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Transnational Institutions
The phenomenon that we today call globalization has roots in financial as well as socio-political factors. Globalization forces multiple cultures and languages to find a common  language to speak and communicate with each other – in short, the tower of Babel is searching for a common language. This has also become a political necessity in a world that has international organizations like the United Nations, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund on the one hand, and non-governmental organizations like Amnesty International, Greenpeace and World Social Forum, to name a few. Organizations of these sorts have to ensure communication between languages and cultures for their effective functioning. Translation plays a crucial role in these global systems.
Translation is the vital link in the world of commerce and enterprise also. The information technology industry boom means that you can run a business anywhere in the world from your home, which also means that you are in constant touch with people who might not know your language. Call centres and transcription centres in India are examples of this outsourced business. Call centre employees in India give road directions or handle customer complaints for people in the U.S. These disembodied voices speak in the same language and accent of an alien culture, becoming representatives of a translated existence.
Bilingualism or multilingualism becomes an advantage in the field of defence and security. In a world that is facing security risks from all parts of the globe, knowing the language of your adversary is important to pre-empt his moves and avert a possible disaster. The U.S after 9/11 is a case in point where the intelligence authorities needed people who knew languages of the Middle East. Similarly, the American invasion of Iraq got complicated also by the language factor because communication with the locals often broke down as they did not know each other’s languages.
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