LinkedIn Working On Japanese Localization

not “crazy” but “mental illness” tatoo

TechCrunch Japan reported [J] on its Japan original post that LinkedIn is seeking a Japanese translation contractor.

Japanese Translator (Contractor Assignment) Mt View, CA USA

Mountain View, CA, United States
Job Type: Contractor

Primary responsibilities:
Translate LinkedIn’s site to Japanese language version.

Timing:
This contract will begin on January 4, 2011 and last for approximately 16 weeks (between 30-40 hours per week).

Required Experience/Skills:
• Native level fluency in Japanese.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience as a translator.
• Good understanding of localization and linguistic issues.
• Experience using CAT tools, especially Idiom WorldServer and Trados.

Preferred Experience/Skills:
• B.A. in Translation, Linguistics, or similar.
• Self-motivated, with excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Location:
• LOCAL CANDIDATES ONLY in Mountain View, California, USA.

More:
• Applicants with recommendations are preferred
• Local candidates ONLY, no relocation

There is also a Japanese localization quality assurance contractor post has been posted earlier, both still seem open.

LinkedIn’s Japanese localization was once announced [J] in 2007 by Digital Garage, who helped and succeeded one of the most successful Twitter’s local adaptation, but then there were neither language localization nor visible marketing happened. If they find those two contractors soon, which should be possible in Mountain View, we may see LinkedIn Japanese in this summer 2011.

Japan is known as a barren land of business social networking services, and Facebook Japan sees difficulty to let people use their real name. (see Facebook news covered on Asiajin)

Japan’s job market is less active than in U.S., and does not depend on individual people’s reference networks. But more people ought to leave their life-time workplace in last two decades economic stagnation, situation will be gradually closer to the U.S. If the localization does not only end with message translations, but also care with cultural difference, which should require some system-side changes, they have a good chance to be the first successful social business networking service in Japanese.

See Also:

9 Out Of 10 Japanese Mobile Users Disinclined For Using Real Name

See You, CU – even the mighty Yahoo! Japan gave up within a year (which was not their first attempt)

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Introduce our new sponsor Lightake.com

When I started this blog, I just did it for fun, but as a frequently updated website, It has eaten up quite a bit of time. So I am very happy that Lightake advises on our site, and I also feel obliged to write a short introduction about Lightake.

Known to every life on the earth, even the whole solar system, China has the cheapest labor, and cheap labor produces cheap products. That’s why those ‘Made In China’ are so popular in the world. But when these products were imported to your country by local resellers, and sometimes were re-branded, they were sold at a much higher price, sometimes several times higher, compared to sold in China.

So if you could endure a little longer shipping time, buying directly from China seller is a good choice. And obviously Lightake.com is one of your choices. Lightake company located in Hong Kong, where has very good international logistics and is also very near to Shenzhen, a biggest Electronics sourcing center in the world. These advantages enable lightake to offer very completive price for buyers. Price for some products on their website even just the same as I saw on China’s biggest shopping site Taobao.com. Lightake sells a wide range of products with freeshipping, including cell phones, Magic Cubes, LED & flashlights, computer parts and peripherals, ipod accessories, NDS accessories, R4, AK2, DSTT DS Flash Carts, and other cheap gadgets.

So go to lightake.com and have a look, you might find surprise.

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China Mobile – losing its influence

Happy New Year!! In the beginning of a year, many organizations will give their predictions for the coming year.   I seldom predict the future.  But, I think one thing that is rather certain in 2011 is the influence of China Mobile is diminishing.

Many people already know the reason.  It is because it was grant the worse 3G licenses – TD-SCDMA.  The home made standard does not have a hot product, such as Apple iPhone, to promote it.  It is seldom used in the rest of the world.  So, many China mobile users switch to China Unicom, which use the more widespread WCDMA standard, when they want to upgrade to 3G phones.  Chinese government is helping them to make the decision as people can switch between operators and keep their original numbers.  Many of my local Chinese friends are doing so.

If we check the MIIT data, we will see, for 2G, China Mobile has 70% of the market.  But for 3G, the three operators, China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom, have more or less the same number of users.  By July 2010, China Mobile had 11.8M 3G users, China Unicom 8.5M and China Telecom 7.75M.

This could be a good news for companies providing mobile services. China Mobile used to be the absolute monarch. It has 70% of the country’s mobile users and 90% of the data business – the part mobile services providers can participant. Now, the playing ground is leveling. There are three operators to choose from. Terms and conditions for partnership could be fairer and more stable.

Of course, the transition will be a long term process. And no one dares to not consider China Mobile’s response in any mobile related development at the moment.

But there are signs showing China Mobile cannot dictate mobile development anymore.  For example, the mobile payment.  China Mobile is the first to launch mobile payment in China, with a proprietary 2.4G Hz technology.  But, the other players in the industry, such as China Unicom, China Unionpay, the Chinese banks, prefer the 13.56M Hz worldwide standard.  Recently, China Mobile has softened its position. It will keep using 2.4G Hz for the existing cities that it has launched the services, e.g. Shanghai.   But for the other cities, it will also adopt the 13.56M Hz standard.

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Meizu M9 launch day, long lines formed for the phone

Meizu company chose the first day of 2011 to launched its highly-anticipated phone M9 in China today. Meizu in the mobile industry become known for its first phone M8 that looks very similar to iPhone. It seems that the company does not only copy Apple’s design, but also the company’s market strategy and culture. In China, Meizu has successfully abstracted a vast group of young people to become its loyal fans. So today the phone M9 arose craze as iPad and iPhone did in China’s big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, etc. The video shows in China mainland’s most modern city Shanghai, though the whether is very cold, people were standing in lines around the shop for M9.

[source:youku]

• Meizu M9 hands-on videos
• Meizu M9 got unboxed
• A clear picture of Meizu M9 from J.Wong
• Meizu starts M8 Android open source project at Google code
• Rumored spy shots of Meizu M9 surface
• Meizu M9 Knockoff is out
• Meizu M8 new UI demoed on video
• Meizu mPad? Meizu CEO J.Wong says ‘No’
• Video: Meizu M8 runs Android, showing responsive touch control
• Video: Meizu M8 Vs iPhone

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Report: Docomo To Launch New Tablet In March

Japan’s No.1 mobile carrier, NTT Docomo, which saw No. 3 SoftBank winning the rights to distribute the iPad in Japan last year, is planning to launch a tablet on its own. Japan’s biggest business daily, The Nikkei, reported yesterday that Docomo commissioned LG Electronics to manufacture a device designed specifically for the Japanese market.

The yet to be named tablet will come with Android as the OS on board and will be offered through Docomo’s sales network by late March, if everything goes according to plan. Not too surprisingly, users will be able to go online via Docomo’s 3G network.

The Nikkei says the tablet will be sized between eight and nine inches. In other words, the new tablet will be smaller than the iPad (9.7 inches) and the Samsung Galaxy (7 inches), which in Japan is offered by Docomo.

Pricing, specs and other details are unknown at this point.

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