Translation in the Digital Age

I've often thought that though we consider the digital age to be tied to a "world wide web" the global nature of our communications remains relatively limited. Much of this, of course, centers around the issue of language. Roughly 328 million speak English-- around the same number of people who speak Spanish. Those numbers are dwarfed by the 845 million that speak Chinese and another 460 that speak Hindi. So in the world of digital marketing, how do you get your message out to a global audience?

Smartling is a new tech start-up aimed at helping users translate their digital content into multiple languages quickly and accurately. The company is featured in this month's Fast Company Magazine. The idea of localizing content is not new. However, it's often been more burdensome than many suspect and the potential for Smartling to help digital companies source their translation needs in a cost effective way is enormous.

Of course, what Smartling does not address is whether one message really is appropriate for all cultures. How a company targets their segments is something that must be considered carefully. What engages users in Wisconsin will not necessarily work in Beijing. Still, it's a step in the right direction...

Fast Company Article:
http://www.fastcompany.com/1787015/smartling-ceo-jack-welde-translation-localization