Don’t Fear Artificial Intelligence, Plan For It
The key is not to think of artificial intelligence as an existential threat, but rather an event we can plan for and build around.
Posts Tagged: language
Plain Language Doesn’t Have to Be Plain
I had a really great conversation with one of my coworkers the other day about the concept of “plain language” which really got me thinking about writing across all parts of government–local, state, federal… Here in the federal government, we talk about plain language–which is the idea that language should be easy to understand forRead… Read more »
Meeting Your Web Audience in Their Language
In today’s communications world, you simply can’t ignore the global reach of the Internet, regardless of your industry. The vast majority of organizations — including those without physical offices — benefit from, and are becoming increasingly dependent upon, a strong international presence to communicate and connect with their communities. Every communications professional must face theRead… Read more »
The Importance of Being Global: Cultural Competence in the Public Sector
A study on trends in cultural competence focusing on healthcare policy, practice and education cites cultural competence as a strategy to improve quality of care and eliminate racial/ethnic disparities. The aim is to “develop a workforce capable of delivering high-quality care and services to everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, culture or language proficiency,” state contributorsRead… Read more »
New contest: can you describe a new start-up (or organization) without using ANY of these words?
I originally wrote this blog post because I have noticed, as the federal government has gotten more “startuppy,” the language in the articles covering Startup Gov enterprises has started to get more buzzwordtistic, more tech startup delirious. To the detriment of sense. We can stop this, people. We can, and we should, because at aRead… Read more »
3 Crowdsourcing Services for Translating Your Website
Despite popular belief, English is not the universal language of the Internet. The U.S. Government knows this better than anyone, which is why they look to NAICS code 54193 to acquire the services necessary to translate .gov sites into multiple languages. What form do these services typically take? Direct contract labor of course, which isn’tRead… Read more »
In Our Quest to Use Technology, Let’s Not Forget Human Beings
The internet is an amazing advancement in our do-it-yourself world. We all love being able to go to Amazon or Google or a government website and get it done ourselves, without human intervention. When we go into a store, we don’t like that salesperson who asks, “Can I help you?” We don’t want anyone toRead… Read more »
Bridging the language gap between English and Chinese speakers online
Here’s an Australian initiative addressing a key challenge in the Asia-Pacific area: bridge the culture and language gap between English and Mandarin speakers online. The Marco Polo Project is an internet platform where Chinese and English language learners collectively reference and translate Chinese writing for an international audience. The website combines the functions of anRead… Read more »
Web Manager University Gets New Name. Same Great Training
Web Manager University, the federal government’s training program for web, new media, and citizen engagement managed by GSA, has changed its name to DigitalGov University (DGU). We changed our name to reflect the growing demand to help agencies serve customers through digital media and citizen engagement. Our broad curriculum includes training in social media, citizenRead… Read more »
More From the Government Man – What You See (and Hear) is Not Always What You Get
Today’s blog is a little less on humor and more on commentary. Consider it a primer for interpreting some of the political fluff the public will be subject to in this election year. Those who have read my book, Confessions of a Government Man, or listened to my meanderings, know that I have an absoluteRead… Read more »