The gleam of a television set penetrates the opaqueness of the evening’s oncoming darkness, transfixing your eyes while the rest of you melts away in a comfortable couch. Your feet are propped up and you relish in the amenities of a modern homestead. When suddenly an advertisement appears, the screen screams more blaringly and the sound is more slicing than the drone of your go-to evening game show. The interruption is a black sedan seemingly gliding effortlessly around the treacherous curves of a crystalline mountain road.
Well, just another German car brand, but this time the slogan is in German and you must assume that “Deutsche Qualität” means “German quality”. You are right as are 99% of other spectators, but the imprint of German engineering reinforced in your mind , against a back-drop of struggling American brands, reminds you which country leads this powerful and highly technical market. Assuredly, more advanced German warrants professional translation once the production process of these formidable machines is completed. For a country that constructs around 40% of all newly registered cars in Europe’s multi-language market, one cannot imagine the terminology involved in instruction manuals, warranty information, stocking and storage recommendations, etc. While Germans flaunt their speed engines on the infamous autobahn, other countries can boast technical markets of their own.
Even though smart phones are capturing photos and videos in copious amounts, Japan can still enjoy domination in the sector of digital cameras, a product closely related to the technical field of optics. The country is a cradle for everything electronic but their digital photography equipment accounts for 75% of worldwide sales and 8 of the top 10 brands. A sample of the terminology involved is the description of the switch from digital single-lens reflex cameras to mirror-less interchangeable cameras. They reduce the need for noisy reflex mirrors, but to correct for parallax (by shifting frame lines), they may require hybrid viewfinders. Most have contrast-deletion (オートフォーカス), if you follow correctly.
Ignoring the plethora of American specialties which may not require as much translation, China can be highlighted for their domination of photovoltaics (PV) , or solar panel production (nothing to do with photography). Having only really emerged in the last five years, China now produces close to 50% of worldwide solar PV (太阳能光伏), with its Taiwanese neighbor adding another 15% (The United States in comparison is at 8%). If Germany and Japan are marketing to the global middle class consumer, China, is in this case, investing into the future of an industrial world turning towards renewable energies. And the technical science behind these advancements will require the most professional technical translation.
The tiny country of Switzerland makes a strong case in the field of orphan drugs, or those drugs specified for rare diseases, by claiming three of the top-selling products. The two Swiss pharmaceutical giants responsible generated around 9 billion dollars in sales from these products alone in 2012. Here, healthcare, biochemistry, and technology each play a part to form terminology with no lack of syllables. This is without mentioning the four official languages spoken in the ever-neutral country of holed cheese and square flags. The descriptions, side effects, and other labelling can be regarded as heavy duty technical translation. The future of this market is intriguing, especially due to the aging population and the ongoing debate over healthcare.
Now that you are informed on four countries that lead particular industries, of which there are numerous other examples, the advertisements seem to be ending. Indeed, the game-show’s logo is spinning around on your television screen reminding you the camera crew will take a wide-shot of the stage and then focus on the presenter’s face as he welcomes you back. You have taken a long journey, which was useful to learn the importance of technical translation in technical and revolutionary fields of today and tomorrow.
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