Indian Language Relevance in the Translation Industry

ARTICLE

With the advent of the internet and with the growing economic relevance of the so called ‘vernacular’ language speakers in the country, there has been a two-fold increase in the importance of local languages. The role of translation and localization companies has grown significantly, and the focus and attention of language is shifting from the west to the east.

Growth of E-Commerce

Not only is the purchasing power of the Indian subcontinent increasing, but their participation in electronic commerce is growing too. Almost every individual has a mobile phone and the only impediment in the path of bringing them into the fold of e-commerce was the language barrier.

E-Banking Applications

Further, with the need for credit cards having been removed, and with the introduction of e-banking, Paytm, Bheem, EzPay and other banking applications, people from all walks of life and all socio-economic strata now have access to the market. A focused and integrated development of the economy has given impetus 

Market Penetration

Internet giants, conglomerates and e-commerce companies understand the need to reach these potential customers and are beginning to translate all content into regional languages to make the e-commerce platform accessible to all. Rather, the reverse, to be able to access the potential customers.

Cultural and Linguistic Revivalism

At around the same time, this is also a period of cultural and linguistic revivalism. The nation is experiencing a political shift in the way people look at their history, roots and mother tongues. What was hitherto referred to by disparaging terms such as ‘vernacular’ is now seen as a mark of pride, intellectual progress and a matter of great pride. 

Academicians have been advocating education in the mother tongue to bridge the gap between professional qualifications and the learners by making higher education available in local languages.

Political Impetus

This has been supported by the political leadership at the central assembly since the election of the BJP 2014 and their re-election in 2019. The emphasis laid on regional languages by the ministry of education and human resource is setting a course that will lead to the increased popularity and importance of knowledge in regional languages, adding to their already growing economic relevance.

The scale of localization services is a measure of the value attached to the language of the consumer. Hence the enhancement in the need for localization underscores the respect that the service provider has for the consumer. Genuine interest in the linguistic diversity of the country has been demonstrated by manufacturers and service providers as the regional vernacular consumer’s purchasing power increases.

Regional Trade Relations

Furthermore, trade relations are growing not just with the west but also with countries of the middle and far east as well as south-east Asia, whose countries are experiencing similar linguistic phenomena.

Burgeoning Translation Industry for Regional Languages

In this era, we in the Indian sub-continent will witness what Europe has witnessed for the last several decades, perhaps centuries, in what we know to be a billion-dollar translation industry. The burgeoning translation industry for regional languages in interaction with several international languages is going to see a boon in area of commerce and education in the coming decades. 

The number of localization companies is growing and the need for quality language services has increased ever more commensurate with the increase in the level of professionalism in our emerging knowledge society. 

A suitable LSP (language service provider) is one that is attentive towards the messaging, accuracy, and professional conversion of text into the target language.