I'm delighted to see the launch of our website. It was while I was reviewing the content of the pages that I had a thought: “why have translation and language always been so important to me?” The core reason is simple: because they bring people together.
The effect of global communication, brought about by digitization and AI, has been profound. It has transformed our lives and connected people like nothing before. A translator is also a mindreader (we have to read between the lines to fully grasp our client’s message), an editor, writer, author, post-editor and transcreator all in one. Communication is the most powerful tool we have at our disposal but there is a power imbalance in global communication which needs to shift. As a translator and language coach, I play a role in the communication process by helping corporations and individuals communicate across borders, bridging their communication and cultural gaps. I hope to play a greater role in this since becoming a member of Translators Without Borders, a humanitarian translator community, to bridge the gap between humanitarian aid workers and people in crisis/need/emergency situations.
What people need most in an emergency is information in their own language. So many people across the globe miss out on vital information and cannot be heard due to a language barrier. Google Translate only supports 108 languages which is minute compared to the thousands of languages spoken by crisis affected people. If communication is improved between crisis affected communities the humanitarian response effort is improved. Half of the world’s population doesnt have access to knowledge and information because it is not available in their language. There are 350-430 languages spoken in the USA. and there are 800 languages spoken in Indonesia.
I am delighted to have been able to coach many of my translation clients in the English language and culture, be it for personal or professional reasons. The majority have requested English language coaching when applying for a new partnership or position in an Anglophone country or corporation, or when being expatriated to a country in which the subsidiary’s working language is English. Quite frequently, managers and executives have a good working knowledge of English but lack confidence in deploying it. They complain their knowledge of English is limited and they fear speaking it. However, I am nearly always pleasantly surprised how fluently they actually speak when I guide them out of their comfort zone. My role is to give them confidence in speaking English, so that they can conduct presentations, speeches, phone calls, videos, meetings, and meet international clients, feeling perfectly at ease in the language. I have a practical hands on approach to teaching. I try to render the sessions stimulating, fun and base them on real life scenarios. Back to basics is my motto.
And now on a totally different note, I have featured a series of legal articles below in French and English, from my weekly tax newsletter. Happy reading!