UTICamp-2020. Preparing for Post-Doom – Diversifying business: Content creation, globalization, game and multimedia localization, and more…

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PART I (DOOM & GLOOM): Maturity or overripeness? – Fragmentation, automation and thinning
margins – False pretenses – Global decrease in expectations – Language simplification
PART II (ST. VALENTINE’S DAY): Straight into the doomsday-free future – Expansion,
Diversification and/or Specialization – Affinity, advantages, potential – Examples / case studies
PREPARING FOR POST-DOOM
[OR ST. VALENTINE’S DAY?]

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Industry maturity or overripeness?
 We suggested this topic for UTIC in early February, 2020!
 If you wondered why we mentioned St. Valentine’s Day …
 This is NOT about COVID-19!
 Let’s think global and long-term…
 Expanding transition to MT in the future
 Numerous verticals / language pairs
 More fragmented and automated workflows
 Thinning margins
 To the level of transparency
 Not always offset by growing volumes
 Number of webinars, online conferences, etc.
 Growing by leaps and bounds
 Continuous exchange of experience/complaints
o All the same
 Pretending the industry is more alive than ever…
 Numerous signs of its “mainstreamization” or marginalization
 Already happened with switchboard operators, typists, and travel agents...
 Are we too afraid to admit this? Or we do not see the upcoming doomsday?

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Alarming[?] trends for humans
 MT
 Some/many areas will do fine without human editing
 Automation + Fragmentation = Overhead + Less money
 Global decrease in expectations
 You understand it? Fine…
 Language simplification and degradation
o IM/Twitter generation level
o Short sentences
o Non-existent or simplified grammar
o Overabundant typos, spelling and grammar mistakes
o Emoticons replacing elaborate style
o Wall graffiti/slang style is the new norm…
 Endangers true professionals

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What experts think?
 Please welcome our surprise guest!
 “Earlier on the Machine helped humans to translate.
Now the human is curating the content and helping
the machine to translate…”
― Vince, Alibaba
 “New eras don't come about because of swords,
they're created by the people who wield them.”
― Nobuhiro Watsuki

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Where to run / what to do?
 Expansion
 Other countries (companies)
 Other languages / verticals
o Learn Chinese or Thai?
o Master medical translation?
 Diversification
 Alternatives
o Content creation
o eLearning
o Multimedia localization
o Web design and page-setting
o <Suggest yours>
 Specialization
 Move away from “simple”, traditional services
 Stand out
o In particular areas
o With unique solutions
 Avoid excessive competition
o Higher margins

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Major factors to consider
 Affinity
 Ability to apply your experience, knowledge, skills
 Going outside your comfort zone
 Advantages and challenges
 Short- and long-term potential

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Expansion
 Expand into
 Other countries
 Other languages / subject areas / verticals
 Affinity: High; same business
 Going out of the comfort zone: Varying
 Challenges/risks: Multifaceted and varying
 Culture
 Legislation
 Market conditions
 Personalities
 Potential
 Risk mitigation
 Expanding business
 Long-term: A BIG UNKNOWN

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Diversification – Content creation
 Create
 Marketing materials
 Web content and documentation
 Video
 eLearning
 Affinity: Minimal
 Going out of the comfort zone: Significant
 Challenges
 High cost of entry
 Experience, skills, knowledge, technology, hardware, …
o How/what to create, screenwriting, voiceovers, timing, graphic and video creation, eLearning…
 Hard to find serious clients without a convincing portfolio
 Risks: Moderate
 Hard to become a serious player
 Potential: Unlimited
 The volume of content multiplies uncontrollably
 eLearning is booming
 Can combine creation and localization
 Long-term: Very positive
 Creative work will require qualified human labor for years to come…
 Complexity discourages competition

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Diversification – Multimedia localization
 Localize
 Games
 Subtitling
 Voiceovers
 eLearning
 Affinity: Medium to high
 Going out of the comfort zone: Medium
 Challenges
 High cost of entry
 You need people who LOVE and KNOW how to do it!
o Context, characters’ history/relationship, emotions, terminology
o Voiceovers, timing, graphic and video localization, eLearning…
 Risks: Moderate
 Hard to become a serious player
 Potential: Significant
 Even during the worst crises people demand Bread and circuses /Juvenal/
 Game publishing/localization are growing or holding their turf even today
 Long-term: Very positive
 Multimedia localization will require qualified human labor for years to come…

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Diversification – Web design and page-setting
 Affinity: Medium to high
 Going out of the comfort zone: Medium
 Challenges
 Medium to high cost of entry
 Risks: Moderate
 Hard to stand out
 Potential: Medium to high
 Online market is growing
 High competition in “traditional” areas
 Long-term: Good
 Web design will require qualified human labor for years to come…

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Diversification – Other areas
 Teaching, training, yoga classes, …
 Consider it a second chance!
 Find something that you love!
 Select the area where you:
 Know something or a lot
 Have natural advantages

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What we did at Logrus IT
 Combine all three
 Expansion + Diversification + Specialization
 Not putting all eggs into one basket
 Geographical expansion
 New world centers of gravity
 Big markets
o China
o Korea

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What we did at Logrus IT – Diversification
 Content creation
 Marketing materials
 Web content/documentation
 Video
o From 2D to 3D to cartoons
 Custom eLearning courses
 Multimedia localization
 Games
 Video
 Presentations
 Web design/page-setting
 Including online stores
 Portals

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What we did at Logrus IT – Specialization
 Concentrate on existing strengths
 Excel/stand out in important niche areas
 Provide convenient turnkey solutions
 Not all clients use sophisticated platforms
 Some require your company to provide the platform
o Free of charge
 Complexity minimizes competition

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What we did at Logrus IT: Solutions
 Turnkey LQA solution
 Unique quality methodology and metrics
o Quality Triangle: 3D, hybrid, scalable and customizable
 Dedicated, specialized inhouse PM team
 Worldwide network of experts
o Carefully selected, trained, tested and trusted
 Logrus IT Quality Portal
o Custom metrics / scales / error typologies
o Complete workflow
o Client’s resources / Logrus IT resources / 3rd party
o Translator feedback / Review reconciliation
o Automated
• Feedback consistency checks
• Atomic-level quality checks
 Logrus IT Terminology solution
 Logrus IT Project Portal
 Complete workflow for simple translation projects
 Automated quality checks

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Logrus IT revenue streams – 2019
Translation
&
Localization
45%
Language
Services
7%
Game
Localization
20%
Creative
Services
18%
Technical
Services
10%
 Language Services
 LQA
 Terminology
 Creative Services
 Content
 Video
 eLearning
 Design
 Technical Services
 SW development
 Engineering
 Testing
 Staffing
 DTP

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NEVER STOP
EVOLVING OR TRYING!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
YOUR PATIENCE. QUESTIONS?
www.logrusit.com
partnership@logrusit.com

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