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By BHAVNEET KUMAR
Why should I learn a language? Why should I pick up someone else’s tongue? How can I make a livelihood mimicking their customs and beliefs? What will I achieve with the knowledge of alien words at my beck and call? – All these simple interrogatives, are not just some article decorators or doubt whisperers, but rather the counter specifics of the actual dilemma of every language professional or at least someone whose interest lies in having multiple spoken abilities.
We all know, “change is the only constant” in this world and scientifically speaking the entropy of universe goes on, ever increasing – spreading and diverging like the rays of sunlight. So, it entails us to keep pace with the so called, changing times and this applies everywhere, from our education system to cultural and traditional beliefs, from technological advancements to ground-breaking medicinal discoveries and so on. Human behavioral patterns or the “seven emotions” may seem to stay insensitive to change but even then, the coming generation somehow manages to latch onto the wave of modernity: successfully building a better ‘tomorrow’, utilizing the scraps of a dying present and learning from the horrors of an unpleasant past. This, in fact, has been the cause of human race thriving over other earthly species, albeit lacking in survival ethics and immunity.
The above paragraph was a retrospective commentary on the necessity of adapting to change and modifying the stereotypical roles, set by either societal norms or by the regressive mentality of the self. As established in the previous two articles, “Translators aka Bridge Builders of Society” and “Modern Matrimony” respectively, Translators are finally breaking out of their traditional image, being treated as puny translation derivatives; producing no fundamental “ripple effect” in building a strong nation and progressive society. They had always been relegated to the backstage performance by the ringmasters and game changers, but even this sudden change in their presence at the decision-making table has been gradual in its fruition. Even today, only a very small number of actual professional translators survive in this competitive world, producing constructive work in light of rapid advancement in machine-based translation services. Thereby, it poses a series of questions mentioned in the beginning of this text.
A student chooses language study, based on either the lucrative possibilities in this sector or some personal fascination with a particular language. But, a freshly graduate student has to face a dilemma of self-doubt, choosing between his interests and the needs as a “breadwinner” for the family. The commonly accepted fact of learning a language is the idea, that the professional will forever be driving written material or oral content, from “source language to target language” and this will become a vicious cycle, making the life itself, mundane and methodical. In lieu of time, these professional tends to leave the market of competitive translation and interpretation services, and migrate to “academic obligations” in search of regular income and tension free workspace. This ultimate transition from corporate to the academic arena has, in fact, come to suggest that these two are the only options for a student of language, either he keeps battling in his professional field or chooses to rest his case with a comfortable job of teaching in “instruction sector”.
The Emergence of Alternatives:
To look into different possibilities, first we need to understand, what is the need of a translator? There are roughly 6,500 spoken languages in the world, and many other unreported ones; dying in the scarcity of proper care and dominance of a few global languages. The presence of such an immense diversity, coupled with the curious and clingy human nature; trying to learn and connect globally, consequential of Globalization and Industrialization relates the need to fetch into foreign waters; building good international relations, making friendly foreign policies, promoting one’s own language in hope of better understanding and cross-continental influence as well.
Therefore, the pivotal phenomenon of globalization has bridged the gap, brought continents, countries and respective governments closer – and when we think about international collaboration, there is a strong sense of responsibility to share our knowledge and understanding of certain information; unreachable and obscure to others till someone comes forward and translates it for the greater good. In light of the present situation, there is an urgent requirement of “good professional translators”, working in various fields, ranging from IT to medicine, corporate to legal and literature etc. But, the factors like lack of awareness, good earning deals, monopoly of top translation agencies, difficulty in learning language in absence of proper resources and the absence of organizational structure; able to provide a co-operative platform and helping community, in fact, causes a massive dearth of capable professionals, owing to which, only 0.5% of the data of the world is translated, whereas the remaining 99.5% is still left untouched.
Furthermore, in addition to producing good translators to compete at a professional level, there is an immense need to walk hand-in-hand with modern day technology like CAT Tools and machine generated translation, to develop additional competence. The major problem, is once again that not everyone is adept to online services, not all are capable of utilizing the social media exposure, as well as, the benefits of a huge online community of translators, linguists, and knowledge experts. At present, a huge chunk of translation market is dominated by translators, tracking origin in Europe (49%), and North-America (34%), leaving the professionals of Asia (12%) and Africa (0.27%) far behind. But, since these continents have some of the most developed countries of the world, and Asia and Africa are still catching up, there is a good possibility of latter leading the competition – banking on their untapped potential and rapid growth in technology and industrial sector.
Moreover, there has been a tremendous improvement in the pool of translation data – with the addition of “website translation, software localization, on-site interpreting, media services” and many more emerging components, the art of translation is fast becoming abundant and interesting, for both ends. Similarly, the introduction of technology in translation – providing easily available open-source platforms, resource mobilization, optimization by online training, Search Engine Optimization etc. has given enough cause to take it as a helping hand, rather an imminent threat to manual translation.
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, there is more to translators than just keeping to translating documents or mediating conferences and corporate deals. They are the new wave of change, crusaders of international harmony, with the greatest weapon yet pacifier – language – they are the most suited to bank on their data analysis and expertise in building bridges between two or more diverse cultures; giving way to positive understanding, moving past the nuances and solving the problem of language barrier when it comes to facing global problems, threatening the existence of mankind itself. The more a translator learns of his special abilities as “not a back-bencher” but the “monitor” of the whole union, the better he would be able to help in building a society, molded in the image of empathy, peace, and prosperity for all.
It all boils down to the ambition and personal traits of an individual, wanting to take risks, reaching out to territories alien to his understanding – far out of his own comfort zone. Also, it falls into the lap of various corporate hubs and governments, to build a strong platform of “quantitative as well as qualitative” growth of “campus fodder”, working in close affinity to various universities and training centers spread across the region. The new role of a translator gives him a strong sense of “great responsibility”, where earlier, even though he was playing the similar role, but without credit. The moment a translator becomes forerunner in wake of transforming society and nations, they learn to work in team environment, in co-operation with seniors and peers, building on their work experience, learning from mistakes of one another, they start respecting each client and service as special and imperative, proving N=1 and finally realizing R=G; resource becoming global, making this big world a much smaller and easier place to interact.
I’ve personally come to believe in the teachings of MODLINGUA, and the sheer volume of knowledge and exposure gained from my interaction with fellow interns; under the tutelage of its founder, guest professors and the shared material at this platform has been vital in broadening my horizons – making me believe in our existence that reaches far beyond the previous generation of translators.
Profile Link: http://modlingua.com/interns/343-neet-japanese-discoverer-treasurer.html
The above paragraph was a retrospective commentary on the necessity of adapting to change and modifying the stereotypical roles, set by either societal norms or by the regressive mentality of the self. As established in the previous two articles, “Translators aka Bridge Builders of Society” and “Modern Matrimony” respectively, Translators are finally breaking out of their traditional image, being treated as puny translation derivatives; producing no fundamental “ripple effect” in building a strong nation and progressive society. They had always been relegated to the backstage performance by the ringmasters and game changers, but even this sudden change in their presence at the decision-making table has been gradual in its fruition. Even today, only a very small number of actual professional translators survive in this competitive world, producing constructive work in light of rapid advancement in machine-based translation services. Thereby, it poses a series of questions mentioned in the beginning of this text.
A student chooses language study, based on either the lucrative possibilities in this sector or some personal fascination with a particular language. But, a freshly graduate student has to face a dilemma of self-doubt, choosing between his interests and the needs as a “breadwinner” for the family. The commonly accepted fact of learning a language is the idea, that the professional will forever be driving written material or oral content, from “source language to target language” and this will become a vicious cycle, making the life itself, mundane and methodical. In lieu of time, these professional tends to leave the market of competitive translation and interpretation services, and migrate to “academic obligations” in search of regular income and tension free workspace. This ultimate transition from corporate to the academic arena has, in fact, come to suggest that these two are the only options for a student of language, either he keeps battling in his professional field or chooses to rest his case with a comfortable job of teaching in “instruction sector”.
The Emergence of Alternatives:
To look into different possibilities, first we need to understand, what is the need of a translator? There are roughly 6,500 spoken languages in the world, and many other unreported ones; dying in the scarcity of proper care and dominance of a few global languages. The presence of such an immense diversity, coupled with the curious and clingy human nature; trying to learn and connect globally, consequential of Globalization and Industrialization relates the need to fetch into foreign waters; building good international relations, making friendly foreign policies, promoting one’s own language in hope of better understanding and cross-continental influence as well.
Therefore, the pivotal phenomenon of globalization has bridged the gap, brought continents, countries and respective governments closer – and when we think about international collaboration, there is a strong sense of responsibility to share our knowledge and understanding of certain information; unreachable and obscure to others till someone comes forward and translates it for the greater good. In light of the present situation, there is an urgent requirement of “good professional translators”, working in various fields, ranging from IT to medicine, corporate to legal and literature etc. But, the factors like lack of awareness, good earning deals, monopoly of top translation agencies, difficulty in learning language in absence of proper resources and the absence of organizational structure; able to provide a co-operative platform and helping community, in fact, causes a massive dearth of capable professionals, owing to which, only 0.5% of the data of the world is translated, whereas the remaining 99.5% is still left untouched.
Furthermore, in addition to producing good translators to compete at a professional level, there is an immense need to walk hand-in-hand with modern day technology like CAT Tools and machine generated translation, to develop additional competence. The major problem, is once again that not everyone is adept to online services, not all are capable of utilizing the social media exposure, as well as, the benefits of a huge online community of translators, linguists, and knowledge experts. At present, a huge chunk of translation market is dominated by translators, tracking origin in Europe (49%), and North-America (34%), leaving the professionals of Asia (12%) and Africa (0.27%) far behind. But, since these continents have some of the most developed countries of the world, and Asia and Africa are still catching up, there is a good possibility of latter leading the competition – banking on their untapped potential and rapid growth in technology and industrial sector.
Moreover, there has been a tremendous improvement in the pool of translation data – with the addition of “website translation, software localization, on-site interpreting, media services” and many more emerging components, the art of translation is fast becoming abundant and interesting, for both ends. Similarly, the introduction of technology in translation – providing easily available open-source platforms, resource mobilization, optimization by online training, Search Engine Optimization etc. has given enough cause to take it as a helping hand, rather an imminent threat to manual translation.
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, there is more to translators than just keeping to translating documents or mediating conferences and corporate deals. They are the new wave of change, crusaders of international harmony, with the greatest weapon yet pacifier – language – they are the most suited to bank on their data analysis and expertise in building bridges between two or more diverse cultures; giving way to positive understanding, moving past the nuances and solving the problem of language barrier when it comes to facing global problems, threatening the existence of mankind itself. The more a translator learns of his special abilities as “not a back-bencher” but the “monitor” of the whole union, the better he would be able to help in building a society, molded in the image of empathy, peace, and prosperity for all.
It all boils down to the ambition and personal traits of an individual, wanting to take risks, reaching out to territories alien to his understanding – far out of his own comfort zone. Also, it falls into the lap of various corporate hubs and governments, to build a strong platform of “quantitative as well as qualitative” growth of “campus fodder”, working in close affinity to various universities and training centers spread across the region. The new role of a translator gives him a strong sense of “great responsibility”, where earlier, even though he was playing the similar role, but without credit. The moment a translator becomes forerunner in wake of transforming society and nations, they learn to work in team environment, in co-operation with seniors and peers, building on their work experience, learning from mistakes of one another, they start respecting each client and service as special and imperative, proving N=1 and finally realizing R=G; resource becoming global, making this big world a much smaller and easier place to interact.
I’ve personally come to believe in the teachings of MODLINGUA, and the sheer volume of knowledge and exposure gained from my interaction with fellow interns; under the tutelage of its founder, guest professors and the shared material at this platform has been vital in broadening my horizons – making me believe in our existence that reaches far beyond the previous generation of translators.
Profile Link: http://modlingua.com/interns/343-neet-japanese-discoverer-treasurer.html
