| The global market for language translation | | | | creates difficulties when trying to translate |
| services and website localization is | | | | from English to other languages and vice |
| currently estimated at about $13 billion. The | | | | versa. |
| field of language services is assuming great | | | | |
| importance in the expanding global economy, | | | | For instance, the word 'plain' can have |
| and is also evolving into a very precise and | | | | different meanings in English, depending on |
| specialized profession. Governmental policies | | | | the context in which it is used: |
| also play a part in some cases, and result in | | | | |
| pushing up demand for translation services. A | | | | (i) A woman is described as being plain to |
| recent news item in the Belfast Telegraph | | | | say that her looks are not above the ordinary |
| refers to the issue of the high cost to the | | | | |
| Irish exchequer on account of translation | | | | (ii) It may be used in the context of a |
| services. The costs of translating press | | | | language as in plain English, meaning simple, |
| releases, speeches and documents within the | | | | everyday usage of English |
| Department of Health in Northern Ireland over | | | | |
| a five-year period are estimated to have | | | | (iii) It may refer to a level area of land as |
| crossed £150,000 - a direct outcome of | | | | in 'the great plains.' |
| Irish devolution. | | | | |
| | | | The importance of product, promotion and |
| Global reach | | | | website localization |
| | | | |
| When businesses translate their brochures and | | | | In order to be able to successfully launch |
| other promotional materials, they gain | | | | and sell their products in international |
| instant access to a worldwide audience and a | | | | markets, it becomes necessary to localize |
| huge potential market by spending just a | | | | them, or in other words, to adapt the |
| couple of thousand dollars or less towards | | | | promotional materials (and the products |
| translation costs. With e-commerce becoming a | | | | themselves) to the language and special forms |
| worldwide phenomenon, it makes good business | | | | of expression, cultural habits, and |
| sense to go online in multiple languages and | | | | conditions of the local markets, while also |
| let the world know what you have to offer. | | | | staying in line with the local legislation. |
| | | | |
| Issues in translation | | | | Translation as well as graphic processing of |
| | | | documents (using applications like |
| Translation service is one area where it's | | | | FrameMaker, PageMaker, QuarkXpress, Corel, |
| often difficult for the business owner to | | | | Photoshop), and adapting them to suit the |
| assess if the service provider has done | | | | technical requirements and language standards |
| justice to the job. The simple reason is that | | | | of the target audience, are some of the areas |
| most often the buyer of the service is not | | | | in which providers offer localization |
| multi-lingual himself, and will have to rely | | | | services. Translation, dubbing and subtitling |
| heavily on the provider's assurance that | | | | of movies and audio recordings, and sound |
| everything is in order. | | | | editing and post-production of audio |
| | | | recordings are some of the special services |
| It is no longer enough for service providers | | | | in demand in film and media production. |
| to just hold a certificate as professional | | | | Website localization services involves the |
| translator in a language pair; subject matter | | | | localization of software and multimedia |
| expertise is becoming a very crucial asset to | | | | applications. |
| a good translator. There is a crying need for | | | | |
| talented translators in the fields of | | | | Translate and localize for success |
| medicine (in hospitals), law (in law firms | | | | |
| and as court interpreters), in the field of | | | | As businesses target customers from different |
| property development, software development | | | | ethnic and language zones, it often happens |
| and in international commerce. | | | | that the target audience does not respond to |
| | | | the marketing campaign or even find a use for |
| Sometimes, important documents are badly | | | | the products offered unless they have been |
| translated, and the buyer is ignorant of the | | | | localized to suit their needs. It is |
| lacunae in the work delivered. Translation | | | | important to provide supporting information |
| errors often come about because of polysemy | | | | in a language they can understand, and in a |
| which means that a single word may have | | | | way that is in tune with the local business |
| different meanings in a given language. This | | | | environment and practices. |