Within a globalised world, document translation services are becoming an increasingly important aspect of business.  The internet has brought with it the opportunity for numerous companies to access global markets and in doing so have too catalyzed immense growth.  With more and more businesses translating their content, however, quality has become increasingly important too.

Attention to detail is a vital aspect within this, and it doesn’t only apply to spelling and punctuation, although that is of course important, but rather also to cultural and linguistic localization.  Indeed it is the planning process, which is crucial, and some of the very best professional document translation services have even created software systems to ensure the presence of such quality is omnipresent in their work.

Such systems include ComTranslations’ ‘TrRank’ and ‘Translation Management System’, which together ensure that each project is matched with the most suitable team of translation experts and that timing and efficiency too is enhanced.  The systems work using a range of specifications, including; timescale, knowledge of source and target cultures, sector and industry experience, and writing style, and keeps them at the peak of professional document translation services.

Fundamentally, the most positive change within online marketing in particular, over the past 12 months, has been an increased focus on quality.   The web has, for a long time, been turning into a spam land and this has decreased the online user experience.  Google, however, through the introduction of various algorithm tools, have begun to use artificial intelligence to combat this lack of quality, with regards to content, and now businesses really need to raise their content game.

The necessity for quality translation services has too, of course, gone hand in hand with this process.  If you truly want to reach multi-lingual markets then too you need your foreign language content to be as high quality as the original.  Previously this was a necessity simply for the purpose of connecting with a new audience, but now too it is crucial in order for your website to even be located using a foreign language search.

The good news is that as the demand for quality foreign language content has increased, so too have the leading professional companies evolved their document translation services to fulfill the necessary expected standards.  This means that truly now a professional translation agency can act as a foreign language content team, rather than a simple word for word translation service, and in this way, become fully integrated within a company’s communications department.

An MMORPG or ‘massively multi-player online role-playing game’ is part of the evolution of online gaming, which has come about through the birth and unprecedented growth of the internet.  Not so long ago, it would have been a dream to play a computer game against an opponent in another part of the world, but now, for many, it is a reality.

So what makes and MMORPG massive?

Fundamentally, there are two things that separate an MMORPG from a normal online role-playing game, and they are; volume of players and the creation of a permanent virtual world.  In MMORPGs the virtual setting of the game remains active even when a player is not physically playing, creating, if you like, a sort of parallel sub-reality.

‘World of Warcraft’ is probably the most famous and popular MMORPG, with over 10 million users, and when ‘Star Wars: The Old Republic’ was released, in 2011, it became the fastest growing, with over a million users joining up within the first three days.

Despite the universal popularity of such gaming platforms, the one giant obstacle, that gaming translation services are striving to overcome, is language.

MMORPGs and Language

With such virtual world’s aiming to connect users all over the world, communication is a crucial aspect of their appeal, and increasingly social networking capabilities are enhancing this.  The one missing piece of the puzzle, however, has been how to connect a diversity of languages over one platform.

Initially, Google Translate was used in an attempt to do the gaming translation service automatically, simply by using a plug-in within the chat facility.  This, however, came up against the usual problems associated with automated translations, in that it was riddled with inaccuracies, cultural insensitivities and regularly produced nonsensical interpretations.  Fundamentally, this approach didn’t solve the problem to an acceptable standard.

There are other platforms, such as Achaea, however, who have overcome the problem of language in another way; by using a unique language (Achaean), which, loosely based on Old English, users have to learn in order to communicate in the game.

Multi-Lingual Developments in MMORPGs

Many of the recent multi-lingual developments, in games such as; Glory Wars, Holy War, Tagoria, A.I. War and Cabal online, have been connected to the games user interface, as well as general chat room language.  Professional gaming translation services have been hard at work trying to ensure that the usability is the same regardless of language.

With automated gaming translation services still a long way off from offering an effective solution, for now at least, it seems that user communications, however, will remain largely in English.  Indeed, many people are even suggesting the use MMORPG platforms as a unique approach to second-language learning.

With such a vast amount of money, well in excess of $1 billion, being made from such gaming platforms, however, it is likely that when increasingly sophisticated real-time translation tools are developed, MMORPGs will be one of the first places to utilise the technology.

If there are two aspects of business emerging as the most vital cogs in the online marketing system, it is SEO (search engine optimization) and Localization.  Translation services online are a vital way of ensuring that any business or service can reach as many potential clients as possible, and increasingly, as competition increases, companies are opting for a fully localized service.

Such translation services online, however, are often limited only to web content and rarely do they include the wealth of other online marketing, such as; article writing, blog commenting, guest blogging, link building, infographics etc.  With an increasing focus being placed on both aspects of online marketing, it seems only natural that there should be some cross over between the two.

Multi-Lingual SEO

As SEO has evolved and Google’s algorithm tools been developed, one major change that has occurred within the SEO world, is a shift towards quality.  More time and money is being spent on online campaigns – the $700 million raised online by the Obama 2012 campaign is an example of this – and, as a result, it is crucial to ensure that the full potential of such efforts is truly realized.

If, as a business, you are spending time, money and considerable effort on both SEO and translation services online, then it seems strange not to consider the two as part of the same strategy.

SEO and Localization

Social Networking

To start at first base, one example of localizing your SEO campaign is through social networking.  This is not even solely a language thing, but, as is the case with any truly localized service, it too is a cultural thing.

In Europe and the US, for example, we are aware of which sites to focus our attentions on.  Facebook has an incredible 164,958,520 users in the US alone – that is over 50% of the total population – whereas in Japan, the penetration rate is at just 12.47%.  On the other hand, in Japan, the new and relatively unknown, outside of the Asian country, social network, Line, in July last year had a growth rate of five million users every three weeks, and already by September last year had exceeded 60 million users in the country – that is almost four times as many as Facebook.

Statistics, such as these, prove exactly why localization is a crucial component of online marketing.  Regardless of the quality of translation services online or SEO strategy you receive, without this localized knowledge, you could very well be fishing in the wrong pond.

Keywords

Businesses work tirelessly to discover which keywords are going to produce the highest number of hits, and then embark on lengthy campaigns to ensure that their website appears at the top of such searches.   Again, however it is almost baffling how few of these companies then consider doing the same in other languages.

The first thing to remember is that direct translations of keywords often won’t work, and thus it is important to research (ideally with a translator) the most relevant keywords within other core language groups.  This is especially relevant if you have a specific sizeable market, within another language group.

As an example, the Italian translation of ‘low cost flights’ is, directly, “voli a basso costo”, but the much more common search term is, rather,  “voli low cost”.  Indeed, the latter receives over 1.2 million monthly searches, whereas the direct translation receives just 27,100.  This is a perfect example of why local knowledge is crucial when conducting foreign language SEO campaigns.

Domain Name

Along similar lines to the previous point, it is also crucial that you secure a domain name that is attractive and suitable for a specific location.  Especially within local searches, the domain name is becoming an increasingly important aspect of SEO, and those that make direct reference to a specific keyword will reap the benefits.

Other Aspects

Of course, a similar trend is true for many other aspects of SEO.  Choosing the most appropriate search engine, for example; although Google is dominant in the US and Europe, Yahoo still reigns supreme in Japan, and in South Korea, it is the home grown Naver that attracts the highest proportion of searches.  Link-building, too, can be localized and this can ensure that your trust rank is high in other languages too.

Final Thoughts

There is no denying the importance of both SEO and translation services online, and truly for a fully comprehensive service, the two must go hand in hand.  Localization provides an enhanced level of success and thus all of the above mentioned processes should be conducted relative to location, and not simply language.

The Internet has revolutionized the way that businesses connect with people around the world. Today more than ever before, businesses both large and small are looking to expand to reach a global audience. They are looking both to connect with foreign customers and with foreign business clients.

One of the best ways to do this is to use professional translation services to accurately and consistently translate your marketing and promotional materials, technical manuals, websites, blogs, and any other documents that are important to communicating your message to people in different countries.

It is especially important to use professional translation services if your business is trying to expand to another part of the world, not just through the Internet, but through traditional means as well. Solid, professionally-translated business plans and documents can make it or break it as far as expanding overseas goes, especially when there are other investors, businesses, and parties involved.

The key benefit of hiring professional translation services for your business documents is that they work with you in a one-on-one manner. In fact, the best ones will often have a variety of expert translators to choose from, all with specific skills and backgrounds, so that you can select the one that best fits your project. In most cases, the translator that you choose will work with you personally until your translated document is exactly how it needs to be.

The experts who work for quality professional translation services will generally work in their native tongue so that your documents are translated as accurately as possible. For instance, if your business is based out of the United States and you’re planning to expand to Japan, the professional translator that you choose will be a native Japanese speaker who is also fluent in English. They will ensure that your translation reads just as smoothly in Japanese as it does in English.

In addition to providing easy-to-read, grammatically correct, and organized content, a native-speaking translator will also ensure that your completed document picks up any local or cultural influences or references. So many languages have small nuances from region to region and a professional translation service will be able to pick up on these and include them in your completed translation.

Professional translation services are not for everyone. But if you are a business who needs only the best in quality or an individual with similar requirements, then you’d be hard-pressed to find a better method of getting your documents translated in an accurate, consistent, and organized manner.

Language is primarily what connects us.  Without the power of language, the world could never have developed to where it is today, and with globalisation is full flow, its influence on our world is growing day by day.

Languages have grown, developed, evolved, and sometimes become extinct.  There are regional variations, dialects, lingos, and occasional controversies, but as long as there are human beings, too there will be language,

Even modern languages continue to grow, with 150 new words added to the English dictionary in 2011.  Such words are usually connected to technological developments and trends, and in 2011 included; tweet, crowdsourcing, and social media, along with Americanisms, such as bromance and cougar.

Let’s take a look at the ten most widely spoken languages today, and see just how many words each of them has.  Here they are, starting in tenth place, with Portuguese, as the language with the last number of words.

1.English

There is reported to be at least 250,000 words in the English language, with the Oxford English dictionary including 171,476 unique entries in current use, along with 47,156 obsolete words.  There are, however, those who estimate the number to be much higher.  According to the Global Language Monitor, as of January 1^st 2012 there were just over a million words (1,013,913) in total, and this was further backed up by Google’s own research.  The longest word included in the English dictionary is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis, and ‘cellar door’ is said to be the most beautiful word in terms of phonaesthetics.

2. Japanese

Japanese is reported to be the most complex written language in the world, with three different writing methods.  In addition to this, the majority of words have two pronunciations, one with Japanese root, and the other with Chinese root.  With approximately 600,000 words, the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test requires a knowledge of 10,000 for level 1 standard.

3.Arabic

Arabic is the official language in over 25 countries across Africa and the Middle East, and is spoken by an estimated 280 million people.  There is much debate about the number of words within Arabic, with some claiming 500 million, but others, more realistically estimating between 60,000 -140,000.  There are some who say that in Arabic you can find 500 separate words for ‘camel’.

4. German

In 2009, the BBC reported that the German ‘Duden’ dictionary had added an additional 5000 words, mainly adopted from the English speaking world.  Words such as ‘After-show party’, ‘no-go area’, ‘it girl’, and ‘babyblues’ were all made official German words.  This took the total number of words within the dictionary to approximately 135,000.

5. Hindi

In India alone there are approximately 415 languages, with 30 of them being spoken by over a million people.  Hindi is by far the most widely spoken Indian language, with an approximate 295 million speakers, and with approximately 120,000 words.  ‘meṃ’ meaning ‘in’ or ‘into’ is the most popular word, followed by ‘hai’ and ‘haim’; is and are, and then ‘nahīṃ’; no or not.

6. Chinese Mandarin

Chinese is the oldest written language in the world, dating back approximately 6000 years.  There are approximately 100,000 characters in Chinese, although knowledge of only 10,000- 20,000 would be required to read a Chinese language newspaper.  A version of Chinese using the Roman alphabet, called Pinwin has been developed to assist western students of the language.

7. Spanish

The DRAE, or Diccionario de la lengua española, has a total of 83,431 words, but it has to be considered that many dialects and slang words are omitted from the text.  The average Spanish vocabulary is said to contain approximately 10,000 words, which thus suggests that only around 1/8^th of the total words are in common use.  Spanish has upwards of three million native speakers in 44 countries making it the fourth most widespread language, but with a total of 329 million individual speakers, it is the second most spoken language after Mandarin.

8. French

Apparently there are approximately 43,000 words in the French language, although it is said that you can communicate 70% of the time by using only the 300-400 most common words.  The most common French words are the variations of ‘the’; le, la, les, and l’, followed by the verb ‘to be’; etre, and the verb ‘to have’; avoir.

9. Korean

According to online research, the average 30-year-old native speaker of English knows approximately 27,808 words, whereas Korean’s were estimated at 30,400 words.  There are even more than ten ways to say ‘I’ in Korean, which can get confusing for anyone trying to learn the language.  Although there is no official recording of the total number of words in the Korean vocabulary, around 55% are said to have been adopted from ancient Chinese, and in total they have 10,000 loaned words also.

10. Portuguese

Non-European speakers of Portuguese outnumber European speakers by approximately 20-1, with a total number in excess of 210 million speakers worldwide, with 192 million in Brazil alone.  It is the most widely spoken language in the southern hemisphere.  The Brazilian dictionary Aurélio lists 25,273 words in total, suggesting that this is the number of commonly used words in Portuguese.

Final thought

It is not yet understood exactly what impact globalisation may eventually have on language.  In the past many have considered that eventually one language will be used by all.  For now though, as numerous languages continue to grow, language translation services have an important role to play in the global environment.

It is a commonly known fact that English is the dominant online language, and although Mandarin is following closely behind, in second place, experts seem to think that the dominance of English will continue.  Although some suggest that Mandarin will overtake English into first place, with regards to number of users, by 2015, English will still be seen as the dominant language for anyone outside of China.  English, however, is changing, and it is the internet that is largely responsible.

The Evolution of Language

When, in 1814, the United States emerged from the bruising independence war with Britain, there was a need to connect the country, and thus they went about developing an official language.  It took Noah Webster 18 years to complete the first American-English dictionary, which made adjustments to their old adversary’s tongue; replacing ‘re’ with ‘er’ in theater, removing the ‘double l’ from words, such as traveler, and taking the ‘u’ out of color.

Today, there are many forms of English spoken worldwide, and indeed the ‘Webster Dictionary’ is on its 11^th edition.  There is now; American English, Pidgen English, Hiberno English, Manx English, Carribean English, and many more different styles and dialects of the language.  Indeed, large translations, of numerous texts, such as The Bible, exist between different varieties of the same language.

The newest form of the language, which is evolving at a much faster rate than any of the other forms, is ‘Internet English’.  This new adaptation of the language, is even leading many to suggest that it is changing the English language permanently.  Why is this form of the language becoming so popular, and where does it come from?

Internet English

The internet is leading to a number of new realities within the English language.  First of all, it is bringing the different dialects together more often, and thus American English and British English are increasingly adopting each other’s vocabulary.

Words and phrases, such as; ginger – for hair, chat-up, go missing, sell-by date, twee, gastro-pub, and snog are just some of the words that have made the leap across the pond, from British English to American English over the past 12 months.  There are of course a number that have jumped the other way too, although the current trend is for more Britishisms to be adopted by the US, than the other way round.

Also, a number of unofficial English dialects, such as; Hinglish, which merges Hindi and English and Singlish, which does the same with Singaporean and English, are appearing in written form.  This is meaning that their influence is spreading further, and thus many are now becoming more established.

How Does This Change English Though?

There are already more second-language English speakers, than there are natives, and this, in itself, is seeing the evolution of the language shift in direction.  With many of them using the language to communicate with other ‘second-language’ speakers, over the internet, this is breeding a new form of the language.

With no real guidelines or constraints on how English is used online, this is leading to the growth of such unofficial dialects.  Technology companies are fuelling this growth further by allowing individuals to add new words to dictionaries, that don’t already exist.  Many websites and apps are also now seeing the benefit of having their website content written in this ‘online English’, as opposed to any official dialect, as, fundamentally, this reaches more of the English language internet users.

There is a common belief that this evolution could eventually lead to ‘Internet English’ becoming an official Creole, and one which would likely have many more speakers than any other official dialect.

“Most people actually speak multiple languages – it’s less common to only speak one,” says Robert Munro, a computational linguist from California.”English has taken its place as the world’s lingua franca, but it’s not pushing out other languages.”

Rather, other languages are pushing their way into English, and the internet is seeing this happen in a collaborative way.  Words from all manner of English dialects may become popular and thus embraced within this new language, and soon large translations may exist to rewrite English-language web content in this way.

In Conclusion

As much as this may pain the purists, British English looks set to become a minority dialect within its own mother tongue.  Internet English looks set to take over, and it may not be long before this is standardised and officially evolved, as new words enter from multiple directions.

Large translations of many bodies of work, into this new language, will occur online, and may even eventually become so widespread, that they are used in offline content too.  A standardised dictionary may form and thus, fundamentally, this could see the make-up of a ‘Global English’, which will overshadow its own roots, in Britain.

With non-native English speakers already outnumbering natives, this ratio is only set to sway further.  Britain may soon lose all ownership over its own language and many will have to adapt the way they teach, learn and communicate, in order to keep up with the shift.

Language translation services have been around for almost as long as language itself, but with globalisation, and the resultant increased connectivity of the world, they have become even more important.

Previously, there may have only been certain sectors and, indeed, certain language pairings where it was a necessity, but today the requirement for translation services is universal.  With this reality, come many new challenges for translation agencies.  Not only do they have to increase their number of working languages, but too they have to source experts within specific sectors and industries.

Why is this necessary?

Quite simply, in today’s world, quality of content has become increasingly important.   This is largely due to increased competition, on a global scale, and thus, language translation services need to be able to successfully communicate and connect with their target audience.  In addition to that, there are many sectors, namely; engineering, medicine, and law, where accuracy is absolutely crucial, for both legal and safety reasons.

Many industries require very specific documentation, and even general content often needs a trained eye.  Even native language speakers may not know sector-specific language and terms, and thus translators need to be experts in both the languages and the subject matter.

How do translation agencies overcome this barrier?

There are a number of resources for professional translators, which train them in how to successfully translate a subject that they are not knowledgeable in. This largely entails, research and familiarising yourself with the subject matter.  Although this method may work up to a certain level, it is largely a second-rate approach, and will result in less than satisfactory results.

The important thing to acknowledge is that each individual sector and industry, as well as a unique vocabulary, also has its own unique style and tone.  Someone, for example, who is an expert on complex algorithm tools, may not be quite as suitable for writing about dating and romance.

Simply, for truly quality language translation services, there is a need to combine language ability with specific industry expertise.  Within more marginalised, or less common language pairings, and niche sectors, this can be difficult, and in such cases, collaboration is crucial.  If there is the necessity for more than one translation expert to work on a specific project, then an agency must have the tools through which to facilitate this.

Staying ahead of the game

The very best language translation services come through agencies that are able to stay ahead of the game.  They study the environment and build their teams based on the demand within the market.  In addition to this, structures must be developed to locate the best translators for each individual project, and too, to be able to facilitate collaboration where necessary.

We are all aware of the increasing importance of quality in translation.  With increasing competition, comes increasing importance, and thus, too, an elevated necessity to produce quality.  This has led to the growing importance of fully localized translation services, which not only ensures accuracy, in terms of spelling and grammar, but too, in terms of cultural and linguistic variation.

There is, however, a step on from this and this is where a professional translation agency can truly thrive, ahead of independent experts.

Certified Translation

A certified translation is used when simple accuracy is not adequate.  In the US, for example, a certified translation will come with an additional signed statement, or ‘Certificate of Accuracy’, from the translator or translation agency.

Currently in the US, although there is an official state and federal court certification for interpreters, there is not one for translators.  It is, however, possible for a translator to register with a variety of associations, including the American Translators Association.

This is where agencies can play a key role, as they can select the most qualified, proven and experienced translator or translators, when it comes to certified translations.  As the certificates of association don’t act as proof of accuracy, this allows an individual to have a higher level of trust, regarding how accurate the document is.  It is also common for agencies to assign a team of translators to highly important documents, in order to offer further assurance of absolute unfaltering accuracy.

Although, as mentioned, certified translations in the US are not state and federal court officiated, translators do have to sit an exam, in order to obtain the certification and thus it certainly removes the risk of receiving a completely amateur service.  Again, agencies can help to certify this certification, and many keep reports on record, regarding prior experience and achievements, to further back this up.

In other countries, certified translation is more formal than this and involves rubber stamping documents.  This acts as a seal of competency and professionalism to both the translator and translation, and offers assurance regarding the accuracy and legitimacy of a document.

What Documents Require a Certified Service?

Generally speaking, any document that is required for official use will need to be certified.  Such documents can include; birth, marriage, divorce or academic certificates; official transcripts, such as school, work, medical reports; regulatory documents, such as power of attorney, contracts, etc, and household bills.

In addition to these examples, any document used in a court of law will generally have to be certified and also business contracts tend also to be.

Certified translations play an important role, therefore, in a number of processes.  Whether it be getting married in a foreign country, establishing international business relationships, or simply applying for a job overseas.   Sometimes it can simply be a process of establishing greater assurance, when dealing with money or another transaction, at other times it is an official or legal requirement.

Costly Mistakes

As mentioned above, it is a fundamental necessity to receive certified translations for a number of documents and processes.  In addition to this, it can be a crucial way of establishing trust between a client and a translation agency.

According to SDL International, a global information management provider, 80% of companies have been financially hindered by errors in translation.  This not only highlights the important role that translation has in business, but too the necessity of acquiring a professional and high quality level of service.

At times, such errors are merely typos, which often, although can seem unprofessional, don’t have dire consequences.  Sometimes, however, the costs can be more severe.  A Spanish translation error, in 2003, for example, required 4.6 million cans of baby product to be recalled, as following the instructions could have led to renal failure.  This shows how sometimes just one tiny mistake could lead to the complete collapse of a company.

In France also, along with a number of other countries, it is stated in law that documentation for any machinery must be written in the country’s tongue.  If companies don’t follow this law, then any costly impact or injury is 100 percent their responsibility.  A Californian medical company discovered this, to its cost, when a lack of French-language instructions led to the deaths of several purchasers, from overexposure to radiation, through use of one of their products.

Conclusion

When requiring the certified translation of documents, it is crucial to speak to the agency, regarding the processes they take within this service.  Also, when it comes to business, legal or medical translations, in particular, it is crucial to ensure that the agency you use has systems in place to ensure the quality and accuracy of the work.

Fundamentally, the additional costs of securing the very best translation services now, could save you an awful lot more in the future.

There are those that consider a translator to be someone who has extensive knowledge of two or more languages.   Many believe that they work merely as human dictionaries, replacing text word for word, and making grammatical adjustments.  Such people would probably believe that automated translation tools can probably by now do the job adequately enough, and that professional human translation is a thing of the past.

They would be wrong… Why?  Because, quite simply, it is not so straight forward.  The complex layers that slot together to create a truly professional, quality and comprehensive translation service are multi-dimensional, and without such attention, the final product would be fundamentally defunct, to the extent of often being detrimental.

In the not so distant past, translation experts were quite possibly only working within a set number of fields.  Literary translation, political interpretation, religious transcription etc, are almost as old as language itself, but now there is barely a sector that does not benefit from the process.  Engineering translation services, medical, legal, scientific, artistic; quite simply there are now endless sectors and industries requiring professional translations, with each requiring its own unique set of knowledge and expertise.

Translation within Engineering and Technical Industries

Engineering translation services specifically require an explicit degree of accuracy, and failure to produce as such can lead to severe damage of a company’s image. Not only that, but inaccuracies can too be dangerous and lead to potential liabilities.

Such is the complexity of technical translations that the EU even recognizes it within its legislation, where it says “operating instructions for technical consumer goods are frequently perceived as inadequate both because they are unclear and because they present language difficulties as a result of faulty translations.”  In a bid to address this situation it also passed a law meaning that a technical product wasn’t complete without a functional user manual, and thus an incorrectly translated manual could render the goods defective.

Expert translators within such technical industries need to not only be qualified and experienced within the sector, but too their language skills need to have been extensively used within the field.   Even native speakers of a language may not possess such specialist vocabulary and thus it is crucial that they have been exposed to the industry in both source and target languages.

As this is not always possible, often it is also necessary for collaboration to take place and for a single project to be tackled by a team of translation experts.  In this way, they can work together to ensure that the clarity, accuracy and readability is maintained to an exceptional standard.

Experts in engineering translation services have a difficult job.  They are often working to tight deadlines and are constantly aware of the absolute necessity for accuracy.  They work on a wide range of complex documentation, including; Engineering specifications, Operating Manuals, Bill of Materials, Patents, CAD Drawings, RFP Responses, Safety Manuals, Installation Manuals, Software and Hardware UI, Technical Proposals, MSDS and Data Sheets, and know just how costly any mistake can be.

Specialised Vocabulary

How many gardeners could decipher their way through a complex medical paper and how many doctors would understand the complex physics, in Engineering?  Regardless of the source language of the content, certain fields require a certain level of specific expertise.  You wouldn’t want an electrician to fill in your medical prescription nor indeed a doctor to install your central heating.  It is simple common sense.

When it comes to technical and specialised translation services, it is crucial to source a professional translator who is experienced within specialist vocabulary, as well as specific document formats.  In this way, you are able to ensure the accuracy of crucial information, and too make the process more comprehensive and efficient.

Indeed many technical industries involve such complex vocabulary that really they in themselves are unique languages, and to that extent, engineering translation services from say English to Spanish, would require an expert in English, Spanish and too the specific branch of Engineering in question.  Further to that, a fully localised service would too give preference to a translation expert with cultural knowledge of both the source and target languages.

According to the QS World University Ranking System, the list of the top five Universities of 2012 is as follows;

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
2. Cambridge University
3. Harvard University
4. UCL (University College London)
5. University of Oxford

We wanted to see exactly how much focus each of these exceptional further learning institutes was placing on linguistics, and thus the importance exacted towards their global accessibility.  We decided that by researching their online presence, we could determine who from the list was performing the best when it came to International coverage.

Multi-lingual Website Accessibility

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – http://web.mit.edu

For the number one ranked University in the world, I was quite surprised to find absolutely no language translation service on their website whatsoever.  After deciding to research the use of foreign languages at the institute, I came across their extensive ‘Foreign Languages and Literatures’ section, where they state;

“The study of foreign languages and literatures provides valuable experience and a potential edge for future career development. Scientists and engineers function in a global market: they rely on primary sources published in other languages, attend international consortia, and often find themselves interacting across national, cultural, and linguistic borders.”

Strange how they don’t see the need to make their website accessible in a diversity of languages if this is the case.  They do, however, offer their ‘MIT OpenCourseWare’ publications in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Thai, Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese, and Persian.

2. Cambridge University – http://www.cam.ac.uk/

Cambridge University is one of the most famous further learning institute in the world, with 14 British Prime Ministers having attended.  Once again, however, despite strong claims to be globally focussed, there is no option to translate any section of the website.  There is an ‘International Cambridge’ section, available of course only in English, where they state;

“The University of Cambridge is one of the world’s leading universities. It supports an international community of students and scholars, and is represented around the world by a global community of alumni.”

Again the lack of any kind of website translation seems slightly bizarre, especially when you consider that more than 25% of Undergraduate student in 2010/11 were from overseas.

3. Harvard University

Harvard again has no translation option on its website.  It does, however, obviously take linguistics seriously with an impressive ‘Language Resource Center’, which boasts “powerful computers… specially configured for accessing high-bandwidth online video course materials at near-DVD quality and are set up to support multilingual Web browsing.”  Like the other Universities in the list so far, they seem to understand the significance of linguistics within internet communications, yet not apply it to their own page.

4. University College London

For a University ranked fourth on this list, the presence of International support on the UCL website is pretty limited, and again no translations are available.  Their ‘School of Intercultural Studies’ does actually have a Masters course in ‘Translation Theory and Practice’, including French, German, Italian, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, Dutch, Hebrew, and Russian, so it is a little baffling as to why they don’t utilise this expertise for their own website.  The University also boasts a ‘Centre for Languages and International Education’ where they offer a number of English and Foreign Language courses.

5. University of Oxford

The Oxford University Website does include a particularly impressive ‘International Section’, but again no form of website translation.  It claims that over a third of all students and teaching staff are from overseas, and makes the bold statement that “Oxford University has been at the forefront of understanding the world and shaping it for centuries. Since the Enlightenment, Oxford has been one of the world’s most influential and international universities.”  The University does have an exceptional Language Learning Centre, where they assist students to study with the assistance of foreign language texts.  Still, however, the website is rather lagging behind.

Final Thoughts

For none of the top 5 universities in the world to have their websites translated seems like a complete oversight.  With each of them boasting a high proportion of international students and claiming to have a global focus, you would think it was essential for their global accessibility.