Challenges of globalization

Cronin points out how translators, like everybody else, are susceptible to the influences of the age in which they live. He quotes the postmodern thinker Zygmunt Bauman, who maintains that this is the age of “fluid modernity”, where “time has become a factor independent of inert and immutable dimensions of land-masses or seas” (106). One aspect of this age is the possibility of almost instantaneous communication or the speed with which we can send messages to each other, irrespective of where we are located. This has an impact on translation also, especially of the non-literary kind. With the advancements made in the field of computers and internet, most translators who do functional translation can work from their homes. Though this is empowering in a certain way, it also means that the translator is always working against a deadline that allows her/him very little freedom. The modern day ‘patron' in Lefevere's terms or the publisher, demands the translation to be done in a specific form within a specific time. The market economy is such that the publisher is forced to bring out more titles within a shorter span of time, which in turn puts pressure on the translator to churn out his work without having the luxury of getting to know the source text and its author at a leisurely pace. Cronin explains: “As investors seek return on their money, the pressure on publishers is to go for high-volume, minimum-risk titles that are guaranteed a market and that often have a substantial PR component” (120). This means that the translations are mostly target-oriented to suit the tastes of the market. This also means that other questions like the quality of the translation become insignificant before the question of readability.