Technology has never ceased to amaze us. Over the years, it has given us amazing inventions that made our lives easier and more comfortable but also brought us all closer to each other, marking a new era called globalization.
And one such technology is translation. Undeniably, translation is not a recent phenomenon. But the amalgamation of technology into it, it has given the concept a whole other dimension. This collaboration has given birth to many different types of translation and its varied usage in various sectors of the economy.
In today’s article, we will go through the types of translation available in the market and what makes them different. But before we dive into that, let’s understand the concept of translation a little deeper.
What is translation?
There is no one way to explain the translation phenomenon, given that different fields and experts have different opinions. If we try to understand it, translation is translating text or document from the source language to the target language.
According to osou.ac.in, “translation is the business of carrying across a message/written content from one text to another, from one person to another and from one language(source language) to a different language (target language). It can happen within the same language (from one dialect to another dialect or from one form to another) or between languages. It is best seen as a communication process that transfers a message/written content from one language into a new language.”
The point of translation is the interpretation of messages, text, etc., from one language to another. While the addition of technology has become more sophisticated and clean, translation has existed in our lives for a long time. The story of translation dates back to approximately the third millennium BC.
Need for translation:
Different types of translation are available at our disposal to suit our various needs. But why do we need translation in our lives?
It may not seem like a big deal, but translation is an incumbent aspect of every field nowadays. Sectors like tourism, hospitality, and literature undoubtedly need translation, and so on.
Here are a few instances of why translation is needed:
a) Not everyone prefers or speaks English:
Yes, English is a universally spoken language, but it will be surprising to know that not everyone speaks or understands English. As much as we are becoming westernized these days, people in India and worldwide still don’t know about English. This is where translation becomes extremely necessary.
b) Promoting globalization:
translation has played an integral role in promoting globalization. How so? By breaking the barriers of language. With translation technology available at our fingertips, you can travel to any part of the world without worrying about needing to learn the language of that place.
c) Spreading information and ideas:
globalization is nothing but exchanging ideas and information globally, bringing everyone closer to each other. Now you can talk to anyone, anywhere, worldwide, without worrying about language. It takes a few seconds and Google Translates it; that’s it.
These are just a few examples, but the need for translation is undoubtedly more significant than most of us know. Safe to say, it is an undeniably powerful tool in today’s world. And now that we have understood the need for translation, let us dive deeper and check out the different types of translation available in the market today.
What are the types of translation?
Just like there is a plethora of voice over services available in the market today, for example, podcast voice over, radio voice over, TV promo voice over, etc., translation to has several branches and types. Some of these are:
1. Literary Translation
As the name suggests, literary translation is simply translation used for literary works such as novels, poems, plays, etc. it is the simplest type and one of the top forms of translation. Because of literary translation, some of the greatest works in the world of literature have reached every corner, regardless of the language they were written in.
2. Computer-Aided Translation
Known as CAT, this type of translation is generally used as software to help a human translator in the process of translating. We could term it as a bridge between machine translation and manual translation. CAT is also known as machine-assisted human translation or MAT.
3. Commercial Translation
This type of translation requires a specialized translator who may possess technical knowledge about the industry to which the business belongs. These may include knowing specific business jargon, etc. The commercial translation is used in translating commercial documents such as business reports, memos, correspondence, business mail, etc.
4. Legal Translation
this type of translation is used for legal matters, such as the translation of marriage certificates, memorandums, agreements, wills, etc. Legal translation is one of the most challenging types of translation and, just like commercial translation, requires experts with adequate knowledge in the field.
5. Technical translation
Again, pretty self-explanatory; technical translation is required in the technical field. It may include videos, training materials, instruction booklets, etc. Like legal and commercial translation, this involves specialized experts in various technical fields.
6. General Translation
Compared to the above three types of translation, general translation, as the name suggests, deals with all kinds of non-specialized translation work. It is the most basic form of translation and can be oral or written.
7. Medical Translation
Again pretty self-explanatory; translation used in the medical field is called medical translation. It is a very tricky translation and is done by people with adequate knowledge in this field. It must take this form of translation seriously because any mistranslation or error may lead to adverse results.
8. Multimedia Localization
It has to be the most popular translation in the world today. It refers to multimedia translation, such as gifs, infographics, animations, videos, etc.
Even though it might seem simple, multimedia translation is fairly tricky too, but it is used widely by businesses today to increase their audience reach.
The translation is a tool that has brought about a revolution in different sectors of the economy, not to mention playing a critical role in the phenomenon we know as globalization. It is simple and fairly ignored, but when we dig deeper, we see a whole other world opening up.
