World energy resources spread across borders. Some societies prosper because of reserves of coal, crude oil or even water for nuclear or hydropower. Others must negotiate with other countries to obtain the resources they need.
So, when it comes to the energy market, inter-cultural discussion is vital. Developing new and existing energy resources often depends on translation and language services.
Take, for example, the February agreement between Japan and the United Arab Emirates to work together on oil production and the construction of nuclear power. Since the countries have very different languages and cultures, the negotiations for the agreement no doubt involved interpreters and translators.
Future projects will also rely on language services. Documents from past oil development projects in the UAE and nuclear power technology in Japan will need technical translators to make them accessible to the new partners.
As companies work together to create new projects, their success will depend on effective cultural intermediaries who can explain not only business practices, but also project approaches to representatives of each company. When these projects are handed down to workers, technical manual translations and interpreters for supervisors will be necessary to oversee the exchange.
Elsewhere, development of new resources also requires language services. For example, undersea oil reserves in the Arctic have become an interesting prospect for many countries, including the U.S., Russia, Canada and now China and India.
As different governments vie to have access to the newly-found reserves, they need interpreters and translators to negotiate their claims.
In addition, the companies from each country that gain contracts to work in the area will need language services to interact with one and other, either for competition or collaboration. If countries work outside their territory, they will need language services to interact with local workers or to build relationships with local companies.
Ultimately, each step of any kind of energy partnership requires language services. The global nature of energy development demands cross-cultural and multi-lingual interaction, which companies must note for international success. Language service professionals and energy professionals alike should keep that in mind. Translation services can help in developing energy resources.
