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Translator’s Guide to Coffee Roasts

March 4, 2016

While we can’t assume that all professional translators drink coffee, the art of performing translation services is ideally suited to pairing with the consumption of some type of warm beverage. Long hours sitting (or standing) in front of a computer screen, intently focused on the day’s translation projects, is how translators spend a portion of their productive time. Having a favorite beverage […]

Translation Industry Statistics 2016

February 27, 2016

We scan publications and announcements for statistics about the translation industry. Some are in the ‘interesting’ category. Some are even useful. The statistics listed below are at least in the interesting category, and possibly useful with some extrapolation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 46 percent increase in translation job opportunities between 2012 […]

Translator’s Guide to Coffee Roasts

March 4, 2016

Translation Industry Statistics 2016

February 27, 2016

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Translator’s Guide to Coffee Roasts

March 4, 2016

On a recommendation I recently visited a “small batch craft coffee roaster’s shop” near our office. I don’t drink coffee every day, although occasionally reward myself with a special cup (sorry Starbucks … seldom yours).

Out of habit (and apparently an uninformed one) I requested the shop’s darkest coffee. I was politely informed by the shop’s owner that “Well, actually none of our coffees are dark. Dark usually means burnt.”

To save others from similar potentially embarrassing coffee shop ordering missteps (and possibly enhance their future coffee consumption appreciation), a few coffee roasting facts follow:

As coffee roasts get darker, they lose the origin flavors of the beans and take on more flavor from the roasting process.
The body of the coffee gets heavier, until the second crack, where the body again thins.
Light roasted beans are dry, while darker roasts develop oil on the bean surface.
Dark roast coffees actually have less caffeine than lighter roasts. A strong, rich flavor might seem to indicate an extra dose of caffeine, but the truth is that light roasts actually pack more of a jolt than dark roasts.
Of the 25 or so Coffea plant species, two species, Coffea arabica (Arabica coffee) and Coffea canephora (Robusta coffee), account for almost all commercial production.
Because Robusta has more body than Arabica, it is often used in traditional Italian espresso blends where a full-bodied taste is desired. But more often Robusta is used in coffee blends as a less expensive substitute for Arabica. That’s why some higher-quality or gourmet coffees will tout the fact that they are “100% Arabica coffee.”
A commercial drum coffee roaster can take 15, 20 or more minutes to roast a batch of green beans. The same batch size of green beans can be roasted in 6 to 8 minutes in a commercial air roaster.

Translation Industry Statistics 2016

February 27, 2016

We scan publications and announcements for statistics about the translation industry. Some are in the ‘interesting’ category. Some are even useful.

The statistics listed below are at least in the interesting category, and possibly useful with some extrapolation.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 46 percent increase in translation job opportunities between 2012 and 2022—much higher than the 11 percent average growth for all careers. – U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
The global language services industry was worth approximately 35 billion U.S. dollars in 2013 and was expected to exceed 37 billion in 2014. Over the next four years the industry was forecasted to experience a growth of ten billion U.S. dollars, reaching 47 billion in 2018. – Statistica
A study done at Dartmouth in 2010 reported that out of all the American companies doing business overseas, about 26% of those U.S.-based multinational companies are classified as small businesses – companies that employ 500 or fewer people. – Omniglot
The US’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is investing dozens of millions on an automatic translation toolkit for lesser known languages. The agency has publicly announced awarding phase one contracts to 13 organizations for the development of the Low Resource Languages for Emergent Incidents (LORELEI) program. Seven of these contracts, which altogether amount to nearly $26 million. – Slator

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Translator’s Guide to Coffee Roasts

Translation Industry Statistics 2016

Translator’s Guide to Coffee Roasts

Translation Industry Statistics 2016

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Translator’s Guide to Coffee Roasts

Translation Industry Statistics 2016

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