Translation Agency Services Greatly Needed in Los Angeles

According to a study sponsored by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), Southern California’s Los Angeles county is not only the largest county in the United States, but it also bears the distinction of having one of the most diverse populations in the world.

Nearly one in three residents, or nearly 3.5 million persons, were born outside the United States and a majority of Los Angeles County residents speak a language other than English at home.

According to the same APALC study, 38% of all L.A. residents speak Spanish, and 11% speak an Asian or Pacific Islands language. With more half of all residents speaking a language other than English at home, and over 2.5 million residents only speaking enough English to qualify as “limited-English proficient,” there is a great need for translation services in the greater Los Angeles area.

It really should come as no surprise that L.A. exhibits such a draw to the world. After all, it boasts some of the leading global cultural attractions. In addition to the magnetic draw of the Hollywood Industry, Los Angeles boasts half a dozen major sports teams, several major concert venues, and world-class museums. In fact, Los Angeles boasts more museums and theaters than any other U.S. city–including New York! Add to that the bounty of urban art on display, the world-famous fashion district, and the vibrant musical culture, dance exhibitions, fine dining, and night life, and Los Angeles’s high rank on the world stage is certainly understandable.

For that reason, some businesses and services have moved more and more toward offering bilingual programming. One great example of this sort of forward-thinking progress is Zimmer’s Children’s Museum. In addition to Spanish-language options, the museum now offers courses for children in languages including Spanish, Japanese and Persian. Their bilingual language immersion programs have become quite popular, offering services to international visitors as well as promoting both educational enrichment and multicultural unity among their own multilingual community.

Of course, museums and cultural centers are not the only venues that can benefit from translation services. Local businesses and services can extend the same kind of courtesy to international visitors and newly-arrived residents alike. In order to extend multilingual support to your own customers or support base, perhaps it would be helpful to consider consulting with a translation agency that services Los Angeles.

As you make your considerations, do not forget to assess the needs of your particular area, noting what languages are most common and would prove most helpful.

For example, the APALC, mentioned above, provides the following statistics regarding the top ten most common languages spoken at home among Los Angeles residents (after English):

• Spanish or Spanish Creole – 3,330,935
• Chinese – 287,724
• Tagalog – 195,671
• Korean – 165,158
• Armenian – 138,015
• Vietnamese – 71,664
• Persian (Farsi) – 68,192
• Japanese – 59,885
• Russian – 44,048
• French (including Patois, Cajun) – 38,952

After assessing the demographics of your particular area to determine which language(s) are dominant, you will, of course, also want to consider which language group is most likely to benefit from your translation services because they have a higher interest in your field than the other groups.

While you are considering these issues, please feel free to contact us. We have experience in helping businesses connect with their local sub-communities through accurate and expressive language translations.

Remember, the numbers speak for themselves: with approximately half the residents of Los Angeles speaking a language other than English, the need for professional translation services is almost a foregone conclusion.

No matter the specific language need that you have, we have native speakers on hand to assist you in bringing your service, product, or website to the greater Los Angeles community. We look forward to working together with you throughout the process.