https://padlet.com/sarahingreece/nljlzalc3klk Made with good vibes en-us 2017-02-06 22:12:53 UTC 2017-02-07 20:51:35 UTC hello@padlet.com sarahingreece https://padlet.com/sarahingreece/nljlzalc3klk/wish/151990348 Working for an airline and living in Italy means I encounter translation everyday. I work with colleagues from all over Europe and deal with customers from many different countries and although the language I use most frequently is Italian, I often find myself having to try and understand something that has been said to me in French or Spanish for example. Airports are also places where translation is very important and is used almost everywhere in some form, often in more than one language, particularly when traveling in Europe.

In countries where there is a high volume of tourists translation is very visible. Living in Milan I see translation everywhere, from public transport where all the announcements are in English as well as Italian, to restaurant menus and tourist information sites. There are a lot of Russian and Chinese tourists in Milan and in many of the luxury boutiques you will find shop assistants that either speak these languages or are from these countries. However if you travel to Lake Garda for example there are many places along the lake that are popular with German tourists so you fill find waiters that speak to you in German and menus that are all translated in German too. 

Also areas of countries along borders with neighbouring countries are often bilingual and translation is something that is completely normal in everyday life. Names of places and road signs are often written in both languages and people are often fluent in both languages as they have been taught both since starting school.

I believe that translation has definitely become more prominent in recent years due to the increase in foreign travel and globalisation along with the use of the internet. People encounter foreign cultures and languages on a much more regular basis than they will have done even just fifty years ago. Whether it is for work or for pleasure translation has definitely become a more frequent aspect of people's lives and with so many tools available now it is becoming easier for people to communicate in a foreign language.

I do however believe that translation habits can be local, I have friends who have traveled in Japan and China and one thing they found that surprised them was that nothing, not even public transport was translated into English, something that we take for granted in Europe.]]> 2017-02-06 22:13:06 UTC https://padlet.com/sarahingreece/nljlzalc3klk/wish/151990348