Translation in the Global Linguistic Landscape

Language plays a central role in all aspects of human connection — introduction, cooperation, harmony, exchange of thoughts and feelings, development of knowledge, preservation of values and traditions, reasoning, dialogue, and so on. What would be the significance of human life without a language? What meaning would life hold without it? We all know the answer.

- Dr. Ravindra Kumar

Currently, more than seven thousand languages are spoken in 195 countries around the world. Almost every country has one major language. In many countries, in addition to the major language, there are one or more languages spoken at the provincial, state, and regional levels. In India, there are more than one hundred twenty known languages, including Hindi. There are more than two hundred and seventy mother tongues in the country. Hindi is recognized as the Rajbhasha (official language) of the country. At the central level, much of the government’s work is conducted in English. In the provinces, official work is primarily carried out in the respective language of the province concerned. The bridge that makes coordination possible between the Centre and states, is linguistic translation. In other words, translation plays a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth implementation of all official functions and communication across the country.