Translators Being Called the New Blacksmiths

 

In a recent article by the Huffington Post, translators were aptly called the “new blacksmiths”.  Six reasons were given to compare the two professions and here are a few of the notable mentions. 

1) The translation industry has shifted from a craft to a science over the past couple decades.  Blacksmithing underwent much of the same shift during the industrial age. The industry was part craft and part science. Although translations have existed ever since the evolution of language, with the evolution of technology the industry is shifting into more of a science. The science of translation allows translators of today to translate into a variety of languages in a consistent quality with predictable results.

2) Translators are moving us into a new era. Blacksmiths’ work was once so transformative that it shifted society into a new industrial era. The translation industry is doing the same thing for the information age. The internet connects people worldwide and the translation of different languages breaks down the communication barriers so people everywhere can share information and communicate with each other.

3) A need will always exist. Just like blacksmiths, there will always be a human need for translators. Although the types of work blacksmiths do today is different than what they did centuries ago, they are still needed in society. The same is true for translators. Although technology may change the role of translators over time, there will always be a global need for their services.

Blacksmiths helped the world transition into the industrial age and translators are helping the world into the information era. The full article can be found on the Huffington Post website.