The practice of translating languages has been manifested even before speculative theories on the origin of spoken language, such as Bow-wow, Pooh-pooh, Ding-dong, Yo-he-ho, and Ta-ta, were published in 1861 by historical linguist Max Muller.
Early evidences of translation can be dated as far back as approximately 2,000 BCE when The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest surviving works of literature, was translated from Sumerian to Southwest Asian languages.
Years after that, Saint Jerome, the patron saint of translators, translated the Bible into Latin, which has made him a major intellectual force in the Roman Catholic Church.
This grand scheme of events, which also include the use of early phonetic tools like hieroglyphs, led to the foundation of what we now regard as the translation industry.
Today, as pluralistic societies thrive, the multiplicity of language still remains as a limitation to many. With almost over 6,000 languages spoken throughout the world, people from different geographical origins inescapably cope with the challenges brought about by the so-called confusio linguarum.
This explains how people inevitably become victims of cross-cultural gap, and worse, misunderstanding—that more often than not, we find it difficult gaining a strong foothold in unfamiliar locations.
For instance, consider an international ambassador delivering a privilege speech to a nation of a different tongue; a political leader in a global summit expressing his thoughts in his native language that is completely distinct to most of his colleagues; or a sales agent selling his products in a foreign local market.
Bridging this gap has become the foremost function of many translation companies, like Lexode, today. With expert language professionals working in various fields, the toughest struggles of winning linguistic battles have now become more bearable with the help of localization firms. As the pursuit for globalization all the more increases the necessity for better understanding, the development of online software and other relevant means to make the arduous task of translation become easier has also heightened.
Another significant issue tackled by most linguists today is the dominance of English as the language of trade, diplomacy, and research. Several concerns have been raised that extensive use of such language can start linguistic homogenization, which some consider as a major threat to language diversity.
If not with the tower of Babel, the world could have had a monolithic tongue. At least that’s what the bible says. But what if the world really has a monolithic tongue?
Today, with the distinction of more than 6,000 mother tongues on earth, there is no denying the necessity for language translation. For so long as societies are fragmented and there is confusion of tongues, translation companies like Lexcode will prosper to keep all people harmoniously linked.
