The new language support is made possible through the use of parent company Getty Images’ patented, industry-leading search and controlled vocabulary tools, which have been more than 10 years in the making. Unlike other stock photo sites that claim to “automatically” translate words, leading to many keyword errors, this database has been pre-translated with approximately 67,000 main concepts and up to 1 million synonyms in each of the 12 languages.

The 12 supported languages are: US English, UK English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Polish and Greek.

iStockphoto’s contributing artists will now reach an expanded audience as the site becomes more accessible to a global clientele. Those contributors whose native language is not English will have an easier task keywording their images and using the site. In addition, customers will be able to complete transactions in US, Canadian, and Australian dollars; Euros, Japanese Yen, and British pounds sterling.

French-, German- and Spanish-speaking communities make up the largest iStockphoto user populations after English. Each localized site will feature specific content created by members in that region. For more information on how to become a contributor, royalty percentages or image pricing, please visit www.istockphoto.com.

“We are very excited to welcome a broader set of international clients and contributors to iStockphoto thanks to our elegant new keyword translation, language support, and localized content,” said Bruce Livingstone, CEO of iStockphoto. “We want to the share the explosion of stock imagery and video worldwide, and I can’t wait to meet the amazing new contributors and designers who will join iStockphoto now.”

Special Events:

Germany
iStockphoto’s CEO, Bruce Livingstone, who pioneered the micropayment stock imagery market in 2000, will be attending Photokina in Cologne, Sept. 25 and 26, and will be giving the keynote address at the German Multimedia Congress (DMMK) in Stuttgart, Germany on Sept. 27, 2006. For interviews with Mr. Livingstone in Germany, please contact Bernd Klumpp at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Spain
iStockalypse™ is a periodic event that brings iStockphoto contributors together in different cities around the world to create images, collaborate creatively and learn from one another. September’s event in Barcelona will be the biggest ever, with more than a dozen shoots planned around the city for four days, ranging from flamenco dance shoots to the backdrop of the Parc del Laberint d’Horta.

The event begins on September 29 and culminates on Monday, October 2, at 20:00 with a gallery exhibition and silent auction of the best work by participants, sponsored by Turisme Barcelona. Proceeds of the silent auction will further support Getty Images’ charitable contributions to Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Other sponsors include Canon, Bowens, Apple, and HP, who are all contributing equipment and/or software to the event. For more information visit: http://www.istockalypse.com. For editors wishing to attend the photo shoots or interview Bruce Livingstone, please contact Eva Serrabassa at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it


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