arc communications
Arc Communications Corporate Newsletter

funNOTEoctober2010 7vol.

STARTINGOVERSEASOPERATIONS...
Is your company ready?

– The Importance of Creating a Foreign-language Corporate Website –The Utilization of a Foreign-language Website—Compulsory in the Era of Globalized Business

OURservices#01 Globally Valid Designs —Ochanomizu University#02 Six Apart, Ltd. Movable Type: Chinese Localization with Alfasado Inc.
#03 High-quality Multilingual Translations at Affordable Prices

Please don’t hesitate to call oremail us if you have any questions orwould like to consult us.

+81-3-5730-6133
arc-c@arc-c.jp

Service Lineup sss
Website Planning & Design

Graphic Design

Translation

Interpretation

Multi-language Websites

DTP/Printing

Localization

Temporary Employment

www.arc-c.jp/eng

feature

Foreign-Language Websites Compulsory
in the Era of Globalized Business

The Utilization of a
Foreign-language Website
Arc Communications’ Concept ofCorporate Websites for Globalized BusinessWith the Changes in Business Environments,
Companies with an Eye on the Globalization of their Business Are on a Rapid Increase
The Benefits of Constructing a Foreign-language Website
In dealing with overseas markets where a company’s sales channels,
products and services have not yet become as widespread as in the homecountry and where an understanding of market needs is not yet sufficient,
it is probably wise to begin by making an investment in marketing
communications. Foreign-language websites for overseas markets are aparticularly cost effective means of transmitting information because they
can be constructed in a short period of time at a low cost, and there isroom for trial and error. It becomes a medium not only for sales activities
but also through which messages to a diverse range of stakeholders canbe efficiently and effectively disseminated, such as in the provision of
information for building relationships with the media, investors and partners
or for recruiting purposes. Furthermore, websites clearly play an importantrole in unified corporate branding and risk control as can be seen from
actual cases experienced overseas by Japanese companies.
Inadequate Presence of Foreign-language Websites
However, the number of foreign-language websites published byJapanese companies is inadequate when considering the global
business development of Japanese companies. According to an Arc
Communications’ 2010 survey, even among companies listed in the firstsection of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, only about 70% of the companies
possessed websites in English, the global language. As can be seen in“Visit Japan” and other movements, efforts to attract foreign people andcompanies to Japan are becoming increasingly active. The importanceof considering the dissemination of information overseas becomesincreasingly important under such circumstances for even companies thattraditionally only targeted the domestic market. Having a foreign-language
website will most likely become a vital element of the web strategies ofJapanese companies.
Things to Remember in the Construction of Foreign-language
Websites for Overseas Users
Arc Communications is involved in both a Web and translation businesses.
For this reason, we receive many requests from customers to construct
a foreign-language website. Much of the requests are to translate aJapanese website as is into a foreign language.
The translation of an already completed Japanese website is extremelyefficient. There are more than a few cases in which this suffices. However,the content of Japanese websites is geared for the domestic market, sothere are more cases than you may think in which applying the content of aJapanese website as is will not work well overseas.
For example, many Japanese websites contain an “access” page which
explains how to get to the company. In a website for overseas users whowill often not be familiar with Japanese geography, it is far more beneficial
to explain what kind of a place within Japan the company is located rather
than describe how to get to the company from the nearest train station.
Another example is translating an expression like “boasting the No.1 sharein the industry,” which targets a domestic audience, even though it will notresonate with those overseas who have never heard of the company. Thevalue of a foreign-language website will increase dramatically by making aclose examination of the content from a foreign user’s perspective, with thecompany’s business strategy in the overseas market in mind.
From consulting and surveys to the design of site architecture, productionof site content, translation and site operation, Arc Communications
provides a one-stop solution for the construction of a foreign-language
website that enhances a company’s corporate value overseas.
For further information concerning our foreign-language website solutions,please contact Tomoyuki Unno at: arc-c@arc-c.jp or +81-3-5730-6133.

Foreign-language Website Solution: Survey Services
A desire that is common to persons in charge of the production of his/her company’s foreign-language website is most likely to create a sitethat matches the needs of overseas users. However, it seems that this isdifficult to achieve in many cases.
Arc Communications resolves this problem in two parts: by carrying out
a survey and analysis of the websites of overseas competitors and bycarrying out an interview survey and analysis of foreign users.
The price setting is such that the utilization of this service can beconsidered even by those with budgetary constraints that do not allow theuse of expensive consultation services. Please consider this service whenconstructing or upgrading a foreign-language website.

Efforts Made in Relation to Foreign-language Websites
2009.11.18

2010.2.23

2010.4.7

2010.5.25

2010.6.18

2010.8.23

2010.10

2010.10.23

Joined theE-Commerce for Asia
Alliance (ECAA; aconsortium supporting
businesses carryingout cross-border
e-commerce in theAsian market)

Seminar for Readersof Kouhou Kaigimagazine, A
Foothold to Overseas
Promotions—Pointsof Execution for Thosein Charge (seminarlecturer)*

A report on the surveyof the adoption ofmultilingual websites
by listed companies
released. Report No.1:
Listed Companies in
the Machinery Industry(April 7); Report No.2:
Listed Companies in
the Service Industry(June 10)*Multilingual Website
Response Survey
Report introduced on
the front page of themorning edition of The
Nikkei Sangyo Daily
on May 25, 2010

The “How to Builda Global Website”
five-part series*
commenced in
ITmedia Enterprise’s
online mook (bookmagazine) “TheSuccess of Advancing
Overseas Determines
the Future—Howto Make a Strong
Japanese Company”*

Seminar co-hosted
by Six Apart KK
and Alfasado Inc.,“Trilingual (English,Chinese andJapanese) Website
Constructed Using
MT + Power CMS”
(seminar lecturer)

Scheduled to releasein mid-October themultilingual website
response survey reportof companies listedon the first sectionof the Tokyo Stock
Exchange*

Mariko Ohsato
scheduled toappear on the Asahi
Newstar (CS channel)
program, “LearningPlanet” (Tentativetitle: Global BusinessCommunication)*Please note that there are reference materials, etc. that can be downloaded from the Arc Communications website (http://www.arc-c.jp) for items marked with an asterisk.

Visions of Arc Communications’ Future
At a commemorative event we held to celebrate our fifth anniversary, we asked everyone to write an
imaginary magazine article about Arc Communications five years from now. President Mariko Ohsato used
her discretion to select and cite winners based on her reading of articles not bearing the writer’s name. Thewinners were as follows.

Grand Prize Morihiro Horie (translation/localization department)
Magazine: Diamond Weekly
Article: There was a long line of people in front of Arc Store Ginza branch, a shop directly managed by Arc Communications Inc. A line ofpeople of this extent had not formed in Ginza since the release of the iPad five years ago! People were there to buy the arc-mask, whichenables wearers to speak multiple languages. It currently handles 33 languages, and Arc Communications is considering making the arcmask capable of dealing with alien languages within five years. It is likely to become a passport for space travel.
OhsatocommentAward forExcellence

I thought I would select the article that was the biggest in its scale of imagination, and I found one that went even beyond myown! It is sure to be a hot seller, so I am looking forward to our employees developing it!

Manami Saito (translation/localization department)

Magazine: VOGUE (published in the online edition for theiPad, which has hit a penetration rate similar to that of mobilephones)
Article: “How to Make a Beautiful Company—the Trajectoryof Arc Communications’ Female President”
Mariko Ohsato is a woman who is known for her intelligence,
beauty and the superb balance she has achieved between
her professional and family life. The spread of her fame has
now extended even abroad and knows no end. Many of thethirty-something and forty-something employees who havejoined the company attracted to her say, “It’s such a beautifulcompany, there’s no way I could ever quit!” This year’s
corporate retreat is a five-day trip to Abu Dhabi, the Middle
Eastern desert resort.
Ohsatocomment

I chose one that I thought would be the most funfor us to do together. After all, even though we
do Arabic translations and websites, I’ve neveractually visited!

news

HonorableMention

Sachiko Iwata (web & cross media department)

SpecialAward

Hiroshi Watanabe (temporary employment department)

Magazine: Web Designing
Article: Cutting Edge Web Design—Arc Communications a
Hot Topic with Its Production of a 3D Website
A close coverage of the site where the Space Experience
website (a site that allows a virtual 3D spacewalk experience)
was produced and released for NASA, wowing the world!
Also included is the production office within the Kennedy
Space Center, scenes of the photo session on the moonand the space food most highly recommended by ArcCommunications employees.

Magazine: Baseball Magazine Monthly
Article: Tohoku Rakuten Acquired!
An article introducing Mariko Ohsato – who became theowner of a professional baseball team by acquiring theTohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles – was published. A message
of congratulations arrived from former Rakuten manager
Katsuya Nomura, who said, “An owner is the thing to be!
Managers are fired right away!!”

OhsatocommentOhsato
comment

I chose the one that I wanted to see happen themost. Just imagining this is exciting, isn’t it?

An Assortment of News related to Arc Communications

Japanese Translation of“Inside the Mind of the Shopper”
The Japanese translation of the book “Inside the Mind of the Shopper,” which Arc
Communications translated, was published. Author Herb Sorensen is a leading authority on
shopper marketing, who has spent more than 40 years exclusively researching shoppers.
Shoppers are scientifically analyzed using state-of-the-art technology and data, and he presents
a great number of insights that will lead to an increase in sales and revenues.

The survey results show us that our vague perception of shopper behavior is not necessarilycorrect.
Although the book is based on observation surveys, etc. that took place in US stores, there aremany things that are also applicable to the Japanese retail industry, and this is a book that is
highly recommended to retailers and manufacturers.

DIT O R 'S

E NO T E

Delivering the “New” to You-Published by Diamond, Inc. on September 9

For example:
7Half the US shoppers surveyed buy five items or less at the supermarket
7Shoppers who buy many items walk faster in the store as compared to those who buy only afew items
7About 80% of the time spent in a store by a shopper is spent moving from section to section

My childhood dream was to become the firstfemale professional baseball player, but this is ahundred times better!

Kau To Kimeru Shunkan –Shoppa No Kokoro To Koudo
Wo Yomitoku (The Momentthe Decision to Buy Is Made
– Deciphering the Mind andBehavior of Shoppers)
By Herb Sorensen
Editorial supervision by TNSInfoplan Inc.
Translated by Mariko Ohsato/
Motoko Scoffield
Published by Diamond, Inc.
Listed price: 1,800 yen (notincluding tax)

September is the end of the fiscal year
for Arc Communications. That meansthat as we are writing this newsletter,
we are developing various measures
towards the next fiscal year. A word that
we are hearing throughout the office rightnow is “new.” Whether it is a new service
or a new business, Arc Communications
is committed to new challenges. We will
be keeping you updated on what’s newat Arc Communications through ournewsletter, so please look forward toreading about them! (Michiru Kato)

Do You Know the Word “Iku Men”?
In Japanese, a slang term for a handsome man is “ike men.” While many people are familiar
with that word, most people have probably never heard the word “iku men.” It means “menwho enjoy child rearing.”
Actually, Arc Communications has an “iku men” employee. He started a blog on hischildrearing experiences (Ikuo JP: http://blog.livedoor.jp/iqo190/) after he went on parenting
leave. His experiences childrearing were introduced in an article in the evening edition of theAsahi Shimbun newspaper, and he also gave a lecture at Waseda University on Learning
Work-Life Balance from Role Models.
The term “iku men” was born because they are a rarity in Japan—most people haveprobably never met one. We are sure that by the time the word becomes a cliché, Japan will
have become an even more pleasant country to live in.

arc communications
Moriden Building 7F, 3-9-9 Mita,
Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-0073 JAPAN
Phone +81-3-5730-6133
Fax +81-3-5730-6134
http://www.arc-c.jp/eng
arc-c@arc-c.jp

OUR

A Look at the Latest Arc Communications Production Projects

services#Globally Valid Designs—Ochanomizu University

Graphics production

Websites are not the only things that need to be globalized. Print media such as corporate
brochures, product pamphlets and public relations magazines also have to be globalized.
We recently received a request from Ochanomizu University’s international exchange team toproduce a school prospectus in English. Globalization is an important theme even at universities.
Although this university is well known in Japan, it does not have the same name recognition abroad.
For this reason, the English school prospectus will be used not only to attract international students
to the university but also as a tool for introducing the school at international conferences, etc.
We aimed for a design that retains the essence of the university’s distinguished history, traditionand elegant spirit – as embodied in the russet school color – yet is fresh and incorporates overseas
trends. We kept the Ochanomizu University tone in the design while adding a taste that differsfrom the Japanese school prospectus. We sincerely hope that it will serve useful as a new part ofOchanomizu University’s history.

#Six Apart, Ltd. Movable Type: Chinese Localization with Alfasado Inc.
Web development service

Arc Communications worked with solutions partner Alfasado Inc. to help make Six Apart KK’s “Movable Type” Chinese-capable. Six Apart is a leading
company in blog technology. Furthermore, we are scheduled to cooperate with Alfasado in making Power CMS for MT, a Movable Type plug-in, Chinesecompatible as well as in translating related materials.
By making Movable Type and the plug-in Chinese compatible, Movable Type and Power CMS for MT will have user interfaces in English, Chinese andJapanese and will become a powerful solution for the multilingual rollout of websites. Arc Communications will construct English and Chinese websites
utilizing these products as well as provide English and Chinese inquiry support services in the operational phase.

#High-quality Multilingual Translations at Affordable Prices
Translation services

Pushed by the surge in corporate globalization efforts, there has been a particular increase lately in translations involving languages other than English.
Arc Communications prides itself in the provision of multilingual translations that are of high quality regardless of the language.
<Completed Projects>
7Translation of an electronic device manufacturer’s product manual
into 16 languages
7Translation of a railway company’s website into four languages
7Translation of an article introducing a Japanese university from English
into Arabic and Vietnamese
7Translation of a questionnaire survey of workers around the world
into six languages

Please Feel Free to Consult Us
Web & Cross-media Planning & Design
With our superb planning ability that boasts an outstanding competitive proposal winning rate and ourforeign language capabilities, we have ample achievements in the production of branding-related B2B
websites and foreign-language websites, such as for the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)and the NTT Group.
Graphic Design
We offer one-stop graphic design services, from company brochures related to corporate branding
to website rollouts. We also provide wide-ranging graphic design services, such as the production offreesheets for an inter-women’s-college circle.
Translation/Localization
We handle 70% of translations into Japanese for the Diamond, Inc.’s Harvard Business Review. Ourbasic policy is to have native speakers carry out the translations, whether it is into English or any otherlanguage. Arc Communications provides high-quality translation services to your satisfaction.
Interpretation
We provide interpretation services through the precise coordination of interpreters for a wide rangeof situations, including interpreters for international conferences, in-house meetings and attendantinterpreters.
Temporary Staff Dispatch and Recruitment
We provide personnel with specialized skills that clients may lack, including translators, interpreters,coders, directors, designers, writers and editors.

We are constantly revising our translation rates so that we may
provide our services at a cost that is satisfactory to our clients. A
translation rate sheet can be downloaded from the following foryour reference.
https://www.arc-c.jp/translation/download/

Present Giveaway
We are giving away a Roomba
527 vacuum cleaning robot!
You do not have to be an “ikumen” to use this robotic vacuum
cleaner to lighten householdchore loads!
The deadline for applications isSunday, November 14
Click!!

(Japanese only)

http://www.arc-c.jp/present/arc communications
Moriden Building 7F, 3-9-9 Mita, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, 108-0073 JAPAN
Phone +81-3-5730-6133 Fax +81-3-5730-6134
http://www.arc-c.jp/eng arc-c@arc-c.jp