India is a country of multiple languages: 22 scheduled languages recognised by the Indian Constitution. In addition, there are more than 1500 languages and dialects used across the country. In no other country does the importance of translation take on such mammoth significance!. Way to find best translation agency website.
Tri-Language Treatment
Ah, the wisdom of the founders of the Indian Constitution!
They felt that every Indian needed three languages: one to identify with the local group (call it the mother tongue), one for national identity (Hindi), and one for international communication (English).Thus was born the Three Language Formula.
Three languages are 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 run through all the channels on TV. Think of all the movies that you have seen dubbed into various languages: don’t marvel at James Bond speaking fluent Hindi or Rajnikant being the new (or old?) Japanese heartthrob! Consider that a friend was awarded for translating science books into Urdu- something much needed.
Music, literature, films, TV shows, political speeches, textbooks, documents, and innumerable written and oral necessities require translation to transcend regional boundaries. Effective translation is essential to reflect local languages, sentiments, and ethos.
India, the Global player
Acknowledging the attraction that India, with a population of 1.25 billion, holds, Google’s top boss, Sundar Pichai says, “India shapes how we build products. If something works in India, it will work globally.”
India is playing meaty roles on the international stage and is all set to play bigger parts and star leads. This isn’t possible unless communication ceases to be a barrier: thus, the need for translation services. Multi-national = multi-lingual: let there be no doubt.
Why Translation?
Translation is important for companies and businesses which operate in multiple regions and countries to share information, make government proposals, tie-up with local businesses, in short, for all the multifarious activities that get everyone involved on the same page.
A country’s external affairs, in the world of international diplomacy, demand that ideas, points of view and negotiations are put forward clearly and accurately. Diplomats and world leaders are most lucid in their tongues; translation inaccuracies can cause significant problems.
Creative content like literature, video and audio content, subtitles for movies and TV content, etc. need creative translation to be able to strike a chord with target audiences.
Every local channel on TV has a capsule of international news. How would this be possible without translation services? The news is a crusade for free and fair living, and translation is all the more important to make reliable news accessible to everyone.
The World Wide Web and the Internet have brought together ‘far-flung neighbours’ by negating the concepts of distance and boundary. The rich and diverse human community cannot co-exist and thrive without communication. Translation and translation services are no longer an option; they are a compulsion.
Translator par excellence
Simply put, translation converts the text/content of a source language (SL) into an accurate and understandable version of the target language (TL). Successful translation is never mechanical: it is creative.
This is why excellence in translation requires translators of quality.
Two languages
A good translator should be fluent in at least two languages.
He/ she must have more than a working knowledge of the languages.
He/she must be comfortable in the linguistic systems as well as the relevant cultures. In other words, the ‘feel’ for language is what makes for successful translation.
Excellence in translation requires adequate knowledge of the subject. Technical translations, legal jargon, religious translations, and scientific journals need 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 recheck: this should be the motto.
Accurate translation
Accurate translation may need some tools and aids like dictionaries, encyclopedias, glossaries of technical and scholarly works, etc. The conscientious translator will make use of one or all of such tools. Discussions and consultations to clear doubts are also advisable.
The style, as well as the content of translation, should be true to the original. The challenge in translating is that the translator is not the original author but the translated material should read like it is the original and not a poor copy.
Translators need the patience to do a thorough job. Timely work is of the utmost importance too. So a good translator cannot afford to be a clock-watcher but must have 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 every language is a different window which will show you a different view. That is why mechanical/ computer translations are never adequate and ill-advised.
Translation Services in India
When communication is a prerequisite, so is translation: whether it is between languages spoken in India or to move freely across global platforms.
Businesses must realise that professional translation services offer them access to expertise and resources that only experts in translations are familiar with. So, why not concentrate on the core business and delegate translation to the most competent?
It is also important to choose a translation service that has the highest ethical standards of confidentiality and will keep all work safe and secure: someone who values intellectual property highly.
As the world grows smaller; people travel across the globe more frequently and more business is done internationally, translation services are increasingly in demand. A translation service can now be needed for anything from the translation of an education certificate to translating a website. Due to the demand there are now hundreds of translation agencies across the globe.
Finding a translation service can be daunting. Where does one start to look for a translation service and when they find one, how do they know if they will be able to do the job well? What questions should one ask? This article will offer some useful tips on how to find a translation service to meet your needs.
Where to find a translation service?
There are three main ways of finding a translation service.
The first port of call should be your local directory such as the Yellow Pages. If you have a specific business directory for your area then even better. Simply look up “translation” or it may sometimes be under “translators & interpreters”. Have thumb through the listings and earmark some to contact.
The second, and easiest, means of finding a translation service is through the internet. Using the main search engines such as Google, Yahoo! and MSN can bring up hundreds of listings. One added advantage of using a search engine is that you can be more specific with your searches. For example, if you are looking for a translation service local to you type “translation service London” or “translation service Oxford”. Similarly if you are in need of a specific language try something like “German translation service”.
With search engine results you will be presented with two types of listings, paid listings (advertisements) and organic listings (non-advertised results). It is good to bear in mind that those with organic listings are there for a reason, i.e. the search engine naturally sees them as important sites for translation services. On the other hand paid listings will be from companies that need the business. This is not necessarily a negative thing but good to consider when making a choice.
The last means of finding a translation service is to ask colleagues, friends or family. A personal recommendation is always best.
Contacting the translation service
Once you have a list of the translation service providers you want to contact, it is then key that you are prepared with information necessary to get an accurate quote.
Any decent translation service will want to know what languages they are translating from and into, the length of the document (especially the number of source words), the nature of the text (is it business or technical?), the format of the document (is it a paper document, an email or brochure?), when you need the translation delivered by and if necessary what format it should be delivered in. These details will help the translation service price your piece of work. However, remember that many translation service providers may not give you a concrete quote until they see the document. This is because once they see it they may realise they under-quoted you due to unforeseen elements such as the format, poor image quality or technicality of the document. It is always a good idea to have your translation in a format that can be emailed or faxed.