Corante

About this Author
CORANTE John Yunker is founder of Byte Level Research and author of the widely acclaimed book, Beyond Borders: Web Globalization Strategies and editor of Global By Design.

He has covered the emerging field of Web globalization for half a decade and has published a wide range of reports dedicated to best practices in Web localization and internationalization.
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Going Global focuses on the risks and rewards of expanding into new geographic and cultural markets, from Web globalization to international marketing to global usability.
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The official newsletter of the Web globalization revolution.
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November 9, 2003

Wanted: A Few Good Translators

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Posted by John Yunker

According to this article, the government is in need ofa few (or few hundred) translators of Arabic, Farsi, and Pashto. Here's an excerpt:

The government is looking for linguists who can decipher both classified and sensitive material, said Everette Jordan, director of the National Virtual Translation Center. "The work we have right now we measure by the truckload. That's why we need all the help we can get," Jordan said during an address at the American Translators Association's annual conference.


You get what you pay for (or don't pay for)

A major reason why there is such a shortage of qualified workers is because the government pays so little. Right now they're promising contract workers between $24 and $38 per hour. Experts in Arabic translation can earn far more by focusing their energies on the for-profit sector, where they don't have to go through the cumbersome background check and polygraph. If the government is serious about getting these truckloads of materials translated, they're going to have budget accordingly.

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