ULG’s Language Solutions Blog

5 Keys to Avoiding Marketing Translation Blunders

Whether you’re expanding your reach to international markets or meeting people where they’re at domestically, the importance of making sure your message is translated properly cannot be overstated. Be...

What Is Transcreation? And When Should You Use It?

This article was originally published in August 2017 and has been updated. When the now-defunct Braniff Airlines released an ad targeting its Spanish speaking consumers in 1987, it likely couldn’t hav...

Airbnb’s Localization Strategy

This article was originally published in August 2017 and has been updated. Airbnb, the home-sharing service that amassed nearly $47 billion in gross booking value in 2021, is accessible in virtually e...

Internationalization vs. Globalization, What's the Difference?

This article was originally published in November 2016 and has been updated. The world is now more interconnected than ever before. The ease of travel, the internet in all of its forms and the wide av...

Supporting the Work of International Non-Governmental Organizations

Even before COVID-19 upended life in every country on the planet, numerous problems existed both globally and locally that international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) are uniquely equipped to...

What Makes A Successful Global Brand?

Apple. Microsoft. Starbucks. It seems that wherever you go, these brands have a strong presence and a large share of the consumer market. Although most companies start out in one country (or, on a mic...

Takeaways & Trends: What we learned at LocWorld40 2019

Our digital world is changing multilingual communication and the way we localize for global markets. At this year’s LocWorld40 “Go Global, Be Global” conference in Estoril, Portugal we uncovered insig...

Global Marketing Guide: Japan

Until the late nineteenth-century, Japan was characterized as an isolationist nation with a self-contained economy and culture. The twentieth and twenty-first centuries saw Japan’s rapid rise as a maj...

Translation at the World Cup: 4 Lessons for Businesses

The World Cup kicked off earlier this month. Soccer fans from around the world are gathering in Russia to watch the games in person. Millions more are following along at home. This major international...

Why Global Companies Need Language Solutions to Succeed

May 08, 2018 Today’s global companies face an interesting paradox: Technology enables them to reach new audiences around the globe, but also forces them to overhaul their communication strategies to s...

Taking Your Apps Global: Localization for Mobile Devices

In 2017, mobile apps were downloaded by users more than 197 billion times. Over the last few years, apps and mobile marketing have represented a large percentage of the marketing mix, with companies u...

Legal Translation Options for an Increasingly Global Economy

As a growing number of businesses expand their market reach to compete in the global economy, the need for legal transactions that span multiple languages, cultures and legal systems has become greate...

Global Clinical Trials: Saving Time And Money Through Centralization

With the resurgence of dangerous diseases such as whooping cough, malaria, and cholera, the need for clinical trials spanning the globe is stronger than ever. Diseases affect people differently depend...

Global Marketing Guides: Germany

As the world’s fourth largest economy and the largest country in the European Union, Germany has become one of the most sought-after destinations for global marketers. The country’s 80 million citizen...

Global Marketing Guides: Morocco

Morocco is a prosperous, open country with a low tax rate and a large labor force. A truly global economy, international trade makes up 80% of Morocco’s GDP. Like other highly global economies such as...

Global Marketing Guides: Japan

Japan is the third largest economy in the world and is considered a trend-setter amongst the world’s most powerful countries. Its GDP per capita is eight times greater than China’s, which has the larg...

Global Marketing Guides: Mexico

With a population of over 130 million and an expansive group of young, working-age citizens, Mexico is quickly becoming a point of interest for global marketers. Despite significant perks, marketers s...

Five Helpful Tips For Optimizing Multilingual SEO

If you’re looking to promote your brand across the globe, creating compelling multilingual materials is just one side of the digital marketing coin. Successful international businesses effectively uti...

3 Iconic Brands that Impress with Website Localization

A website will make or break a company’s global brand. For a potential client, there’s nothing quite as frustrating as going to a website looking to find information or buy a product, only to get bogg...

The Benefits of Bilingualism in Business

The tremendous effects of bilingualism on the brain are well-known. They can improve your problem-solving abilities, shape your world perspective, and can delay diseases like Alzheimer’s. Another impo...

Translation Best Practices for Global FCPA Compliance and Defensibility

The DOJ recently increased its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Enforcement unit by more than 50% and the FBI tripled the number of agents focused on overseas bribery. Furthermore, there are curre...

How 5 Global Chains Localize Fast Food

Most people will walk into a popular chain restaurant and already know what’s on the menu. Restaurants stick to what works, usually focusing their menus on insanely popular, yet predictable meals for ...

The Globalization of the NBA

Like the NFL, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has a keen interest in expanding the popularity of its sport beyond North America. With rabid fanbases developing around the globe, the NBA has ...

Localizing Images for Marketing

In the world of global marketing, localization is king. Through a well-planned and researched localization process, brands can travel all around the world. While many think of localization as a large-...

Lead With Languages: Promoting Bilingualism in The U.S.

An ambitious new language learning campaign has dedicated itself to the promotion of bilingualism in the United States in response to a growing need for multilingual speakers. Lead With Languages, a m...

The Globalization of the NFL

In 2005, the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers played in Mexico City at Estadio Azteca. Despite what was viewed as subpar play, the game, marketed as “NFL Fútbol Americano,” was a massive succ...

Growing Globally: How ULG Came To Be

United Language Group (ULG) was created in June of 2016, after acquiring KJ International Resources (KJI) and Merrill Brink International, two leading language service providers. The merger has allowe...

Localizing Acronyms

Acronyms and abbreviations are one of the trickiest localization items to handle. While shortening words and phrases can make life easier when writing in your local language, translating acronyms can ...

The Business Need for a Bilingual Education

The proliferation of technology has brought our world closer together ensuring that globalization is here to stay. For businesses, this now means in order to be internationally successful, they have t...

Navigating E.U. E-Labeling Regulations

Electronic Labeling (e-labeling) has the potential to be hugely beneficial to medical device companies creating Instructions For Use (IFU), labels and packaging information. But at the same time, the ...

Global Marketing: Reaching Your International Audience With Local Content

While technology continues to advance non-stop like a runaway train, our seemingly unlimited access to information increases every day. And it’s no secret that today’s technological advances have dram...

Global Marketing Guides: India

India is the second most populous country in the world with 1.2 billion citizens. It also has one of the fastest growing economies in the world with a middle class population that, by some measures, i...

Global Marketing Guides: Brazil

One of the largest countries in terms of both land and population, Brazil also happens to be one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Economic expansion (despite a recent recession), a growi...

The Cold Call And Your Global Marketing Strategy

Undoubtedly, the digital age has fundamentally changed how people both buy and sell. To counteract these radical shifts, a business’s global marketing strategy has to quickly adapt to these changes. A...

Global Marketing Guides: China

With the largest global population speaking the most commonly language in the world, China is one of the most lucrative targets for any business planning a global marketing strategy. This country has ...

Web Localization Done Right

In this day and age, there aren’t many excuses for companies that don’t tap into foreign markets. The Internet has made global marketing more of a necessity than an option for business. With over 3 bi...

November: A Global Cultural Tradition of Giving Thanks

The month of November marks the beginning of the end of the calendar year. It is also in this month that we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States. Thanksgiving is the first major national holida...

Global Marketing Guides: Russia

Russia has been in the news a lot recently. Reports of cyber-attacks, email hacks and surveillance have been flooding in as the 2016 U.S. presidential election comes to a close (you can read more abou...

"Bob's Your Uncle?" The Difficulty Posed by Idiomatic Translation

Silverware or cutlery? Highway or motorway? Sidewalk or pavement? If you’ve ever been an American in the United Kingdom or a Briton traveling in the United States, chances are you’ve had to learn each...

Is Soccer a Globalization Failure?

Soccer is the world’s most widely watched and played sport. International soccer events like the FIFA World Cup draw millions of viewers and game attendees alike, all rooting for their national team. ...

The McDonalds Localization Strategy

One of the main chapters of the McDonalds success story is about convenient and consistent food – fast. When you order a Big Mac with fries, wherever you are in the world the taste should be the same....

Five Steps to Avoid Cultural Mistakes

No one wants to find themselves in an embarrassing or offensive situation in a foreign country because of innocent cultural mistakes. Often, this happens to tourists who are traveling abroad. But it c...