In my line of work as a translator, I often hear from colleagues that we would not be where we are today if it were not for the Internet — receiving files from clients halfway around the world by e-mail and returning them the same way once the translation is complete.
Research has also been simplified; in the past, you’d have to track down an expert in whatever field you’re working on, such as a university professor, and hope that he or she would be available for a quick telephone conversation to explain a technical concept to you. Or you’d have to drag yourself to the nearest library and, again, hope for the best (libraries tend to stock material in only one, the local, language).
Nowadays, though, translators can Google like there’s no tomorrow, track down previously translated documents or even entire technical glossaries and dictionaries available online.
But with our reliance on technology, we have also reaped a series of problems (as any translator will tell you, Internet-driven globalization also means that you may run into a con artist who’s out to defraud unsuspecting translators — order a translation, receive the finished product, and never pay for it!).
In so many ways, I think, we’re putting too much emphasis on technology. Most of us have made ourselves way too dependent on all those little gadgets: Blackberrys, cell phones, e-mail, etc. Essentially, everyone is reachable these days 24/7 (except for yours truly, who still believes in regular “office hours” - the nerve of it!).
Surely you have noticed that those cherished gadgets tend to be unreliable; cell phones cut out or e-mail messages never make it to your inbox. I maintain e-mail accounts with four different providers, and at least once a week, one of them acts up. it really doesn’t matter what provider you sign up with; they all suffer the same problems.
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