Gregory Rabassa (1922-2016) –a crucial figure in the dissemination of Latin American authors like Gabriel García Márquez and Julio Cortázar in the US– stated that the search for the “perfect” term that translators do is the counterpart to the search writers do. Which words are the hardest to translate and how do translation professionals face this challenge?
Anamaria Bacci
I’ve been wanting to write about my linguistic “experiences” in Argentina for quite some time now, when I learned (and continue to learn) to speak Spanish. I was 25 years old then. I had just arrived in the country and my oldest daughter was just two months old. We arrived in Buenos Aires and I wanted to start learning how to communicate correctly as soon as I got there, since I wanted to work in my field: Journalism. To that end, I enrolled in a language institute and started taking classes.
As their workforce expands, more companies are prioritizing diversity and inclusion. The number of Hispanic workers in the U.S. market has grown from 10.7 million, in 1990, to 29 million, in 2020 and it is expected to reach 35.9 million by 2030.
Therefore, companies are faced with the increasing challenge of adapting to these changes. But how to communicate effectively and secure long-term talents?
Nowadays, there is a really significant number of people who live somewhere other than their native country: according to the 2020 International Organization for Migration (IOM) Report, in June 2019, 272 million people across the world were estimated to have migrated. Out of that total, almost two-thirds had relocated due to work-related reasons.
This data turns out to be extremely relevant: linguistic issues can undoubtedly make the difference between success and failure. So, what is the importance of knowing how to communicate for someone setting out to live abroad?