Translation is a service that we all use – usually unknowingly. With the advent of globalisation in the late 20th Century there was a huge rise in cross-border trade and an increasing need for translation of business, technical and scientific documents.
Translators have been around since ancient times, translating religious texts into a variety of ancient languages. I see this as a form of marketing of religious ideas as religious groups wanted to spread their message to new territories.
These days translation is one of the largest industries in the world. The Directorate General for Translation at the EU calculated that translation services in the EU in 2012 were valued at 12,328 Million Euros. Detailed figures are contained in their report ‘The size of the language industry in the EU’
A good translator is a professional craftsperson. They have experience and qualification and they undertake professional development training to stay in touch with their field. They will usually only translate materials that are in their area of expertise. They are reliable and professional and adhere to industry codes of conduct such as the ITI Code of Conduct.