Today we have guest expert Gaëlle Callnin, Marketing Director for Denver, Colorado-based Virtual Words Translations. When I asked Gaëlle if companies can save money on translations, she replied, “Oh my gosh, yes!” and instantly began talking.

What follows are her seven tips for saving money when translating marketing collateral and other materials — both print and Web-based.

1. Translate only what is necessary — According to Gaëlle, not everything has to be translated. For example, you may have a large number of documents for a contract negotiation, only a few pages are necessary for the final contract to be translated, and some can be translated at the “gisting” service level, which is quicker and less expensive.

On the other hand, when you look at your Web traffic stats to see the ROI with regard to translated pages, remember that these numbers may not always be an accurate representation.

For example, US Hispanic readers will prefer to read product information in Spanish but culturally will often prefer to switch to English for the actual purchase because they don’t always trust that the Spanish provides the most accurate information or greatest discounts. Hence you may not need to translate the shopping cart pages.

2. Cut useless words — Because translations are based on a per-word rate, it pays to write in a concise style. A good copywriter or editor can help you eliminate superfluous words.

3. Send only “final” documents — According to Gaëlle, you are not saving time by submitting a document that’s “almost” done. As you know, documents go through multiple (and sometimes painful) revisions before they’re finally approved. If you expect your translator to keep up with these revisions, you’ll end up way over budget.

4. Have source files available — If you’re translating a printed newsletter or brochure, send your translator the Quark file versus a PDF. Sending the source file means the translation company can then provide you with a layout that conforms to European sizing (i.e. A4) — significantly reducing costs for additional design work.

5. Ask your provider about memory tool discounts — Technical material, such as user manuals, often has repetitive material or text. A good translation company will use tools to flag repetitive text and add it to a database — allowing it to easily be used again.

As the customer, you receive many benefits, including consistency in translation, and cost savings. Gaëlle says that when her company flags copy and finds a 100% match, they will use it and give the client a discount. Depending on the level of the match, they also provide tiered discounts.

6. Allow for plenty of time — When planning a translation project, a good rule of thumb is to estimate one day per 2,000 to 2,500 words. You’ll also have to include time for prep work, such as translating industry or scientific jargon.

7. Cheaper isn’t always better — Although you can find many excellent freelance or private translators, it does pay to use a company. According to Gaëlle, when you hire a company, a second person reviews each project.

When you hire one person, you get only that person’s translation — which is why a private translator’s rates are lower.

In addition, a good translation company will have individuals who specialize in a specific vertical and local to the destination country. For example, the Spanish spoken in Mexico isn’t the same as the Spanish spoken in Spain or even South America, and the Spanish used in healthcare isn’t the same as the same as the Spanish used in technology.

Gaëlle, thank you for these most awesome tips! In addition to translating traditional print materials, Virtual Words Translations specializes in translating online video, Websites, and flash animations. Please be sure to visit the company’s Website.

The following ad says it all — namely, that each of us creates our own reality.

The media spends a lot of time telling us that our country is going to hell. Pick up any newspaper on any day and all you’ll see is gloom and doom.

However, despite the recession, I have never seen so much opportunity for companies creative enough to see it and nimble enough to act on it.

It’s easy enough to stick to what’s worked in the past, especially now when resources are tight.

But now is a great time to set your company apart by daring to be contrary.

Not only will your company stand out, you’ll probably end up being more successful than you imagined — as the three individuals cited below prove.

1. Steve Lightstone – General marketing wisdom states you need to find ways to get around an executive’s “gatekeeper” or assistant.

Some of these tactics include calling at 7:30 AM or 5:30 PM, when the executive is answering his or her own phone, or sending out three-dimensional mailers designed to get the executive’s attention.

Steve Lightstone, President of Corner Office Leads, knew there had to be another way. Instead of trying to get *around* the executive assistant, Steve asked, “How can we use this person to our clients’ advantage?”

The result is a marketing tactic that oooooozes respect for the executive assistant — and garners peer-to-peer appointments with the C-suite.

2. John Chambers – Instead of asking how to raise the company’s stock price or dramatically cut costs, John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems, instead asked how decision making could be spread far wider than any company had attempted before.

The reorg, according to a December 2008 Fast Company article, “Cisco Gets Radical,” involved over 500 executives and was massive, radical, and often bumpy.

The result? Decision making for the company is no longer top-down. Instead, leaders of business units now “share responsibility for one another’s success.”

This decision making is made possible by the open use of social networking tools, including blogging, videos, and a Facebook-style internal directory, by Cisco employees.

Instead of being a top-down company mired in “it’s always been done this way” thinking, Cisco is now a “laboratory of connectedness and productivity” where rank-and-file employees are being trained to actually use the stuff they sell. (Imagine that.)

3. David Meerman Scott — In his latest e-book, Lose Control of Your Marketing, Scott writes:

I’m often confronted with the issue of how to measure an online initiative’s results. Executives at companies large and small as well as marketing and PR people tend to push back on the ideas of a World Wide Rave because they want to apply old rules of measurement to the new world of spreading ideas online.

. . .

To create a World Wide Rave, forget about sales leads and ignore mainstream media. Instead, focus on spreading your ideas. Make your information totally free, with no registration required.

As a marketer, David could have written an e-book that included information on how to make most people agree with him — that is, he could have included the new rules about social media while also covering his butt by saying, “Yes, B2B is different and therefore, while social media is great, you still need to collect those sales leads.”

Instead, he stands out by delivering advice that’s contrary to accepted wisdom — and continues to build his reputation and business.

Now, what are you going to do today to be different?

You can find a great discussion about social media and B2B on my new LinkedIn Group, B2B Social Media.

The question, “Why do you think social media is a hard sell for B2B?” has elicited 20 comments so far — from consultants and people in the corporate trenches. Take a look and add your two cents.

And, be sure to download David Meerman Scott’s new e-book: Lose Control of Your Marketing: Why Marketing ROI Measures Lead to Failure.

I read it over lunch and recommend that all members of the C-Suite in any org read it! (Maybe print out a copy and leave it on your boss’ desk?)

Learn how you can improve your white paper copywriting skills — and grow your freelance business — by attending the first ever White Paper Success Summit.

Michael Stelzner sees a need . . . and fills it

A few months ago, my colleague Michael Stelzner (*the* go-to guy who knows anything and everything about white papers)  taught hundreds of freelance copywriters how to market their services at his online copywriting summit. 

According to Mike, lots of people wanted to know how they, too, could make thousands of dollars writing white papers.  (Michael says he didn’t hide the fact that he makes $7500 per paper and usually runs four projects each month.)

Because of the response, Michael had planned on offering a white paper event for freelancers in the spring of 2009. But the economy caused him to rethink things.  Nobody could have imagined how many businesses would end up suffering from the recent economic fallout.

“It became immediately apparent to me that waiting until the spring to offer a white paper event for freelance writers would be too late,” says Michael. “Let me explain why.”

“You see, back in 2002, just after the last major stock market crash, white papers took off as super-powerful marketing tools for businesses.  Why? Because businesses needed resources that would help them sell under the radar to customers who were frankly resistant to spending any money.”

According to Mike, smart businesses were achieving amazing success with white papers.  So much so that literally overnight, thousands of white papers were being produced to generate leads and help businesses stand out.

Today we are at the front end of the very same pattern that occurred in 2002, but the need is even bigger! 

Why Michael worked non-stop all through the holiday madness 

To meet this need, Michael put together the best panel ever on creating marketing white papers. He’s calling his brainstorm the White Paper Success Summit 2009 and his goal is to empower freelance writers to create white papers that help businesses achieve success. 

Michael is a great guy and really knows his stuff — I know, because I interviewed him for the definitive MarketingSherpa reports on white papers, read his book, Writing White Papers, and have been a guest on his hugely popular teleclass series. 

And, because this is a recession and you need to watch your bucks, Michael has made this White Paper Summit *very attractive* for freelancers.

First, you’ll save huge dollars by not having to pay for airline tickets, hotel costs, or other expenses because the entire White Paper Success Summit is being held online.

Second, if you register now, you’ll save 40% off the regular admission price.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Register for the White Paper Success Summit today!

If you’re a B2B marketer and want to learn more about social media and its applications — or you’re a B2B marketer successfully using social media and want to share with others — please join my new LinkedIn Group, B2B Social Media.

My goal is to make this a group where we can share advice and tips and learn more about how B2B companies can use social media tools such as Twitter, YouTube, video, forums, etc. to promote products and services, build relationships, and yes, even achieve real ROI.

If you have ideas on how we can make this a fun and interactive group, please feel free to share them with me!

HubSpot Marketing posted five excellent blogging resolutions — from which I’m heavily borrowing (with their permission)!

Herewith, my blogging resolutions for 2009 (which is going to be an excellent year!):

1. Post more regularly — I make resolutions all year long to post more regularly. Some weeks I post two or three times. But other times, when I get really busy and overwhelmed, I don’t post at all. My first resolution is to add my blog to my daily work schedule and then post at least two times a week every week.

2. Link to other bloggers — I read a ton of blog posts, newsletters, and reports. I even print out this information and plaster sticky notes on it to remind me to write blog posts. But alas, by the time I get around to writing, the blog post, newsletter or report is months old. I resolve to do a better job of linking to other bloggers by writing about their interesting or insightful information within a week of it being posted online.

3. Learn how to better optimize this blog — I downloaded and activated the WordPress SEO plugin, but I never use it. I resolve to learn how to optimize this blog and then report my findings.

4. Link to my other content — I publish an e-newsletter each month, write articles for other online publications, and often get interviewed by other bloggers, but I don’t always publish links to this content. I resolve to do a better job of promoting other bloggers and online venues and their efforts to reach out to me.

5. Use more pictures — I heartily agree with those experts who say blog posts should have pictures. I do try to include them when possible, but will often forego adding pictures when pressed for time. I resolve to make my blog posts more graphically appealing by adding pictures, logos, YouTube videos, etc. whenever possible.

That is my list. What do you think I should do more of? What should I do less of?