During my stay in Europe in the summer of 2022, I was amazed by how multilingual Europeans are. The proximity to their neighbors and  multilingualism within certain European countries are big factors in Europeans' ability to speak multiple languages. Countries like Switzerland and Belgium have  multiple national languages: French, German, Italian, and Romansh in Switzerland; and Dutch, French, and German in Belgium.
With global tourism, globalization and cross-border commerce on the rise, we also see a spike in the interest in foreign languages in The US.
Spanish  takes first place when it comes to being the most studied foreign language in the US, closely followed by French. French is the most popular language to study in the UK. Most popular languages in the EU are English, French, German, Italian, and Russian.
It is also very important to mention that Mandarin Chinese and Japanese are the fastest growing languages to study in the world. The popularity of anime and China's role in the global market are two big factors in  the rise of those two languages.
Tell us what languages you speak and want to master one day!

The 4 Top Business Investments Right Now
Katherine Keller
Guest Writer
President of Katherine Keller International LLC

Our world has become the global village. Ideas are being produced rapidly around the world, and most of them have the potential to change life as we know it for future generations. Already, we've witnessed amazing ideas and technologies that have sahped the way we think, interact and build businesses.

You can focus solely on growing your own empire, or you can plan to invest in some of the best business options in 2017. Investments aren't just about becoming a part of something revolutionary. They can give way to opportunities for success for your business idea as well. If a single idea can promote such a positive change, then a combination of them can do multiple wonders -- not only for the business industry but for people around the world.
Here are some of the top business-investment moves you can make in the next 12 to 18 months.

1. Virtual reality.Entrepreneurship has strong roots in the virtual-reality industry. Despite being around for a few years now, virtual reality gained better momentum in 2016. Experts believe the industry most likely will continue this positive trajectory in the near future -- with projected revenue of roughly $4.6 billion in 2017. Virtual reality still is greatly under research, and this provides ample opportunities for new ideas. 
Related: 12 Amazing Uses of Virtual Reality
2. Translation and interpretation.The United States always has been home to multiple cultures and languages. The Census Bureau reports Americans speak more than 350 languages in their homes. On the other hand, businesses have become global. This highly increases the need for both understanding and awareness of more languages. Giants such as Google and Skype have enhanced and expanded their translation capabilities. This allows them to encompass a target market whose customers want a more personalized service. As companies embrace more languages and cultures, employment in areas supporting this industry are projected to increase by 30 percent by 2024.
Related: This New Translation Tech Will Smash the Language Barrier to Doing Business Globally
3. Drone technology.Drone technology is meeting the diverse needs of multiple industries, including infrastructure, mining and transport. The developing drone market is estimated to be valued at $127 billion. If you decide to invest in this sector, consider choosing a publicly traded company. It's worth mentioning that big, public drone companies such as Go Pro recently have experienced difficult times on the stock market. Instead of selecting popular manufacturers, weigh the benefits of putting your dollars in drone technology and components. One such example is Ambarella, which specializes in producing the video chip sets used in drone cameras.
Related: The iPhone of Drones Is Being Built by This Teenager
4. Green energy.       Civilians and big-business names both are becoming increasingly conscious about their carbon footprints. Businesses have a much larger role to play as they set example for green practices. If trends in environmentally friendly business methods are any indication, this is a good place for investment.
Wind power, in particular, is gaining momentum. It's inexpensive, and the amount of electricity generated has increased fourfold since 2000. At present, America is the world's top wind-energy producer.

Ever wonder about the difference between a translator and an interpreter? If the answer is yes, you are definitely not alone.  “What is the difference between Translation and Interpreting?” - is perhaps one of the most frequently asked questions in the field of language solutions. Translation is rendering text from a source language into a target language while preserving meaning. Translation is always written.
Interpretation, on the other hand, is an oral form of translation. Interpretation enables  real-time cross-linguistic communication either face-to-face, in a conference setting or over the phone.

"If I’m selling to you, I speak your language. If I’m buying, dann müssen Sie Deutsch sprechen!" Willy Brandt

The above quote was once said by Willy Brandt, a former German Chancellor, and the quote stands true to this day, especially for companies with global presence. If your company is a part of a global business network, make sure your website and marketing materials are understandable to your global clients and partners.
To prove our point of how important it is to hire a professional company for your translation and localization needs, we put together a list of mistranslated marketing campaigns around the world:

• Hotel in Acapulco: “The Manager has Personally Passed All the Water Served Here”
• Tokyo hotel’s rules and regulations: “Guests are requested NOT to smoke or do other disgusting behaviors in bed.”
• Hotel lobby, Bucharest: “The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.”
• On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: “Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.”
• Outside Paris dress shop: “Dresses for street walking.”
• A sign on a car in Manila, Philippines: “Car and owner for sale.”
• Doctor’s office, Rome: “Specialists in women and other diseases.”
• A sign posted in Germany’s Black Forest: “It is strictly forbidden on our black forest camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are married with each other for that purpose.”
• Instructions on a Korean flight: “Upon arrival at Kimpo and Kimahie Airport, please wear your clothes.”
• Athens hotel: “Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 A.M. daily.”

On a less funny but a more professional note, below are the examples of translation and localization done right:

• Nescafé: The company took the time to fully understand each of its global markets and caters web designs, greetings, and logos to each target audience. Nescafé’s Japanese layout is very modular, French page has a “Dolce Gusto” added to the main logo, while their US page shows a short paragraph tailored towards Western ideals.
• Nike: Nike has done its research when it comes to successful website localization. Nike’s Argentinian website focuses mainly on Nike’s soccer collection since the company is clearly aware of how important soccer is for Argentinian culture. It’s also interesting how Nike’s French website is one of the only versions of the website not to feature the Portugal team image. Why? As the runners up of the tournament it’s likely that Nike’s French audience will not be happy to see any images celebrating their defeat.

             "Translation is that which transforms everything so that nothing changes."  Günter Grass

1. The most common target languages for translation are German, French, Spanish, English and Japanese.
2. The Bible is considered to be the most translated text in the world. Pinocchio takes the second place when it comes to being the most translated book. 
3. The most translated authors are Agatha Christie, Jules Verne, and William Shakespeare.
4. The majority of the world’s translation community (about 45%) live in United States
5. Some of the most difficult languages in the world include Arabic, Hungarian, Japanese, Finnish, Polish, and Chinese.

The need for translation services goes back centuries. Governments and monarchies have long relied on translators to communicate with fellow diplomats. As technology has advanced, however, more governments and businesses are leaning on automated translation software to tackle the problem of global communication. But how does this new strategy serve those who use it? What is the difference between manual translation and automated translation?

Manual vs Automatic, A Closer Look

There are a few glaring differences between human and automatic translations. First, language still isn’t completely understood. Even the best linguists have trouble deciding the meaning behind what we say. On a functional level, the sentences we string together use the same words over and over again, but it is our intent that changes their meaning. Second, even the best software cannot translate every dialect on the planet.

Manual translation, on the other hand, contains a human element that digs below the surface of simply offering direct translations. Additionally, unintelligible translations from automated software are nowhere to be found. When a translator is fluent in both the language being translated and that which they are translating into, the results are much more satisfactory.
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While time will tell the direction of automated translation services, there can be no doubt that the human element has an important role to play in the process now and into the future.