The significance of translation in our everyday lives is more multidimensional than we realize. Yes, English is a language that is pretty much everywhere. It is the third most widely-spoken language in terms of native speakers. This equals about 330 million people. If you include the people who can speak English as a second language, it is probably the most popular language in the world. So what is the purpose of translation?
Importance of Translation for Everyone
There is great importance and significance when it comes to translation for everyone. Solely operating in English can hold back companies and businesses. When you understand the importance of translation for everyone, you will be able to see it as a necessary and worthy investment. For that, you will also need a professional translator or a company that offers translation services
People Prefer Their Native Language
There is no question that English is a widely spoken language. A lot of those numbers, though, are made up of people who speak English as a second language. This would mean that most people would actually respond better if they were spoken to in their native language.
These people do understand and comprehend English. They have no problems piecing together words to form a sentence in response to whatever you are asking them. But until you speak the language that their heart speaks (their native language), you won’t really be communicating with them in the most optimal way.
Most people simply prefer their native language. It is what they are most comfortable with and it shows in their confidence when they’re speaking. This is why we need translation; it will allow people to communicate more effectively.
Not Everyone Speaks English
English is a very commonly spoken language, but there are still some people out there who don’t speak the language. And just because a person can speak English does not mean that they can speak effectively enough to navigate each and every situation. Language is much more than just communicating words back and forth. It is a form of expression; expression of a culture, society, and believe. If a person does not understand the English language fluently and completely, there might be some miscommunication when it comes to holding a proper conversation.
Translation Enables the Global Economy
Communication and travel are advancing. Geography is no longer an issue when it comes to doing business overseas. The only stop gap would be the language barrier. These mega-businesses need high-quality translation in order to communicate effectively to grow their business. With such a demand, translation isn’t going away any time soon.
Various languages
English might not always be the most popular language in the world. As the world grows, other languages are beginning to grow in importance. Developing countries are beginning to take their place within the global economy and their citizens are gaining access to the Internet and the world around them. In years to come, English may not be the top language in the world economy. This is why we need translation to stay alive so we are able to accommodate all languages as a global economy.
Enable the Spread of Ideas and Information
Translation is necessary for the spreading new information, knowledge, and ideas across the world. It is absolutely necessary to achieve effective communication between different cultures. In the process of spreading new information, translation is something that can change history. It is the only medium by which certain people can know different works that will expand their knowledge of the world. For example:
- Arabic translators kept Greek ideas and philosophies alive during the Middle Ages.
- The Bible has been translated into approximately 531 languages.
- Translation aids sports teams and organizations in overcoming language barriers and take their sport internationally.
- TED talks are so big on the importance of translation that they have a specific project that will allow people from around the world to listen to their talks and hear from the best educators in the world.
With all that being said, it can clearly be seen that translation is more important than the attention and credit it is given. So many people around the world have already benefited from the effects of good and clear translation with its importance is becoming increasingly more well known today.
The Benefits We Get from Translation
Now that you have seen the importance of translation, let’s examine the benefits from incorporating translation into your business.
Reach a Larger Audience
One of the major benefits you get from translation is that a larger audience can be reached. Translation can help companies appeal to organization worldwide by expanding their brand, purpose, and goals to people all over the globe. You’ll be able to reach markets you didn’t think existed before. With translation, you will be able to open up new arenas of possibility that will aid you in years to come.
Create a Common Understanding
Information technology is constantly growing nowadays. It can be hard to translate legal and informative documents. With technical translation, you will be able to create a common understanding across many different languages that will benefit your business greatly.
Invest in Professional Translation
While you might be familiar with a language that you are translating in, professional translation will take you above and beyond. Always invest in professional translation. Serious translation errors can mean issues for your business. Professional translation will allow you to get deep, rich context and an accurate translation for important documents to share with those you are connecting with.
Legal Translation
Translation goes beyond just business development. If you happen to be working with someone who does not speak English, legal translation will leave no room for miscommunication in any proposal you are attempting to make. This translation will make everything pertaining to legal matters become clear and appeal to the international market in creating partnerships.
Translation for Travel and Tourism
Translation has had the greatest impact in the area of travel and tourism. From documents and brochures to terms and conditions agreements, translation has helped businesses offer exceptional services in many different languages. Customers from all different regions have the desire to travel and it is up to travel companies to make this as easy as possible. Everyone benefits when interpretation at the same time is properly used in travel and tourism.
Choosing a Translator for Your Translation Project
When it comes to choosing a translator, you have two options. You can either go with human translation or machine translation.
Human Translation
Human translation is the most accurate type of translation. A human translator will take your document, translate it into another language and then proofread it to make sure that there are no mistakes.
This process can take days or even weeks, depending on how many documents you need translated and how many translators you want to work on them.
The cost of human translation varies based on the length of your document, the number of words in it and the language pair that you want translated.
However, although human translation is the most accurate and reliable, it’s also the most expensive. Besides that, it can take a long time to get your documents translated by a human translator, which is not ideal if you need them quickly.
Also, human translators are more susceptible to making mistakes. So it’s important to have a proofreader review the document after it has been translated.
Machine Translation
Machine translation is a process by which a computer program is used to convert text from one language into another. It’s not as accurate or fast as human translation, but it is cheaper and more efficient for large volumes of text.
Machine translation is often used as an intermediate step in the translation process. It can be useful if you need to get a general idea of what a document says, but it’s not good enough to be published on its own. It is also used to generate the basic translations that human translators can then edit and refine.
This type of translation is most effective when it’s used to translate short documents like product manuals or simple user guides. It’s not useful for long-form writing like novels because machine translation often lacks the nuance that human translators provide.
A good example of machine translation is Google Translate. This tool can be useful for basic translations, but you should always check the results against a human translator’s work before publishing them to your website or social media channels.
Factors To Consider When Choosing a Translation Service
The translation industry is a competitive one, and it can be hard to find the right service for your needs. Here are some things you should consider before you start searching for a translation company:
Language Fluency
Translation agencies are often staffed with native speakers of the target language. This can be a great advantage for businesses that need accurate translations of marketing materials, legal documents or other important documents.
However, some companies also offer translation services from non-native speakers who have been extensively trained in their target language.
Ultimately, you want to find a company with translators who are fluent in the languages you need and who can accurately convey your message to your target audience. The more experienced and trained they are, the more likely they’ll be able to provide you with accurate and well-written work.
Industry Experience
You want to find a translation company that has experience working in your industry. If you’re a medical device manufacturer, for example, it wouldn’t make sense to hire a translation agency that specializes in marketing materials or financial documents. They may not have the knowledge or expertise needed to translate your documents accurately.
There are several ways you can go about finding out if a translation company has experience in your industry. First, you can look at their website to see if they have any testimonials from clients in your industry. If so, read through them carefully to make sure that the translation company understands the unique terminology used in your field and is able to translate it accurately.
Second, you can look through the list of clients that a translation agency has worked with in the past. If they have experience working with companies similar to yours, this can be an indicator that they will be able to provide accurate translations for your documents as well.
Third, ask about their process for translating documents from start to finish. This can help you to get an idea of how thorough their work is and whether or not you will be able to trust the end result.
Finally, ask for references from past clients that you can contact directly to see what they think about the translation service.
Quality Assurance
Quality assurance is a key factor when choosing a translation service. You want your translation to be readable and understandable by the target audience.
The best way to ensure quality assurance is by using human translators. Companies that use machine translation often have problems with their translations because machines are not capable of understanding context and meaning as well as humans do. When you use a company that relies on machine translation, you’re likely to get a poor-quality product that’s not worth your time or money.
You should also ask about how long it takes for them to complete their work and how they manage their processes and workflow. You want to be sure that they can meet deadlines and deliver high-quality translations on time.
Turnaround Time
You’ll want to work with a company with professional translators that can deliver high-quality translations in a timely manner. You’ll want to make sure that they are able to meet deadlines and deliver translations on time. You don’t want to get stuck waiting for your translation, only to find out later that it’s not as good as you hoped it would be.
Budget
It’s important to get a quote from your chosen translation service. They should be able to provide you with an accurate estimate for your project so that you can figure out what it will cost, and then you can decide whether or not it’s in your budget. You should also ask about their payment plans and whether they offer discounts if you order multiple translations at once.
Conclusion
Translation is still very much needed in our world today. Our multicultural and multilingual world is at a place where it is demanding clear and efficient communication between languages and cultures. Companies, schools, medical missions all benefit from the incorporation of translation. Not only will you be able to reach more people than you ever realized, you will be able to connect with them on a more effective level through the power of translation.