Importance Of Translation

Imagine that you are on a space voyage in the star trek era. You are the ultimate warrior of human race, who is leading the human exploration. On earth you have mitigated world peace and are revered no less than a demi-god. You are now heading towards a newly discovered planet X, which boasts of intelligent life. As your spacecraft alights, a crowd of inhabitants looking like little blue babies gather around the landing site. The town head comes to the front as you open the door, raise your hand and say “Hello”. SLOP!!! A ray of blue light hits you and your whole self is now just a pair of eyes drifting in a pool of slime and your conscience. You fail to understand anything while your crew quickly wipes you up and escapes the planet. You spent the rest of your life in a jar in the space research lab only to realize years later that in planet X’s language “hello” sounds like “I will destroy you”. May be that’s why they have translator devices in all sci-fi flicks. Something you missed? Slime ball!!

 

On a serious note, translation is one of the most critical jobs in modern society. As the whole globe is coming together based on information sharing and communicative advances, it is only natural that there has been a constant demand and an unprecedented need for translation of ideas from one language to another. Translation plays a vital role in the performance of international companies and governments alike. We have had incidences in human history, where entire wars were initiated just because of misinterpretations and business relations severed due to failure of communications. Translation is no longer just the process of translating words, but has evolved into the transformation of meaning and intentions. Here we have listed some points relating to importance of translation.

 

For companies which operate in multiple countries, translation is inevitable. Sometimes they need to pass information or collect data from all the employees or branches across the world. In this scenario, it is necessary that they translate the information to and fro. Moreover, in scenarios where they need to negotiate terms with international governments or other local companies for tie-ups, they need to have proper translation of proposals and demands.

In today’s world, international diplomacy is the most important of all external affairs. Many a times the world leaders are expected to present their ideas on situations arising in other parts of the world. It is important that those ideas are translated properly when expressed; else they can result in major catastrophes. Moreover, international dialogues on different matters rest heavily on successful translation.

Translation of various art forms like music, films and literature from a region is necessary for global understanding of a region and its life. The plight of Palestine refugees, the poverty in Brazilian streets, the colorful life in Spanish cities and the myths and legends of ancient India are spreading across the world, riding on the shoulder of good translation. Translated films and subtitled films generate more revenue for global film industry, while translated music and literature provides added royalties to the artists. Recognition from the world stage and international fame is an added bonus.

 

World events can only be transmitted accurately if the correct information is received by news agencies. This involves proper translation of news coming from local bodies and regional centers. Unless proper translation is done, the news will be ambiguous and unreliable. An example for this can be seen when the government of China recently banned international news agencies from entering local regions for covering a major problem. However, information was still passed on to the world. Insiders covered all the important news, which was later translated and presented to the world.

 

The global citizenship can only be achieved through sharing and caring. We need to be able to communicate our ideas and thoughts without delay or ambiguity. Different people around the world use different languages and are most comfortable handling their online activities in their own regional languages, but they translate their thoughts in English, so that global friends can understand them.

Tourists around the world complain of being short-changed and tricked, as they are unfamiliar with the destinations. The primary reason for such negative experiences is the absence of proper translation. When we can offer proper translation to tourists along with genuine guidance, we assure the quality of our region as a tourist friendly destination and ensure success. This not only makes the country as a popular tourist destination, but also helps in increasing the revenue of the country men and the country as a whole.