India is a country of multiple languages: 22 scheduled languages recognized by the Indian Constitution. In addition, there are more than 1,500 languages and dialects used throughout the country. In no other country does the importance of translation take on such a gigantic significance!
trilingual treatment
Ah, the wisdom of the founders of the Indian Constitution!
They felt that every Indian needed three languages: one for identifying with the local group (let’s call it the mother tongue), one for national identity (Hindi), and one for international communication (English). Thus was born the formula of the three languages.
Three languages is the bare minimum: just enough to get through school and college, but certainly not enough for all the activities that make up life in the modern world.
Need for translation within India
Just check all the channels on the TV. Think of all the movies you’ve seen dubbed into multiple languages: don’t be surprised that James Bond is fluent in Hindi or that Rajnikant is the new (or old?) Japanese heartthrob! Consider that a friend was awarded for translating science books into Urdu, something much needed.
Music, literature, movies, television shows, political speeches, textbooks, documents, and countless other written and oral needs require translation to transcend regional borders. Effective translation is essential to reflect local languages, sentiments and spirit.
India, the global player
Acknowledging the attraction of India, with a population of 1.25 billion, Google CEO Sundar Pichai says, “India shapes how we build products. If something works in India, it will work globally.”
India is playing substantial roles on the international stage and is poised to play bigger roles and leading stars. This is not possible unless communication is no longer a barrier: hence the need for translation services. Multinational = multilingual: let there be no doubt.
Why Translation?
Translation is important for companies and businesses that operate in multiple regions and countries to share information, make government proposals, link up with local businesses, in short, for all the multiple activities that get everyone on the same page.
The foreign relations of a country, in the world of international diplomacy, require that ideas, points of view and negotiations be presented with clarity and precision. Diplomats and world leaders are more lucid in their languages; inaccuracies in translation can cause significant problems.
Creative content such as literature, video and audio content, subtitles for movies and TV content, etc. they need a creative translation in order to strike a chord with their target audiences.
Each local TV channel has an international news capsule. How would this be possible without translation services? The news is a crusade for a free and fair life, and translation is the most important thing to make reliable news accessible to all.
The World Wide Web and the Internet have brought together ‘distant neighbors’, denying the concepts of distance and limits. The rich and diverse human community cannot coexist and prosper without communication. Translation and translation services are no longer an option; they are a compulsion.
Translator par excellence
Simply put, translation converts text/content from a source language (SL) into an accurate and understandable version of the target language (TL). Successful translation is never mechanical: it is creative.
That is why excellence in translation requires quality translators.
A good translator must master at least two languages.
He/she must have more than a working knowledge of languages.
You must be comfortable in the language systems as well as the relevant cultures. In other words, the ‘feel’ of the language is what makes the translation successful.
Excellence in translation requires adequate knowledge of the subject. Technical translations, legal jargon, religious translations and scientific journals require in-depth knowledge. Accurate translations are not possible when you grope in the darkness of limited knowledge.
A good translator is also a good researcher when necessary. When in doubt, check and check again: this should be the motto.
Accurate translation may need some tools and aids like dictionaries, encyclopedias, glossaries of technical and academic works, etc. The conscientious translator will make use of one or all of these tools. Discussions and consultations to clear doubts are also recommended.
The style, as well as the content of the translation, must be faithful to the original. The challenge of translating is that the translator is not the original author, but the translated material must be read as if it were the original and not a bad copy.
Translators need patience to do a thorough job. Timely work is also of paramount importance. Therefore, a good translator cannot afford to be a clock watcher, rather he must keep an eye on the clock!
Excellence in translation rarely means mere reproduction and replication. If you think of language as a window to a world, then each language is a different window that will show you a different view. That is why mechanical/computerized translations are never suitable and discouraged.
Translation services in India
When communication is a prerequisite, so is translation: be it between languages spoken in India or to move freely across global platforms.
Businesses need to realize that professional translation services offer them access to expertise and resources that only translation experts are familiar with. So why not focus on the core business and delegate the translation to the most competent?
It is also important to choose a translation service that adheres to the highest ethical standards of confidentiality and keeps all work safe and secure: someone who places a high value on intellectual property.
Translation excellence, trust and service should be the trilingual formula in modern India!