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Scott A. Wiens
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 03, 2000 - 1:51 pm: | 
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Jim,
Thanks for the note. I would like to get the names of these gents for future use. French is another language that would be popular. One time we even spoke to some Australians who wanted a version of their software. Does anyone know Australian? Just kidding. Their issues were of course database (terminology and pricing) and format of phone numbers, addresses, currency, etc.
Thanks for the input. |
CAT GUY
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 01, 2000 - 4:51 pm: |
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!!!NEWS FLASH!!!
DATELINE ATLANTA......
Outspoken Atlanta Braves relief pitcher John Rocker has hung up his cleats and is retiring from baseball. Inside sources indicate that Rocker will become a CAT adjuster and has enrolled
for Texas licensing classes which he will begin upon completion of his sensitivety training classes.
Quote Rocker "I feel that my past is behind me now and I would like to move on with my life. I always wanted to be an adjuster, but my friends and family always mocked me about it. The way I see it, this will give me an oppurtunity to make new friends with all those @#?*#! and the @$#&*!
who I may have offened in the past"
Well good luck John and see you in the field!!!
end of transmission............. |
R.D. Hood
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 01, 2000 - 2:45 pm: |
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Scott & Jim & All interested parties:
To add some fuel to the fire, our experience in the Province of Quebec, CA last year was certainly enlighting.
It appears that very few of the "Experts En Sinistre" as they are known, in that province, are computer/estimating literate. They depend on written estimates of repair provided by the local contractors and then agree on that scope and pricing.
It was no wonder that when the "yanks" arrived and worked with our tools of the trade, the locals were embaressed and un-cooperative and even jealous of the fact that we could "turn and burn" 3 to 4 times what they could do.
The world is shrinking as fast as the web is growing. If one stands still they will be smothered.
The need for estimating systems in different languages is directly proportinate to the amount of insurance written and adjusted in the country of that language.
Those markets may be available now , or they may develop over the next few years. This remains to be seen. The point is, that with the Global economy and a single world interface it is as Jim stated , not IF but WHEN the products will be needed. And usually, the early bird gets the worm. |
Jim Flynt
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 01, 2000 - 1:24 pm: |
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Scott, excellent ideas!
From lessons learned in Montreal during last year's ice storms, I can also tell you that there is an uptapped market for a French version. The Canadian adjusters in Quebec were envious of the American adjusters with our software, as they told us no such software exists there for them.
If need be, there were two translators who worked with us up there, who have now earned their AIC designations and are working as cat adjusters. Both have excellent language skills in English and French. If you need someone to assist you in translating portions of your programs into French, you would be fortunate to have their language and adjusting skills working with you and your team. They could also help you to market it. Just an idea for you to think about! |
Scott A. Wiens
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 31, 2000 - 6:31 pm: |
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Jim,
Creating software in a different language is a great idea. I know we have thought about it at DDS since our market is expanding and there is a lot of potential in the overseas markets as well. We have considered a version in Spanish, and German. Converting a software program over would not just involve the language conversion but also changes in the address and phone number fields as well as modification to allow different terminology. The other issue, which is huge, is support for an international version would require. All these issues that can be solved with some work. I will let you know more once we make that move in earnest.
Scott |
Gale Hawkins
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 29, 2000 - 9:40 pm: |
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Jim what would you guess the market size (# of copies)is for an English to Spanish adjusting package?
There is a good size demand developing for a Spanish adjusting package it appears but producing it would be a 'low brainer' that could still be marketed in the $250-$500 annual cost range that all adjusting software will drop into by 2002. |
john postava
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 29, 2000 - 9:20 am: |
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We have a couple of adjusting firms (PA and Independent) in Miami and Puerto Rico that would like to see our contents inventories in Spanish (building estimates are okay). They currently prepare inventories in our system and export the info to excel spreadsheets for translation. They also would like to see our screen text in Spanish. My feeling is that a Spanish version of an estimating system would benefit the adjuster and the insured. Good idea! It's on my list! |
Paladin
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 28, 2000 - 10:05 pm: |
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I think the advantage is in having the ability to communicate and carry on a conversation to exchange ideas. Once the dollar signs are on paper that language is universal |
Linda Asberry
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 28, 2000 - 4:53 pm: |
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Here's my 2 cents. In theory it should work, but in practice, it might not. There are too many dialects of Spanish for it to work (assuming the adjuster has no knowledge of the Spanish language), Cuban v. Puerto Rican v. Texas v. true Castilian Spanish. Consider this, the Mexicans at the Rio Grande have a different vocabulary from Mexicans in Mexico City and farther south has still others. Personally, I think we had all better find us either a good Spanish program (most of them are Castilian) or find a really good tutor. (No change for my 2 cents necessary) |
Jim Flynt
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 28, 2000 - 3:11 pm: |
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Gale: Some Vendor is going to do it and make a lot of DINERO ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$) !! |
R.D. Hood
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 28, 2000 - 2:39 pm: |
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Gale, Here is my two cents worth. There is a softwear program on the market which I have called Globalink Power Translator Pro. This converts all english written text into five (5) languages , German, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. It also works in reverse. Web location is http://www.globalink.com
It is possible to interface an existing program such as this into an estimating program?, if only for the estimate portion.
I know it will work on the Reporting side of the programs , becasuse it works in MS word, Corel word perfect, Instant messages, etc.
Just a thought. |
Gale Hawkins
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 28, 2000 - 2:25 pm: |
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Jim with time and money most anything can be done. How many copies could one sell each year? What would adjusters/vendors/carriers be willing to pay? Just as a guess I would say one would have to expect $ 1,000,000.00 in annual sales for this special version of adjusting software to even consider developing it. Of course in a few years development tools may come out so translating adjusting software will be easier to develop. As we see today the last kid on the block often has an advantage over the others in easy of use and price because they did not get locked into older technology. It seems in software development, six months is more equal to 20 years of change in say the construction industry.
You are correct in you view of how important Spanish will become to the adjuster in the years ahead from what we at Hawkins Research see. We have a metric version of PowerClaim planned for 2001 to address the rest of the English speaking world needs and in 2002 we plan to add a Spanish version of PowerClaim but it will not be bilingual in nature based on we know today.
As our neighbors to the south continue to own more property we will see more and more carriers writing policies in these areas. The Spanish-speaking cat adjusters will earn a premium without question. If a cat adjuster plans to be working 10 years from now when Spanish will be displacing English as the primary language in large areas of the U.S. he or she may be surprised to find him or herself being passed over because they do not have at least basic speaking skills in Spanish. The good news it Spanish is maybe the easiest language for English speaking people to learn.
Just as the 50% of claims still being done by hand is starting to decrease in a big way just this year because adjusters and vendors are loosing business because the carriers are starting to demand claims to be submitted by email which means no more handwritten files, I expect most will not get concerned about learning Spanish until it starts costing them in the pocketbook. What do you see in way of volume for a good bilingual package? |
Jim Flynt
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 28, 2000 - 12:49 pm: |
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A QUESTION for SOFTWARE VENDORS
After giving this some thought, why couldn't you guys (SIMSOL, PowerClaim, DDS, etc) provide adjusters with your program in a version where the adjuster "writes" his estimate in English, but the program can be set up to print the estimate in Spanish? Or Japanese? Or ?? Just think of what this could do for adjusting in a multi-cultural multi-lingual world!!!!!!!
Is there any reason this cannot be done? At least as far as being able to do this in Spanish, it just seems to me that the TIME IS RIGHT. What can we do to help with this type of project? We need it, and we need it now!
I would also think this would open up new markets for you which are emerging with the spread of computer use into Latin America and Mexico and other parts of the world that also experience catastrophic losses. |
Jim Flynt
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 28, 2000 - 12:04 pm: |
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If there are any Spanish speaking folks out there who want a GREAT FUTURE with UNLIMITED POTENTIAL, then check out catastrophe adjusting. I'll be happy to help you folks learn adjusting if you will help me improve my Spanish.
Just send me an email (in English OR Spanish) for more information.
Russ, you and I are blessed to know an excellent young catastrophe adjuster from Miami named Luis Morejon, who speaks excellent English AND Spanish, and Luis probably stays out on assignments as much as anyone we know. Obviously, there is, as has been pointed out with this post, a crying need for more Hispanic speaking adjusters like Luis and others in this industry.
The vendors and insurance companies will jump at the chance to find Spanish speaking adjusters, as well as a few other languages which are becoming more and more prevalent in our very multi-cultural society.
For the adjusters who refuse to change or adapt, Good Luck. You are the ones who will be left behind in a changing world of globalized trade and changing demographics within America.
This country has always been a "melting pot" and the only "natives" were Indians who were waiting here for all of "our" relatives to get off the boat from somewhere else.
You might also want to take the time to look up the word XENOPHOBIA in your dictionary and then meditate on what it means to you and your future. |
Russ Lott
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 28, 2000 - 6:08 am: |
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Whether the insured speaks spanish, english, polish or french when the insured gets his check guess what language it is written in. I have not heard of a non english speaking insured ever returning a check because it was written in english. If the damages are significant enough the insured and the adjuster will find a way to communicate. |
R.D. Hood
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 27, 2000 - 11:20 pm: |
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The opinions are differing. The ability of one to be bi-lingual is of course a bonus.
Our abilites to converse in the insured's own language, allows them an added comfort level. This is what we always try to accomplish. We are all SALESPEOPLE, and our people skills coupled with our construction and policy knowledge is what allows us to accomplish our asigned tasks. Ergo, is the ability to speak another language not indeed another tool for the trade? Like a computer or a GPS?
This was brought to the fore in Montreal Canada, in '99, where the language of the province is French. There were a few who could "parle francais" but the others used translators and were somewhat successful.
IT cannot hurt to continually educate ourselves, and if learning another language will increase our ability to earn a living, make us more in demand, allow us to open additional doors to the future, then those that can, WILL.
Guess at this old age one can still learn to "Hable espanole". |
Jim Flynt
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 27, 2000 - 7:49 pm: |
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Kelley, within 10 years it is estimated that 35% of the population of the US will be Hispanic speaking. Many areas of the US now are predominately Spanish speaking. Are you willing to give up 35% of a claims market? Are you willing to give up 35% of the work opportunities out there? Are you willing to forfeit 35% of your potential income?
Your thinking would appear to be quite shortsighted and financially self defeating to me.
Yes this IS AMERICA. And in America ENLIGHTENED and CONSUMER DRIVEN INSURANCE COMPANIES have the right under our democracy to hire more ENLIGHTENED ADJUSTERS.
Mi amigo, vamos a la escuela por hablar espanol! |
Kelley
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 27, 2000 - 7:03 pm: |
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I do not see why there is a need to cater to the folks in the Miami who claim they can not speak English. I have worked the area and managed just fine once I realized that these ppl understand much more than they claim to. I would send a letter to them stating a time that I would be there for my inspection and they would need to furnish a translator if they had trouble with English. NFIP will not reemburse us for fees spent on translators, and after all... we are IN AMERICA, English is OUR spoken language. |
Tom Joyce
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 29, 1999 - 10:26 am: |
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For those interested there is an online tutorial for learning spanish at www.studyspanish.com |
Dennis Barefield
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 19, 1999 - 8:53 am: |
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Mr. Flynt your request for any info about our experiences has my attention. I was very pleased with my trip to the east cost, as I really did not expect to be accepted as quickly as I was. I left Texas with the hope of getting the experience it would take to allow me to work in the coming year and with no thought of being able to apply the minor skills I have aquired in the one year I have been a licensed adjuster. I took the advice of a friend in the insurance game and went with a new cat company (NCIS). I could not have been treated any better by my mother. These folks were very understanding of what a newbee needs to get started and I can't say enough about the adjusters I came in contact with. Just an all around great experience. My life has changed now and I owe most of this to all the adjusters that speak in the forms on this wonderfull site and to the GREAT bunch at NCIS Inc. for believing in a newbee.
As for covering expenses, since I had no expectations of ever doing this on my first trip, my breaking even was a bonus.
Thanks again, all of you, for the help you have given to the newbee's. I know that in the future I will do all I can to see that anyone gets any form of help I can offer |
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