Idea 46: Translation through Comparision

Problem:

Let it be Chinese, Japanese, English, German, Russian or Spanish – translating can be a time-consuming activity, especially when the alphabets are different and one does not have a dictionary at hand.

Solution:

When considering that any word, any sentence or any phrase can be defined as a “symbol,” one might be able to create a system that translates through comparing “symbols” with a given database. For example: the sentence “I like to play tennis” is not “4 english words including a “subject” and “predicate” etc but a symbol/picture  consisting of lines and dots. It would work like “face recognition” but with words and allow instant translation using a smart phone.

Idea 41: Defining Leadership

Problem:

Answering the question of what leadership is, is maybe one of the most complicated definitions to find. It is similar to asking somebody to define the concept of beauty. There does not appear to exist a one-size-fits-all explanation. In addition, due to apparent cultural differences, even if one definition would exist, it might only be valid within the boundaries of the culture in which it was created.

Solution:

As globalization takes its course and is turned into glocalization, understanding of what leadership means to different cultures will become more and more important for managers or people in power positions in general. Documenting how different cultures define, see and understand leadership in form of a dictionary, in which the differing country names serve as the alphabetical mechanism, might offer the needed guide to enable oneself to adapt to different cultural norms. Asking a sufficient sample of participants of each culture/country to define leadership, and using this information to create a culturally based general definition of the concept in question might also lead to coming closer to create an overall definition that could be applicable across borders and differences.