Being Bilingual: Bilingualism and Biculturalism

Many people who speak more than one language are monocultural in their background.

 

Identity Politics
It’s natural for everyone to have some idea of ‘who they are’. This self-identity draws on many aspects of our lives: Our interests, talents, friends and relationships, and our family background. We often fool ourselves into thinking that we are in control of our own self-image, but the fact is that image is shaped by many factors beyond our control.

 

For bicultural people, it is often difficult to maintain a dual identity if they are immersed as a native in one culture – they often feel like they don’t truly belong to either. It’s almost as if cultural background was like a sports team, and you can’t root for two teams in the same game!

 

The most common way to deal with this is to simply choose a side. Bicultural bilinguals often choose a ‘dominant’ culture to identify with, and often spend many years of their lives denying there is a any conflict at all. You see many examples of the children of immigrants rejecting their parents’ cultural background in favor of their adopted country’s. It is a simplifying process, and also a defensive process when you are already perceived as an ‘Other’ in your new home.

 

With Age, Wisdom
But even for bilinguals without such concerns it is quite common to deny biculturalism. We humans appear to be hardwired to choose a side in all things, and often accepting biculturalism is a product of age and maturity – which makes sense, as youth is often a time of turmoil and personality formation. Over time, bicultural people usually come to realize the potential power of their dual background, and to embrace it.

 

It helps, of course, that as you grow older you usually establish your own place in the world and rely less and less on the trappings of exterior traits such as nationality or even dominant language. In other words, as your community comes to appreciate you as a person, it is easier for you to admit your own background and skills.

 

As has been noted many times elsewhere, bicultural bilinguals are a valuable resource, as they are natives in both cultures and form an amazing bridge between them. As they struggle with their identity, we should encourage and protect them, as we would any natural resource.

The Need for Copywriting

Copywriting tackles different things. They are usually needed for web content, news releases, brochures, training manuals etc. Copywriters basically package powerful messages by stringing the right words and images into the right form and length to capture attention and motive minds. We are responsible for creative ideas or concepts and provide substance, direction and content.

 

Here at Copywriting Services in Singapore, we offer consultation services in order to understand better of what is needed from our clients. This will greatly assist us to better craft the message for the intended audience and achieve optimum results for your brand.

 

From the attention-grabbing advertisements to creative corporate brochures and even your company’s annual reports, we brew the right content for you.

 

Wait no more! Drop us an email (sales@copywritingservices.com.sg) or give us a call (6600 3798) for more information 🙂

Copywriting Services in Singapore

Copywriting is usually the act of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. Copywriting is usually needed for copies such as advertisements, brochures, leaflets and even business newsletters.

Understanding the project brief and what is needed for the content is very important. This will shed light on what us, as the copywriters are required to write for our clients. As each copy is different and has their own unique selling points, we have to conceptualise the main idea and come up with various ways to write a compelling content.

Although copywriting may seem like a straightforward task, engaging in professional copywriting services in Singapore will ensure quality content you are looking for. With experienced copywriters ready to assist you, your copywriting task will be smooth sailing.

Here at Copywriting Services, our team of talented writers is ever ready to assist you with your copywriting queries. Drop us an email or give us a call for more information! 🙂

Copywriting Topics

Copywriting can be broken up in various topics and it is important that we understand different writing techniques are required accordingly. For certain companies, they would prefer professional write-ups whereas a handful would prefer a different style, in which they might adopt a fun and goofier approach for their content.

 

It is crucial for companies to know the style preference they wish to adapt for their copywriting copies as it serves as a representation of their company’s branding. This is also to assist the copywriters in planning out their draft copies by understanding the direction required to take for a particular copywriting assignment.

 

In order for a successful copywriting job to happen, clients are also expected to provide copywriters with sufficient information and guidelines upon confirmation of the job request. With limited resources to work with, copywriters may cause repetition when writing hence it is important that a strong teamwork between clients and copywriters is present. Should external meetings and interview sessions are required, copywriters should also be alerted beforehand so that they can gauge and plan out their schedule accordingly to meet the given dateline given by clients.

 

Do not hesitate to contact us if you require professional help in copywriting services at sales@copywritingservices.com.sg.

Essentials for Copywriting Job Requests

copywriting

When it comes to copywriting, it is best to fully understand the context of project that needs to be done. Some of the common questions a copywriter might have:

  1. What is the direction needed for the copywriting job?
  2. What is the tone of write-up needed by client?
  3. Are there any special information client wishes to include for the copywriting job?
  4. Will there be external interviews required for the copywriting job?
  5. Will the materials be given by client or is self/additional research needed from copywriter?

 

Understanding in depth the answers to these questions can greatly help the copywriter work towards a more comprehensive write-up. In addition, it also assists the copywriter greatly to set aside extra time for additional self-research if need be which ultimately confirms final dateline for the project. In ensuring the project goes on smoothly, it is crucial that both the client and copywriter understand the expectations and quality level of the copywriting request.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you require professional help in copywriting services at sales@copywritingservices.com.sg.

Questions

It is always good to get enquiries from potential clients. This means that you are one step closer to getting that deal (money in and a better portfolio, heeeyyyy!) but as copywriters we must ensure that we do not rush ourselves just anything that comes in our way. We have to be professional and also responsible. What this means is that you have to ask questions to the interested party so that both parties are clear of what to expect and better understanding of the project.

 

Here are some questions that you can ask to the interested party:

  1. Can you please define your project?
  2. When will you be ready to get started?
  3. When do you need this project completed?
  4. Is there a hard deadline by which materials must be delivered?
  5. What is your budget for this project?
  6. If multiple executives or teams are involved, who has the final approval?
  7. Will I be interviewing people outside the company?
  8. May I see your existing marketing materials?
  9. Who specifically is the target audience for what I will write?
  10. Can you tell me more about this target audience?

 

Here are some of the basic questions we have listed. Do you have your own?

What does a copywriter do?

Let’s go back to basics. Many clients whom we have worked with are still unsure of what copywriting is and what exactly a copywriter does.

Copywriting in a nutshell consists of a lot of different things. Mainly, they are often referred to as creative writing and they come in various platforms such as web content, news releases, brochures, training manuals etc. Copywriters basically package powerful messages by stringing the right words and images into the right form and length to capture attention and motive minds.

In addition, copywriters are also responsible for creative ideas or concepts and give it substance, direction and content.

What do you guys think, do you agree with our take on copywriting and copywriters above?

Is translation optional? Not if you’re determined to succeed.

If you want your business to grow, you need to speak the client’s language. Hmm… sounds pretty obvious isn’t it? Most of us are aware that translation is critical for any company that does business across borders or within its own domestic multicultural community.

But apparently this alone doesn’t seem to constitute a sufficient motive for companies to truly invest in professional translation services. Why is that so? According to our experience, the following could be some of the underlying reasons.

First, budget reduction. Companies tend to assign the translation work to a staff member, who is already being paid anyway, so that they can save costs by not engaging external service providers. Second, confidentiality. By translating the content in-house, it is assumed that there will be no risk of information leakage.

Are these reasons as valid as they sound?

One recent study sheds light on this topic. Researcher Jukka-Pekka Peltonen concluded that a large bulk of translation work was done by in-house employees, and translation was not part of their job scope. Thus, the employees felt upset and taken for granted when they were tasked to carry out extra work. Also, since the employees did not receive any professional training, the quality of the translation may not be up to standard, and additional workload in the form of repeated revisions may even impede their performance in other tasks assigned to them.

What’s more, when the employees were unsure of the translation for certain terms and terminologies, they resorted to various means to find out the appropriate expressions from their colleagues or friends who were familiar with the area in question, leading to a breach of the confidentiality that was supposed to be protected.

So, it is really up to the companies to devise their best strategies after weighing the relevant costs and benefits.

As a side note, if you are still having doubts about how a professional translation agency can bring benefits to your business, just bear this in mind: professional translation done by translation companies allows you to protect and enhance your global reputation. Only when you are able to convey your messages clearly and effectively to different groups of target customers, then can your business prosper in the global market.

After all, accuracy makes all the difference, as translation with quality is definitely not something everyone can do on the spur of the moment. What about machines? Will they replace human translation someday? No, not even close. Even with today’s technology, machine translation is still miles away from producing an acceptable quality of translation, as the intricacies of language are still beyond the ability of talented programmers to imitate.

Basics of Copywriting – What’s in it?

 

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Ever wanted to have a copy that’s nicely written and is able to capture the attention of many? You’re in luck because that’s when copywriters come in handy!

In present day, copywriters are able to handle emails, online ad scripts, press releases and brochures among many others.

Copywriting involves creativity to take place and most importantly, stressing on the ‘call-to-action’ portion of your copy. Ultimately, it is important to market enough and ensure that your readers do not divert away from it too quickly!

Some pointers when it comes to copywriting:

  1. Catchy headline
  2. ‘Out of the box’ concept
  3. Precise and catchy ‘call-to-action’

Copywriting is certainly no easy feat and it is certainly not meant for everyone. Your choice of words and attention to what goes into the copy is important. For that reason, if you are in need of a helping hand in copywriting, we are more than happy to assist you!

We are after all the most amazing copywriters in Singapore ;)

The need for copywriting!

Sometimes, copywriting is needed to enhance your copy for many reasons. It can be for advertising, marketing and selling purposes.

The copywriter is responsible for telling the story, crafting it in such a way that it resonates with the viewer/reader ideally producing an emotional response. A little copywriting work can do the trick to get more attention for your copy that could potentially increase sales or clients for your company.

For individuals who are working on a copy for school work or projects, engaging in copywriting can also help produce a more interesting work that could potentially earn you an ‘A’ grade.

However, it is important to select the right kind of copywriting agencies to help you out with the copywriting task. This is crucial as it helps ensure credibility and quality in the assignment. Prior research on the company and the services they offer is very helpful. The company’s portfolio is also another factor that you can take a look at when deciding on which company to go for.

Do you have your own experience when picking a copywriting agency? Share with us!