Consequences of digital communication
First, in theory, you can work for clients anywhere in the world. The market for translations need not be your city or your country. A source text received at 5 pm in Tarragona can be sent to a translator in New Zealand, who will return the translation before 9 am the following morning, Tarragona time. Time zones can thus be used creatively, and work can thus come from companies that are very far away. All you have to do is list your name, language combinations and areas of specialization on one of the many web sites that aim to put translators and clients in touch with each other. One would expect this process to lead to a situation where the fees paid for translations will become virtually the same all over the world, in keeping with theories of a global market. This, however, is very far from happening. Translation is still a service that depends on a high degree of trust between the translator and the client. Little constant high-paid work will come from unseen clients; the fees paid in different countries still vary widely; the best contacts are probably still the ones made face-to-face and by word of mouth.
A second consequence of electronic communications is the increased security risk. Translators quite often work on material that is not in the public domain, and this is indeed one of the reasons why relations of trust are so important. When sending and receiving files, you will have to learn various forms of zipping, secure FTP, or other company-specific forms of encoding, with all their corresponding passwords.
A third consequence is that electronic communications make it relatively easy to distribute very large translation jobs between various intermediaries. The client may want to market their product in 15 European languages. They hire a marketing company, which hires a language-service provider, which hires a series of brokers for each language, who give the work to a series of translation companies, who pass the texts on to translators, often freelancers. In this kind of system, the client may be paying as much as four times what the actual translators are receiving per translated page. But each link in the chain is revising, coordinating and producing the various translation products, adding value as they go. This means the text the translator produces is commonly not the same text as the one actually used, and there can thus be little question of copyright over the translator’s work. It also means that translators are sometimes very far removed from the end client and the overall context of the texts they work on. Translators in projects like software localization quite often see no more than lists of phrases, along with glossaries that are to be respected. The resulting work can be quite isolating and dehumanizing.
Forums for translators.
Electronic communications have also been used to enhance communication between translators, especially through Internet forums for professional translators. These are usually classified by topics and/or language pairs. Some may be open, in others participation is restricted to registered members. The traffic (number of emails) in each group varies from a few emails a month to hundreds a day. In these forums translators are very willing to exchange advice, give tips, and generally discuss their work. Simply by reading the posted messages, students and novice translators can learn about translation and see the kind of support that professionals give each other. Discussion lists for professionals usually have their own communication guidelines, and so new participants see a specific way of interacting among professionals. For example, when asking about terminology, professional translators usually send a short message in which they give the term, some context, suggested translations and the consulted sources. This model gives valuable hints about terminology mining and teamwork skills. Or again, by reading messages about a specific computer tool, novice translators often discover that the program is in constant evolution and has functions they would have otherwise overlooked. These forums thus build a valuable bridge between students and the professional world. They also put paid to the stereotype of the professional translator somehow isolated behind a wall of dusty dictionaries.
Задания для самостоятельной работы обучающегося
Week 1
Task: Translate the text using machine translation. Indicate the programs used during translation. Analyze the following results. Correct the text.
Text 1
The family of a U.S. soldier who went missing in Afghanistan nearly five years ago says U.S. officials have obtained a new video showing their son is still alive.
U.S. officials confirmed the video Wednesday, saying it was obtained in recent days and shows a frail army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in what appears to be declining health. However, they said he did not appear to be seriously ill. NBC television quotes unnamed U.S. officials as saying the 27-year-old captive is seen making a reference to the December death of South African leader Nelson Mandela.
Bergdahl disappeared in eastern Paktika province under unclear circumstances in June 2009. Authorities believe he is being held by Taliban militants in nearby Pakistan. It was not clear late Wednesday how the video - the first of Bergdahl in nearly three years - was obtained or where it was viewed.
Taliban militants have previously offered to free Bergdahl in exchange for several senior militants currently in U.S. detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But no deal has yet been announced.
Week 2
Task: Translate the text using machine translation. Indicate the programs used during translation. Analyze the following results. Correct the text.
Text 2
A number of top-flight films based on real-life events will be the major contenders when the nominees for this year's Academy Awards are announced Thursday in Los Angeles.
The film 12 Years a Slave, the true story of a free black man kidnapped and sold into slavery in pre-Civil War America, is considered a likely nominee in the best picture category, along with American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street, two films set against actual political and financial corruption scandals. Captain Phillips, the real-life tale of the kidnapping of a tanker by Somali pirates, is expected to be nominated as well. Also considered likely to be a best picture nominee is the outer space adventure drama Gravity.
The leads from many of those same films are favorites to compete for the best actor Oscar, including Britain's Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years a Slave, Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street, Tom Hanks for Captain Phillips, and Matthew McConaughey for his portrayal of an AIDS patient in Dallas Buyers Club. A potential dark horse is 77-year-old Robert Redford for the survival drama All is Lost.
The official announcement is scheduled for 8:40 am EST. The 86th annual Academy Awards will be presented on March 2nd in Hollywood during a live televised broadcast.
Week 3
Task: Translate the text using machine translation. Indicate the programs used during translation. Analyze the following results. Correct the text.
Text 3
China has conducted an experimental flight of a hypersonic missile delivery vehicle designed to travel several times faster than the speed of sound.
Beijing's Defense Ministry did not comment on the outcome of the test, which it called scientific in nature and not targeted at any particular country. The Pentagon confirmed, but would not comment on, the Chinese test, which comes as some in the U.S. worry about China's rapid military growth.
If perfected, hypersonic technology could allow countries to strike targets anywhere in the world within minutes, bypassing missile defense systems. The test was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, which quoted U.S. officials who said the vehicle flew at Mach 10, or 10 times the speed of sound. Experts said it is extremely difficult to master the technology needed to control the hypersonic vehicles, making it unclear how soon they will be ready for use.
Charles Vick, a senior technical analyst with GlobalSecurity.org, said hypersonic technology is still in the development stage, but could be ready in five to 10 years.
Vick told VOA that it is difficult to track, detect, and intercept hypersonic vehicles, because they do not fly as high as ballistic missiles. "It's almost impossible to be shot down by existing anti-ballistic missile systems. It's highly maneuverable and represents a real technological challenge to any anti-ballistic missile system in development or existence today," said Vick.
The U.S. is also developing, and has tested, hypersonic vehicles. One of the vehicles, the Falcon HTV-2, is made by Lockheed Martin, which claims it can travel at a speed of Mach 20. Russia is also developing the technology.
Admiral Samuel Locklear, the head of U.S. Pacific Command, said Wednesday that he was not particularly concerned about the Chinese test, but also acknowledged it is indicative of China's ability to develop new technologies.
China has steadily increased its military expenditures as its economy expanded in recent decades, though it remains far outpaced by the United States in defense spending.
Brad Glosserman of the Hawaii-based Pacific Forum told VOA he views the Chinese test as a reaction to U.S. defense capabilities viewed by Beijing as a threat.
"They're hedging against America making great strides that might undermine Chinese security. I think what the Chinese are basically saying is, 'You cannot outpace us,'" said Glosserman.
Other analysts have pointed out that the move is reflective of China's desire to expand its influence around the globe; such a weapon would not likely be needed in a defense of its own territory.
Week 4
Task: Translate the text using machine translation. Indicate the programs used during translation. Analyze the following results. Correct the text.
Text 4
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov visited Washington, DC, and Brussels this week for talks with high level officials on ways to expand and strengthen the countrys multi-faceted relationships with the United States and Europe. Nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, stabilization of the situation in Afghanistan, and simplification of the visa regime were among the many issues Yerzhan Kazykhanov and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed at a bilateral meeting in Washington on February 1. The meeting took place as part of Kazykhanovs first official visit to the U.S. as the Kazakh foreign minister, which began on January 30.
Prior to the meeting, both Kazykhanov and Clinton expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved by the two countries in recent years in strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership. “Kazakhstan and the United States have covered a lot of ground in the first 20 years of cooperation and we look forward to even stronger relationship in the future. Our two countries share commitments to fundamental values and principles of freedom and opportunity, peace and cooperation, dialogue and understanding,” Kazykhanov said before the meeting.
“Im delighted to welcome my colleague, the Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, a country with whom we have very friendly relations and work together on a whole range of issues, both bilaterally and regionally and globally,” Clinton said. “Kazakhstan has served in recent years as the chair of the OSCE, the chair of OIC, and has been very helpful in our efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. So I am pleased to have this opportunity to discuss at length some of the issues that were working on together,” she said before they proceeded for a meeting behind closed doors.
During the talks, Minister Kazykhanov conveyed a reply message from President Nursultan Nazarbayev to President Barack Obama from last December, which expressed gratitude for the warm words of congratulations on Kazakhstans twentieth anniversary. Looking ahead to the Second Summit on Nuclear Security in Seoul, Kazykhanov and Clinton discussed joint Kazakhstan – U.S. efforts to ensure global and regional security.
They also agreed that President Nazarbayev and President Obama will have a meeting at the Summit. “We believe this meeting will be a milestone in cooperation between our countries,” Kazykhanov said following the talks. To further facilitate travel between the two countries, the sides agreed to exchange, at the earliest, diplomatic notes on treaties to issue five-year visas and unify visa fees. In addition, Kazykhanov and Clinton decided to transform the mechanism of bilateral political consultations into the “Kazakhstan – U.S. Commission on Strategic Partnership,” as it was defined most suitable for the increasing level and content of the interaction between the two countries. The two officials also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen dialogues on Afghanistan, democratization, and cooperation in security and nonproliferation, as well as energy, trade and investment. The United States will continue to remain among Kazakhstans major investors and trade partners, it was said.
Week 5
Task: Translate the text using machine translation. Indicate the programs used during translation. Analyze the following results. Correct the text.
Text 5
Kazykhanov and Clinton also exchanged views on democratic developments in Kazakhstan. The sides agreed the recent election for the Majilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan on January 15 which resulted in the creation of a multi-party polity, was an important step forward in Kazakhstans political development. Hillary Clinton also praised Nursultan Nazarbayevs decision to hold elections in Zhanaozen despite its being under the emergency rule at the time, as well as the countrys commitment to an open and transparent investigation of the tragic events of December 2011. Finally, the Foreign Minister and the Secretary of State discussed how to further expand educational ties and scientific and technological cooperation between the universities and research institutes of both countries.
As part of his visit, Yerzhan Kazykhanov also participated in the Atlantic Council Conference on January 31 dedicated to the twentieth anniversary of Kazakhstans independence and Kazakhstan-US relations. In his remarks, Kazykhanov went over Kazakhstans achievements in economy, politics, and foreign relations over the past 20 years. “Kazakhstan especially treasures its close and warm alliance with the United States. Our partnership is wide and deep. The U.S. was the first nation to recognize the new Republic of Kazakhstan 20 years ago. And in September 2010, the Department of State said, “Kazakhstan is the only country in Central Asia, with which the US has such a vast and saturated agenda of bilateral cooperation.” Thats still true today,” he said.
“Kazakhstan shares many of the same foreign policy goals as the United States. Like you, we are interested in nuclear non-proliferation, combating extremism and terrorism, and achieving energy security. We both also endorse the “New Silk Road” initiative that will make economic and roadway connections between South- and Central Asia and Afghanistan – very much like the Great Silk Road of ancient times,” Kazykhanov added. He also highlighted common achievements in economic cooperation. “Trade is booming between our two countries. In the first 10 months of 2011, commodity sales between us rose 27 percent to $2.2 billion. Since 1993, direct investment by U.S. into Kazakhstan has totalled $20 billion. And there is plenty of potential for more.” As part of the visit, during a special ceremony held in Kazakhstans Embassy in Washington, Kazykhanov presented state awards, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of independence, to prominent Americans who have contributed significantly to the strengthening of the Kazakhstan – American ties.
During the European leg of his trip, Minister Kazykhanov held a meeting with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Catherine Ashton in Brussels on Feb. 2. “It is important to note that in 2011 the foreign trade turnover between the European Union and Kazakhstan has reached USD 50 billion,” Kazykhanov noted after the meeting, as he shared details on the discussions. These touched upon negotiations on a new enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement between Kazakhstan and the EU to replace the one from 1999. The Minister also called for the mutual simplification of visa regimes as mutually beneficial. Baroness Ashton issued her own statement after the meeting, saying, “Kazakhstan is an important partner for the EU in Central Asia and the EU has good relations and dialogue with Kazakhstan, which are important to maintain for exchanging our views and concerns. My meeting with Foreign Minister Kazykhanov today provided for this opportunity.” “We discussed recent developments over the last months in Kazakhstan. I recalled my concerns about violent clashes of December 2011 between striking workers and the police, and the ensuing arrests. I repeated my call for objective and transparent investigation of the events. We also discussed the recent Parliamentary elections. I encouraged Kazakhstan to maintain its aspiration to build an open and democratic society respectful of the fundamental rights and freedoms of its population. The EU stands ready to support Kazakhstan in this work,” Catherine Ashton said. “We also discussed international issues, notably Syria and Iran, and Kazakhstans role as Chairmanship of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation. The EU is committed to strengthen its relations with Kazakhstan through the negotiations or a new enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement,” she said adding that progress in these negotiations will depend on progress on political reforms in Kazakhstan.
Week 6
Task: Translate the text using machine translation. Indicate the programs used during translation. Analyze the following results. Correct the text.
Text 6
The delegations from Kazakhstan and Belgium, which are bidding for the right to host the International specialized exhibition EXPO 2017, held a friendly meeting at the headquarters of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) on February 2.
Rapil Zhoshybayev, Kazakhstan foreign ministrys executive secretary and the national coordinator of EXPO 2017 project led the Kazakhstan delegation.
During the meeting, representatives of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) briefly informed the participants about the results of the Novembers 2011 150th session of the General Assembly of the BIE, as well as introduced the rules and organizational issues for conducting the 151st session of the BIE GA in June this year. During the 151st Session, Kazakhstan will present its detailed “Astana-2017” presentation.
Energy of the Future, the theme proposed for the expo by Astana, reflects the countrys philosophy that sees energy as an integral part of its future growth and new green and clean technologies as a vital part for the world to look at and share with each other for the benefit of the mankind.
The development of alternative energy, despite the rich natural resources, is one of the priorities of the country. Kazakhstans potential in the fields of renewable wind and solar energy is very high. To date, in the frameworks of the State Programme of Accelerated Industrial-Innovational Development (PAIID) the development indicators are set for renewable energy. According to these indicators, by 2014, more than one billion kilowatt hours of electricity should be produced from renewable energy resources.
As reported previously, in accordance with the established regulations of the Bureau on the eve of the national coordinators meeting Kazakh Ambassador to France and Head of the Permanent Delegation of Kazakhstan to the BIE Nurlan Danenov presented the Secretary General of the organisation Vicente Gonzales Loscertales with the “Astana-2017” bid dossier, prepared by the bodies of the Kazakhstan government in charge of the bid.
The head of the BIE highly evaluated the quality of the prepared dossier, assuring that he would review its content more particularly prior to submission to the members of the executive committee of the Bureau.
Loscertales also reported on the preparation of the group of BIE experts, who will arrive to Astana in March to review and get acquainted with the progress of the preparatory works on promotion of Astana’s EXPO 2017 bid. The group of experts will meet representatives of the Kazakhstan ministries, departments and Astana Mayor’s office to discuss the issues on agenda.
During his visit to Astana last November, Secretary General met President Nursultan Nazarbayev, ex-First Deputy Prime Minister Umirzak Shukeyev, the then Minister for economic development and trade Kairat Kelimbetov, and Imangali Tasmagambetov, the Mayor of Astana. They discussed prospects of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the BIE, Kazakhstan’s bid and the country’s profile to be presented at the 151st session of the BIE General Assembly this year and reviewed the city’s readiness to hold a large-scale event of this kind.
During the visit, Losсertales was rather impressed with Kazakhstan’s readiness and dossier. “I have looked through the country’s dossier. It is prepared in an efficient and professional manner and in accordance with the rules of the organisation,” he said.
Earlier in January this year Kazakhstans Ministry of Economic Development and Trade with the support of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) opened “Travelling Exhibition” EXPO of EXPOs in Astana. The exhibition is on view from January 11 to March 10, 2012. During two months, the residents and visitors of Astana will have an opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the past EXPOs.
The decision on the venue for the 2017 exhibition will be taken through a secret vote by all 160) member states of the BIE at its General Assembly in December 2012 (until this year there were 157 states but three more countries officially became members of the organisation now). Astanas only competitor for the 2017 expo is Belgian city of Liege which has proposed connectivity as the theme for its bid.
Week 7
Task: Translate the text using machine translation. Indicate the programs used during translation. Analyze the following results. Correct the text.
Text 7
This week, the Ministry of Transport and Communications held an enlarged session of the board chaired by First Deputy Prime Serik Akhmetov where participants discussed the work undertaken and set the new tasks for this year. The meeting took place in furtherance of the 2012 state of the nation address of President Nursultan Nazarbayev at the end of February.
In his report, the newly appointed Minister of Transport and Communication Askar Zhumagaliyev noted a stable growth of the main indicators of the transport and communications system.
Over the last year, 5,304 km of roads were repaired including 2,254 km of the national road network and 3,050 km of local roads. The ministrys main task in 2011 set by President Nazarbayev was to reconstruct the international transit corridor „Western Europe – Western China.
In 2010, the new highways first part of 417 km was built while last year another 780 km were built. In 2012, it is planned to build and reconstruct 1,080 km of roads including 771 km of the “Western Europe – Western China” corridor. Besides, it is also planned to repair 1,245 km of the national road network and 3,073 km of local roads.
During his speech, Minister Zhumagaliyev touched upon the issue of motor technical inspection, noting that starting this year, the service is being rendered by private companies.
“Currently, we have 126 lines operating in 53 service centres. Out of 3.4 million, 2.8 million vehicles will undergo technical inspection this year. Therefore, we plan to arrange 400 lines in 200 centers in order to ensure 100 per cent coverage of all vehicles subject to technical inspection,” the minister said.
In order to simplify the process of inclusion into the list of the centres of technical inspection the Ministry is to introduce the standards of technical inspection services, launch single notarial information system “E-notariate”, and integrate it into the database of the Traffic Police Committee of Kazakhstan.
As for the railway transport service, it shipped 279.6 million tons of cargo and carried 20.6 million passengers in 2011. The first parts of the “Zhetygen - Korgas” and the “Uzen - State border with Turkmenistan” railroad projects were launched last year. The end of their construction is planned for this year. The „Talgo rail cars assembly plant was already launched last December.
According to Zhumagaliyev, President Nazarbayev in his address set the task to construct the new railway lines “Beineu - Zhezkazgan” and “Arkalyk - Shubarkul”. Besides, it is planned to complete the construction of the electric locomotive plant in Astana by the end of this year.
“The importance and relevance of such projects is very high both on the country and regional level which will connect the central part with the western part of Kazakhstan, and form a single national rail network”, Serik Akhmetov said.
The issues of renewal of the fleet of aircraft, opening of new air routes, and improvement of flight regularity were also raised during the session.
“The ministry will give great attention to quality of services, particularly, the regularity and punctuality of flights. Each delay may initiate an official investigation,” Zhumagaliyev said.
Regarding sea transportation, the Aktau port is planned to be expanded which will increase its capacity to 16 million tons of cargo by 2015.
Week 8
Task: Translate the text using machine translation. Indicate the programs used during translation. Analyze the following results. Correct the text.
Text 8
The second part of the Kazakh Minister’s report was devoted to discussion of the work done and future prospects in the sphere of information and communication sector. According to him, last year the number of the Internet users increased to 53% of the population. In 2011, the wholesale rates for the Internet and mobile services were reduced by 2.2 times, the speed of the most popular tariff plans underwent two-fold increase without a rise in the subscription fee.
“In 2011, mobile network operators introduced per-second billing and canceled the charge for connection, while the costs for inside the network calls were also reduced by 33% and the rates for interconnect by 20%,” Zhumagaliyev noted.
Within the Road Map Programme implementation, the ministry carried out work on developing wireless network technologies on EV-DO basis in Almaty, Zhambyl, Kostanay, South Kazakhstan, Aktobe Oblasts as well as on introducing 3G service and fixed access networks using FTTH and FTTB technologies. The launch of the 4G network in a pilot mode is planned to be carried out in 2012.
In 2011, a special attention was paid to the development of „e-government and automation of the public services. As of today, 15% of socially important public services are available in electronic format. As a result of work done in 2011, 8,349,502 (1,652,306 in 2010) electronic receipts have been issued through www.egov.kz portal and the number of registered users of the portal increased to 95,000 people (from 26,337 in 2010).
In order to optimize and automate the public services, 28 Public Service Centres (PSC) were modernized in 2011 and 228 more PSCs are to be modernized in 2012. For residents of rural areas 14 mobile PSCs were launched. In 2012, it is planned to launch in pilot mode four specialized PSCs for rendering services regarding vehicle registration and issuance of driver licenses (in Almaty, Astana, Karaganda, and Aktau cities). In all other regional centres the launch of such PSCs is planned in 2013-2014.
Week 9
Task: Translate the text using machine translation. Indicate the programs used during translation. Analyze the following results. Correct the text.
Text 9
British defense cuts mean the country can no longer be a full military partner of the United States, former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned on Thursday.
Britain is the world's fourth largest military spender after the United States, China and Russia but is cutting the army by 20,000 soldiers over this decade while its navy will lose 6,000 personnel and its air force 5,000.
Gates, who served as defense secretary under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, said he lamented the British cuts which limited Britain's ability to be a full partner to the United States.
"With the fairly substantial reductions in defense spending in Great Britain, what we're finding is that it won't have full spectrum capabilities and the ability to be a full partner as they have been in the past,'' Gates told BBC Radio.
British generals have warned that the cuts are hollowing out the armed forces and could limit Britain's ability to fight wars.
Week 10
Task: Translate the text using machine translation. Indicate the programs used during translation. Analyze the following results. Correct the text.
Text 10
Turkish authorities arrested two senior al-Qaida members and 28 other suspects this week in coordinated counter-terrorist raids in several provinces.
Analysts say the action may herald a hardening of Turkey's policy towards jihadists. The government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoan has been criticized for months for not doing enough to stop them from transiting Turkey to fight in the civil war in neighboring Syria.
Among those netted in the raids, according to Turkish security officials, were brahim en, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, and Halis Bayancuk, said to be al-Qaida’s top representative in Turkey.
Three other high-ranking al-Qaida affiliated fighters fled into Syria before officers made the arrests, according to Turkish security officials.
Authorities also raided a branch of the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (HH), a Turkish charity that at times has enjoyed close ties with the Erdoan government and is Turkey’s largest supplier of humanitarian aid to Syrians. Accusations of jihadist links have swirled around IHH for several years. In 2010, Germany banned a branch of the charity for links to jihadists.
Tuesday, the charity’s vice president said the raid was “part of a dirty plot.”
Huseyin Oruc denied any ties to al-Qaida and said in a statement: “IHH aid is delivered to Syrian babies, children and those who freeze in the cold. This is an operation to change perceptions (about IHH) and stop aid from being delivered inside Syria.”
On January 1, Turkish security forces seized an IHH aid truck in Hatay province headed for Syria. The truck was found to be loaded with weapons and ammunition. IHH denied any involvement in arms trafficking.
Week 11
Task: Translate the text using machine translation. Indicate the programs used during translation. Analyze the following results. Correct the text.
Text 11
With a booming economy in Nigeria and more black children than anywhere else in the world, Taofick Okoya was dismayed some years ago when he couldn't find a black doll for his niece.
The 43-year-old spotted a gap in the market and with little competition from foreign firms such as Mattel Inc, the maker of Barbie, he set up his own business. He outsourced manufacturing of doll parts to low-cost China, assembled them onshore and added a twist - traditional Nigerian costumes.
Seven years on, Okoya sells between 6,000 and 9,000 of his “Queens of Africa” and “Naija Princesses” a month, and reckons he has 10-15 percent of a small but fast-growing market.
“I like it,” said five-year-old Ifunanya Odiah, struggling to contain her excitement as she checked out one of Okoya's dolls in a Lagos shopping mall. “It's black, like me.”
While multinational companies are flocking to African markets, Okoya's experience suggests that, in some areas at least, there is still an opportunity for domestic businesses to establish themselves by using local knowledge to tap a growing, diverse and increasingly sophisticated middle class.
There's no doubt about Nigeria's economic potential. Economist Jim O'Neill has this year popularized it as one of the “MINT” countries - alongside Mexico, Indonesia and Turkey - that he sees as successors to the first wave of emerging markets he dubbed the BRICs (Brazil, Russia and India and China).
With around 170 million people, Nigeria is Africa's most populous country by far, and its economy is growing at about 7 percent, vying with South Africa as the continent's largest.
Several multinational firms have been here for years. Drinks group Diageo, for example, now sells more Guinness in Nigeria than in the beer's traditional home market of Ireland. South African grocer Shoprite has seven profitable stores in Nigeria and plans to roll out hundreds.
While Western economies struggle, the appeal of emerging markets for toymakers is clear. Between 2006 and 2011, developed countries saw toy sales grow just 1 percent a year, versus 13 percent in emerging markets, according to Euromonitor data.
But in Nigeria, basic goods aside, consumerism is in its infancy, creating opportunities for entrepreneurs.
“When it comes to sectors like spirits or beer, or even cement, all the international players are already there,” said Andy Gboka, London-based equity analyst at Exotix LLP Partners.
“Other sectors, such as toys or less-developed industries, provide a huge potential for local companies.”
Tailored to local tastes
Mattel, the world's largest toy company, has been selling black dolls for decades, but said its presence in sub-Saharan Africa was “very limited”. Furthermore, the firm does not “have any plans for expansion into this region to share at this time,” according to spokesman Alan Hilowitz.
There are good reasons for foreign companies to be cautious. While Nigeria sees thousands of births every day, two thirds of children are born into families unable to afford anything off the shelves of most toy shops. Multinationals also cite poor infrastructure and corrupt port authorities as reasons for steering clear.
South Africa's Woolworths pulled out of Nigeria last year, blaming supply chain problems, though analysts said it also misread the local clothes market.
The longer companies such as Mattel wait, however, the more time Okoya has to build his business and shape consumer tastes.
At a small factory in Lagos' Surulere suburb, his workers stitch brightly patterned West African fabrics into miniature dresses and “geles” - traditional head gear.
Nigeria's three largest ethnic groups of Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa are represented in the “Queens of Africa” range so far, highlighting the growing sophistication of consumers - and the need to tailor products to local tastes.
The dolls go for between 1,300 Nigerian naira to the special edition 3,500 naira ($22), while cheaper “Naija Princesses” sell for 500 to 1,000 naira apiece. Okoya makes a profit margin of about one third, and as well as selling at home, is increasingly shipping to the United States and Europe.
He plans dolls from other African ethnic groups, and is in talks with South Africa's Game, owned by Massmart, a part of Wal-Mart, to sell to 70 shops across Africa.
Like Barbies, Okoya's dolls are slim, despite the fact that most of Africa abhors the Western ideal of stick-thin models.
Okoya said his early templates were larger bodied, and the kids didn't like them. But he still hopes to change that.
“For now, we have to hide behind the 'normal' doll. Once we've built the brand, we can make dolls with bigger bodies.”
Week 12
Task: Translate the text using machine translation. Indicate the programs used during translation. Analyze the following results. Correct the text.
Text 12
An enlarged board meeting of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection took place in Astana on February 1 under the chairmanship of First Deputy Prime Minister Yerbol Orynbayev. The meeting tallied the results of measures taken to improve people’s welfare last year, and outlined major tasks for the year 2012 with due attention to Pesident Nazarbayevs address to the people of Kazakhstan on January 27.
The meeting addressed a wide range of various social and economic problems, including providing employment and improving the livelihoods of people in Kazakhstan.
“Rapid economic growth and active social policy pursued over the last few years have made it possible to significantly improve the living standards in Kazakhstan,” Minister of Labour and Social Prorection Gulshara Abdykhalikova stressed in her speech.
According to preliminary data by the countrys Agency for Statistics, the unemployment level has declined from 5.8 percent in 2010 to 5.4 percent last December. During the same period the number of employed people increased up to 8,466,000 million. On the whole, 235,000 people were provided with jobs in Kazakhstan last year, while 274,800 new jobs were created with 128,200 of them in rural areas.
In 2011, a wide range of measures to develop social partnership were taken. The government continued its work to improve labour legislation and expand collective bargaining relationship so as to make the system cover more enterprises. Collective bargaining agreements embraced 53,800 enterprises as of January 1, 2012.
In addition, Kazakhstan continues taking steps to increase well-being of its people. Since July 1, 2011, the salaries of public sector employees have been raised by 30 percent, which affected more than 1.3 million people. The average salary of employees working for the government has increased from 52,000 tenge to 61,500 tenge.
The government has also raised pensions by 30 percent. Today, the average salary in Kazakhstan is around 36,000. The average size of state social benefits and allowances has grown by 9 percent.
According to Kazakhstans Agency for Statistics, in the third quarter of 2011, the number of people living for less than a minimum wage accounted for 5 percent, having reduced by 1.9 percent as compared to the corresponding period of 2010.
In 2011, targeted social assistance was rendered to 139,300 people with income below poverty level. Over the nine months of the year 2011, 125,000 families were provided with housing assistance for an overall amount of 2 billion tenge.
To implement the instructions from President Nazarbayev, a national programme “Employment-2020” has been developed aiming to increase peoples income through the assistance in productive employment. More than 58,000 people agreed to participate in the programme, having signed social contracts.
In line with the programmes first dimension, 69,200 people have been retrained and received vocational education. More than 4,600 people completed courses in fundamentals of entrepreneurship; other 1,435 participants of the programme took microcredit loans. The average amount of microcredit loan amounted to 1,862 tenge.
The third dimension of the programme stipulated the construction of 212 houses and 13 apartment houses. Launched in 2011, “Employment-2020” has been successfully implemented further strengthening social support rendered by the government to the people of Kazakhstan. “Following the instruction of President Nazarbayev, we will be starting an active phase of the programme this year,” Yerbol Orynbayev concluded, adjourning the meeting.
Week 13
Task: Translate the text using machine translation. Indicate the programs used during translation. Analyze the following results. Correct the text.
Text 13
An expanded session of the board of the Ministry of Culture and Information, devoted to the results of work of the sector in 2011 and tasks for the forthcoming period, took place on February 2.
State Secretary Mukhtar Kul-Muhammed, MPs, representatives of the Presidential Administration, Office of the Prime Minister, heads of cultural institutions, non-governmental organizations and the media attended the meeting.
The newly appointed Minister of Culture and Information Darkhan Mynbai presented a report on the results of the Ministrys work in 2011 and tasks for 2012.
According to the Minister, last year, another stage of implementation of the national strategic project “Madeni Mura” was completed. A total of 73 historical and cultural monuments were restored. More than 30 scientific and 40 archaeological studies were completed that enriched science with thousands of artifacts and ideas providing perspectives on the national history.
Projects were also successfully implemented abroad. The Sultan Beybarys mausoleum was completely restored in Damascus. It is also planned to build cultural and historical mausoleum of Al-Farabi in Damascus.
In 2011, the unique project “Kazaktin batyrlyk zhyrlary” was completed. The “Kazakhfilm” studios produced more than 20 documentary films about the national cultural heritage. In 2011, the information portal “Madeni Mura - Cultural Heritage” was upgraded. The information about the unique monuments of archeology, history and culture, as well as archaeological excavations are located in an easily searchable format, on a virtual map of the cultural heritage of Kazakhstan in accordance with the geographic coordinates of towns and monuments.
In recent years, as part of the domestic film industry development, JSC “Kazakhfilm” was fully modernized. Today, it is a full-fledged film production complex, which has the most advanced technology and the best creative forces. Each year, there are more than 100 motion pictures of various genres and formats in the production. These developments provide positive dynamics of the domestic films in the national box office. Today, Kazakhstans films make up 6% of all the movies shown in the cinemas of the country or more than 20 films a year. Over the past three years, 102 Kazakhstan film products participated in 158 film festivals and film screenings in 50 countries. Last year, five films have won nine special prizes and awards. In case of the national theaters, each year they perform more than 1,000 performances, including 40 premieres.
Kazakhstans artists work with leading choreographers and world-class ballet masters. Domestic soloists undergo internships at the Academy of La Scala, Vienna State Opera, the Mariinsky Theatre, School of Italian opera in Bologna and other world centres.
The year of 2011 was the first year of implementing the State programme of development and functioning of languages in 2011-2020.
Revisions of standards of language competence have started together with the introduction of level assessment system to improve standards of teaching the state language.
More than two hundred items of printed products, such as manuals and textbooks were designed and produced. Among the issued products was a 15-volume Dictionary of Kazakh Literary Language, a valuable lexicographical work that meets the scientific and theoretical requirements. Also produced were a 15-volume series of books for children “Alem balalar Adebietinin іnzhu-marzhandary”, a 25-volume edition of the classic literature “Alemdіk classica” (World Classics), audio books, innovative training and teaching programmes, etc.
Under the coordination of the Ministry the Concept of Civil Society Development for 2006-2011 was implemented.
The widespread involvement of NGOs in drafting the laws, programmes, conducting public hearings on major issues of development became a common practice.
As part of the so called social procurement in 2011, more than two hundred socially significant projects of NGOs in various areas of public life were implemented.
Speaking of the media sphere, Minister Mynbai said the country now has over 2,500 media outlets, of which 84% (2,301) are non-state media, and 16% (439) are owned by the state.
A major achievement of the 2011 was the launch of a national digital satellite network that has provided public access to domestic television throughout the territory of Kazakhstan, including the most remote and inaccessible villages.
The work has been done on reformatting and creating new thematic channels. From the 1st September of 2011, national TV channel “Kazakhstan” has started broadcasting entirely in Kazakh.
In 2012, two new channels, “Bilim” (Knowledge) and News 24, are scheduled to open.
The Baq.kz website was launched as an aggregator with consolidated online resources. There are about 40 Kazakh language newspapers and magazines, some 30 information resources, 13 TV channels and 10 radio stations.
The event of the year was the opening of the Television and Radio “Kazmedia ortalygy” in Astana. The law “On Broadcasting”, which defines the legal conditions regulating the relations of all subjects of TV and radio market and the transition to digital broadcasting, was adopted.
In the field of publishing, in the past year 467 titles of socially important literature pieces were published with a circulation of about two million copies.
In 2011, the National Archive Fund was replenished with new documents. The archives received more than 693,000 units of storage documents on various mediums. As a result, from January 1, 2012, the state archives of Kazakhstan hold more than 25 million units of storage. In 2011, the archival institutions have provided public service to 203,000 clients.
Week 14
Task: Translate the text using machine translation. Indicate the programs used during translation. Analyze the following results. Correct the text.
Text 14
Battery problems have prompted the grounding of another Boeing 787, one year after a similar issue led to a months-long global suspension of the jet's flights.
Japan Airlines reported that a mechanic saw white smoke rising from beneath the cockpit of a parked Dreamliner during routine maintenance at Tokyo's Narita International Airport on Tuesday.
An investigation found one of the eight cells of the plane's troubled lithium-ion battery had leaked. It said a safety valve meant to release excess pressure had worked properly and that it did not catch fire.
JAL replaced the plane with another Dreamliner jet, and said it will keep flying its other 787s following routine maintenance checks.
The worldwide fleet of 50 Dreamliners was grounded for more than three months last year after battery problems sparked a fire in a parked plane and forced the emergency landing of another.
Boeing later rolled out modifications to the battery, but admitted it did not know what caused the meltdowns.
The U.S.-based multinational company said the modifications appeared to work as designed in Tuesday's battery incident in Tokyo.
Week 15
Task: Translate the text using machine translation. Indicate the programs used during translation. Analyze the following results. Correct the text.
Text 15
President Barack Obama on Wednesday underscored his commitment to spurring job creation and boosting manufacturing, through creation of public-private investment hubs throughout the United States.
Obama traveled to the southern state of North Carolina, hard-hit by job losses in the Great Recession of a few years ago, to announce creation of a new manufacturing hub.
The first was announced last year in Youngstown, Ohio. At North Carolina State University, the federal government and 18 private companies are combining funding and resources to create a second hub focused on power electronics.
As the overall U.S. economic recovery continues, boosting manufacturing has been a key priority for the president.
Obama pointed to what he calls a trend of companies starting to bring jobs back to the United States, and he provided a preview of the likely main theme of his fifth State of the Union address on January 28.
"We have got cheap energy costs, we have got the best workers in the world, we have got the best university systems in the world, we have got the largest market in the world," said the president. "So the pieces are there to restore some of the ground the middle class has lost in recent decades; start raising wages for American families. But it requires us to take action. This has to be a year of action."
That action, Obama said, includes a need for Congress to approve federal support for the unemployed. The White House has sharply criticized Senate Republicans for blocking this legislation.
The president also previewed what is likely to be his approach going forward with Congress, where Republicans succeeded in blocking many of his domestic agenda goals.
"The challenge of making sure everybody who works hard can get ahead in today's economy is so important that we can't wait for Congress to solve it," he said. "Where I can act, on my own, without Congress, I am going to do so."
In the face of Republican obstruction through his first term and into his second, Obama has used executive orders to push through initiatives he says are crucial for job growth and the middle class.
Obama said restoring the American dream of opportunity for everyone who is willing to work for it "is something that should unite the country [not] divide the country."
The president urged Congress to pass legislation required to achieve a goal he set of creating 45 innovation manufacturing zones across the country.
Obama continues to face criticism from House and Senate Republicans who point to high unemployment, and object to his health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act.
"The month of December was the worst job performance literally in three years," Senate Republican John Thune said Monday on Capitol Hill. The labor participation rate is at the lowest level since Jimmy Carter's administration 36 years ago and the bad news for the American people continues to pile up."
In his remarks in North Carolina, Obama pointed to figures showing 568,000 manufacturing jobs added during his first term, including 80,000 over the past five months, with more than eight million jobs created since the depths of the recession.