Cross-cultural communication is an area that is exploding in importance. This is in part because the world has become so connected through technology. Technology can only take us so far because we also need to be able to effectively communicate in native languages. While it is great to read something in a native language, when the translation has been completed by machine, meaning word for word, then the translation reads awkwardly. We have all experienced this. Still, translation has had a huge impact on society as a whole, not just with products, but information sharing in general.
Consider something that is now commonplace, the Bible. It took book translation services to make the Bible widely available around the world. In fact, this type of translation is still occurring as the Bible in part or entirety has not yet been translated into every language. Sticking with the same example, Christian article translation has also grown in popularity as a breakdown of specific topics and areas are now widely available after being translated. This is important as the Word is being shared around the world in ways that people can understand. Sharing such information in a native language that is clear in the reading is important for it to have an impact.
Communication across languages and cultures involves important questions for society as a whole. Not only does the translator need to translate words, but also meaning emotion, and attitude. This is true of spoken translation and written translations. There is a certain social responsibility in the translation industry. This responsibility impacts human society because certain information is shared in hopefully specific ways. In specific areas, like Christian translation, financial translation, and medical translation, a person’s wellbeing can be altered by the use of a translation service. Imagine having a procedure in another country and the surgeon receiving records that are not correctly translated. The person’s life could hang in the balance. This also holds true of financial documents in which proper conversions are a must to accurately translate materials.
Take this same concept into the academic realm in which translation is often overlooked, but highly utilized. There is a great deal of information that could not be shared if it were not translated. Think of the classics that were written in Greek, Italian, or even those written in English that must be translated to be shared. Poetry would be largely unshared if it were not for translation and this could limit people academically if they were not native speakers. There is an unwritten responsibility to work with such texts to share around the world and bring human society together as the written word is shared.
In general, human society is impacted through language. The ability to communicate with one another has been made easier through technology, but without translation services, this information cannot be shared. Think of the amateur writers who would never make it without translators or the would-be poets left behind because their language was not widely distributed. Translation services connect the world in ways that we could never have imagined a few hundred years ago. No matter what you are you translating or having translated, it is important to get the message across well in the target language. This is what brings societies together to create unity.
