Are you planning to go international with your next trade show or marketing campaign? Ventures into new frontiers open opportunities to expand your business and engage new customers. However, stepping into the unknown can be intimidating, mainly when you can’t communicate due to language barriers.
Language translation and interpretation are required in almost every industry around the globe, from a small business wanting to translate its web content to another language to multilingual corporations and organizations that need interpretation services to deal with international clients or manage overseas staff. This is where interpretation services come in. This article explores the role and benefits of interpretation services in helping individuals and companies internationalize their products and services across the globe.
Understanding Interpretation
For as long as there has been more than one language in the world, interpretation has been needed, and as such, it is one of the world’s oldest occupations. Consider the Age of Discovery, when European explorers like Magellan and Columbus discovered new routes to the far corners of the world, expanding the world as they knew it. Lesser known in the history books are the interpreters they took with them to communicate with whoever they’d meet along the way.
Today, interpreters are widely used in a variety of industries. Their role is to facilitate communication between speakers of different languages. While there are many types of interpretation, the two most common ones are consecutive and simultaneous. Consecutive interpretation means an interpreter waits for a speaker to finish speaking before translating to a listener. Simultaneous interpretation means an interpreter translates speech while the speaker is saying it. You can watch simultaneous interpretation in action during high-level international meetings such as those held by the United Nations.
Considering its history, evolution, and current contribution to global affairs, it would be naive to dismiss the role of interpreters in helping you reach your business goals, especially around internationalization.
Interpretation Services: Your Business’s Unsung Hero
In today’s globalized world, businesses must explore opportunities beyond their borders and expand into new markets to grow. However, with over 7,000 languages being spoken in the world today, some of which have their variations, it can be tricky for businesses to connect with potential markets whose culture and language they are unfamiliar with. Beyond being tricky, in some cases, failing to communicate effectively in another language can even lead to severe repercussions for your business. Language barriers create a hindrance to international trade. Thankfully, interpretation services can help companies to hurdle these barriers.
Demand for interpretation services, particularly among multinational companies and businesses, has been rising in recent years and is expected to grow. In fact, in the United States alone, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics has projected employment of interpreters and translators to grow 24 percent from 2020 to 2030. As mentioned, interpreters translate verbal speech or sign language from one language to another. They’re critical in ensuring that daily activities such as high-level meetings, sales pitches, conversations, and interviews can proceed seamlessly. Through their work, interpreters play a crucial role in facilitating business communication that drives the global economy.
Interpretation services can be considered businesses’ unsung heroes who break down language barriers among countries and bridge cultural divides. Interpretation services are increasingly regarded as a vital component within many companies today. Without them, most businesses would be unable to reach their potential or meet their expansion goals.
Benefits of Professional Business Interpretation
Business communication plays a crucial role in the global economy. It’s how businesses distribute information; engage with partners, employees, and clients; and uphold their brands. Without adequate business communication, an organization will neither thrive nor survive. Establishing practical and thoughtful communication systems is, thus, a must for any organization. An organization can enhance its business communications by embracing interpretation services.
Highly trained and experienced professionals offer interpretation services with expertise and specialties in various languages and cultures. Here’s a rundown of some of the benefits interpretation services can bring to your business.
- Internationalization
Most businesses underestimate the value of translation and interpretation services, even if they have internationalization goals. Interpreters help people understand each other despite the subtle variations in complex communication systems. Removing the language barrier in the communication process will support businesses in their dealings in new markets with different cultures and languages—paving the way for global expansion and international exposure while contributing to significant business growth.
- Communication Efficiency
From simple phone conversations to important and susceptible business transactions such as client deals and board meetings, efficient communication is necessary. A slight misunderstanding or misinterpretation can lead to severe consequences that will hurt your reputation and relationships and throw a wrench in your strategic plans. Hiring a professional and competent interpreter from a trustworthy language company will help you avoid these blunders.
- Quality, Accuracy, and Consistency
A business needs to uphold the highest standards, especially in how it communicates with clients, partners, and employees. Having interpretation services on the frontline of your international and cross-cultural business communications will help ensure that your business operations continue to run smoothly and with minimum disruptions.
Quick Rehash: Gains in Availing Interpretation Services
Thanks to the rise of interconnected networks and the speed of technological advancements, more and more multinational companies are launching worldwide, and more businesses are exploring opportunities in different countries and continents. In turn, the need for interpretation services that can ensure quality communication between businesses, their customers, and employees, no matter the language is spoken, is also rising.
In summary, investing in interpretation services can be a game-changer for your business. It is a significant, strategic move that will allow your business to grow organically, break into new markets, and increase your visibility. By partnering with a reputable interpretation service, companies can establish and maintain positive business relationships with their international clients, partners, and employees.
