Boo! Instead of handing out candy this Halloween, we’re making a round of the globe to see how people are celebrating. Pumpkins and costumes aside, Halloween has become a marketing phenomenon worldwide. From Indonesia to France, it seems that everywhere you look there’s black, orange, and spooky sales. Want to share your experience of #GlobalHalloween? Read on for more and share your story too.
Watching the America’s Cup sailing and England’s Premier League soccer matches recently, I was struck by how two sports with global reach have remarkably different audiences and energy. I’m a lifelong sailor and weekend soccer fan with my kids, and I also happen to be a New York Red Bulls season ticket holder. The stadium crowds and rowdy camaraderie of supporters as the MLS playoffs approach contrasts with the smaller, more reserved enthusiasm of high-performance yacht racing at the culmination of sailing’s premier global event.
This made me wonder if there might be insights our clients, senior marketers, and brand managers might draw from these sports and their rising profile both in the U.S. and abroad. It seems to me that international sports teach international business lessons, too.
Food has a lot of cultural pull. Consider the gastronomic delights of a gourmet French restaurant, the artistic beauty of the sushi roll, or the fragrant panoply of Indian cuisine. You can be sure to find global cultures represented in restaurants such as these the world over. Sushi in Stockholm? Sure. Tacos in Tel Aviv? Yep. Pasta in Pakistan? No problem.
Today's post takes you out of the restaurant scene and into a more casual — and often more interesting — offering: snacks, specifically those found in Korea.
Your typical Las Vegas business meeting might be followed by your typical Las Vegas night: grab a drink, hit the Strip, check out a show, wander from casino to casino, and of course, don’t forget the fountains at the Bellagio. Hopefully, you’ll still have enough cash in your pocket for taxi fare to the airport.
If you're looking for some off-the-beaten-path options, though, we've got a few options to consider in today's post.
If you’ve done business in Asia, odds are that you’ve flown to (or through) Tokyo. With two bustling airports, Narita and Haneda, Tokyo has the world’s third-busiest airport system, coming in just after New York and London. But busy as they are, Narita and Haneda have nothing on the city itself when it comes to crowds — Tokyo is the world’s largest metropolitan area, packing in over 35 million people in its 23 wards and 39 municipalities. And it seemingly has almost as many tourist destinations as people. Taking just four hours out of your travel schedule — whether it’s a layover or a few hours between meetings — means Tokyo can keep you busy.
Here in the States, you’re getting ready to celebrate the 237th anniversary of independence from King George and his redcoats. Before you light up the grill and set off the fireworks, let’s take a look at how far American English has diverged from the English of its former ruler and my home country. We still share a common tongue, but many words have grown in opposite directions, meaning one thing in the States and quite another in the UK. And nothing highlights the differences between American English and British English better than slang.
What do Turkish, Esperanto, and Serbian have in common? With Father’s Day coming up, we wanted to celebrate dads of the world by looking a bit more closely at the “fathers” of these modern languages. From alphabet reforms to language revivals, these men have done quite a bit more than just use Pig Latin when your mother is not around.
Ready to learn more about how a single father can change a language spoken by thousands, if not millions? Read on for our celebration of language fathers from around the world.
There is in important global lesson in the story of the coffee bean. Whatever it is called or however it is served, it can be found in most every part of the world. While it may have some vastly different disguises, its essence is pretty much the same. Its flexibility to adapt to local cultures is key to its success.
We can draw a similar metaphor for establishing yourself in international markets. Just as one person’s latte is another’s café au lait, he best way to expand globally is to maintain a consistent identity while adapting to the specific cultural and regional needs of your users. Today’s post takes a casual look into coffee culture in Italy, Israel, and Finland.
Among the 40 million Star Trek fans worldwide, die-hard Trekkies have more in common than pointy ears and Star Fleet insignias. While Klingon language localization campaigns have yet to go mainstream, there are new Klingon language tools, such as audio books, dictionaries and the new Microsoft Bing Translator tool Klingon features for transliterated and Kronos script. Klingon is more than just a gimmick, and today's post explains a bit of its history and place in popular culture.
The winners are in for the “POP Your Culture With The Warhol D.I.Y. Pop App” contest, which Acclaro hosted in association with The Andy Warhol Museum. Nicholas Chambers, the Milton Fine Curator of Art of The Warhol, chose the grand prize, second and third prize winners, as well as the 10 finalists for the People’s Choice Award.
Our contestants won some great prizes, from a trip to The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, to gift certificates, to way more than 15 minutes of fame. Today’s post reveals the artistic winners and shows off their submissions!
South Korea, nicknamed the “Land of Morning Calm”, is anything but sleepy these days. Most East Asian business travelers have the opportunity to land in Seoul International Airport, so why not take four hours to explore the sights. Hide-out at ICN, the world’s best airport — with golf, spas, a casino and much more — to reenergize for the next leg of your trip, or go on over-drive and explore Seoul’s historic, high-tech or traditional landmarks, from Gangnam Style or the DMZ to the herb market, royal palaces and museums. Any block of four hours will be efficiently and enjoyably spent in one of the world’s “newest” 21st Century cultures.
A giant monster terrorizes a city, leaving a trail of… art in its wake. Playful and provocative, Bangkok's Bukruk Street Art Festival has literally marked this city in a whole new way. Curious to find out what European and Thai graffiti artists can do when they put their minds to it? Read on to see how their art acts as a global language that pushes boundaries. Think of it as graffiti meets localization on a (literally) massive scale.
Follow in the footsteps of American icon Andy Warhol by entering the Acclaro pop art photo contest in association with The Andy Warhol Museum. Warhol re-imagined everyday items such as soup cans, soda bottles, and portraits to give us some indelible artistic images. Now you get the chance to leave your mark on the world and win a free trip for two to The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, PA. Read today’s post to get all the details.
Ah, Iceland. It's the land of fire and ice, Björk, and seemingly-unpronounceable volcanoes. The country's breathtaking beauty has put it firmly on the travel map and we're surprised this northern gem stayed secret for so long. Where else can you learn about Vikings, see whales, relax in geothermal spas, and ski all in one day? Read on for things to see and do in this land of strange contradictions.
Work cultures can have different meanings around the world. In America, we talk about having a 9-to-5, 40 hour a week job, According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) rankings in 2011, the top three countries in terms of hours worked, based on a combination of paid and unpaid hours, were Portugal, Japan, and Mexico. Strikingly for Japan's 9 hours of work, almost 3 of those are unpaid, whereas in Mexico, the work day is closer to 10 hours with a little over 4 of those unpaid.
In some countries, it's not just the length of the workday that matters, but how those hours are spent, and the all important work/life balance. Read on for some other considerations for businesses around the globe.
You don’t have to be a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu or a fan of Julia Child to know that French dominates the language of cooking. Words as familiar to English speakers as restaurant, gourmet, and cuisine all came to us from French. And if you are a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, or any other cooking school, you may have noticed that almost the entire culinary vocabulary is French, no matter what country you’re in or what language the instructor speaks. From au gratin to zest(e), French is the lingua franca of the kitchen. So how is it that French became so inextricably linked with the culinary professions?
On this day last year, we told you all about Valentine’s Day in Japan, and the related holiday of White Day. This year, we look to Denmark and the custom of gaekkebrev, or "joke letters", that are part romantic declaration and part riddle. While more traditional Valentine's Day traditions are now in vogue throughout Denmark, gaekkebrev are definitely unique, and we wanted to give them the spotlight today.
While heel height, skirt length or on-trend colors might change from season to season, the principles of successful video localization are truly timeless. Multimedia involves more components than traditional text translation and it can be a challenge to get the script, audio, and visuals to all combine seamlessly, much like putting together all the components of a stunning outfit or runway show.
You won't see us on a runway anytime soon, but you might see some of our clients. Last year Acclaro worked on video localization projects for the likes of Ralph Lauren, Tiffany & Co., and Saks Fifth Avenue. Read on to learn more about how we adapted their multimedia (while making sure they still looked good).
Christmas around the world isn’t always what you might expect. Just like well-known brands that take on a new flavor when localized for foreign countries, your experience with Santa Claus and holiday treats may vary, depending on where you’re traveling.
For example, how is an American fast food chain part of a Japanese holiday tradition? Why does Iceland have 13 versions of Santa Claus? And does Germany really hunt for the “Christmas pickle” in the tree each year?
Pack your sled, and let’s take a tour of some strange facts and fictions about Christmas around the world.
On December 15, the landmark exhibition Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal Asia opens at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. With over 300 paintings, photographs, screen prints, drawings, 3-D installations and sculptures featuring some of Warhol’s most iconic images, the Hong Kong stop is part of a two-year tour throughout several cities across Asia.
Thanks in part to Acclaro’s track record serving clients such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Guggenheim, Tiffany & Co., and Coach, The Andy Warhol Museum chose Acclaro to translate into Chinese their mobile app and educational resources website for the exhibition.
How does one present an artist like Warhol whose own definition changes in the context of contemporary life? Furthermore, what does it take to translate his legacy for Chinese audiences?
It turned out doing it well while on tight deadlines was an art form of its own.
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