Raise those glasses in honor of today’s Monday Morning Quote, a salute to Irish culture and traditions.

May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door. - Irish toast

The history of toasts themselves is unclear. During our research, we found that toasts may have arisen from the fear of being poisoned; by clanking glasses together, the drinks will spill over into other glasses, guaranteeing that if one drink was poisoned, everyone involved in the toast would also be affected. Other sources claim that the first recorded toast dates back to 450 AD, when King Vortigen of Britain arranged a feast for his Saxon allies. The toast that took place that night was supposedly to good health and fortune. In the 17^th century, it was believed that the noise from glasses clanking against one another would scare away devils.

Guest blog entry by Sophie, Sales Assistant at CSOFT

As members of the localization industry, we talk about translation every day. But how much thought do we really give to languages and the cultures they hail from? I have to admit I’m a bid of a language junky—I already speak three languages and will have started on my fourth one by the time this is posted—but what I find even more interesting than languages is culture. The best way to learn about a culture, other than studying the language, is to immerse oneself in it. I first realized this when I studied in Bahrain last summer.

Technology has affected lifestyle and work patterns in a massive way. Glowing rectangles of information, networks, and stimuli are a ubiquitous sight all around the world. Owing to the sheer amount of information available to us electronically, the need for Internet control, security and management has become irrefutable and overwhelming.

The ICANN, or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, was founded in 1998 as a possible bridge to better pastures for internet coordination. As a not-for-profit corporation, ICANN members and supporters are dedicated to creating stable and secure internet operations in what may possible be the biggest organized mess known to mankind.

The main and most visible responsibilities of the ICANN include developing and organizing the Internet by way of a domain naming system. This includes top-level domains (TLD), which categorizes websites by the last part of the web address. For example, the com of www.termwiki.com is the TLD.

Today’s Wacky Word Wednesday will take you on a tasty journey to learn more about something no human can live without.

The definition of selmelier from TermWiki.com:

sel·mel·ier [suhl-muhl-yey] -noun a salt expert; someone who helps choose the appropriate gourmet salt to go with any select dish or food item

This word is technically not in dictionaries (yet), but it is such a fascinating concept that we just had to write about it. Selmelier can be traced back to sommelier (suhm-uhl-yey), which is French in origins and defined as a wine waiter or wine expert.

Last Friday, we announced the expansion of CSOFT’s World Headquarters.  Today’s Straight from the Source will provide you with more details on what various members of the CSOFT family think about the new space. Make sure you read all the way through for some great pictures at the end!

What are your impressions of the new office?

Today’s Monday Morning Quote combines storytelling, imagination, and a whole lot of respect for the talented Will Eisner.

All professionals should teach at some time in their career because they are obliged to pass on what they have learned. - Will Eisner Creator of superheros

Recognized as “the most influential comic artist of all time” by Wizard Magazine, Will Eisner’s career in comics covered a period of nearly seventy years. One of his most popular creations, The Spirit, was first created in 1940. This series introduced protagonist Denny Colt to the world. In typically superhero form, Colt’s second identity, the Spirit, “attracts the most seductive and dangerous femmes fatale and wages a never ending war against streetwise crooks, criminal master-minds and otherworldly beings…with only quick wits, sharp humour and his two gloved fists.”

The CSOFT family has some BIG news to share with you all: just last Friday we expanded our headquarters into the Central Business District (CBD), right in the heart of Beijing! Bustling with raw, productive energy, dynamic individuals, and reputable businesses committed to progress, the CBD was the next natural step for CSOFT’s next-generation approach to localization services and cutting-edge language technology.

Powered by a state-of-the-art communications infrastructure, our team is fully equipped to provide our valued clientele with faster and better customer service than ever before. In an effort to share our feelings of excitement, festivity, and exhilaration, here are some photos from the big move posted below for your viewing pleasure:

1. Excitement in the air as work finished for the day. 2. People gathering their belongings into boxes. 3. Taking extra care. 4. Workers outside, ready to begin the process. 5. Boxes. 6. More boxes. 7. Boxes galore. 8. A quiet moment, saying farewell.

Whether sent as a cop-out “gift” or as a sweet wish-you-were-here sentiment, for many travelers, all roads lead to postcards. Today’s Wacky Word Wednesday, a weekly celebration of the wackiest and most interesting words from around the world, takes a look into the history of postcards and how they have been redefined in recent years.

The definition of today’s wacky word from TermWiki.com:

del·ti·ol·o·gy [del-tee-ol-uh-jee] -noun the collection and study of postcards, usually as a hobby

Deltiology comes from the Greek word, deltion or deltos, a writing tablet or letter. A deltiologist refers to an individual who  collects or studies postcards. On a related note, philately is the study of stamps, postal history, and all things related. It is also important to note the difference between postcard and postal card, the former requiring a stamp and the latter manufactured with pre-printed postage.

Guest blog entry by Uwe Muegge, Chief Terminologist and Co-Director of MedL10N at CSOFT

In my opinion, one key characteristic of a mature industry is the availability of a comprehensive set of established best practices, typically in the form of national or international standards.

Since its beginning in 1898, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has been a leading provider of standards in a wide array of industries. ASTM’s standards development process is founded on a full-consensus system that invites discussion, collaboration, and a commitment to quality; members from around the world collectively develop and maintain standards in their respective areas of expertise.

Last year, ASTM formed the ASTM Committee F43 to focus on standards specific to language services and products. The current 39 members of the committee will work together to support existing standards for interpretation, translation, language instruction and language proficiency as needed. This also includes modifying performance standards to better adapt to health care and court environments, and focusing on the cultural and language needs of employees in foreign countries. At the same time, the committee also intends to develop standards for language training, foreign language proficiency among students, and performance testing.