Profile: Vancouver, Canada
About Vancouver
Surrounded by parks and nature, this green cosmopolitan city combines the beauty of the mountains with the magic of the sea, allowing all kinds of international events to take place within its landscapes and attracting tourists from all around the world, sometimes to stay forever…And they do stay; Vancouver has a great ethnic diversity, being the home to important multicultural communities, especially Asian ones, such as the Korean, the Japanese, the Chinese, the Iranian and the Indian, as well as a remarkable number of immigrants from the United Kingdom, Germany, Philippines and the former Yugoslavia. Due to its strategic geographic location on North America’s West Coast, it has become one of the most important connections between America and Asia, allowing thousands of companies and people to create cultural, language and business links that are constantly growing and creating new opportunities for those who are interested in being part of the different markets of this attractive region.
Not to mention that the Vancouver Port is the largest and most important of Canada, the largest of the Western Pacific and the fifth largest of North America, as well as the port that exports the most cargo in the whole North America. That means Vancouver is a city full of business opportunities that waiting for you and your company to discover them. Day Translations is ready to help you do that by becoming your most effective communication tool and your cultural liaison with Vancouver society and business community. We offer you the best quality Canadian English translations and interpretations and we can work with any other language you might request from us. Also, if you’re linked to a French Canadian company or you want to do business not only in Vancouver but also in a French speaking region of Canada, we have the most professional certified French Canadian interpreters and translators, and they’re always available to help you.
This city that has been selected in several occasions as one of the three most livable cities of the planet by prestigious magazines such as The Economist is also the host of important international events like the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, which are taking place on February, meaning that Vancouver will welcome thousands of visitors from all around the world that will arrive to be a part of the Winter Olympics’ magic.
Also, Vancouvr’s film industry is now called “Hollywood North” because it is the third largest of North America after Los Angeles and New York…That means there’s a whole huge market that you can reach if you approach it effectively. And for that you have our services. Day Translations can support your entrance to this world and help you open new doors by becoming your communication tool and letting you have direct and efficient information exchange with potential new customers and partners.
Other interesting facts about Montreal
- The Vancouver International Airport is a hub for Air Canada and Air Transat; it was the second busiest in Canada in 2007 (17,5 million passengers) with flights to Asia, Europe, Oceania, the United States of America, Mexico, the Caribbean and other Canadian airports, and it has won several awards such as the “Best Airport of North America” by Skytrax in 2007 and the “Best Airport of Canada” in the regional results.
- Vancouver is the second most popular destination for immigrants in Canada after Toronto. Because of its ethnic diversity and its big immigrant communities (52% of the population has as first language one different from English), and also because of its several “ethnic representative commercial areas” (the Punjabi Market, Little Italy, Greektown, and (formerly) Japantown), Vancouver is known as a “city of neighborhoods”. There are still some visible cultural elements of the English, Scottish and Irish societies, which were once the largest ethnic groups of the city and after which comes (in size) the German community. Another big and very visible ethnic group is the Chinese community, which, after the immigrations of the 1980s, became one of the highest concentrations of ethnic Chinese residents in North America, so diverse, that it has also the presence of several Chinese dialects such as Cantonese and Mandarin. There are also other important ethnic groups in Vancouver like the South Asian, the Korean, the Cambodian, the Indonesian, the Filipino, the Japanese, the Vietnamese, the Hispanic (although the immigration from Latin America has been low) and the Portuguese (Vancouver has the third largest Portuguese community in Canada after Toronto and Montreal).
- Every year in summer Vancouver is home to the “Celebration of Light”, an international pyro-musical fireworks competition, which is the biggest offshore fireworks competition in the world, gathering hundreds of people in several beaches of the city to watch the spectacle.
- Vancouver’s largest industry is forestry, but it has also increasing business activities in the mining industry, tourism, film production, software development and biotechnology.
- As we mentioned before, the Port of Vancouver is of great importance and exports more than any other on North America; every year it does more than C$75 billion in trade with over 130 different economies, and it produces $10.5 billion in gross domestic product and $22 billion in economic output.
- The Port of Vancouver also receives thousands of tourists every year; the city welcomes over a million visitors that pass through it on cruise ship vacations annually.
-The Vancouver International Film Festival is one of the largest of North America, showing over 350 films during two weeks on September every year.
- In 2008, Forbes chose Vancouver as the 10th cleanest city in the world.
- In 2010, Vancouver and the resort community of Whistler are hosting the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and the 2010 Winter Paralympics, for which a lot of infrastructure was created.
- Some of the most important international events that have taken place in Vancouver are the 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, which welcomed 20 million visitors producing $3.7 billion to the Canadian economy, and the 1976 United Nations Conference on Human Settlements.
- As mentioned before, Vancouver is known as “Hollywood North” because it has become the third largest film industry in North America after Los Angeles and New York (In 2008, more than 260 productions were filmed in Vancouver), and it is also the second largest television production centre in the world after Los Angeles.
Things to do in Montreal. Places to visit.
Stanley Park: Stanley Park is one of the main symbols of Vancouver; it is the largest urban park of the city (1001 acres) and one of the largest of North America. It is more than 10% larger than Central Park in New York and almost half the size of London’s Richmond Park. It’s located in downtown Vancouver and it has over half a million trees. It’s a great place for walking, skating, jogging and cycling, as well as for having a delicious picnic. Also, there are other beautiful parks in Vancouver such as the Pacific Spirit Regional Park (the largest of the city), in which the University of British Columbia campus is located; the Queen Elizabeth Park; and the Van Dusen Park, among others.
Whistler: This Canadian resort town is two hours north from Vancouver, still in the province of British Columbia, and is considered by Ski Magazine as the largest ski resort of North America and the best alpine station of North America. This touristic attraction that’s visited for over two million people annually is most of the alpine, nordic and sliding events during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
Science World: Officially called Science World at TELUS World of Science, this round building is a symbol of downtown Vancouver. It is a science museum that has permanent interactive exhibits and displays as well as an IMAX that presents different videos and movies related to science.
Granville Island: Right across the Downtown Vancouver peninsula, in False Creek, is Granville Island, a very touristic shopping district that offers the visitors a public market as well as several different attractions. A good way to visit this place is to take the Sea Bus and have a little trip while getting to the market!
Victoria: While being in Vancouver it is very easy, fast and inexpensive to take the ferry and visit the wonderful city of Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, where the amazing Butchart Gardens and other attractions can be a part of a great trip.
Vancouver beaches: There are several famous beaches on the Pacific Ocean coasts of Vancouver. The best known is English Bay, which is in Downtown Vancouver and hosts the “Celebration of Light” firework competition every year, but there are also other great beaches like the Jericho Beach, the Kitsilano Beach and Spanish Banks (Wreck Beach), which is the only nudist beach in the city.
Vancouver Maritime Museum: The maritime history of the Canadian Artic, the province of British Columbia and Vancouver are exhibited in this maritime museum located on the waterfront of the city.
Grouse Mountain: Grouse is located in North Vancouver and is one of the North Shore Mountains of the Pacific Rangers, a great place to ski in the winter and to go hiking in summer, since there is the “Grouse Grind”, the mountain’s hiking trail. Also, there are some wild animal shows and you’ll get to see some bears too.
Downtown and Waterfront: Walking through Downtown Vancouver and across the waterfront of the city is a great way to see the place, do some shopping, take nice pictures and end up at Stanley Park.
H.R. MacMillan Space Centre: The astronomy museum of Vancouver has some great attractions such as the Star Theatre, the Gordom MacMillan Observatory, a motion simulation ride called Virtual Voyages Full Motion, a Cosmic Courtyard and more…
Museum of Anthropology at UBC: Located at the campus of the University of British Columbia, this is a teaching and research anthropology museum, and one of the most important museums of the Pacific Northwest Coast First Nations culture.
Museum of Vancouver (MOV): Located at the same facility as the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, this is the largest civic museum in Canada and displays a collection of artifacts that have been chosen by Vancouverites around the world.
Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG): The Vancouver Art Gallery is the meeting spot for several city events such as the Zombie Walk. With a collection of over 9100 items, it is the largest art gallery in Western Canada and the fifth largest in the country.
Vancouver Aquarium: The outside of the Vancouver aquarium has appeared in lots of movies that you’ve probably seen. Located in Stanley Park, the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre is not only a touristic attraction with several animal shows, but also a marine research institution, and a conservation and maritime animal rehabilitation centre.