The Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA) announced its new board of directors at AHAA’s recent conference in San Antonio. Alex Lopez Negrete, president and CEO of Lopez Negrete Communications will lead the dynamic organization as chairman and Carl Kravetz, chairman and CEO of Cruz/Kravetz: IDEAS will serve as the chairman-elect. Stepping down from this position is Manuel E. Machado, CEO of MGS Communications.

In his inaugural speech as president of AHAA, Lopez Negrete said, “We will make sure that we have an organization that never looses focus on its core mission to communicate the value of what we do and of the community we represent to the highest levels of the corporate board rooms.”

The Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (http://www.ahaa.org) is the national organization of firms that specialize in marketing to the nation’s 43.5 million Hispanic consumers, the most rapidly growing segment of the American population. AHAA promotes the strength of the Hispanic marketing and advertising industry to the private and public sectors.

AHAA agencies offer a unique blend of cultural understanding, market intelligence, proven experience and professionalism that deliver Hispanic market success for clients. AHAA helps organizations gain market share, increase revenue and grow profits by building the bridges and delivering the messages to reach America’s Hispanic consumers, who together have an estimated buying power of nearly $700 billion.

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If you’re in marketing, you’ve heard the numbers: Forty million Hispanics live in the U.S. and represent approximately $686 billion in spending power, an estimated $6 billion of it funneled to entertainment. Although they’re only 13.4% of the population, they account for an estimated 20% of movie-ticket sales, and some say that number is as high as 50% for an opening weekend in Los Angeles.

Formidable by all counts, one would naturally assume the Latino community is being courted by the Hollywood power structure through strategic casting, choice of story material and targeted advertising. Yes and no.

…the industry still has a long way to go. At this point, Latinos just don’t have the onscreen recognition they feel they deserve to accurately reflect their commercial and cultural clout.

While many studios and networks have created slots for executives in charge of Hispanic marketing, supported by a variety of independent consultancies, there are those who complain that the amount of money spent to back such initiatives is paltry compared to the prize at stake.

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The United States is in the top 10 when it comes to getting little sleep, with 19 percent of the population logging 6 hours or less during the week. That’s among findings of a new study of sleep habits conducted by ACNielsen.

The study, which looked beyond the United States, found this country is a nation of night owls and early birds. More than a third of U.S. adults go to bed after midnight during the week, while nearly the same number are out of bed by 6 a.m.

“The Internet, laptop computers, PDAs, cell phones, and ever-rising expectations about what one can get done in a day have created a 24/7 global culture,” stated ACNielsen spokesman Tom Markert.

The research organization cited National Institutes of Health estimates that some 70 million Americans suffer from some form of sleep disorder. The survey was conducted over the Internet in 28 global markets and involved more than 14,000 adults.

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From 2000-2004, dollars spent by the top-50 advertisers to reach the U.S. Hispanic market grew from $658.37 million to $1.23 billion, according to a new HispanTelligence research report.

otal monies spent by the top-50 advertisers to reach the U.S. Hispanic market have grown more impressively than the overall market itself despite slowing in growth in recent years. From 2000-2004, dollars spent by the top-50 advertisers grew from $658.37 million to $1.23 billion, an 87 percent increase. The dramatic increase in advertising expenses serves as an indirect indicator of advertising investment satisfaction by existing advertisers. Large companies like Procter & Gamble, General Motors, McDonald’s, and Coca-Cola have continually increased the amount of money they are spending to reach this coveted market. Companies that have just entered the market are finding themselves far behind those that have been involved all along, but are spending large amounts to make up lost ground. Most notably, Lexicon Marketing, developer and marketer of Inglés sin Barreras, a video-based English learning program, has increased its advertising investment from $12.56 to $75.00 million in little over a year, and is now challenging the venerable Procter & Gamble for the top position.

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The unemployment rate for Hispanics dropped from 6.4 percent to 5.7 percent in March, according to recently released data from the U.S. Labor Department.

Unemployment among Hispanics remained 0.5 percent higher than total U.S. unemployment, which was 5.2 percent.

By age and sex, unemployment among Hispanics ages 20 and over was 5.3 percent for men and 5.8 percent for women. The unemployment rate among Hispanics ages 16 to 19 dropped from 21.2 percent in February to 18.8 percent in March, reflecting 14,000 new jobs going to young Hispanic job seekers and the withdrawal of 12,000 Hispanic youths from the U.S. labor force.

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Discovery en espanol will no longer be an orphan. The cable channel, geared to the U.S. Hispanic market, is getting two new siblings in June along with increased attention from its global multichannel parent Discovery Networks.

It’s part of Discovery’s strategy to make inroads in the mushrooming U.S. Hispanic pay-TV market with a new Miami-based division, the U.S. Hispanic Networks Group, launched two weeks ago with some 15 staffers in programming, advertising sales, research and distribution.

Discovery launched its “en espanol” channel seven years ago for U.S. Spanish-speakers, but has largely focused on developing Spanish-language channels in Latin America and Iberia.

About a year ago, Discovery started researching opportunities to lure more U.S. Hispanic viewers and came up with two “underserved, underprogrammed” niches: shows for children and women, Silberwasser said.

To start transmitting on June 17, Viajar y Vivir (Travel and Living) is designed to be a lifestyle channel aimed at women, with programming to encompass travel, food and home decoration.

Starting on the same date, Discovery Kids en espanol will offer “safe haven” programming with educational value: preschool fare in the morning, shows for school-aged kids in the afternoon and family programs on animals and nature in the evening.

Discovery’s push into the U.S. Hispanic market comes amid an explosion in pay-TV channels aimed at stateside Spanish-speakers. Last year, 19 networks were launched, many of them channels from Latin America, with another half-dozen announced to go up this year.

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The Hoffman Estates-based retailer has ended its relationship with TV personality Lucy Pereda known as the “Hispanic Martha Stewart” after less than two years of selling her apparel in 227 Sears stores.

Sears Holdings Corp. is saying adios to Lucy Pereda and hola to Latina Life.

The Pereda line had “weak” results, said Gwen Manto, general manager for Sears’ soft lines, which include clothing. “We’re having our last deliveries of Lucy Pereda now,” she said.

But Sears, whose retail Achilles’ heel has been apparel, is continuing to take steps at luring Hispanic shoppers — which account for a quarter of the company’s sales — with an exclusive line called Latina Life.

The line is part of a partnership with Latina magazine and consists of clothing, shoes and purses.

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Although the pontiff is said to have excellent foreign-language skills, the absence of any comments in Spanish perplexed reporters and photographers who were granted access to the new pope’s first public address.

To the bewilderment of journalists from Latin America, where most of the world’s Catholics live; he neglected to say any words in Spanish.

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Talk about pressure! Not only is the new Pope expected to speak multiple languages, but he’s also expected to remember to use them when he makes public addresses.

Jorgo Riss was born and raised in Germany: He has a weakness for bratwurst and a thoroughly Germanic seriousness about issues like solar power. But he also has an Italian casualness about punctuality and loves his 5 o’clock tea, a habit he picked up in London.

“I feel European rather than German,” said Riss, 34, who has lived in five European countries, speaks five languages and now runs Greenpeace’s office in Brussels. “I feel at home anywhere in Europe.”

A year after 10 new members joined the European Union, euroskepticism and doubts about the new European constitution may be dominating headlines. But beyond politics and institutional battles, the everyday reality of Europe’s open borders is quietly forging a European identity.

A growing number of young Europeans like Riss study, work and date across the Continent. Unlike their parents, who grew up within the confines of nationhood, they are multilingual and multicultural.

Most of the EU citizens who say they feel “European” still rank their national identity higher than their European one, opinion polls show. But among those aged 21 to 35, almost a third say they feel more European than German, French or Italian, according to a survey by Time magazine in 2001.

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Now in its third edition, Byte Level’s “The Savvy Client’s Guide to Translation Agencies” includes:

* 70 translation agency profiles
* 10 questions to ask before selecting a translation agency
* How to manage translation for the U.S. Hispanic market
* Translation agency trends and innovations
* What companies need to know before taking a Web site global

In addition, agencies are segmented by size, location, and specialty to help executives generate “short lists” of potential candidates, saving hours of research.

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I don’t know whether Linguistic Solutions is included, but we’re here if you need us.

This book is a translation in Tamil of Red Star Over China by Edgar Snow (1905-72), which made him world famous. An American journalist, who went to China in 1928, Snow worked as a correspondent to a number of journals and also as a lecturer in Peking University.

In 1936 he journeyed to Northwest China where the communists had set up the Soviet Government. He was the first westerner to set foot there.

During his stay he travelled all over and saw for himself how the communists lived and worked. He interviewed Mao Tse Tung, Chou En Lai, Lin Biao Chu Teh and numerous other leaders, cadres and ordinary people.

Based on what he saw and heard he wrote this classic of an oral history in 1937. This translation is of the 1972 Pelican edition without the index.

Besides the 1937 text condensed suitably to exclude tedious accounts the revised edition has chronology of the Chinese revolutions from the opium war to 1971, an epilogue written in 1944, chapter notes, further interviews with Mao, biographical notes on 100 leading communists updated up to 1971 and an extensive bibliography.

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The remarkably fast, accurate, and versatile Sakhr translation software
will allow U.S. government agencies to translate documents from Arabic to
English in a matter of seconds or minutes instead of hours or even days. The
translation capabilities of Sakhr may be equally applied in reverse, allowing
English to be quickly translated into Arabic, opening up a variety of
applications for the software beyond the national security arena. For
example, as Iraq develops its democracy and works to rebuild, this translation
software can play a valuable role in helping to provide needed medical
information, textbooks, engineering documents, and much more from the U.S. and
other English-speaking countries to the Arab world

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Caveat emptor!

The Senior English Language Fellows Program is an exciting opportunity for experienced teachers and trainers to increase the level of English language instruction by training local English teachers and designing curriculum that will be used by generations of learners. Senior EL Fellows serve the 10-month Fellowships primarily as teacher trainers at Teacher Training Institutes, Ministries of Education, Universities, and other institutions. The standard responsibility of Senior EL Fellows is to train English teachers, though some are responsible for developing materials that are often used countrywide by generations of English language learners. Senior EL Fellows are improving the level of English instruction around the world in a sustainable and effective manner. Currently we are recruiting for at least 39 Senior Fellowships all over the developing world for the 2005-2006 academic year. Senior EL Fellows make a difference in the lives of thousands of people. This is your opportunity to help build a peaceful and prosperous world community, make a tangible difference in the quality of English instruction, and make a personal difference in the lives of others.

Senior Fellows receive a $24,000 stipend, living allowance (designed to pay for housing, food, utilities, and transportation to and from work), shipping allowance, educational materials allowance, pre-departure expense allowance, in-country program activities allowance, round-trip travel, accident and sickness insurance, and are eligible for a dependent allowance.

Applicants must be US Citizens, have a MA TESOL (or closely related degree), and have significant teacher training and/or materials development experience.

All application materials must be submitted by May 15th, 2005.

The English Language Fellow Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by the School for International Training.

Please visit our website for more information and to download an application.

www.sit.edu/elf

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As part of the Internationally Trained Workers Initiative, Citizenship and Immigration Canada is helping newcomers acquire the language skills they need to reach their full potential in the Canadian labour market, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Joe Volpe announced today.

“Language is one of the main barriers to integration into the workplace for many immigrants to Canada,” said Minister Volpe. “This investment will help engineers, trades people, doctors, nurses and workers in many other fields who received their training outside of Canada to find and keep good jobs that match the skills and experience they bring to Canada.”

While most newcomers have adequate conversational language skills upon arrival in Canada, many employers report gaps in the specialized workplace language skills and vocabulary that are required in many trades and professions. The Enhanced Language Training (ELT) initiative will provide job-specific language training to enable immigrants to gain the language skills they need to flourish in the workplace.

“I am pleased to report the progress we have made to date on this important initiative and share with you the list of projects that have been implemented across the country in 2004–2005,” added the Minister. “This would not have been possible without the successful partnership we established with Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and British Columbia on the delivery of ELT projects in these provinces.”

The government currently spends about $140 million a year on basic language training for about 50,000 adult immigrants outside of Quebec. The Enhanced Language Training initiative accounts for an additional $20 million annually, and provides bridge-to-work assistance, including mentoring, work placement and other assistance in accessing the labour market.

The ELT initiative is an important component of the Government of Canada’s efforts to attract highly skilled workers and ensure more successful integration of immigrants into the economy and communities. Other measures include working with regulatory bodies and sector councils to facilitate the development of effective processes for the recognition of foreign credentials and prior work experience, and the development of the Going to Canada Immigration Portal to provide better information to immigrants before they come to Canada.

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Public Radio Stations Nationwide Will Broadcast Documentaries, Features, Commentaries, Global Call-Ins and Public Forums on Topics Ranging from the Environment and Economics to Migration and MusicMay 16-22 On the Air; http://www.thinkglobal2005.org Online

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