Anyway.
As I shopped around I remember an owner of a bicycle shop taking me and a friend upstairs to show us his prized possessions: Italian bikes.
Usually, Italian bikes are not kept in showrooms fully mounted. Rather, the frames are hanging from the ceiling. It was at this particular bike shop I saw my first Pinarello with a price tag listed at a cool $4000 (for just the frame).
Pinarello, not surprisingly, has helped propel many great cyclists to victory over the years. They include Miguel Indurain, Bjarne Riss, Pedro Delgado, Jan Ulrich and Alessandro Petacchi.
From Blacks Cycle who also recites Pinarello's rich history and tradition:
"In 1980 Pinarello affiliated itself with Inoxpran, the leader in the development of stainless steel (also known for its specialty kitchen accessories). Inoxpran was in part responsible for revitalizing the once victorious cycling athletes that made up the Jolly team."
From Competitive Cyclist:
"Pinarello has earned a reputation for new tubing technology before other builders even considered experimenting with it...carbon fiber are some of the cutting edge raw material used by Pinarello in recent times to manufacture bikes with an exquisite knack for overwhelming their owners' most optimistic expectations...delight in Pinarello's groundbreaking designs, their hardheaded attention to detail in production, and their delicious paint and finish work."
Although I'm not sure what they mean by"delicious." Did they eat it?
Actually, on a slightly off topic, now's a good time to mention if there's one weakness I consistently find on Italian websites is the poor English grammar structure. I don't blame them but there are great writers out there who can enhance their message to heights they probably never imagined. If they're masters of attention to detail and perfection then language is no different; it's still art.
Yes, I'm available to help out. Heh.
Enough of that. Here's a link to 'Rello's factory in Treviso:
I must show my son this , the testing of these bikes is amazing! Thank You
ReplyDelete“Actually, on a slightly off topic, now’s a good time to mention if there’s one weakness I consistently find on Italian websites is the poor English grammar structure. I don’t blame them but there are great writers out there who can enhance their message to heights they probably never imagined.”
ReplyDeleteFunny you should have mentioned this. I fear, alas, that Italians do not appreciate just how awful an impression is created by odd grammar and curious vocabulary. Not good for selling services.
Has anyone taken you up on your offer? I do hope so.
Best,
Alex
PS Saw this on BBC world today: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8072619.stm
Interested to hear what you make of this odd, and by all accounts, Italian creation.
To be honest, I’ve no clue how to approach them. It’s a delicate thing I suppose. The best way is to find a way to network but living in Canada may be tough. Maybe networking through this blog and its friend may magically pay some dividends!
ReplyDeleteI’m with you, grammatical presentation is crucial yet severely under rated and under appreciated.
I love that link! I will post about it! Its right up the alley of this blog! Many thanks.
I did try approaching a site once, but did not even get a reply. Not a great surprise.
ReplyDeleteThere is a terrible fear of losing face in Italy, and you may find that niece or nephew who, supposedly, speaks English, was engaged to translate, but did a bad job. But someone is too embarrassed to admit it, or simply feels offended at the insinuation that the English is far from perfect. Actually having sites proof read by native speakers would be a great idea, but, again, this does not seem to be done.
Funnily enough, next week I’m going to be holding a course on press release writing skills and on web media, and I will use this opportunity to underline just how important good English is. Not sure how good it will do, but I’m going to have a go anyway!
Thought you might have liked the Segway robot rubbish disposal unit!
Cheers,
Alex
It does feel as though they are content with a close friend or family member who learned English as a second language to write their content. It’s not that bad in some cases but when I think about the possibilities! Surprising given their reputation for paying attention to details.
ReplyDeleteBut this is not a cultural thing. Even in North America sometimes companies don’t invest in content writers.
At the very least, as you suggest, proof reading would be beneficial to all involved.
That sounds like a great idea for your course. We have to fight the good fight. As long as you plant the seed…
“Surprising given their reputation for paying attention to details.”
ReplyDeleteItalian attention to detail, from my experience, relates directly to cost, especially in the case of translation. Generally the tendency seems to be to pay as little as possible to get the job done, with attention to quality often being minimal.
“Even in North America sometimes companies don’t invest in content writers.”
This is very true. Generally English speakers write grammatically correctly, but not always well. In theory, all publically visible content should be well written, otherwise potential customers or clients may question the quality of service they are likely to receive.
As for planting the seeds, I doubt whether I am the first to have tried, and do not expect great results. But if I get people thinking, then that will be a step in the right direction.
Best,
Alex
“Generally the tendency seems to be to pay as little as possible to get the job done, with attention to quality often being minimal.”
ReplyDeleteAre you referring to brands like Ferrari, Zegna and even Pinarello?
I think you still have to try with the seeds. Think Jack and the Beanstalk. If that anaolgy even applies. ;<)
Ferrari was/is not one of the brands I was referring to! Not sure about the others.
ReplyDeleteI know Ferrari is a little miffed that the F1 people want them to throw less cash at their F1 efforts.
And although my claim may seem like a huge generalisation, I could give examples (but won’t! ;-) ).
I also know of others who have noticed this too.
Cheers,
Alex
First of all, this is officially e-Talian’s longest thread. Woo-hoo!
ReplyDeleteSecond, I sent you a message, Alex. I have a couple of questions for you.
Can anyone imagine F1 without Ferrari?