else.

People who are good at persuading others will often carry a smile. This makes their audience drop their guard and engage them in a conversation which in turn makes it simpler to convince them. 
​

by Sarah O.

You’ve heard it time and time again – what is business strategy?  It’s time that we answer this question and how it relates to having a successful business. Business strategy refers to how your particular business plans to achieve its objectives and improve its performance in the particular field it specialises in. There are many points to note when it comes to business strategy or business performance, take a look at a few…

Standing Out As A Business

1.      Business strategy is not just about competition - something that a lot of people don’t realise. When we think  about competition, it usually involves an unhealthy increase of rivalry between competitors that produces disastrous results. Healthy competition in business is completely different because it is coupled with uniqueness. When we think about what that means, we can immediately conclude that as a business, when it comes to your business plan and performance, you will need to ensure that you stand out amongst other competitors and do so remembering that your company needs to stand out. There is a level of respect that is evident when, as a business, you carry yourself with confidence to demonstrate that what you offer is of more value to consumers without demeaning other businesses and what they have to offer.

https://www.inc.com/entrepreneurs-organization/the-importance-of-standing-out-in-business.html  Have a look at this entrepreneur's views on this point and why it is so important when we consider the growth of a business.

Let’s Make Profit
 
2.      Business strategy also involves a vision of making profit. Nothing new – this is standard for any business.  We know that it is very important to have customers in mind and in what their needs are, which of course is a bonus, but a profit margin is also very crucial. What you are looking for here is progress and development – progress within your business that will demonstrate that you are elevating and moving forward producing additional profit.
 
Branch Out & Explore
 
3.      Another note to keep in mind as a business, is that it is very important for you to branch out and explore the field you are settled in. Don’t be afraid to look outside the box regardless of the industry you have chosen. The world is ever changing, and we are learning new information every day, that keep us in the loop of the changing environment.  So, it might be that, if you are regularly assessing the success of your business and you see that there is no progress – then have a look at other areas that you can branch into as there might just be another market that you can squeeze into. 
 
Strategic Literature and Tools
 
4.      Take advantage of strategic literature and tools that are available for you to use. This will give you a firm foundation to allow you to become familiar with strategic essentials that will help your business. For additional support, there are business analysts and specialists available that are dedicated in providing advice and support to businesses to be successful.

Business strategy is becoming more and more important. As your organisational structure changes, you will need to make sure you know what is going on in order to adapt accordingly. If you choose to opt out of implementing a business strategy, then you will increase the risk of your business not only losing profit, but more importantly – you will lose your valuable customers. 

Strategy definitely has a lot to do with being competitive and in making whatever product or service that you offer – better. This is something that should be kept in mind and will serve as a driving force to ensure that as a business, you are developing and meeting the needs that you should be. 

Now we are going to focus on how you can reach your audience and use your business strategy to do so.

Business Strategies To Reach Your Audience

So, you’ve set up your business, you’re ready to go…now what?  What is the next step?  As you already know of the importance of communication – we need to keep that channel open. In order to know where to delve into, you will need to be disciplined as to where to cast your line. Knowing where to go will allow you to reach the correct audience and to do so with consistency. Have a look at the following tips and give them a go…

1.       Who Is Your Target Audience?

Before you examine how to reach your audience, you need to determine who your audience actually is! This is where market research comes in handy!  Market research involves the gathering of information and data to use to analyse and interpret about target markets and consumers. Businesses that make use of market research are able to use that information to target their audiences and any potential customers. This aids customer satisfaction and allows a company to remain reputable.

2.      Networking All The Way!

Social media has been taking the world by a storm!  Many businesses are now taking advantage of the importance of joining the ranks in reaching people. You too can benefit from this avenue – which not only reaches the adult members of the public but also the younger generation of our time.

3.       Combination!

Do not be set on jumping into just one avenue. Explore all areas that will allow you to reach your audiences. Be consistent but do so in different areas, adapting it to where it is necessary. Combine every avenue together and see what works for your business.

4.       Track & Evaluate Your Strategy!

Whatever avenue to decide to choose, you must make sure that on a regular basis – you assess your strategy. If you have branched into different avenues, monitor these areas to ensure that your desired audience is being reached.
 
5.       Communication!

It is very important to communicate with your newfound audience!  This is an opportunity to connect with your audience to show them that you are interested in them and that you understand their needs.  Check out http://smallbusiness.chron.com/tips-knowing-target-audience-communicating-within-organization-36023.html for more tips on communicating with your audience!

Take advantage of these key tips and you’ll experience business growth and success – exactly what you are looking for! If possible, review your strategic skills and consider where you want to take your business to succeed.

by Samuel Gitukui

When you have a business running, one of the main ways to stay on top of your game is to not only retain your current client base but to attract new customers as well. Mastering this skill ensures that your business remains on an upwards trend as the years go by.

Let’s take a look at top 6 ways to get new clients.

       1.      Make Contacts

The best contacts are businesses that are in the same industry as yours but will not necessarily be competing for the same market as you. By creating friends who have a business that is beneficial to yours, they can send their customers who need certain products that you sell your way. It becomes a win-win situation.
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       2.      Be Diverse in Your Marketing

One of the benefits of the modern business environment is that it provides many different channels through which you can reach customers. Whether its YouTube, email, Facebook or Twitter. By marketing yourself through these different channels, you ensure a steady stream of customers. 

       3.      Data Analysis

We simply cannot stress the importance of data analysis. There is an old saying “Numbers don’t lie”. By analysing what your clients are doing, you will learn about their buying habits and interests and adjust your strategies accordingly. It’s about providing the customers with what they want, and this is difficult when you don’t have the right information.

       4.      Learn From the customers Themselves

A lot of entrepreneurs do not take the time to get feedback from the customers. Loyal and long-term customers will give you invaluable information on the quality of the service or product as well as what can be improved and what can be taken out.

By making the necessary changes and improvements, you will set your business to gaining even more satisfied customers.

       5.      Check the price

It’s no secret that most customers are price sensitive. If you want to have a wide reach you need to know how to manipulate the price to get the customers to you while still operating well above your costs.

For example, you can forgo selling 10 units of a products for a $4 profit from each unit to $3 profit from selling 20 units. At the end of the day, you will have made more money.

Once customers find that they can get a high-quality product for less, they will pass on the word and send even more customers your way.

       6.      Provide Alternative

There are some customers who simply cannot get the product they need because what is in the market doesn’t suit their situation. Think for example a company offering renewable energy services. A person who lives in an area with a lot of trees may not be able to make use of solar panels. However, community panels are a good alternative.

Entrepreneurs need to always remain on their toes to prevent their businesses from becoming obsolete. Customer interests, tastes and preferences are always changing and to ensure that you keep getting new ones, the above strategies will help.

by Samuel Gitukui

Employees dread the end of year performance reviews. They view it as a time to criticize their work and show them just how much they are underperforming. However, it doesn’t have to be like this. By making certain changes to the reviews, you can turn it into a favorable experience for both employees and management alike. Let’s take a look!

       1.      Make the Whole Process Simple

One of the things that make end of year performance reviews so boring is how lengthy they are. If you can make things simple and less time consuming, employees will be more willing to see it through. 

One area where there can be improvement is in the questions. Add relevant questions that touch on the actual performance improvement of the employee such as where they can do more and make progress and how the company can offer help. 

Second, instead of setting goals that are too high, you can start by setting achievable, more realistic goals. It is always a good idea to automate the process. As a manager or entrepreneur, you will be more able to track the employees throughout the year.

       2.      Find a Constructive Way to Pass on Negative Feedback

You might think that employees are apprehensive of feedback but research shows that the majority of them are open to constructive criticism.

The trick lies in how to pass on this feedback. Care should be observed. You do not want to bring the morale of your employees to an all time low.

You can achieve this by speaking to them in a way that is not offensive and make the employees more accepting of making the necessary changes.

       3.      Add in Some Positive Feedback

This is one of the best ways to help employees look forward to the end of year performance reviews. You want it to be a chance for them to be recognized for the things they did right. Positive feedback is crucial and will help employees stay motivated for the coming year.

In fact, data shows that companies that offer positive feedback to their employees have 14.9% less employee turnover compared to organizations that offered the employees no feedback at all.

It’s all about recognizing the benefits that the employees bring to the company and appreciating them for it. This will also serve to motivate the other employees because they are able to see that this is a company that recognizes the efforts of its workers.

4.      Ask for Peer Feedback

One of the best ways to improve performance reviews is to solicit some feedback from the employees themselves. Not only will management have a different perspective but the employees will not see this as a purely management exercise. It will foster a feeling of togetherness in the organization.

The main aim of conducting performance reviews is not to criticize employees, it is to help them develop for a better performing business. By following the tips above, you can keep your employees motivated and help them increase productivity.

by Summer Worsely

​What is all the fuss about the Oxford comma? Such a small piece of punctuation has produced big debates in the world of writing – but why? Indie-pop band Vampire Weekend, in their song, Oxford Comma, proclaim to the world that this tiny tick of a mark doesn’t matter. They feel so strongly about it that these are the opening lines:
 
“Who gives a f#*% about an Oxford comma?
I've seen those English dramas too…”
 
But others would argue that the Oxford comma could have major influence on your business.

Is punctuation the sexiest part of your business copy? No, but the style of comma you use can make or break a potential client’s interest, and capturing new clients is sexy. The devil’s in the details, right? So, let’s find out how the Oxford comma can be an essential piece of kit in your business copy toolbelt.
 
What the Heck is an Oxford Comma? 

The Oxford comma is used before the word and or or in a list of three or more items. It is called the “Oxford” comma because it was originally used at Oxford University Press, but many other publishers and printing houses now use this style. It is also known as the serial comma because it is used in a series of items.

Although the use of the Oxford comma originated in the U.K., its use is more commonly associated with American English. There are multiple reasons why this is so, among them is the publication of Strunk and Whites ‘The Elements of Style’. This little book proved to be highly influential and the authors were firm fans of the Oxford Comma.

As American English grows in influence and American spellings become more commonplace, we may find ourselves swapping out ‘s’ for ‘z’, dropping ‘u’, and making much more use of the Oxford in the future.​
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Here is an example of a sentence with and without the Oxford comma:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 






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When the Oxford comma is not used, the sentence can read that Washington and Lincoln are beasts of men. Though this may be the figurative opinion of some, the use of the Oxford comma eliminates ambiguity. Think of it like a space-holder – it keeps what you intend to be separate, separate.
 
To Oxford Comma, or not to Oxford Comma? 

Technically not using the Oxford comma is grammatically correct, so long as your choice to exclude it is consistent throughout your copy. But there are some solid reasons why using the comma can prevent confusion and add to clarity for your customers.

An Oxford comma can be worth more than its light weight in gold. A dairy company felt its impact in their recent lawsuit that lost them five million dollars in a dispute with their drivers about overtime pay. The drivers’ tasks included:

The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of:

(1) Agricultural produce;
(2) Meat and fish products; and
(3) Perishable foods.

Due to a lack of a comma between “packing for shipment” and “or distribution”, the law referred to “packing” and “distribution” as two separate activities. The drivers were therefore eligible for overtime pay because they distribute, but do not pack, the goods. The lack of clarity in punctuation cost the company five million dollars.
 

Give the People What They Want 

Our attention spans for advertising last a whopping average of 3 seconds! If a potential client must stop to figure out what you’re telling them, you may have lost them before the end of the sentence.

Every word and punctuation mark should be intentional and clear. The more clarity there is in your copy, the less your potential clients must figure out what you’re selling them. Clients don’t want to figure what you have to offer them, they want to trust what you’re saying from the get-go.

The Oxford comma can be used to avoid ambiguity. You don’t want your customer to have to think too much, but to be sold instinctually. Give them the information they need to make a purchase without wasting their time by playing guessing games.

You can use the Oxford comma to make a potential client’s options clear. Let’s say your company offers a variety of separate industrial cleaning services. Your options for clients are:

“…waste removal, window washing and floor maintenance.”

This sentence can suggest to the reader that window washing and floor maintenance are a package deal. There is a good chance they could either read the sentence incorrectly or be confused and possibly put-off by an unclear advert. With the Oxford comma, the offered services a client can choose are clear:

“…waste removal, window washing, and floor maintenance.”
 
Don’t be a Serial Comma Killer! 

The debate over the Oxford comma can seem silly to some, but the use of it can mean a lot to your business. The lack of the Oxford comma could mean the loss of customers.

So, don’t be a serial comma killer! Make use of the Oxford comma by making your business copy effortless to read, engaging, and free from confusion.

​Do you Oxford? If not, why not? Let us know in the comments below.

by Samuel Gitukui

Changing times means that business is now moving towards an any day, anytime setting. It’s not surprising to find yourself working on your business well into the weekends. This may also mean dealing with different aspects at the same time. To best manage your business, you need to get organized. Let’s take a look at a few of the main areas that you need to manage in order to raise your own productivity.

Time Waits for No Man

You would be surprised at how poor most people are at multi-tasking. Time is an important concept and learning how to effectively manage your time can significantly increase your productivity. The worst culprits to time wasting are tasks that are simply unimportant.

Think of the time where you had to leave an important task to check out that email or advertisement. There is usually a lot of time wasted on such activities and one simply needs to learn how to avoid them while giving priority to the more important tasks.

Before you start your day, have a plan on all the tasks you want to complete by day’s end. Then, compartmentalize everything including those less important tasks. In this way you will have enough time to go through everything in your plan.

Complete the Less Important Tasks During Commute

Did you know that most people have more than enough time to check out those emails as they commute to the office? This allows you to focus on the important tasks once you get to your office.

Learn to take advantage of the times when you are away from your business to go through anything that could interrupt your work schedule. Trust me, you will find that it helps.

Keep Meetings Short

You want to have as much time during the day to work on substantial business issues. As far as time wasting goes, meetings can play their part. As much as it is important to brief your employees, it is a good idea to keep things short.
One way to do this is to reduce your meeting times by 25%. This gives both you and your employees more time to work on the projects.

But let’s put things into perspective, shall we? If say, you reduced a daily meeting that took 1 hour to 45 minutes, you would get an extra 25 hours every month. That is a full day’s work. In a year that is more than 300 hours of work time from reducing meetings alone.

Take Breaks

Most people underestimate the power of taking short regular breaks. But they are very much part and parcel of increasing productivity. Such break times will help you stay organized. Otherwise, in a situation where you are running back-to-back meetings, it is very easy to lose focus.

Saving time it seems is the main objective here. Anything you can do to have more time should be welcome. Remember to stay organized, take it easy and rest every now and then.

by Samuel Gitukui

Branding is one of the most important concepts to any business enterprise. If you want your small business to thrive, you need to set yourself apart form your competitors. Your brand will communicate to your customers the type of services and the products that they can expect from you.

Is your business innovative, do you offer high quality-high priced products or are you providing customers with low priced-high value products? Of course, you cannot offer both and you are definitely not in apposition to offer everything to everyone. With this in mind it follows then that your brand will depend in a significant way on your target market.

Your brand does not only mean your logo, it also includes your website together with all promotional and packaging materials.

What Is Your Brand Strategy?

Who you are communicating to as well as how, when and in what fashion is all part of your brand strategy. And it doesn’t stop there. It is also inclusive of your distribution channels. Communication, whether visual or verbal, are part of the brand strategy as well.

When you carry out branding that is consistent, it raises your businesses brand equity. What this means is that sooner or later you will be in a position to raise your prices well above similar products that do not have a brand and still enjoy loyal customers.

But where exactly does the value come from? When customers view your products as better and of a higher quality courtesy of your branding strategy, they will be willing to pay more for that perceived value.

How to Define Your Brand

This here is where things get a bit tricky. Defining your business brand will require you to think outside the box. In fact, it’s only fair to point out that it can sometimes be difficult and often time consuming.

And this is why defining your brand should be taken a step at a time without haste. By taking your time you will learn about what your customers want, need as well as their desires and habits. Instead of guessing on what they are actually thinking, you get to know the truth directly from them.

It is always a good idea to seek the help of professionals who are more experienced in the field so don’t be shy.  

Getting the Word Out

Now you know what your current and prospective customers are looking for. It’s time to get the word out that you actually have what they need. Here are a few steps to get this done effectively.

       1.      Make sure you have a logo. If you don’t, get one.
       2.      Accompany the logo with the message you want the clients to get. This is called a tagline.
       3.      Integrate the brand to every part and aspect of your business. Ensure that the employees understand what                    you are trying to achieve from answering phone calls to replying to emails to delivery.
       4.      Develop templates. These will make easier for you to be noticed. You could use a specific color scheme,                      placement of the logo, look or feel on all your products.

After you’ve made sure that all the above points have been established, be consistent in your branding and soon your business will start to reap the benefits.