Did you know that there are over seven thousand recognized languages on the planet? It’s true, and knowing that our world is more connected than ever, being able to communicate in as many of those languages as possible is crucial. Since many people are only fluent in one language, they often need an intermediary to bridge communication gaps. This is where translators and interpreters are integral in many different types of situations. While they won’t know all seven thousand of those languages (42% of those languages are nearly extinct, as a matter of fact), most translation professionals will be able to help with hundreds of them.
There are great companies that do just this; they help all kinds of businesses, governments, and educational institutions with their translation and interpretation needs. Many people only know about translation from what they see on TV and in movies. This is often portrayed as high-level diplomatic translating and interpreting that often has the fate of the world in the balance. The truth is, most translating work isn’t even close to being that dramatic. Especially when it comes to high-level government translation, it is a process that takes a lot of time and has many levels of accountability.
Most national governments have their own teams of dedicated translators. The same can be said for large multinational corporations. Colleges and universities might have some in-house staff available for translating and interpreting, not to the extent of governments or large companies. Gaps in those sectors, as well as translation for smaller businesses and private citizens, are often filled in by firms that specialize in professional translation and comprehensive language solutions.
There are many areas where these private companies excel but, this article is going to focus on two of them. The first is translating for government agencies. While the federal government can rely on hundreds of language professionals, most smaller government agencies don’t have that luxury. Government translation is needed at nearly every level. Where do state, local, and other less prevalent federal government agencies go if they need an important document translated in order to connect to a Limited English Proficient (LEP) community about critical government benefits? A quality, private translation and language solutions firm will often step in to fill this void.
The second area that relies heavily on translation and other highly specialized and technical language services is the life sciences sector. Life science is a broad term that covers many specialized fields like chemistry, biotechnology, and ecology. Life sciences translation is key in those big three areas of government, business, and education. Life sciences touch every aspect of our lives and span nearly every country around the world.
Think about it in terms of an important discovery in a major university. What if that university is based in Germany and has published its findings in German? The U.S. government will want to see it in English. Another university in Japan will want to use this new information own research and will need to translate it into Japanese. A potential investor in Argentina will want to read it in flawless Spanish. They all need accurate, error-freelife sciences translation.
It’s important that the translation services these industries tap for their help are not only fluent in the languages requested, but also have subject matter specialists who understand the terminology, nuance, and vocabulary of industries like life sciences, law, politics, and more.
