Marshall McLuhan coined the term “global village” in 1962 to describe how electronic mass media overcame the physical boundaries of the world and brought nations closer together as they exchanged cultures and transacted business. The rise of the internet and email brought the world even closer together, as people from across the world discover shared interests and interact via online communities. But for all its idealism, the global village still has some boundaries to overcome, one of which is language.Language barriers aren’t insurmountable, people can still communicate and make themselves understood even when a common language is lacking, but when it comes to business conferences, political summits and international events misunderstandings that can be laughed off in an informal setting can be disastrous. And that’s where translation services come into their own.Consider, if you will, the upcoming 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa, or the 2012 Olympics in London; even though they are sports events they play out on an enormous international scale, cross-cultural connections are made, international relations are solidified and politicians set aside their differences for a few weeks at a time to cheer alongside one another. And while the potential for forging friendships and alliances is strong, so it is the potential for real or imagined slights and insults, especially as emotions run high.Often ambassadors or representatives are accompanied by their own trusted translators, whom they have used on numerous occasions and with whom they know they work well. But sometimes host countries have to provide translation services to their guests, and on an international stage such as the Olympics or Soccer World Cup, hosts need to ensure that they can cater to all languages, even the most obscure and least known, from Arabic and French to Uzbek and Tuvaluan.English is generally considered to be a universal language, but it would be a mistake to make that assumption in any instance with potential language barriers, no matter how big or how small. An important aspect of the global village is not only increased interaction but also increased consideration. To make the most of cross cultural meetings the provision of translation services is a must.
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Translation Services – Must for Global Communication
There is a multitude of languages in the world that are rapidly emerging ever since globalization has come into the picture. To do international business, you got be well versed in multiple languages in order to reach a wider group of audience. However, gaining proficiency in so many languages is something that does not seem to be a feasible option. This is exactly when professional services for translation come in the scene. These services have now become a prerequisite for global communications. The global marketing needs effective communication in various languages to understand business documents written in different languages.With the huge recognition of services for translation, numerous translation agencies have significantly sprouted today. You can find these services through the yellow pages and even by browsing the business directory of your area. Besides, internet too can aid your search. You can use various search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, Bing etc, to find numerous relevant listings. If not this way, then you can even seek referrals from your family, friends or colleagues. No matter which mode you choose to look for the most competent translation agency, your main aim should be to look for the one that can help you in efficiently communicating with your global customers.Unfortunately, not all firms can pass all your standards as they all differ in terms of their features and capabilities. Sometimes, hiring an experienced company may be slightly expensive, but the services they provide are usually worth it. The translation job calls for utmost expertise and knowledge. Therefore, the translators employed by the translation firms must be highly skilled at translating all sorts of documents efficiently. However, it is not a cinch to tell whether the translators who would be handling your project are competent enough to do the job wisely.Thus, it is advisable to always ask for a sample of their work to know what you can expect from them. If you do not like their work, then you can always ask the translation service provider to hand over your project to some other translators. If he cannot facilitate you with this, then feel free to look for another agency. When you communicate with your customers or prospects at the global level, confidentiality of your information is highly crucial. You would surely not like important messages to get leaked before they reach to your target audience. Mostly reputed companies offering translation services do have a policy which aims to safeguard the documents submitted by the clients and make sure that the information present in these documents is not revealed to any other person. So, hire a proficient translation agency and set out for effective global communications.