For translation industry leader, and Argos’ CEO, Véronique Özkaya, diversity has never been merely a business requirement but rather a true competitive advantage. “As I reflect on my career, I realize that whenever we’ve had really diverse teams, that’s where we’ve had the most success—because just having clones of yourself doesn’t work.”

And when it comes to the topic of bias, both conscious and unconscious, Véronique has plenty of hard-won knowledge to share on keeping the spirit of diversity in workplace teams – and the positive results it can produce – alive and well in your organization.

First-hand Experience – and motivation for a brighter future

“For me, this topic is personal for two reasons,” she states, “Looking back at my career, some of the events that happened got me emotional – even quite angry at times – because, as a woman, it was hard to actually build this career.”

But rising above the biases that frustrated her progress to become one of the select female CEOs in the localization industry is only the first step in Véronique’s journey to creating a more equitable workplace. “I’m also a mother of three daughters,” she says, “so it’s important to me that they have equal opportunities in their lives.”

A promising future, and 3 simple steps to guarantee it

Véronique is encouraged to see the advancements that have been gained in workplace diversity throughout her career. “I think we’ve made a lot of progress,” she remarks, “But there’s still more to be made.”

Building a diverse team, in Véronique’s opinion, requires a keen sense of your own bias awareness; so that you can overcome them and make truly informed decisions that build the best possible teams:

1. Try an Implicit Association Test to Hone Your Own Knowledge

One of the evaluation tools Véronique is most intrigued by is the Implicit Association Test (IAT). “A lot of the universities are researching these tests and offering them,” she says, “So, you can go on the internet and find many options. And you might be very surprised by what you find out once you’ve answered a bunch of questions.”

Like so many issues in life, knowledge of a problem is the first step. “Realizing that you, as an individual, forget the rest, may have a bias would be a step that can make a huge difference,” she adds, “Definitely, I would recommend it.”

2. Unhook Emotion from Action to Make a Clearer, More Positive Response

When it comes to experiencing bias, Véronique’s advice is born of experience. “I’ve learned,” she shares, “to try and dissociate emotion and action.” The reason, she tells us, is because when you think you might be a victim of discrimination or bias or when you see bias, it generates powerful feelings of anger or sadness.

“But then, once the emotion is gone, what are you going to do? The thing that we need to say to ourselves is that, while we might be emotional about this thing, we also need to take productive action.”

Véronique adds on a positive note, “The reality is, our generation probably has it easier than previous generations. I know, a lot of people say there’s still so much injustice. However, if you can step back a hundred years, I think we have made a lot of progress.”

And while the road is very long, Véronique feels the way we’re going to experience and live true diversity is by making the change ourselves.

“So, I say,” she adds, “It’s OK to be emotional, but what are you going to do about it? It takes one person to change.”

3. Seek The Positive Outcome – And Lead by Example

While Véronique is certainly in a minority group, she chooses to see this as an opportunity to lead by example. “So, I’m the CEO in a localization company. If you look at the stats, less than 5% of CEOs of global companies are women in the US and Europe. I’m not complaining. I’m just saying it’s just the facts, right? It’s something like 16 percent in Norway, 1 percent in China, so there is still a long way to go.”

But this is where Véronique’s optimism and hope kick in. “But I say, start with your children. Tell them everything is possible and, you know, try to avoid them having unconscious bias.”

Véronique has a hopeful message for managing as well, “Like I said before, my advice is: don’t hire clones. Try to get people who are very different from you. And if you lead by example and your team is successful, that’s already a very good blueprint for expanding and spreading diversity out in the organization.”

And when that diversity spreads, organizations thrive. Véronique adds, “Harvard Business School reviewed the results and found teams that are more diverse are actually more successful.”

Localization leads the way

In Véronique’s opinion, our industry is poised to lead in this area. “Our business,” she says, “is about going global and being global, connecting people – and that puts us in the best position to promote and become the leaders in diversity.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Véronique!

We get it. Search Engine Optimization is a tough topic all on its own. And when you add in the challenges of localization along with SEO, the idea of gaining and maintaining search rankings across multiple languages and markets can get downright intimidating. The word “overwhelming” comes up in conversation far too often regarding this topic. But it doesn’t have to if you look at SEO as a series of opportunities for customer acquisition and sales growth. For this reason, we would like to share 8 SEO opportunities to take advantage of when you’re ready to make the global leap or are already there.

How Do You Eat a Google-Sized Elephant? One Bite at a Time.

By breaking down SEO opportunities into categories, you can prioritize your efforts to gain maximum impact and progress as you become more adept at tackling the topic.

4 High-impact First Steps to Give Your Rankings the Boost They Deserve

1. Site Speed that’s Built for the Fast Lane and Fast Search Results: Google and other search engines favor sites with fast load times (because, as you can imagine, customers favor fast results). A few simple tweaks, like optimizing image size and looking at how many plugins you have (and removing the ones not being used), can increase speed and boost ranking.
2. Use “long tail Keywords” to Spike Rank: At first glimpse, using the broadest keywords for your industry seems like the perfect way to cast a large net. But search engines rank higher if you find specific terms and phrases that are less competitive because they are more targeted. Using these words tells the search engine you have the specific information a customer is searching for. Of course, there is a balancing act between search volume and competition for the search term, so spreading multiple more specific long tail keywords across different pages of your site will yield the SEO reach you need while giving you a high ranking for each of those specific words.

3. Metadata Invites a Meeting Between You and Customers: While metadata isn’t specifically a search factor, these page descriptions appear on search result pages (SERPS) to give human eyes a preview of what they will see on the page when they click. A clear, short promise that uses the keywords you are targeting can make a big difference in clickthrough rate.
4. Content is Still King: It’s often said by Google and the other search engines, but it’s still very much true. The best way to game the search engines is to not try to game them at all. Well-written, SEO content that answers customer questions concisely yields long-term results for your website in a way mere keyword packing never will. The reason is simple: as more readers click on your site, the search engine serves it up as being ever-more relevant to other searchers.

4 Maximizer Steps for Multilingual SEO Results

Adding a second language option to your site to boost sales is a logical business step for many. As an example, Canada is a dual-language country. Therefore, every company should offer a multilingual web experience for its customers. And many companies in the U.S. have seen solid growth by adding a Spanish option to their website.

But going multilingual is not without a few pitfalls that could hamper your SEO results in the original and even the new language. Planning ahead can help you avoid a sales shortfall later.

5. Give Each Language a Dedicated Domain to Make Search Ratings Smarter. This gives your search engine a clue as to which portion of your website each language covers and helps serve the most relevant search to each language. For example:

English: www.sitename.com
French: www.sitename.com/fr
Spanish: www.sitename.com/es

There are three different options for setting up multilingual domains; each has its advantages and disadvantages when it comes to multilingual testing results. We’ve talked about this in a previous blog post if you’d like to learn more – or simply drop us a line, and we’d be more than happy to discuss it with you!

6. Telegraph Your Language Moves by Applying Hreflang Tags. Besides the language indicator in the URL, search engines use hreflang attributes to help understand what to make of multiple versions of the same page that contain different languages. Inserting these tags into the header of a page or through the site map will help crawlers sort and organize your page to make sense of what rankings they should assign and what regions they should be showing a page to. As a quick, if not complicated looking example, the index for an alternate set of home pages in French and Spanish for the English website example above might look like this:

<link rel=”alternate” hreflang=”fr” href=”https://sitename.com”/>
<link rel=”alternate” hreflang=”es” href=”https://sitename.com”/>

7. When Translating Pages, Don’t Forget to Translate Metadata. As mentioned above, metadata doesn’t help search rankings, but it is the human point of contact to draw in clicks. Translating the metadata when you create an alternate language version of a page on your site also translates the eye-catching human promise that will get you clicks in the new language.

8. Don’t Let Translation Quality Slip. As a company that got our start in Language Quality Assurance, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention this step. A poor-quality translation won’t connect with customers and, in the long run, will cost you search results as few customers will find the site useful. A successful iSEO strategy still comes down to creating relevant content first and THEN figuring out how to serve it up so search engines can see how it will be relevant to readers.

Sounds confusing? Worry not; Chillistore has you covered!

We don’t blame you if this all sounds overwhelming. Don’t worry. This is where we can help. We have expert reviewers for any language who can check your existing content to make sure it is accurate and resonates with your target audience. And if you need help with the copywriting process too, our team is here for you.

5 Ways to Create Powerful Website and Email Copywriting by Joining Forces with Machine Technology

While the localization industry is no stranger to machine translation, the emergence of Chat GPT has brought the topic of AI, and a plethora of possible marketing applications, into the broader business discussion. And that’s led to some uncomfortable soul-searching:

Can the machines replace…me?

But, once we look at a quick historical lesson on a past emerging technology, we think you’ll be asking a better question:

How can I harness the power of AI to become a more effective email and web marketer?

An Automation Integration Lesson from the Past – In American Architecture of All Things.

The Arts & Crafts movement in America that created the iconic bungalow houses that remain so popular was actually a rebellion against the ostentatious results of the industrial revolution’s Victorian Homes.

Machine production made it possible to quickly and easily build huge houses with all manner of factory-produced trim details, ornamental fixtures, wallpaper patterns, and design cues from every style of architecture from the past – all thrown together in a frantic bid to show the newfound possibilities of the industrial revolution. In a word: Clutter.

Technology + Artistry = Elegance

The eye-pleasing, soul-soothing bungalows and prairie homes that came from the Arts & Crafts movement had an entirely different philosophy: the craftsman builders accepted the technology to produce details but integrated that production speed into a cohesive artistic vision that brought appealing design and creature comforts to everyone – with an artistic (human) eye to keep the machine abilities from overdoing it.

How AI can help you skip the clutter and go straight to the crafting.

In any trade, better tools bring a grand vision to life faster and more efficiently. The same goes for email and website content. It’s tempting to view producing blog articles as a sure way to boost search rankings and increase traffic simply because that content hits the keywords and delivers on questions prospects enter into the search engine. But if the content isn’t interesting or relatable, the chances of getting humans to interact with it are slim – especially considering other companies are likely using the same technology. Then it comes down to who has the vision to use the tools most effectively?

With that in mind, here are 5 ways to use AI writing tools to become better and more effective in your marketing communication efforts.

1. Saving Time and Research Monotony for Writers

Simply put, the most impressive benefit of AI writing tools is their time savings. Strong website copywriting and email copywriting require extensive investment in research and first-draft writing.

AI copywriting tools can automate many of these tasks, allowing you to create high-quality content in a fraction of the time it would take with traditional methods.

The Research Intern You Always Wanted (But the Budget Never Allowed)

With a few keystrokes, you can have your AI tool quickly analyze your target audience, the topic of your content, and your desired tone and style for website copywriting – and then revise the content for an email template or even a social post.

It can then generate a rough draft you can easily edit and refine to ensure it meets your needs. Just like the difference between cutting lumber with a handsaw versus a shiny new compound miter saw, the AI also becomes an efficiency multiplier that saves you hours of research and writing time.

2. Tell + Show = Concept: Using AI with Human Intuition Creates Impact Faster

Facts are powerful tools in all marketing communications. But a good story packs emotional power, and a metaphor can ground a concept in a reader’s mind to help a message stick. It’s this “left brain/right brain” idea that the best copywriters use to maximize results.

Using an AI tool to generate a solid first draft on a topic can give you the framework of facts you need to structure your content. This structure allows you to insert elements of personal experience or trigger additional information from Subject Matter Experts on previous conversations or other anecdotes learned during your job. Integrating these “story elements” into a second draft creates a more lively, enjoyable, and impactful reading experience for your reader.

This idea is quite similar in concept to the Machine Translation model some companies in the localization industry have used with remarkable success: Using AI to make the first draft and then applying a human eye to finalize the translation and solve problem spots in the translation.

3. I’ll Have my Robots Talk to Your Robots: AI as an SEO Optimization Tool

By now, we all know search engine optimization (SEO) is critical for increasing visibility online and attracting more traffic to your website. However, adding keyword integration into the writing process creates yet another challenge – and many writers complain aloud that web writing requires them to think simultaneously like a human and a robot.

AI copywriting tools can help. A lot. Tools like Jasper and Chat GPT can analyze your target keywords and phrases and then integrate those keywords into your website copywriting and email copywriting content’s structure and formatting to ensure that it’s optimized for search engines.

With that work out of the way, you can focus on engaging with the human side of the equation.

4. Personalization Made Perfect – And Efficient

While, as marketers, we understand individuals make decisions, resources limit us to speaking to segments. AI writing tools can let you create versions of content far faster and easier to create personalized website and email content that resonates with ever-more targeted audiences. These tools can be trained to analyze user data, like demographics, search history, and browsing behavior, to create content tailored to individual user’s interests and preferences.

A simple example of this strategy might be a solar panel company. One side of their business will target an environmentally conscious market, while another will target the preparedness market. But within these two segments, there are further distinctions based on values, lifestyles, and age. Generating six different versions of an email message to target each group will increase the response rate – with little to no extra investment of time in the process.

5. Higher Productivity Means More Cost Savings – Without Quality Cutting

Now we get to the significant benefit of using an AI writing tool. The extra speed in content generation makes you a far more capable writer. According to the economic model, producing something faster at the same quality level is bound to lower the price.

Traditional website and email copywriting methods can be expensive, as writers bill based on the total time needed to complete the job at the desired quality level. As the old American phrase goes, “Good, fast, or cheap. Pick any two of the three.” With AI copywriting tools automating many of the research and writing tasks and reducing human workload, crafting an elegant, well-written piece of long-form marketing copy without the previous budget considerations is now possible.

Or, put more simply, AI writing tools give you more time for the art and craft of storytelling for the buck.

AI In Effect: It’s Time for Full Disclosure

As is only fitting, considering the subject matter, this blog entry was “hybrid crafted” using a human writer and Chat GPT. The entire “machine-generated” copy (including the original request made of the AI) is below if you care to see the original content and evaluate the results side by side.

As for productivity, this hybrid model cut writing time by approximately 50%

It truly is a brave new world of content generation in the localization industry. And if you’d like some help creating an AI copywriting strategy that delivers on quality, and drives results without sacrificing clarity and style, drop us a line. We’d love to chat – human to human – about what the machines can do to help us all improve our communications game.

The Original Chat GPT Blog Post Request and The Content It Generated:

The ask:

I would like an 800-word blog entry on the top 5 benefits of using AI copywriting tools to help generate website and email content. It should include the following keywords: Copywriting, Website Copywriting, AI copywriting, and Email Copywriting. Do you understand?

The answer:

Top 5 Benefits of Using AI Copywriting Tools for Website and Email Copywriting

Copywriting is an essential aspect of any business’s marketing strategy. It involves creating content that communicates a brand’s message, engages its target audience, and drives conversions. However, traditional copywriting methods can be time-consuming and expensive. This is where AI copywriting tools come in. These tools can help businesses generate website and email content quickly and easily, while also saving time and resources. Here are the top 5 benefits of using AI copywriting tools for website and email copywriting:

1. Time Savings

One of the most significant benefits of using AI copywriting tools is the time savings they offer. Website copywriting and email copywriting can be incredibly time-consuming, as writers must conduct extensive research, draft and revise content, and ensure that it is optimized for search engines. AI copywriting tools can automate many of these tasks, allowing businesses to create high-quality content in a fraction of the time it would take with traditional methods.

For example, an AI copywriting tool can quickly analyze your target audience, the topic of your content, and your desired tone and style for website copywriting or email copywriting. It can then generate a rough draft that you can easily edit and refine to ensure that it meets your needs. This process can save you hours of research and writing time.

2. Consistency

Consistency is essential in all areas of business, and website copywriting and email copywriting are no exception. AI copywriting tools can help ensure that your website and email content is consistent across all channels, from tone and style to messaging and branding. This consistency can help establish your brand’s voice and identity, which can lead to increased brand recognition and customer loyalty.

For example, if you use an AI copywriting tool for email copywriting, you can ensure that each email has a similar look and feel, uses the same branding elements, and has a consistent tone and style. This consistency can help build trust and familiarity with your audience, which can lead to increased engagement and conversions.

3. Improved SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is critical for businesses that want to increase their online visibility and attract more traffic to their websites. AI copywriting tools can help businesses optimize their website copywriting and email copywriting content for search engines, ensuring that it ranks well in search engine results pages (SERPs).

For example, an AI copywriting tool can analyze your target keywords and phrases, as well as your website copywriting and email copywriting content’s structure and formatting, to ensure that it is optimized for search engines. This optimization can help increase your website’s visibility in SERPs, which can lead to increased traffic and conversions.

4. Personalization

Personalization is key to effective marketing, and AI copywriting tools can help businesses create personalized website and email content that resonates with their target audience. These tools can analyze user data, such as demographics, search history, and browsing behavior, to create content that is tailored to individual users’ interests and preferences.

For example, if you use an AI copywriting tool for website copywriting, the tool can analyze user data to create personalized content that speaks directly to individual users’ pain points and needs. This personalization can help increase engagement and conversions, as users are more likely to respond to content that speaks directly to their interests and needs.

5. Cost Savings

Finally, using AI copywriting tools can help businesses save money. Traditional website copywriting and email copywriting methods can be expensive, as businesses must hire professional writers or dedicate staff time to creating content in-house. AI copywriting tools can automate many of these tasks, reducing the need for human writers and decreasing the time and resources required to produce high-quality content.

For example, if a business were to hire a professional copywriter for website and email copywriting, it would need to pay the writer a substantial fee for each project. However, with AI copywriting tools, businesses can generate content quickly and easily, without the need for a professional writer. This can help businesses save money on copywriting costs, while still producing high-quality content that engages and converts their target audience.

In conclusion, AI copywriting tools offer numerous benefits for businesses looking to improve their website and email copywriting. From time savings and consistency to improved SEO, personalization, and cost savings, these tools can help businesses generate high-quality content quickly and easily, while also saving time and resources. By utilizing AI copywriting tools, businesses can focus on other important aspects of their marketing strategy, while still creating engaging and effective website and email content that drives conversions and increases revenue.

It goes without saying that you want the best and most consistent translation quality you can get across all the languages you work in. But, without an unlimited budget, that desire can seem patently out of reach unless you understand three “tricks” for improving translation quality that have far less to do with unlimited resources and more to do with streamlining the process to promote efficiency and consistency.

Beyond Mere Translation – A 3-step Plan to Linguistic Asset Management

Formalizing the translation process to capture commonly used terms, phrases, and industry jargon lets you catalog these translation fragments and store them for future use. The industry shorthand for this process is Linguistic Asset Management. And while it’s broken into three categories, it has one aim: Consistency in your communication with your customer.

Consistency = Translation Quality

These stored linguistics assets – whether they’re technical terms or brand-right marketing phrases – give you a consistent messaging style that connects your customers to your brand. The more components of customer communication that are consistently used, the more familiar your brand will be as customers interact with it over time – and the faster you can build a relationship.

Consistency = Cost Efficiency

Beyond simply sounding familiar to your customers, an effective Language Asset Management system lets you lower translation costs. Your LSP can translate a term or phrase once, store it in a database (or Translation Memory) and then automate the process to accelerate the translation of the term the next time it’s used – all without sacrificing quality.

The 3 Branches of Linguistic Asset Management:

1. Translation Memory: Phrases, Fragments, and Thoughts to Build On.

Within your communication, certain phrases and sentences are used dozens, even hundreds of times. Translation Memory (TM) collects these phrases for re-use. “Uses two AAA batteries” is an example of a phrase an electronics manufacturer may use across multiple products and languages.

2. Terminology Management: Technical Wording Challenges Solved.

Many industries have unique jargon and technical terms that must remain consistent across multiple languages. A searchable terminology management database or “term base” lets the translation team, who may not be technical experts in your field, quickly and consistently translate these unique terms faster and with less guesswork.

How do I set up a Terminology Management System?

While the terms may be technical, managing them is, thankfully, not. Simply perform an audit in the starting language and highlight consistently used technical terms that “stick out” as not being general language.

For example, a medical device company operating in 6 languages may need to consistently term “myocardial infarction”. Once you have the terms identified, you can also leave notes to briefly explain the term and the context of its use. This information will make any translator’s job easier – and ensure proper translations every time the term is used.

3. Style Guides: Setting the Standard for Future Translation

Just like a compass heading gives you a guide to keep you from straying off course, Style Guides are a specially built framework to contain the stylistic needs of your brand. Maintaining a globally consistent look and feel for your brand is a challenge that compounds with every new language and linguist you add to your mix – for the simple fact that every linguist has a personal style. But a company style guide can override a linguist’s personal style of writing, preferred terminology, and orthography to keep your global voice consistent.

Need some consistency? Let us put our TQE (Translation Quality Evaluation) expertise to work for you.

If you’re not managing your language assets as well as you like or getting tired of chasing brand inconsistencies across markets, we can help. Maintaining language quality is what we do at Chilistore. Our experts have decades of experience smoothing workflows, implementing Linguistic Asset Management systems, and helping great brands produce consistent communications around the globe. Give us a shout to see how we can help you do the same.

Replace me? Not so fast.

Let’s be frank, your content writer is dangerously close to being more hassle than they’re worth: Hard to get ahold of, expensive, a bit of a prima donna when you attempt to change their copy and, last but not least ALWAYS pushing their deadline (this blog entry is no exception, 2 days behind and counting).

And all that management hassle comes before we even get a chance to determine if the work they produce is actually found useful by your clients and getting you search ranking.

As an organization that specializes in content quality, we’re always looking for the best way to communicate more clearly and effectively with customers – be it through a more effective Q/A process, streamlining workflows or taking advantage of new technology that promises to eliminate some of the unpredictability of human-powered content creation.

The rise of the machines – and the fix to all those human problems.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Copywriting software like Jasper and AI content creation tools like Chat GPT offer the promise of speed, ease and economy in generating the website copywriting you need to stay relevant in the industry.

But, before we give that failed-novelist-turned-copywriter their walking papers we need to consider some of the limitations of AI Because, just like the industrial revolution that did so much good for quality of life, it also comes with some complications and concerns.

This human writer is impressed with the potential available when it comes to AI Copywriting and the integration of man and machine could have a powerful effect on your communications strategy.

AI Copywriting 101: What it is and How You Can Harness It

If you’ve followed the development of AI models and just want to understand the current limits to AI content creation, you can skip the next few paragraphs.

But if you’re not familiar with these programs, you’ll better understand the limitations once you understand how AI fits into the world of productive content creation.

AI As the Assistant To The Creator

Man has always been, by nature, a tool developer – constantly experimenting to create newer, easier ways to complete a task. A tool does not replace the user, it merely makes their work easier and even perhaps changes the nature of their work all together. Driving an ox to plow a field is a very different skill than driving a tractor but the change in the technology allows for more production and better quality of life.

In the field of translation, we have been seeing this reality for the past 20 years with the improvements to machine translation and computer assisted translation tools. The job of translator has not gone away despite the fears. Translators have instead been able to take advantage of these new tools and technologies to improve their speed and quality and increase customer satisfaction.

Cyborg 1.0: The Search Engine

To frame the evolution of AI writing, let’s step back to the last most related tech advancement: The search engine.

Philosophically a search engine is an intelligence multiplier. It gives the broad-minded generalist a tool to “zoom in” on nearly any topic and become a “temporary expert” long enough to accomplish a task then zoom back out and move on to the next opportunity or challenge.

As an example: Armed with the basic knowledge of auto mechanics (the generalist base), a few keystrokes will render an entire step by step tutorial on replacing the timing belt on your exact car (year, make, engine sub model, you name it) – all the specific knowledge is “learned” by the search engine.

With a few more keystrokes you can plan and plant a colonial “kitchen garden”, learn the tariff rates for importing cotton t-shirts into Canada from India or learn about Somatic experiencing as a psychological treatment for the trauma left by a car accident.

Each of those individual topics would have taken weeks or even months of research (library searches, book skimming, copious note taking) 20 years ago – and yet now that expert-level knowledge is available in seconds thanks to ready access to the internet via our electronics.

As Elon Musk boldly proclaimed recently, our attachment to our smartphones and the intelligence augmentation they offer has already effectively made us into cyborgs. And the only limit to your knowledge potential now is your will to search the topic and your brain’s ability to sort, process and integrate the results on offer.

Cyborg 2.0: The Leap From Machine Search to Machine Integration

From a creation standpoint an AI copywriting tool is the next step up on the content ladder.

It promises the ability to compile those search results, intuit context and stitch them together into a narrative on any topic using the same machine logic we’ve been using to create computer programs for years.

If you identify the output format of the narrative – say “website copy” or “blog entry” – the AI can serve as a ghost writer to generate the content in the exact format you need.

It’s a truly powerful tool, but, just like the search engine, AI copywriting tools have limitations.

5 Limitations and Concerns to AI Content Creation – Or Why “Skynet” Won’t be Taking Over Quite Yet

1. Search Engine Rank and De-rank: Will the Machine Turn Off the Other Machine?

As we all know, web content has two audiences: The human’s looking for relevant knowledge and the search engines rating and ranking.

Your AI generated content may in fact answer all the related questions a prospect is searching and may hit all the keywords correctly. But the ease of reading and crafted voice will still be considerations for the ultimate target – the human reader.

There are already academic tools that can detect the percentage of content that has been written by AI While this may not seem like an issue in the commercial space, the long-term concern is that search engines will use the same algorithm to de-rate machine-written articles as the marketplace fills with content.

We simply don’t know if or when this could become a concern and so, having a communications strategy too heavily based on AI content could lead to a huge drop in traffic if those adjustments are made.

2. Big Fish, Small Pond? The Limitations to Machine Learning

Because AI writing tools are essentially crowd sourcing your content, they are limited to the knowledge that is already posted on the internet. That means expressing thoughts that take a truly novel approach to a problem is a serious challenge.

Of Timespans, Data Parameters and the Limitations They Hold

Jasper AI claims to have scanned a full 10% of the massive amount of information in the internet and Chat GPT currently uses 175 billion parameters in its learning data set and a historical knowledge that extends to September 2021.

While that’s impressive for the amount of data these models holds, it poses an obvious challenge for generating content on fast evolving issues.

For example, a blog post on the War in Ukraine and its forecasted effect on commodities prices is not a topic Chat GPT can analyze. However, one could still use the tool to help formulate historical context to set up the post.

To Err is Human and, Therefore, Also AI

Just like a Wikipedia article you read can have an error and google search can yield bad information, AI can use this incorrect information to reach a wrong conclusion.

Recent testing pitted Chat GPT against the American Bar Exam and, while the professors who conducted the experiment noted the AI produced sophisticated responses to the questions, it didn’t pass the overall exam: The AI got just over 50% on the exam questions right compared to the average human score of 68%.

A Bad Learning Habit on Repeat: When Errors Create Errors

Bad datasets feeding bad conclusions also creates a potential for a repeating error loop as the incorrect information feeds into the next round of content creation. In short, what happens when AI learns incorrect information and then builds on it to create more bad information?

To remedy this looping conundrum, each AI generated article will need to be fact checked extensively to make sure you are publishing correct information your prospects and customers will find valuable. Yet vetting AI generated answers can be a challenge because the outputted product does not include source notes or citations.

3. Return of the Clone Wars – Does Brand Differentiation Suffer with AI?

What happens when all your competitors are all using the same technology? Stalemate.

And while AI is a breakthrough full of potential for the early adopter, as its use becomes more widespread the danger of providing the same information, offering the same solutions and having the same tone (all lovingly crowd-sourced from the internet via your AI software) becomes very real.

As any marketer will tell you, differentiation of your product is a must and communication style is one of the fastest ways to set yourself apart while searching for prospects.

In a competitive, fast-evolving marketplace this differentiation is a key to survival and we simply don’t know how well AI tools will be able to do that yet.

How communications teams harness the immense opportunity of AI tools without committing “brand genericide” may be one of the most exciting areas of study for marketers over the next decade.

4. Professional Quality Content: The Human Details Make the Difference

Author and educator Daniel Herman wrote an article for the Atlantic Monthly Magazine recently where he “graded” content from Chat GPT and found it to be better in quality than most High School students’ papers.

That’s a laudable result for machine learning, but, one has to ask, as a business professional, would you trust your company’s email copywriting or blog content to the communications skills of most high schoolers?

That’s not an insult, but rather a caveat to relying too strongly on AI.

In another cautionary tale, consumers surveyed by a company who offered customer service chatbots were less than pleased to find out that 72% of survey respondents found chatbots to be a waste of time.

Based on these results, the question posed in Mr. Herman’s previously cited article bears mentioning:

“Is this moment more like the invention of the calculator, saving me from the tedium of long division, or more like the invention of the player piano, robbing us of what can be communicated only through human emotion?”

5. AI Public Perceptions Bias: The Tool Nobody Wants to Admit to Using

Recently online tech news outlet CNET was “caught” using an AI technology to generate a series of 70 “financial explainer” articles.

The response from the public was swift and the staff at CNET was forced into damage control mode trying to explain that it was a tech test and promising to perform a full audit of the material to guarantee no errors were found that could lead readers to make poor financial decisions.

No doubt AI generated content has a stigma to it and it’s quite amusing to see all the editorial ink online covering the topic of Chat GP – but all going to great length to insist the stories about Chat GPT were not written actually using Chat GPT or other AI software.

Which points out an uncomfortable truth: Everyone is excited to take advantage of the potential time and cost-saving opportunity of AI – but nobody wants it used on themselves.

So, if you want to take advantage of the benefits of AI to generate messaging, it’s important to be transparent about it with users. Explaining that AI speeds up the communications process, allows you to deliver more customized communications and keeps them up to date on communications is far preferable to trying to “sneak it past” them. In the era of social media honesty and openness is always a better communication strategy.

Limitations Now, But the Race for Refinement is On

In a sense the testing process for AI copywriting will be the same as it has been for all communication: Can it stand the culling that measures work on its merit to the reader and rewards the best communicators?

Great copywriting has something special to it that communicates that much more clearly, invites understanding that much more readily and is just plain fun to read – even when covering a seemingly mundane topic. The great admen rise above the noise using their wits and the tools at their disposal.

And, just like a calculator mentioned in the quote above, the prospect of using AI as a tool to speed up the communication generating process – without compromising the human elements we all crave is where the future lies.

Stay tuned, because the first chapter of the AI saga has only just been written.

And, of course, if you would like to assess and improve your content in any language, drop us a line. We’d love to chat – human to human – about what the machines can do to help us all improve our communications game.

Catching errors of fact, tone and culture before they haunt your next launch.

How important is translation Quality Assurance? Well, in one case, the lack of it launched one of the most iconic internet memes in history. Let’s set the time machine to 1992 to tell the story – and lay out a compelling case for quality control in your translation and localization project.  

Toaplan Company decided to localize their successful Japanese arcade game “Zero Wing” for English-speaking markets. Built into the game was an introduction story to set the scene that was, in classic early 90s gaming tradition, told in text across the bottom of the screen. The only problem? The entire introduction was a garble of terribly translated English that included the choice phrase “All your base are belong to us”.  

It’s comical now, but it left the executives at Toaplan with a hard-learned lesson: Translation without quality control integrated into the process is, at best, incomplete – and, at worst, could make you a laughingstock.  

A Three-pronged Approach to Effective Localization QA

Building smart LQA (Language Quality Assurance) that works hand-in-hand with Language Service Providers (LSPs) to get more effective localization messages is how we at Chillistore got our start. And we’ve identified three specific areas of quality assurance that come together to form the core of a strong LQA program.

1. Beyond Words to Meaning: Ensuring True Translation Quality

The reality is that all too often, translation is about quantity rather than quality. Translation teams work on deadlines and need to translate as much copy as possible. In addition, they may not be familiar with the nuances of your industry, business practices, or the current formal vs. informal communication norms within a market. That leaves room for errors and inconsistencies.

But adding an LQA step into the process inserts a team of Language experts who work directly with LSPs to address common translation issues and ensure all your content is appropriate for the brand and culture. 

Stopping Misunderstandings Before They Start – Or Spread to the Rest of Your Content

LQA teams examine the initial translation and provide feedback — reviewing the translated content for language errors, inconsistent wording, and cohesive brand representation. To put it simply, LQAs make sure your content reads well, sounds great, and is true to your brand so that it can be implemented and used through every channel of business communication consistently.  

2. Ensuring Visual Quality So That Nothing is Lost in Translation

Getting the right message in your translation isn’t just about the words. It’s about ensuring the words render correctly and flow within the layouts, be they digital, print or motion, wherever they appear. A skilled LQA team will verify this visual presentation to make sure the presented information looks just as good in the translated content as in its original form.  

The Text Expansion Surprise No One is Delighted to Discover

In many cases, a marketing team is unaware that translations tend to expand the text length – in some cases, 30% or more. This can truncate callouts in print or UI elements on a website or app and leave critical information missing to the reader. Catching this “ghost text” before launch means less customer service frustration later.  

Beyond text expansion issues, the LQA team will verify typography, including font, font size, kerning, leading, and typeface, to ensure the end user’s layouts are visually appealing and easy to read and understand.  

LQA Details for the Digital Age

In digital production, LQA teams also verify the quality, sizing, and file format of localized graphics and double-check the references and linking tags to ensure the user’s experience is intuitive.  

Print-specific pitfalls LQA pros watch out for

And, of course, a diligent LQA team is always on the lookout for page flow and layout concerns, like making sure the relevant images are located with the correct type. One more print-specific LQA check: making sure the table of contents page references are updated after translation. You may be surprised at how often this little detail is missed.  

3. Beyond Translation Quality: Inclusive QA

Respectfully navigating the differences in cultures lets your message make the proper impact in any and every market. To do this requires a unique translation expert who understands the nuances of both the source country and the target culture. This way, the message’s intent is translated -– not simply the words.  

Allow Us a Shameless Plug

Our team at Chillistore takes things a step further than other LQA providers by combining our language expertise with technical knowledge. Our linguists test the products to ensure they run smoothly and make sense in context. We also check that the words and terms are consistent across products, services, and platforms and can help craft a tailored SEO strategy. Chillistore’s goal is to function as an extension of your business. You focus on your business, and we provide a resilient, end-to-end, total-quality management program.  

Need a team of LQA Pros? We’re Here for You!

As a company, our roots are in LQA, and it’s a point of pride that our teams are some of the most experienced in the industry. We’ve been instrumental in quality-checking localization efforts globally and through all industries – saving them from costly mistakes and more than a few public relations problems.  

And we’d love to offer you the same peace of mind. To borrow from a noted old internet meme: “All your LQA worries are belong to us.”