International development. It’s all about developed countries aiding underdeveloped countries in their journeys to become developed countries themselves. And language services are an indispensable piece in the process.
In a developed society:
- > Violence is under control
- > There is a reasonable degree of infrastructure
- > There is universal access to clean water,
- > Uncontaminated food,
- > Education,
- > Healthcare,
- > And sanitation
Some countries that help in international development are:
- > The UK
- > Sweden
- > Germany
- > France
- > The United States
Some countries working towards development are:
- > Afghanistan
- > Eritrea
- > West Bank and Gaza Strip (Palestine)
- > Haiti
- > Ukraine
Taking this into account, let’s look at six ways international development and language services work together to make life better around the world.
Education
First and foremost, it is important that children around the word learn English, as it is the current global language. This means producing specialized learning material: textbooks, video, translated literary books, and games. It also creates a need for teachers with access to at least two languages.
To bring about such changes, a relationship needs to be established between aid organizations and the education ministries of developing countries. Language service providers are vital in this stage. Their job is to bridge the communication gap between both sides.
Research
Many of top universities in the world have international development research centers. Harvard University’s center boasts current ongoing research in all of 116 countries. The work of researchers conducting studies abroad is made possible through collaboration with interpreters and translators.
These studies are what allow us to measure the status and progress of different nations’ development. They also make up the standard global indices we use. So, research needs to reflect accuracy and consistency.
Social Communication
Oftentimes, development calls for quick and community-wide behavioral change. Usually, these endeavors serve the purpose of introducing new norms. For example, norms around sanitary or gender equality customs.
Just like advertisements, these require paper or digital material that need to be made ubiquitous. The creators of this material need access to agents who can not just translate, but localize campaign messages and slogans.
These campaigns are frequently bolstered by live workshops and events. As you can imagine, the effectiveness of these relies deeply on access to interpreters who are well-trained and engaging.
Civil Society
Activities like the ones outlined in education, research, and social communication come into play in the dealings of civil society. The focus is mitigating violence, war, extremism, and relentless hostility within a community.
In this case, linguistic comprehension must connect those involved in the conflict as well as those who are mediating. This requires sophisticated interpretation. News sources also depend on language services for credible reporting.
Economic Development
The partnership between education and language is a prominent feature in the making of a skilled generation. Which, in turn, prepares a country for an economically stronger future.
Digital literacy, financial planning, and entrepreneurship are key skills in economic development. International training materials and courses require fitting translation, interpretation, and localization.
Another defining point are programs that focus on the promotion of businesses in developing countries and financial inclusion. The interface between those offering and those receiving assistance doesn’t exist without the use of language services.
Crises
In the case of disease outbreaks, it’s essential that medical and social communication be intelligible to a community. Without mutual understanding, it’s difficult to reconcile an ailing community and a foreign healthcare task force. The challenge is similar with immigration and war crises.
Countries form relationships with international development organizations because it helps guarantee their safety. This automatically means having a system in place that allows for communication across languages.
International Development and Language Services Cannot Be Separated
Societies can’t move forwards without communication. And there is no communication between countries if there aren’t language workers. In times of grave uncertainty, language accessibility is the guiding light back to stability.
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, localization services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections Inc.
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com