Translation and Trade Globalization: Iran a Case in Point of Developing Countries

Since the emergence of ‘Translation Studies’ many have attempted at conceptualizing the phenomenon. In recent year, however, attempts have been made in finding out its relationship with other disciplines leading to interdisciplinary researches. The present paper takes an interdisciplinary look at the interaction between ‘translation’ and ‘trade globalization’ in the light of it significance in foreign trade of Iran as a developing country. In its way of doing so, the paper addresses first the ‘Translation Service Provider’ in connection with trade sectors as to reassess, rethink and revise their underlying policies in order to come to a deeper relationship in the light of globalization process. Knowing that the lingua franca of trade is rarely spoken or officially adopted in formal international relations in most of the developing countries such as Iran, there seems to be a crucial need for a communication tool; the translation, on which I put my emphasis. The second group addressed is the ‘authorities and trade policy-makers of Iran’. They seem not to be paying due attentions to translation when designing their global trade strategies. It is felt that they look at translation as an additional cost rather than a pedagogical tool for success of trade sectors. In this paper I take a critical look at their present perspectives and suggest them to see the translation as a science, art and industry which could be integrated to trade sectors in order to facilitate their access to global markets and customers. It should be inferred from the paper that strengthening the ties between trade sectors and TSPs is not just a win-win process, but a ‘necessary step’ to be taken by those countries which encounter communicational barriers in their foreign trade.