Guest blog entry by Marisa Bowers, Business Development Manager at CSOFT

Hosted by the Center for Information-Development Management (CIDM), the CMS/DITA North America conference was held last week in Baltimore, Maryland. Content Management Strategies (CMS) and Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) joined forces for the thirteenth year to execute a great conference. From April 4^th to 6^th, individuals from fourteen different countries and across industries came together to participate in dialogue about increasing productivity, decreasing costs, time management, and strategies for producing dynamic, succinct content. I went, along with our very own Uwe Muegge who also served as one of the presenters, and despite unpredictable and varied weather conditions, it was a very satisfying conference.

This Year’s CMS/DITA Presentations

This year’s conference was organized into four tracks—management, information design and development, technical solutions, and tools. Keynote speaker Scott McCloud’s presentation, “Effectively Communicate Content through Comics,” was certainly an out-of-the-box choice for a room full of technical writers, but it nicely weaved together creativity, intelligence, and communication alternatives that should be considered. McCloud talked about how visual representations—comics included—are able to provide shortcuts to insight and understanding, as seen from Hans Rosling’s TED talk on poverty. It was a very winning argument: graphics of all kind seem to be underused, even though they are useful and can sometimes generate a more powerful impact than the written word.

AMD representative Keith Shengili-Roberts was also there, presenting on “DITA Metrics in Production: How, when, where and why (and how much?)”. I sat in on this one and listened to Shengili-Roberts outline the metrics and ROI results from four years of using a content management system. The talk focused not only on why it is encouraged to purchase a content management system, but also on writing productively and efficiently.

There were also, for the first time that I can remember, translation-specific presentations, which was an appreciated acknowledgment. One of these included a presentation led by Comtech (“Taking control of your translations: Designing an in-house process to optimally manage your translations”), which was full of good information. The other was by CSOFT’s very own Uwe Muegge: “Beyond Google Translate: The future for machine translation”.

Monday Morning Quote is back with wise words from a man who has seen it all, George Washington Carver.

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong—because someday you will have been all of these. - George Washington Carver

Towards the end of the American Civil War, in 1864, George Washington Carver was born on the Moses Carver plantation where his mother was a slave. One night during his early childhood, slave raiders snuck onto the plantation and kidnapped Carver and his mother. Carver was found alone by neighbors and traded back to the Carvers for a race horse.

Here at CSOFT, we’re excited. Sure, it’s Friday. We’ve had a fantastic lunch. The sun outside is shining, hints of spring in the air. But that’s not all we have to be excited about….

You see, TermWiki is about to hit its one millionth term. One millionth! So yes, we are excited! Stop on by to check out the countdown.

To all of you who have contributed, translated, believed in us; all who are now certified TermWiki-heads, who have offered us your advice, feedback and constructive criticism; all who see the potential in TermWiki, who have told a friend about TermWiki, who have been with us from the very beginning or just since yesterday…

… to you, our biggest thank you, one million times over. We couldn’t have done it without you, and we appreciate your effort more than you can imagine.

Today’s Wacky Word Wednesday, a weekly celebration of the wackiest and most interesting words from around the world, presents a word with multiple interconnected wacky meanings.

From TermWiki.com, the definition of today’s wacky word:

quag·mire [kwag-mahyuhr] -noun a difficult or awkward situation; a soft marshy area of land that yields under the feet; bog

Quagmire was first used in the 1570s. Quag is said to have come from cwabba, an Old English term defined as to shake or tremble; mire still holds its historical meaning of bog or swamp. It wasn’t until 1775 that quagmire began to take on the definition of “a difficult or awkward situation”. This more current meaning is derived from the literal difficulty one would feel when sinking into a swampy pit and trying to get out…which makes sense; it is indeed quite the predicament, made all the more awkward depending on the company around you.

Renato Beninatto is a corporate strategist and analyst with nearly 30 years of executive-level leadership in the localization industry. Renato has forged a reputation for visionary leadership as the co-founder of Common Sense Advisory, the industry’s foremost market research firm. He served as the Vice President of Sales at both ALPNET and Berlitz, where he drove global growth and profitability.

Renato offers strength and sharp perception in predictive analysis, motivational management, and customer-centric sales that continue to inspire his peers in the industry. His signature straight-talking approach has made him a sought-after speaker on industry trends. A native of Brazil, he serves on the advisory board of Localization World and remains an active member of several industry groups worldwide. Most recently Renato was the CEO of Milengo. He is presently the President of ELIA (European Language Industry Association).

For insight into the localization industry mixed with a winning sense of humor, check out his blog or follow him on Twitter today!

CSOFT recently sat down with Renato Beninatto to talk with him about his plans for ELIA, life as an independent consultant (yes, he’s taking clients) and upcoming books he’s writing. We all know Renato’s 30 years in the localization industry indeed make him an expert in our space, but did you also know one of his favorite hobbies is country-hopping? He’s traveled to 54 countries so far, with about 120 to go. Renato says that meeting new people and visiting new places to learn about culture “still fascinates me.” We’re not ones to judge, but this seems far more exciting than his old pastime—collecting dictionaries.

We heard that last September you were elected as the president of ELIA. Can you tell us a little bit about this group and what it brings to the table for organizations involved in localization? Also, in your role as president, what kind of plans do you have for the organization?

Renato: The European Language Industry Association (ELIA) is the brainchild of some Italian organizations that wanted to create an organization that would focus on training, networking, and system development. I was involved with ELIA from an early stage—I was a speaker at their first event while I was still at Common Sense Advisory. I was very impressed with both the atmosphere of the event and the value it generated for its members. I first joined the board, was later elected vice president, and then president.

Today’s Monday Morning Quote comes from an author who has been the receiver of love and loyalty from all around the world. My dear Watson, this one is a mystery that is easy to solve!

I feel that there is reason lurking in you somewhere, so we will patiently grope round for it. - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Creator of Sherlock Holmes

Scottish writer and physician, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is best known for his creation of Sherlock Holmes, a sharp-eyed detective with acute deductive reasoning skills. Aside from crime fiction, Conan Doyle wrote science fiction, historical novels, romances, and poetry as well.

Conan Doyle was the third of ten children. It can be assumed that his mother’s gift for storytelling and love of books was passed onto him, but it wasn’t until years later when he began studying medicine that Conan Doyle would begin writing short stories himself. After getting his degree in medicine, Conan Doyle attempted to open an independent practice in Portsmouth, England. After a shaky start, the practice was able to provide him with a steady income in its third year, at which point he began dividing his time between seeing patients and writing.