30/04/2008 by stefi.

Williams Language Solutions – the North East England Company specialised in international communication, translations and localisation of websites – has developed a guide about dos and don’ts when travelling abroad.

Stefania Williams of Williams Language Solutions, says: “How to speak Culturese - 56 pages in black and white with colour cover page - includes information on business manners and guides to customs and etiquette in 10 countries worldwide. Each guide was prepared by an expert consultant with the specific goal of raising awareness about cultural diversities, and helping you to speak the language of the mind. We took a well-known recipe and added some zest, a bit of a “kick”, to help you find it more enticing, and retain the information much more easily.”

She continues: “All contributors are passionate about their culture, and they are proud to present it to others, representing it to the world. You will not just find a list of advice: through the text, you will see the people; you will be able to visualise their culture through our words, because they were written out of our passion. We have been working on this booklet for months and months, searching for the right ambassadors for each of the countries.

The illustrations by Fern Wood help to explode stereotypes while offering something very typical of each country. “To do or not to do? Si fa o non si fa? Macht man das oder macht man das nicht? This is the question we try to answer as our travels take us through France, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Tunisia and the USA as we turn the pages of this booklet”, concludes Stefania.

Learning the customs and culture of a foreign country signals communication competence and shows a great respect for others. It is vital when travelling abroad, and also at home, when meeting guests and business contacts from abroad.

The booklet is now for sale on paperback or downloadablem ideal for intranet sites. Discounts available for multi-user access. For further information on prices or to place an order, contact Williams Language Solutions at +44(0)191 2860612 or info@translate-it.org. For more information on Williams Language Solutions, visit www.translate-it.org.

The press release appeared also in http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200804/1209549756.html

Posted in North East News and Events | No Comments »

16/04/2008 by stefi.

Williams Language Solutions has been shortlisted in the North East Digital Awards.
The Company - managed by WIN member Stefania De Angelis Williams - has been shortlisted in the Digital Users category in the awards to celebrate the achievements of businesses and organisations that have recognised, developed and used digital techniques to generate and maintain an effective online presence.
Williams Language Solutions’s entry is for Online Language Courses.
“To translate means to transport, to transfer information from one language to another, to make it available to a greater number of people.
It is like building a bridge between two cultures. This is the role of Williams Language Solutions” Stefania De Angelis Williams

Pascal Fintoni, head of e-business at The North East Regional Portal, the e-business champion behind the awards, said: “We are delighted by the response and the number of entries so far; the region clearly has some very innovative businesses with strong digital elements. The nature of the awards programme and interactive website means that there are countless benefits to be gained from entry and we are confident that the awards will come to truly represent the diversity of e-business development in the region.”

A massive 240 nominees from 139 businesses across the region entered the Awards! Shortlisting was based on the number of votes achieved in each category. The shortlisted entries will be put forward to the judges who now have the difficult task of deciding the overall winners. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday 15 May.

“Once again, I would like to thank who voted for us” says Stefania De Angelis Williams of Williams Language Solutions.
With categories ranging from ‘Best Use of Blogging’ to ‘Best Online Security Solution’ and ‘Best Example of Game Development’, the entire entry and voting process took place online - with every entry featuring extensively on the North East Digital Awards website www.northeastdigitalawards.co.uk

The awards are divided into three categories:
 Digital Users – for businesses using digital technology - for blogging or podcasting, for e-commerce on their websites or to offer online music or video
 Digital Suppliers – for those businesses providing digital solutions or designing digital campaigns or websites for clients
 Digital Innovators – those businesses creating and developing new digital technology and new uses for it – from security solutions to gaming and innovative use of search engines

The awards are supported by regional development agency One NorthEast. Emmanuelle Martinot, the Agency’s eBusiness Technical Adviser said: “The benefits of digital business development are huge, and businesses in this region can boast some fantastic achievements in the sector.

“These awards are an opportunity to highlight and celebrate those achievements.”
To find out who was shortlisted for the Digital Awards, visit www.northeastdigitalawards.co.uk

The awards ceremony will take place on 15th May 2008.

For more information on Williams Language Solutions contact Stefania De Angelis Williams (stefi@translate-it.org) or visit www.translate-it.org.

Posted in North East News and Events, Evoluzione di WLS | No Comments »

04/04/2008 by stefi.

Illustrations speak more than words!

An Interview with Fern Wood, the illustrator of How to Speak “Culturese”, the booklet on dos and don’ts when travelling abroad by Stefania De Angelis Williams of Williams Language Solutions Ltd.

When did the project start?

I was just finishing off my like 400th illustration for a language course when the phone rang and an Italian accent asked to speak to me. It’s a rare thing for a client to phone me, I’m a computer geek and correspond wholly these days on the net. Stefania [Williams] had seen my silk work in the Aurora catalogue, a North East Artists group and had liked my illustration work on my website www.fern-wood.com which is very different to my freelance silk paintings.

Did you like the idea of illustrating a booklet on dos and don’ts when travelling abroad?
The ‘How to Speak Culturese’ seemed like a great idea and I accepted the job then and there… I admit half of the acceptance was in order to read the booklet. I love travelling and, like most, don’t want to innocently offend anyone in their own country. Although originally aimed at business folk, I think it would benefit any traveller to know those little culture ‘P’ & ‘Q’s’.

How did you create the illustrations?
I got sketching straight away, I wanted a main image that would evoke the country, this was best done by architecture, and my husband’s an architect student so I have access to plenty of books for reference. Then I wanted to show the people, that’s what it’s about after all, I wanted the illustration to set a story, was the person in the illustration the visitor or the native? Could it be the reader? Here showing that with a bit of knowledge one should be able to fit in and relax.
I then thought lots of mini illustrations would work well with headers and hit my first faux pas. Having sent my samples to Stefania she enlightened me that my waving hand icon was considered rude in Greece… amazing, I was learning things all the time.
There’s no doubt that I hit a few stumbling blocks with this project, some countries have such an immediate stereotypical view, which makes them so much easier to illustrate, France with its baguettes and Parisian street artists, Germany and its sausage stalls. I was completely stuck on Poland and Hungary.

Would you like to work again with Stefania on a second edition of How to Speak Culturese? Which countries would you like to illustrate?
Having been born and brought up abroad I’d love to work on the English, Welsh and Scottish ‘Culturese’ booklets because I think that like our neighbours we must be an intriguing bunch of people with strange ‘Dos & Don’ts’.

The booklet “How to Speak Culture” by Stefania De Angelis Williams illustrated by Fern Wood is for sale at at lulu http://www.lulu.com/content/2275452 or by contacting Williams Language Solutions at www.translate-it.org at the promotional price of £4.99.

Posted in Languages for Holidays, North East News and Events, Evoluzione di WLS, Corsi di lingua, Language Courses, Holidays, Experience | No Comments »