Please also check Singtel’s Ask the Expert in Localization for the Interview session with Mr Nicholas Goh, CEO and Founder of Verztec.

Will a simple translation have the rhetorical effect you need in another market? If not, you might consider developing content from scratch to meet the expectations of the audience to which you’re selling. Here are a few general items that every buyer should know before engaging in projects that require transcreation services:

• Purpose. Unlike translation, the purpose of transcreation is to evoke a specific desired reaction or emotion from the buyer. If the message does not sound right from the beginning, the buyer will carry the negative connotations all the way through the marketing and sales process. Especially in sales and pre-sales settings, poor communications can negatively impact the buying process.
• Project types. The jobs that most typically require transcreation are usually related to marketing and advertising. Frequent projects relate to branding, corporate identity, manuals, brochures, sales materials, some types of user manuals, press releases, and websites – content which is usually meant to elicit an emotional response. Some regulatory filings, such as annual reports and listings, also require transcreation due to legal requirements and the sequence of how information is displayed, as in a Form 10-K report.
• Providers. The companies that offer transcreation fall into three major categories:

1) niche players that specialize in transcreation;

2) large language service providers with experience doing advertising/marketing translation;

3) advertising agencies, especially those that specialize in multicultural domestic markets (see Figure 1)

• Volumes. Transcreation projects tend to be quite small – just 2,000 to 5,000 words instead of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions of words. Smaller niche transcreation providers will undertake these smaller efforts, while larger projects with a mixture of transcreation and “straight translation” requirements typically go to the bigger, more generalist suppliers.
• Turnaround time. Because clients often fail to plan appropriately and provide sufficient time to their suppliers, most transcreation providers work with timeframes of hours and days instead of weeks and months. However, for larger jobs, such timeframes are not possible.
• Starting point. Instead of getting the source files from the client, a transcreation project typically requires the client to give the transcreation provider a creative brief, including all the background information about the target market – such as any market studies or focus groups that they have conducted. The more information the firm has about the intended audience, the better prepared they will be to do the work.
• Resources. Transcreation firms typically work with bilingual creative writers, not with translators. If translators are engaged for transcreation projects, they most often have a literary translation or advertising background, and are therefore accustomed to dealing with work of a more creative type. Because the freelancers do not usually agree to be paid on a per-word basis for this type of work, they often bill out their services by the hour.
• Costs. Transcreation is far more expensive than translation. They commonly bill such work on a project basis, or by the hour. While they do not price jobs on a per-word basis, some providers charge for a set number of words (for example, US$500 for every 1,000 words). However, if the provider does charge by the word, text type may determine the cost. For example, they may invoice more for headlines and titles than they do for copy, because the former needs to capture the attention of the reader faster.

Verztec is a leading ISO 9001:2008 Global Content Consulting Services Company. Verztec assists companies around the world to design, develop, localize and publish their global communication messages in over 60 languages across various channels. For more information as to how Verztec may partner and assist in your next localization project, kindly contact us at info@verztec.com or call +65 6577 4646 now!

*Sources: Best Practices for Purchasing Transcreation Services: November 2009  by Common Sense Advisory, Inc

• Use more video and other interactive (non-text-based) content. Today, most companies that deliver video assets via their web properties are producing unique creative for each market. That works for one or two international markets. But now think about producing unique video assets in more than 30 languages. Smart creative can be adapted in various ways, using voice-over, dubbing, or subtitling in ways that build the local language right into the design. Do it. Be smart. Produce some local creative; then deliver the best assets in all markets.
• Add participation features. People in emerging markets often feel ignored by big companies. But participation options can quickly overcome geographic and cultural distance. Engagement is critical for entering new markets, growing market share, and maintaining good customer relationships. Global websites as a class almost all require better engagement through participation. How can you get your audience involved? Or is this not your job? If this is the case, then make it somebody’s job in your organization. The sooner the better.
• Jump into social with both feet. Social media is no longer new. It’s another form of communication, and one that is here to stay. You need to consider it as just one more tool in your marketing and customer engagement toolbox. Don’t ignore the social network effect any longer. Use it.

Verztec is a leading ISO 9001:2008 Global Content Consulting Services Company. Verztec assists companies around the world to design, develop, localize and publish their global communication messages in over 60 languages across various channels. For more information as to how Verztec may partner and assist in your next localization project, kindly contact us at info@verztec.com or call +65 6577 4646 now!

*Sources: How to Get Your Brands on Video and Social Media: 1 April 2012 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc.

Use Social Media Platforms with a Strategic Purpose in Mind

Your company’s social media profiles are a window for the rest of the world to learn more about you. Increasingly, your most recent tweets or status updates might be among the first search results that potential customers find. In other words, their very first impression of your company may come through one of these channels. Most LSPs agree that a social media presence is important, but very few stop to consider what kind of presence they want to create. Consider these questions:

• “Are our customers actually here?” Many companies assume they need to have a social media presence before they’ve conducted the basic research to find out whom they want to reach online. Are the decision-makers and influencers you really want to reach using these platforms? If so, which ones? What type of content are they looking for, and how can you provide something better than what others have on offer? Random thoughts on a wide range of topics will not make you the go-to source of expertise. First, find out where your customers are – what groups they belong to, what pages they are fans of, and which companies or individuals they follow. Then tailor your content to fit those channels.

• “What do we really want our brand to convey?” Social media platforms are not necessarily a place to adhere to a strict brand voice guide – in fact, services like Twitter demand you to keep your tweets concise and to use hashtags (#) to flag your topics so that other users can find them more easily. That said, you still need to develop basic rules regarding what type of image you want to convey. Is the person who controls your brand presence on social media familiar with your most salient marketing messages and your brand attributes? Review your company’s last 30 status updates and tweets. Is there a common theme, or is it scattered? Does the company put forth an image consistent with your marketing goals?

• “What type of information will we provide?” One of the most common mistakes we see LSPs make is that they use social media platforms as soapboxes to brag about themselves. While an occasional “Hooray for us!” update isn’t harmful, a steady stream of self-centered updates will turn people away or simply cause them to ignore you. Instead, focus on what you can deliver that is of value to your customers. What kind of information can you provide to them that will be helpful in their daily work? Can you provide a daily datapoint relevant to their work, or a helpful tip that will make their life easier? Make sure that the resources you link to are worthwhile for your customers and prospects. Don’t link only to your own website – this will be seen as the overt self-promotion that it is. Link to your own web properties only when you really have something valuable to share.

• “What is our network growth strategy?” Social networking is about building networks of individuals with shared interests. What are those interests? Are they clearly stated in your profile or description so that potential contacts can easily find you? Do you conduct a daily search for new contacts with the same interests? Do you use these terms frequently in your status updates? Do you frequently re-tweet items from the “social media celebrities” – individuals who specialize in these fields and boast the largest number of contacts? We’ve spotted many LSPs who focus extensively on the content but not enough on the contacts – meaning that while their updates are good, their network size fails to grow much. This usually means that they are not focusing on the basics – building their networks.

• “Are we engaging our employees and partners?” Invite your staff – including your network of freelancers – to become a fan, connect to you, or follow your firm. Set a goal – can you get 50% of your employees connected to your social media platforms in the next six months? Launch an internal campaign to get as many individuals connected to your company as possible, thereby increasing your reach – and making you a more sought-after contact in the process. Encourage them to use your company hashtag – if need be, set up a quick internal webinar to teach them how to use the platforms and to communicate your goals to them. Consider offering a prize for people who build their networks with the company’s interests in mind – for example, offer an incentive to the first person to connect to 20 localization managers in a given industry.

• “Are we a contact worth keeping?” Don’t forget to give people a reason to connect to you and stay connected – content is not necessarily sufficient. Action and interactivity are more important. Do you have periodic giveaways, raffles, or contests? Are you planning a local get-together? Are you offering a free webinar on a topic that will help the people you most want to reach? Do you provide an interesting brain-teaser or something else that will entertain people and keep them coming back? Make sure whatever information you’re providing is of sufficient quality to keep people returning to you.

Additional Considerations for Social Media-Savvy LSPs

Has your language services business already covered many of the fundamentals? If so, ask yourself the following questions:

• “Are we using the right tools?” If you find yourself struggling to constantly keep your Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn profiles updated, chances are you’re failing to take advantage of tools that enable you to automatically send out the same messages across multiple platforms. The mechanics of keeping a prominent place in the social media stream are becoming easier all the time with tools such as Brizzly, Buzzom, HootSuite, Seesmic, TweetDeck, and TwitHive. Today, you can easily populate your Facebook and LinkedIn pages using your Twitter feed with such tools. In fact, they are essential for ensuring a consistent brand presence across multiple social media networks.

• “Is our social media content aligned with SEO?” What search terms and keywords are you using on your web pages and in your press releases? Are you using the same terms in your social media messaging? Many companies fail to recognize that much of the same work they are doing for search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing can yield good results with social media campaigns as well. If you’re not already in close contact with your webmaster about these issues, you need to be. Find out which pages of your website are most popular, and what search terms most frequently bring people to those pages. Make sure you are integrating this information into your social media marketing work.

• “Are we setting micro-goals?” One of the best features of social media for marketers is the ability to track specific information and tie it back to specific campaigns or objectives. Make sure that you are setting micro-goals – for example, achieving a set number of members of a LinkedIn group, a high number of re-tweets or expanded following on Twitter, a specific number of views or embeds of a YouTube video, or a number of fans or Likes on Facebook. You can also use unique URLs to track which channels are most successful. Micro-goals should tie to other concrete goals – such as an increased number of subscribers to a blog and, eventually, the number of actual sales leads generated.

• “Are we engaging younger generations?” Don’t overlook the power of Generation Y when building your networks. The individuals you sell to today are likely in their 30s or 40s. But are you reaching the 20-somethings who will be your customers a few years from now? What about the freelancers who might still be in college now, but could be among your most talented and trusted resources in the years to come? Think creatively to find ways to engage younger generations. Conduct outreach to translation and interpreting programs at universities. Join social media groups for students in the areas that commonly produce individuals with localization manager titles. Find ways to reach these important contacts earlier in their career paths, so that they are fully familiar with your brand – and have positive associations with it – later in life.

• “Is it time for a social media policy?” For better or worse, most organizations have to develop social media policies at some point, or they risk their brand being associated with the random electronic mutterings of employees regarding everything from their favorite soccer team to their spats with family members – none of which will help you accomplish your business objectives. Who will be allowed to represent your brand officially through social media channels? Will anyone review their messages prior to posting? What happens if they leave the company – will you gain control of their public profile, or do they retain it? Are they encouraged to re-tweet, share, or re-purpose your messages? If you do decide to leverage your employees, provide them with detailed examples of what type of behavior is appropriate in these platforms – and what isn’t.

• “Are we over-doing it?” It’s fine to be excited about new ways to reach your target marketers – in fact, social media is in many ways a marketer’s dream, but it can also turn into the target’s nightmare. Beware of bombarding your contacts with too many messages – a steady stream of useful information is great, but if you are not careful, your constant updates could easily be regarded as spam. Take care – and enlist others to obtain feedback about your social media presence. Ask some of your contacts and followers for their suggestions and advice – not just regarding the content but regarding the frequency of its distribution.

Social media is definitely fun, interactive, and dynamic. But we see too many LSPs take the plunge without developing a strategy or thinking about how social media will help them advance their larger marketing objectives. Too often, they have “joined the conversation” without thinking about what they really want or need to say. To build a social media presence that will help your company grow, remember that social media platforms are just part of a much larger marketing strategy. Make sure to keep your overarching marketing goals front and center to determine how social media can help you achieve them.

Verztec is a leading ISO 9001:2008 Global Content Consulting Services Company. Verztec assists companies around the world to design, develop, localize and publish their global communication messages in over 60 languages across various channels. For more information as to how Verztec may partner and assist in your next localization project, kindly contact us at info@verztec.com or call +65 6577 4646 now.

*Sources: Using Social Media to Boost Language Service Business: 26 July 2010 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc.

The Bottom Line and How Translation Boosts It

Our research repeatedly shows that translation enables companies to expand their customer base and increase revenue:

• Translation gives you access to more customers. Many customers simply won’t buy your products unless you market to them in their language. How many are you missing? Our study showed that 72.1% of international consumers spend most or all of their time on sites in their own language. The 11 languages that allow you to reach 85% of the world’s online wallet are English, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, German, Arabic, French, Russian, Korean, and Italian. And each language you add takes you further into any market where it’s spoken.

• Translation unlocks global revenue from those customers. Overall economic growth has stalled in North American and Western European markets. As a result, companies headquartered in those regions are finding it a requirement, rather than an option, to offer additional localized versions of their products and services as quickly as possible in order to attract customers with rising incomes in emerging and frontier markets. Are you one of the many firms reporting decreasing domestic profits, while your global revenue is climbing upward? If not, you better find out why.

• Translation enhances your existing market presence – even at home. Do you own 100% of any market that you’re already in today? Doubtful. But you can get closer to penetrating the markets you’re already in by adding more languages. Even just one language – such as Spanish in the United States, Polish in the United Kingdom, or Turkish in Germany – can help you reach customers in the locations in which you’re already spending marketing dollars, making that money go even further.

• Translation costs very little. Your investment in languages will be insignificant compared to the international revenue it will enable. After all, the average cost per word to create original content is US$0.65, while the average cost per word for translated content is only US$0.10. Your financial and procurement teams will be on-board once they recognize that millions of dollars of additional income can be generated through a very minimal investment.

• Translation doesn’t have to be difficult. If you’re concerned about losing control of your content when it moves into other languages, rest assured that there are professionals out there to help you. Recruit the talent you need to build a great translation team from a vast team of professionals in this $26 billion industry. Or outsource the function to professional language service providers (LSPs). The bottom line is that there is no reason to reinvent the wheel – plenty of companies (including competitors) have already learned the most painful lessons on your behalf.

• Translation makes it easier to win against competitors. You can leverage your investment in global markets based on a defensive or offensive strategy. Either way, the goal is to prevent challengers from dominating markets that could have a negative effect on sales, revenue, or overall brand perception in other markets, including the one at home.

• Translation provides your brand with a consistent voice. Over the last decade especially, firms have learned that consistent branding with local flavor represents a corporate asset with a hard dollar value. It now requires at least 16 languages if you want to be among the best at remaining competitive online.

• Translation allows you to protect and enhance your global reputation. If your organization is not set up to implement every product or service launch around the world, then you risk relinquishing control to your customers. With machine translation readily available for many languages, people buy, write reviews, and provide feedback on your offerings whether or not you officially launch in their market.

• Translation is often required by local markets anyway. You may be barred from selling your product or service unless it has been translated, and perhaps even adapted to meet local business requirements, in countries that have language compliance laws such as Belgium and Canada. Similar rules will apply for regulated industries such as energy, financial services, life sciences, telecommunications, and utilities. And even if you’re not in a regulated field, you may be required to translate in order to support customers who are.

• Translation is simply what smart executives do. It’s not enough for you to merely mandate that your company be #1 in its top five markets around the world. To be able to earn globally over time, you must invest consistently in local markets and the internal teams to support them (see “The Global Business Leadership Manifesto,” Mar11). The key is to create a global presence through building many strong, local presences, which includes delivering and supporting products in the right languages that are adapted to the right level.

English may be the language of business, but it’s not the language of your local consumers. The demand for language directions such as Zulu<>Chinese and Turkish<>Chinese is increasing as new trading agreements are established. According to the International Monetary Fund, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) alone will account for as much as 61% of global growth over the next three years. Currently, these five countries comprise 42% of the world’s population and 18% of its GDP. And right behind them are Indonesia, Mexico, and Turkey as fast-growing economies with middle classes whose purse strings are loosening and whose wallets are expanding. Now is the time to put your international business strategy in order, supported by an appropriate translation plan, to allow your team to support local prospects and customers according to their expectations.

Verztec is a leading ISO 9001:2008 Global Content Consulting Services Company. Verztec assists companies around the world to design, develop, localize and publish their global communication messages in over 60 languages across various channels. For more information as to how Verztec may partner and assist in your next localization project, kindly contact us at info@verztec.com or call +65 6577 4646 now!

*Sources: Why Smart Companies Invest in Translation: 1 January 2012 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc.

As a result, many firms still debate whether it makes business sense to globalize their online marketing, online commerce sites, and call centers. Nonetheless, research dating back to 1998 indicates a high propensity for people to buy in their own language. It’s clear that website globalization has become a mainstream business activity today; in future years what is now a low curve in the below graph will likely become a straight diagonal line from upper left to lower right.

Most people prefer buying in their own language

More than half of the web users who purchased online (52.4%) buy only at websites where the information is presented in their language. More than 60 percent of consumers in France and Japan buy products from localized sites. In terms of language competence, people with no or low English skills were six times more likely not to buy from Anglophone sites than their countrymen who were proficient in English.

Language significantly influenced more important purchases

The vast majority (85.3%) feels that having pre-purchase information in their own language is a critical factor in buying insurance and other financial services. Conversely, just 45.8 percent thinks that it is important to buying clothes on the web. The more valuable an item, the more likely it is that someone will want to read about the product and buy it in their own language.

It takes more than local language to sell something

Over two-thirds (67.4%) of web users visit English-language sites monthly or more frequently, but just a quarter (25.5%) regularly purchase goods or services at those properties. Even with information available in the local language, the inability to use their own credit cards or currency stymies many international buyers. Converting those international browsers to buyers requires translation plus improved site performance and commercial enablers such as credit card and country-specific transaction support.

Global brands trump language and price

Half of the web users (50.8%) would buy a global brand over a local one, even without translated information. Looking at individual countries, just Germany and Japan fell below the 50-percent mark. However, having information in their own language was more important to 56.2 percent of the global web users than a low price.

Verztec is a leading ISO 9001:2008 Global Content Consulting Services Company. Verztec assists companies around the world to design, develop, localize and publish their global communication messages in over 60 languages across various channels. For more information as to how Verztec may partner and assist in your next localization project, kindly contact us at info@verztec.com or call +65 6577 4646 now!

*Sources:

• What LSPs Need to Know about global Website Trends: 14 April 2011 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc.
• The Word’s 100 Best Global Websites in 2011: March 2011 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc.
• Can’t Read, Won’t Buy: Why Language Matters: September 2006 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc.

Chinese companies are extending their reach around the globe to purchase foreign technology, managerial talent and, increasingly, international brands.

Why have Chinese companies not been able to successfully build their own brands overseas instead of operating under the guise of acquired global players?

According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, in January of this year alone, China’s overseas investment totalled nearly $4.4bn (£2.7bn), up 60 per cent year-over-year.

Yet, despite this tremendous amount of overseas investment, surprisingly not one mainland Chinese company appeared on consultancy Interbrand’s annual list of the world’s top 100 brands last year.

As early as the 1990s, Chinese companies like sports drink maker Jianlibao attempted to enter international markets and become a global beverage brand like Coca Cola or Pepsi.

Li Ning, known by many as “China’s Nike”, also failed in its first attempt to expand overseas, but now has a second chance through a new business model.

Then there are the outliers, the few companies who have built globally recognised brands such as Chinese personal computer and electronics company Lenovo.

Whether we examine the successes or failures, the stories of these three Chinese firms help to illuminate potential strategies for other Chinese companies seeking global brand recognition.

Jianlibao

Jianlibao used to be the number one beverage in China. Given its success back home, during the 1990s the sports drink maker expanded into over a dozen international markets.

In 1994 it recruited Jack Shea, a beverage industry veteran, to serve as its vice-president of marketing and sales for North America.

According to him, “Jianlibao’s fatal flaw was that while it produced a good-tasting beverage, its brand name prevented it from being able to connect with the average American consumer”.

In contrast, Coca Cola’s Chinese name kekou kele is an example of effective adaptation to the local market to connect with Chinese consumers; it sounds similar to the original and translates as Delicious Happiness.

“On top of that, our North America operations did not have a sufficient marketing budget to make the necessary investments to promote Jianlibao within the United States,” Mr Shea says.

By expanding overseas prematurely, the company lost focus back home and began losing market share to competitors like Coca Cola.

Rather than returning to concentrate on the Chinese domestic market, where it traditionally dominated, Jianlibao began competing with Coca Cola on price.

Given that Jianlibao’s sports drink was more expensive to produce since it was originally developed as a performance drink for Chinese Olympic teams, the firm faced a losing proposition whether competing with Coke in China or overseas.

It had a quality product that tasted good to both Chinese and foreign consumers. What the firm lacked was international experience, a brand name to connect to, and sufficient marketing investments to establish itself overseas.

Li Ning

Li Ning, a Chinese athletic apparel company, also experienced challenges in its first attempt to expand internationally.

While many people have likely never heard of him, Li Ning, the company’s founder, is one of the most famous athletes in China.

Few in that country can forget the impressive sight of Li Ning, himself in a track suit of his own design, being hoisted up at the Bird Nest stadium to light the torch during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Li Ning was undoubtedly one of the top Chinese brands domestically, and it too had global aspirations. Shortly after the Olympics, it opened its first overseas office close to Nike’s headquarters in Portland, Oregon.

After just a few years, the subsidiary had to shut down.

When asked why this initial investment in the US failed, Craig Heisner, vice-president of digital operations, explains: “I don’t think the original plan adequately presented the heritage of Li Ning as a major Chinese brand founded by a famous Olympian who rose to the top”.

Heisner went on to explain that “Li Ning did not promote this fact, and then went right into a fiercely competitive overseas market going directly against the likes of Nike and Adidas”.

The athletic apparel industry already has several major lifestyle brands. People have a strong affinity to purchase familiar brands they identify with, and Li Ning was not one of them.

Unlike Jianlibao, Li Ning has had a second chance to build a business overseas – it recently went digital in a joint-venture with Chicago-based Acquity Group.

Unlike its first foray into the US market, Digital Li Ning is solely an e-commerce store without any physical retail outlets.

According to Heisner, “we are choosing a business model that gives us more control over how our products are positioned”.

E-commerce will enable Digital Li Ning to shape American consumers’ perception of the brand throughout the entire buying process.

Lenovo

It is a huge PC company, and until now, has been best known for its acquisition of IBM’s PC division and Thinkpad brand in 2005.

It also acquired German PC-maker Medion in 2011 and recently formed a joint-venture with Japan’s NEC.

Three main factors have contributed to its success in building its brand overseas.

“Our organisational structure is undoubtedly one of our key strengths,” Mr Roman explains, “it allows us to effectively create a global framework to market the Lenovo brand within the local context of the markets we operate in.”

It has headquarter functions distributed across Beijing, Paris and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Beyond its organisational structure, Lenovo focuses globally on the youth consumer segment which it defines as ages 18-34.

“We find that consumers in this demographic share many similarities across cultures given their level of connectivity and openness to new experience.”

The final factor is its leadership team comprised of technology executives from over six countries.

While many Chinese companies seek to emulate Lenovo’s global brand success, the examples of Jianlibao and Li Ning demonstrate that such aspirations are impossible to achieve without sufficient attention to marketing.

The fact remains that for many Chinese companies, their high-speed business growth outpaces the growth of their brands.

Article reference source from BBC News.

Putting football aside, not only is Brazil a champion in football they are also a resource-rich democracy that is growing steadily and they are being considered one the most if not the most attractive emerging market.

Brazil will soon have the chance to bolster their reputation of being an emerging power to become a true economic powerhouse, as they are going to host what is considered 2 of the most important sporting events in world sports,  The FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016.

These few years till 2014 and 2016 are the most important years for Brazil’s overall development as the entire planet would be focused on them.

Geography
At 8,514,877 sq km, Brazil is the largest nation in the continent of South America and the fifth largest nation in the world, with more than over 200 million people living there; it’s the fifth most populous nation in the world.

Economy
Characterized by large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil is expanding its presence globally to become the largest emerging market.

They are one of the few energy-independent countries in the world; having the largest supply of fresh water in the world. In which, many experts had predicted that the value of water might one day overtake that of oil.

Due to its strong economy and a stable currency, Brazil was barely affected by the global recession, as their GDP dropped only by a mere 0.2 percent, moreover in 2010 experts had expected their GDP to grown from 4.5 to 6 percent.

Brazil’s newfound stability has successfully elevated the status of millions of poor Brazilians, lifting them into the middle class. This had provide golden opportunities for investors to penetrate on this previously untapped market, as now with their new found wealth, more Brazilians are willing to spend on quality goods

One area that is booming in due to the emergence of the middle class is its technological market; In terms of PC sales market, Brazil has overtaken countries like Germany to become the fifth-largest computer market in the world. It’s also a hub for banking technology and open-source software.

One key investor in Brazil’s booming technological market would be Google, Brazil is Google’s stronghold for its search and Gmail businesses and its one of the only places where Orkut, Google’s social-networking service is a leader.

Language
The official language of Brazil is Portuguese, which is spoken by more than 99% of the population. As for the written part, Brazilian Portuguese differs significantly from the spoken language as they follow different sets of rules as followed in Portugal.

As a result, foreigners who speak fluent Portuguese would have difficulties in writing Brazilian Portuguese properly.

Because of Brazil’s size, self-sufficiency, and relative isolation, foreign languages are not widely spoken; and although English and Spanish is bring learnt in schools, businesses would be strongly advised to properly adapt their products to that of Brazilian Portuguese if they were to stand a chance in competing in the vast Brazilian market.

The Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio De Janero, a symbol of Christianity and an icon of Brazil

Culture
The core culture of Brazil is essentially derived from Portuguese culture, because of its strong colonial ties with the Portuguese empire.

Among other influences, the Portuguese introduced the Portuguese language, Roman Catholicism and colonial architectural styles. Some other aspects of Brazilian culture were influenced by the contributions of Italian, German and other European immigrants who arrived in large numbers in the South and Southeast of Brazil

The indigenous Amerindians influenced Brazil’s language and cuisine; and the Africans influenced language, cuisine, music, dance and religion.

Stock photo by www.pixmac.com

In today’s blog post, we will be looking at Russia, a land of mystical culture and rich history, although Russian has successfully moved to become a market-based and globally-integrated, there is still a stigma in the minds of many that Russia is still the war torn and globally-isolated country it was.

Here are some interesting facts about Russia that might just change your mind

• Moscow, The capital of Russia, is famously known as the being the fifth fashion capital of the World, trailing behind only to the likes of Paris, Milan, London and New York.
• According to Global Property guide, report shows that Moscow, the capital has the 2^nd most expensive land prices in the world, just behind Monte Carlo Monaco
• Russia is the place where Roman Abromavich established his oil and gas empire, thus it’s the main source of income for the wealthy footballers of English football club Chelsea FC.

Geography
At 17,075,400 square kilometres Russia is the largest country on earth, extending across the whole of north Asia and 40% of Europe and spanning over 9 time zones. With a wide natural resource base, including major deposits of timber, petroleum, natural gas, coal, ores and other mineral resources.

The 140 million people living in Russia makes it them the 9^th most populous nation in the world.

Economy
Russia is a nation with an enormous natural resources, particularly oil and natural gas, and Like most major economies, the Russian economy took one of the hardest hit in the 2008-09 economic crisis,  Oil prices were plummeting and the foreign credits that Russian banks and firms had previously relied on has dried up.

However in 2010, Russia has already seen a sharp recovery in their GDP growth when commodity prices stabilized, and according to many financial experts; notably the International Monetary Fund, they have forecasted that the Russian economy to grow 4.25% after falling 7.9% last year.

As compared to most developed nations, Russians have comparatively lower wages but they are generally highly qualified; thus this provides a good ground for international brands to leverage on the Russian workforce.

With Russia’s economy growing on an average of 7% since the 1998 Russian financial crisis, it has resulted in the doubling of disposable incomes and the emergence Russia’s middle class, this as a result has provide a ready consumer base that is willing to spend on quality goods and services, thus providing great investment opportunities for international brands, notably luxury brands.

Language
Russian is 7^th in the World’s most widespread Language, besides Russia it is also spoken in many other countries such as Belarus, China, Estonia, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, U.S and Uzbekistan.

Saint Basil's Cathedral is a showcase of medieval Russian architecture.

Although the English language is quite commonly used in business context; putting in the extra effort to learn Russian will bring you a long way in gaining the trust of Russian business partners and it’s also strongly recommended to at least learn the Cyrillic alphabet so as to help you get around the streets of Russia.

Culture
Think Russian culture and probably The Nutcracker, a masterpiece of the great Russian composer Tchaikovsky would come to mind.

The Russian Culture is essentially a hybrid of both European and Asian culture and can be considered one of the richest cultures in the world. With its diverse forms of arts, music and literature, Russian Culture has also strongly influenced many other world cultures.

Stock photo by www.pixmac.com