By Gargi Dargan
Translation is the process of expressing the meaning of a text in the words and script of another language without changing the source message. In the competitive market of the twenty-first century, businesses survive on the resources available to them and on how well they use them. Customers believe in expression and promotion, and every brand wishes to stand out.
Language is the thread that binds people together. People rely on each other because they have a medium through which they can connect and convince. Communication differentiates an individual: the way people communicate reflects their personality and defines their thoughtful approach, which is why it is always worth being careful about how thoughts are expressed.
Language is the basic key that opens the box of communication. It is a system that develops, is acquired and maintains complex systems of communication, and its functions include the expression of identity, play, imaginative expression and emotional release. The use of language is infinite: no limit can be placed on the creation of new words or on new discoveries. Language has always evolved and will continue to do so, and it has found its place in every sector of today's world. It is hard to imagine a world without alphabets, or without the desire to use language to reach out to an international audience.
Whether promotion happens through handwritten material or electronic media, the ultimate target is to grasp the attention of the public. Content writing, blogging and many other methods have emerged in a marketing world where competitors work hard to pass vital information to customers. They focus on adoption and progression through the model known as AIDA: Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action.
Multiple languages have also acquired a dominant position in the marketing world, because it matters to talk to customers in their own language. In a widely cited Common Sense Advisory survey of online consumers, more than half of the respondents said they buy only from websites that present information in their own language. As far as translation is concerned, businesses should appoint well-skilled translators whose work is efficient, satisfying and appealing; only then can they direct customers to their websites. For translators this has opened a credible and valuable professional option and a strong supporting path for their careers.
Blogging is indeed a strength of translators. They have learnt how to handle words and scripts and to mould them creatively so that messages are appealing and convincing, and they can offer advertising in the target language, thereby creating awareness of a service.
The internet adds its own provisions, notably the software that has made the task of winning people's attention far more efficient. Promoters and advertisers use email to share offers and discounts and to build databases of likely customers. Translators work alongside them, selecting texts, adapting and translating them, and finally passing them on to customers, a strategy known as push marketing.
It is always hard to gain customers but terribly easy to lose them. All it takes is a poor-quality translation to damage interest and trust. Translation should therefore always be accurate and beneficial: messages and articles should not only be translated but also localised, made culturally relevant and natural-sounding. Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have revolutionised the way brands connect with customers in this respect.
As a multilingual person, I have so far focused on handwritten work and on content writing for college purposes, and I have myself translated legal documents and agreements. I will probably also work on phonetics and its translations, and I am eager to find work in online marketing as well.
Author profile: Gargi Dargan, German-English intern at Modlingua
