How Language Service Providers Help During World Day for Cultural Diversity

The world is full of rich and diverse cultures, making it important to strengthen intercultural dialogues. Each year on May 21^st, UNESCO celebrates World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development to highlight the world’s many cultures and promote sustainable development. Here’s how language service providers, including translation services, help facilitate intercultural exchange and tolerance.

MONDIACULT and Language Service Providers

In 2022, decisionmakers from 150 States gathered in Mexico to attend MONDIACULT, the world’s largest conference devoted to culture. There, attendees drafted the Declaration for Culture, which declared culture as a “global public good“ and was integrated into their development goals for 2030 (Agenda 2030). The declaration defined a set of cultural rights that range from the rights of indigenous communities to the protection and promotion of cultural and natural heritage. It also included regulations for the digital sector to ensure fair content access and secure the benefits of cultural diversity for all. To make sure all attendees understood each other during the conference and that everyone could access and understand all development goals in its aftermath, translation and interpreting services were necessary.

World Day for Cultural Diversity and Language Service Providers

Translators and localization services carry the responsibility of conveying the text of documents such as the Agenda 2030 from one language into another one. It’s important for translators to have a vast understanding of cultural and legal terminologies to make sure nothing is lost in translation. By paying careful attention to detail and cultural sensitivities, clear translations of relevant content can be provided to members of different language groups. This allows different cultures to be shared and embraced by others, building global tolerance.

The Importance Of Interpreting Services

Interpreting services are also important in promoting intercultural dialogue. With the help of skilled interpreters, conferences like MONDIACULT can be made more accessible for all attendees. With their ability to interpret the spoken word seamlessly from one language into another, interpreters allow for smooth conversation and discussion between all representatives.

Interpreting for such large conferences can be provided in two main ways: simultaneous or consecutive. With simultaneous interpreting, speech is delivered in real-time; with consecutive interpreting, the speaker pauses throughout their speech to give the interpreter time to convey the speech’s message to other attendees. Thanks to experiences and knowledge of professional interpreters, both options guarantee that all event attendees can express their ideas, concerns, acknowledgements, and disagreements freely.

Conclusion

Considering three-quarters of the world’s conflicts are often related to cultural differences, setting aside a day to appreciate cultural diversity between people, states, and countries is of serious importance. When it comes to carrying out conferences to promote cultural diversity and peace, the help of language service providers is invaluable. Professional language service partners with experience providing international development translation services are best situated to ensure that conferences run smoothly and that all documents are translated with accuracy and precision.