Common Courses in Translation Studies
In this article we will take a critical examination of the trends that fuel increased registration for Russian, Spanish and Chinese translation to determine why they are becoming increasingly popular choices for U.S. college and university students.
RUSSIAN TRANSLATIONIf you were born prior to the 1960′s then you realize that until very recently, the demand for Russian Translation companies was relatively nonexistent. However, starting around 1985, the need for people with Russian and English speaking skills began to increase. The need for more Russian Translators began when Mikhail Gorbachev became General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and recognized the need for fundamental economic reform. Although the economic reforms that Gorbachev implemented made little difference to the citizens of Russia, he later enacted the human rights policies of free speech and political reform that brought shock and awe to the old style of government in Russia. The outcome was that reformist politicians were successful in the elections of 1989. As the world was welcoming a new decade, the former Soviet Union was engaged in revolutions. At this time, the adhesion that kept the republics together had weakened and the republics now demanded their own independence. At the start of the 1990′s, the unsuccessful victory effort by conservative activists dealt the greatest loss to the empire. Then Russia declared itself as “independent” while the Soviet Union collapses and joined with Ukraine and Belarus to form the Commonwealth of Independent States, which is eventually joined by all former Soviet republics except the Baltic states. As approval for Gorbachev tapered off, the world saw Russia usher in Boris Yelstin as the country’s new President.The Soviet Union was finally dissolved in December 1991. Although the collapse and breakup of the Soviet Union was a major even in European history, it allowed Russia to become powerful again. Since then Russia’s history has not been smooth, characterized by such notable events as Yeltsin’s violent clash with parliament in October 1993, ending in the siege of the Russian White House, and the financial collapse of September 1998. Despite its problems, Russia is a country with a rich culture, huge resources, both human and physical, and its capital Moscow is now a vibrant and exciting city.
SPANISH TRANSLATIONLatin America is so important in the lives of Americans today that Spanish Translation Services companies have grown at tremendous rates. Most Americans and Europeans understand the significance that Mexico has in today’s global economy and realize that it is a critical trade partner with the United States, Canada and other countries throughout the world. Even in major metropolitan areas in the United States like Miami and Los Angeles, the Spanish language has taken on great importance in trade. Today, nearly all medium to large size corporations recognize the needs that exist in Spanish speaking countries and are capitalizing on the opportunities. Today, Spanish rivals English as the language of choice in the Americas with 250 million native Spanish speakers in the Caribbean, Central America, South America and North America. Further, with 329 million Spanish speakers in the world, it is world’s second most spoken language and ranks slightly ahead of English (328 million) but far behind Chinese (1.2 billion). Spanish is the second world language as a vehicle of international communication and the third as an international language of politics, economics and culture. The demand for Spanish courses has doubled worldwide in ten years. CHINESE TRANSLATIONSimilar to Spanish and Russian, Chinese Translation companies have also grown exponentially over the past twenty years. While China was once thought of a poor third world country, it is now experiencing an accelerated growth phase that has allowed its standard of living among the majority of its citizens to expand exponentially. But the strength of the Chinese economy isn’t the only reason why there has been a surge in demand for Chinese Translation Services in recent years. The vast size of China and the large number of Chinese throughout the world means that nearly 25-percent of all earthlings speak Chinese.
