Translation is a linguistic phenomenon that has existed since the origins of communication and, throughout the ages, it has been developed and perfected to the point that it is now an intellectual exercise, a cultural resource and a business activity that is essential for communication in a technological and globalized context in which immediacy is the order of the day. In the beginning of translation, reproducing messages between languages was a necessary action in order to allow different cultures to understand each other and thus establish political, business and interpersonal relations, understood in the wide context in which they have existed from the dawn of civilization up to the present. Later on, with independent and individual knowledge of languages, translation became a tool at the service of political power and academic institutions. Political power, which depending on the historical context could also include religious power, employed linguistic and cultural knowledge for different purposes, such as to create political ties, to spy, to censure the dissemination of content, to falsify documents and to indoctrinate, as occurred in the era of large empires. At the same time, in spite of the improper uses of translation throughout history, this interlinguistic conversion has allowed us to share knowledge available in one culture with any other culture beyond its borders, with the aim of enriching scientific, philosophical and technological progress. Thus, the role translation has played over the course of history has been essential for creating a common knowledge among all cultures of the world and for communicating all types of specialized knowledge and novel ideas so as to allow us to culturally and technologically evolve as a global community.
Until recently, translation was an activity that served the common good mainly in political and academic spheres, yet for some time now, translation has become a fundamental tool for private business purposes of companies and individuals. This means that translation is a means for obtaining an advantage that a company or person uses to cover a need related to communication. As we all know, these needs don’t only consist of crossing a linguistic barrier to enable two speakers to communicate, but also correspond to business strategies in which language is used to appeal to consumers’ senses and lead them to action, which usually translates to a desire to shop. Therefore, translation is not only used to transmit messages, but is often used to transmit feelings and provoke action, which, paradoxically, often consists of bypassing the original message and creating another that contains the strength and intention of the original. We are truly experiencing a new era in which the interlinguistic conversion has become a very powerful asset for gaining an advantage over competitors. We no longer talk of “speaking the same language”, but rather of “being memorable” for the target audience and “creating trends” with a brand image.
To be able to do this, and reach the largest number of clients, it is essential for a language service provider, be it an individual person or an agency, to be widely known on the market. Nowadays, traditional media (word of mouth, email marketing, etc.) are no longer good enough to reach our maximum potential of market presence. To be successful, one must be ubiquitous and multiply their possibilities of success by increasing their presence online. In this sense, social networks provide an invaluable tool.
Social networks provide a highly accessible, cheap and comprehensive platform for advertising translation services. There are social networks for all types of audiences, even those which include different types of audiences grouped together by common interests, and the very companies to which we are referring are present on these platforms. Why not make ourselves known in other formats that allow our services to reach new audiences in ways that are more original than traditional methods? These strategies are a great way to capture the attention of potential clients, create a positive brand image and subsequently attract these clients to our webpage. Nowadays, it is common to see professionals in the translation sector on social networks such as Twitter or Instagram talking about their work or their company’s philosophy through memes, using humor as a surefire way to connect with audiences. These types of resources shorten the distance between companies and possible clients and create interest, leading someone to click on the company name to see what is behind a clever or interesting post, which will allow them to become familiar with the services provided by the company from a more optimistic basis. By the same token, social networks allow us to keep our followers up to date in real time with all of the latest developments of our company and sector, allowing us to form much closer relationships and become an up-to-date resource for consultation, which is an essential quality in our current era of immediacy.
With that said, creating a page on a social network could be a wise decision to improve the online presence of any translation company and reach new audiences, not to mention the huge niche markets for clients interested in using language services to improve the copy and localization of their social network pages.
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