When Richard and Robert Sherman wrote the song "It's a Small World" for the Disney ride of the same name in the 1960s, they had no way of knowing that as small as the world was then, it was about to get smaller. In the 1990s, the technological age would later come along and shrink the world to the size of a pin head. Thanks to search engines, wide ranging air transport networks and search engine optimization, Ontario small businesses are nearly as likely to need translation services as the United Nations. Here at Translation People, we believe that understanding one another is the path to a stable world, and it all starts with translation.

Translation is a process whereby documents, materials, audio recordings, or live feeds are converted from one language to another, usually by a human being. To date, although computer translation services are popping up everywhere, there's currently no other way to retain the nuances and context of the original material than by having it translated by a person. The translated documents are then used to help two parties, perhaps a firm of Orange County bankruptcy attorneys and their Spanish-speaking client, to understand one another.

Translated documents show up in all levels of government and business whether they deal internationally or domestically. Immigration has become so easy that there are language pockets all over the world. A Canadian trademark firm might need design documents translated from German to English in order to register a patent. A DVD import business might need the box art on American films translated to Chinese for sale in Vancouver's Chinatown.

Not just anyone can become a translator. Most of our translators have undergone years of study to ensure that their grammar, spelling, and comprehension in both languages is flawless. If your native language is not English and you're thinking you could become a translator by taking a course in English as a second language, Canada will in all likelihood not grant you official "bilingual" status until you have demonstrated your proficiency in the language via testing. In some other countries, however, the standards aren't so strict.

Once you have become a translator, a wide variety of employment doors are thrown open to you. You might find yourself working for a television station in India translating Ron Meisels interviews into Hindi. You might be asked to translate speeches made in Swahili for the Italian ambassador to the United Nations. You might find yourself on loan to a military force or a police department to help the populace communicate with them. The possibilities are endless.

Whatever your interest in translation, whether it be having some documents translated for you, learning another language, or finding out more about being employed as a translator, we here at Translation People can help.