Found in Translation

Inserito Scidulam
So far we’ve been discussing the importance of translation for global business,

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but let’s not forget that most business transactions take place at the local level.
In most parts of the world, all you have to do is walk up to an automatic teller
machine (ATM) to see how translation contributes to these local economies.
The estimated two million ATMs worldwide enable customers to take out
money, make deposits, and conduct business conveniently on their own instead
of going into a branch where they would need to rely on humans.
Get off a plane in Barcelona, and you’ll find ATMs in Basque, Catalan, and
Spanish for the locals, plus English and French for the tourists. Make a
withdrawal in Ireland, and you’ll see not only English and Irish Gaelic for the
natives, but Polish for the sizable immigrant community. If you’re in Bolivia,
you can take out money in Aymara, Spanish, or Quechua (the language once
used by the Incas). Step up to make a deposit in New Zealand, and you’ll see
options in English and M ori, as well as Chinese, French, German, Japanese,
and Korean. Go to South Africa, and you can manage your bank accounts in
Afrikaans, English, Sepedi, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu. Visit the Vatican, and
you’ll even find an ATM with the Latin words Inserito scidulam quaeso ut
faciundam cognoscas rationem (Please insert your ATM card and enter your
PIN) on the touch screen.
With few exceptions, no matter where you go in the world, you’ll find
multiple languages on the touch screens and buttons of these cash dispensers.
Multilingualism is a natural state for nearly every society in the world, but
when it comes to ATMs, providing language access contributes to a healthy
economy. For tourists to spend money in your community, giving them an easy
way to obtain that money is a no-brainer. But this isn’t just important for
tourists. The refugees and immigrants who live in your community can deposit
their checks, pay their bills, and contribute to local commerce more easily
when they can do so in their native languages.
The crass truth is that businesses ultimately care far more about the money
in a wallet than they do about the language of the person who has the power to
open it. Translation simply makes it easier for people to hand over their cash.
Most companies will translate information only if it makes business sense.
That—not political correctness—is the main reason you’ll find ATMs
displaying Hmong in Wisconsin, Vietnamese in California, and Inuktitut in
Canada. Translation is good for business—not just on a global scale, but at the
microeconomic level of your local city block.