English is the lingua franca of business, travel and international relations. It is the most popular language on the internet, with 872.9 million users. Approximately 1.5 billion people around the world speak English, and it is the official language of 54 separate countries including the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

English is the worlds most widely used language in newspaper, book and scientific publishing, international telecommunications and trade, diplomacy and mass entertainment. It is also the international language of seafaring and aviation in addition to being one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

English is currently the language that is taught the most as a foreign language. A working knowledge of English has become a requirement in a number of occupations and professional areas such a medicine, science and computing, and the humanities. English also continues to dominate the world stage in part due to the pervasive soft power of US culture. Most people learn English for practical rather than ideological reasons.

There is an old saying that America and Britain are “two nations divided by a common language.” There are six main differences between American and British English.  These can vary from differing vocabulary, the use of collective nouns (seen as singular or plural), auxiliary verbs (different uses for shall, should etc.), past tense of irregular verbs, tag questions, to spelling.

English is known to be a difficult language for non-native speakers to understand and master. The language presents unusual aspects, which can cause a number of difficulties for translators and non-native English speakers. One of these is the verb-adverb combination that is unique to English, such as run across, look into, break down, get over etc.   Another reason English translation is so difficult is because of the use of articles, a characteristic not shared by many other languages, especially the Slavic ones.

At times, it is impossible for a translator to find a word-for-word match literal version of the original. Our Professional translators will be able to render the translation in a meaningful and culturally relevant manner when no exact match exists.

The popularity of Chinese translations makes it rank no. 4 in our most popular languages. Nearly 1.2 billion people (around 16% of the world’s population) speak some form of Chinese as their first language, which makes it the world’s most spoken language. Hence it’s huge importance in the world of communications and business. In Chinese, the spoken languages are Cantonese (in Hong Kong) and Mandarin (in Taiwan and mainland China), while the written languages are Traditional Chinese (in Taiwan and Hong Kong,) and Simplified Chinese (mainland China).

World Communications has expert translators in both Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese and can also offer translations in all regional dialects from China and Taiwan. Our translators are native speakers; we require a mandarin translation to be translated by a Mandarin native speaker, and likewise with Cantonese.

China is a manufacturing powerhouse and exporter. It is experiencing a digital revolution and is one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Incomes are rising and of the use e-commerce, social media and online entertainment is rapidly expanding. With the growing importance and influence of China’s economy globally, many foreign learners are realizing the importance of speaking fluent Chinese and taking China’s official Chinese Proficiency Test, which by 2010 had been taken by 750.000 people. Around 50% of China’s population has Internet connectivity.

World Communication’s goal is to provide fast and quality Chinese language services oriented to businesses, financial corporations, law offices, traders, manufacturing and medical companies. Our translations are provided by certified translators and proofreaders.

Spanish is the second-most widely spoken language in the world, with over 437 million speaking it as a native language and another 130 million speaking it with varying competence. It is the third most commonly used language on the Internet.  It is the most-studied second language in the United States and very popular among the other English speaking countries also.

There are nearly half a million Spanish speakers in Canada, supplying part of our pool of translators who speak many varieties of Spanish whilst also keeping us busy with requests for translations. In the US, over 41 million people are native Spanish speakers, and 11.6 are bilingual. The main varieties of Spanish are: Mexican Spanish, Spanish spoken by Hispanics in the United States, Spaniard Spanish and Latin America Spanish (also known as LATAM). The main differences found are in some vocabulary used, grammar and pronunciation.

When sending us a document to be translated into Spanish, it is vital for us to know the target audience/country, as regional and cultural variations exist and must be taken into account. The translation must sound natural, fluid and meaningful. Spanish is recognised as an official language in 21 countries, each with their own regional variations.  We can localise the Spanish translation we provide to match your target audience.

Many Latin American economies are growing, providing new clientele for your products and services. These countries and the Caribbean are also tourism hot spots for vacations of varying lengths and also places considered for a cheaper and more agreeable retirement. The buying power of the Latinos in the US is growing fast and expected to reach $1 trillion this year. The markets of Mexico, Peru, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia particularly are gaining a stronger foothold internationally. Mexico, for example, is one of the most open trading nations in the world. For companies to have an advantage over their competitors it is very important for them to be accessible, understandable and appealing to Spanish-speaking markets.

We provide well-crafted Spanish translations done by professional translators whose native language is the same as that of your target market.  Our translations help corporations and organizations communicate with the Hispanic community, both at home and abroad, and help them take advantage of the business and commercial opportunities provided by these rapidly expanding markets.

Italian ranks in our top 10 most popular languages to translate.

Italian is a major European language, being one of the working languages of the Council of Europe. It is the third most widely spoken first language in the European Union with 65 million native speakers and it is spoken as a second language by 14 million EU citizens. Including Italian speakers all around the world, the total is around 85 million. Italian is also the fourth most studied language in the world.

According to figures in the 2011 Canada Census, 1,488,425 Canadians (4.6% of total population) claimed full or partial Italian ancestry.In Canada, Italian is the second most spoken non-official language when all the varieties of Chinese are not grouped together, with over 660,000 speakers, and many of these are experienced translators and interpreters. Thus, we have a great base of translators with whom to work.

We receive a high number of requests for Italian technical translations due to Italy’s highly advanced engineering skills. Vehicles, electronic equipment and pharmaceuticals are among the country’s top export sectors. Italy is also the world’s largest wine producer. Unsurprisingly, we also have a high demand for Italian cooking recipes and clothing content. The country is well known for its creative and innovative business, a large and competitive agricultural sector, and a manufacturing sector often focused on the export of niche market and luxury products such as its influential and high-quality automobile, machinery, food, design and fashion industry. Italy is regarded as one of the world’s most industrialised nations and a leading country in world exports and trade. Italy is the world’s sixth largest manufacturing country. The country was the world’s 7th largest exporter in 2009. It is a highly-developed world and had the world’s 8th highest quality of life in 2005.

Your documents will be in the hands of experienced Japanese translators, so that your message will be presented in a precise, clear and effective manner. The majority of our Japanese translations are into or from English, followed by into and from Chinese and Spanish.

The Japanese language is spoken by about 125 million speakers, primarily in Japan but also in emigrant communities around the world such as in Brazil, Hawaii, Peru, Argentina, Canada and the United States. International interest in the Japanese language has grown since Japan’s economic bubble of the 1980s and the global popularity of Japanese popular culture such as its cuisine, anime and video games. Close to 4 million people studied the language worldwide in 2012.

The importance of Japan to the world of business lies in the fact that it is the third largest national economy in the world, after the United States and China, in terms of nominal GDP, and the fourth largest national economy in the world, after China, the United States and India, in terms of purchasing power parity. Japan’s role in the international community is considerable. It is a major aid donor, and a source of global capital and credit.

Japan has a large industrial capacity, and is home to some of the largest and most technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronics, steel and nonferrous metals, machine tools, ships, chemical substances, textiles, and processed foods. Agriculture businesses cultivate 13 percent of Japan’s land, and Japan accounts for nearly 15 percent of the global fish catch, second only to China.

Trade and economic relations between Canada and Japan have been steadily expanding, Japan is one of Canada’s most important economic and commercial partners and one of Canada’s largest bilateral foreign direct investment (FDI) partners. In 2014, Japan’s FDI in Canada amounted to C$17.3 billion, coming from approximately 330 Japanese subsidiaries and affiliate companies operating in Canada and employing tens of thousands of Canadians. Canadian investment in Japan is also highly important and diverse. There are over 100 companies that have a permanent Japanese presence, primarily in the automotive, ICT, financial services, and forestry sectors. Japan is Canada’s fifth-largest partner in two-way merchandise trade and tenth in services trade. The US is the number one destination for Japanese foreign direct investment

World Communications has native speaking German project managers and a pool of translators who cover a wide range of industry specializations. There are 3,179,425 Canadians of some German ethnicity, consequently there is a plentiful supply of professional translators whose mother tongue is English and who are fluent in German.

German translation is a vital consideration for any business that wishes to have an international presence. With the largest national economy in Europe, Germany is home to several Fortune 500 companies and is recognised for its large portion of specialised small and medium enterprises, Around 1,000 of these companies are global market leaders in their segment. Berlin developed a thriving, cosmopolitan hub for startup companies and has become a leading location for venture capital funded firms in the European Union.

Germany’s economy is one of the largest and most productive across the globe. The automotive industry in Germany is regarded as one of the most competitive and innovative in the world, and is the fourth largest by production. The top 10 exports of Germany are vehicles, machinery, chemical goods, pharmaceuticals, electronic products, electrical equipment, transport equipment, food products, basic metals, rubber and plastics. Germany is the world’s third-largest arms exporter. Well-known international brands include Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Siemens, and Adidas. Germany is a global leader in science and technology as its achievements in these fields have been significant. Research and development efforts form an integral part of the economy.

Germany is the seventh most visited country in the world, the number of foreigners traveling to Germany in 2015 rose by 5 percent to 79.7 million.

For businesses that wish to tap into the German market, one of the first measures is to have their materials translated into German to make new corporate and consumer contacts.

Over 185 million people speak German worldwide, more than 105 million of which are native speakers. Therefore German language translation is always in high demand. It is the most widely spoken native language in the European Union. German is the second most commonly used scientific language, as well as the fourth most widely used language on websites. It is also the fourth most widely taught foreign language in the US (after Spanish, French and American Sign language) and third in the EU.

Arabic is a Central Semitic language. Classical Arabic is the liturgical language of over 1.5 billion Muslims and Modern Standard Arabic is one of the 6 official and working languages of the United Nations. It is spoken by over 420 million speakers (native and non-native) in the Arab world, which makes it the world’s 5th most spoken language. It is the official language in 22 countries.

661,000 people in Canada claim full or partial ancestry from an Arabic- speaking country. Many of these are translators, and from this pool, there are a number who specialize in its different dialects from its many regions. At World Communications we choose the best native Arabic translator for your specific project.

Due to global strategic interests in the Arab world, requests for translations into Arabic are a common occurrence. Due to the numerous wars, and also its economic importance because of its huge reserves of oil, gas and other natural resources, translations into Arabic mostly deal with these issues. The topics include: military affairs, defence, petroleum, steel, health services, educational texts, human rights and aviation.

In recent years, studying and speaking English or French has become something of a status symbol for the educated upper classes, representing modernity and sophistication. Arabic is taught worldwide in Muslim schools and as the Quran is written in Arabic, millions of Muslims need to know how to read and speak it regardless of where they live.

About 23 million people speak Dutch as a first language—including nearly all the population of the Netherlands and about sixty percent of Belgium—and by another 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language, after English and German. According to 2006 Census, there are 1,035,965 Canadians of Dutch descent.

The Netherlands has the 17th-largest economy in the world, and ranks 10th in GDP (nominal) per capita. Amsterdam is the 5th-busiest tourist destination in Europe, attracting more than 5.2 million international visitors. The Netherlands is one of the leading European nations for attracting foreign direct investment and is one of the five largest investors in the United States. The Netherlands is the fifth-most competitive economy in the world. Its importance globally on so many fronts means that translations into and from this language are always in demand.

The port of Rotterdam is the world’s largest port outside East Asia, and the largest port in Europe.The Netherlands is the world’s second-largest exporter of food and agricultural products, after the United States. It had the thirteenth-highest per capita income in the world in 2013.

Other major industries include chemicals, metallurgy, machinery, electrical goods, trade, services and tourism.

Our English< >Dutch translations focus mostly on the shipping, chemical and tourism industry, as well as agriculture and flowers. We have a large database of Dutch speakers here in Canada from which to choose translators as well as many in Holland itself.