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More on
Translation
and Interpretation
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L A N G U A
G E T R A I N I N G F O R D I P
L O M A T S
With the ready availability of language professionals - interpreters and translators - how important
is it for a diplomat to study languages? Is it really necessary for a diplomat to attempt to achieve
fluency in the language of each foreign posting?
Kishan Rana, former Indian Ambassador to Germany, feels that it is important for diplomats to
study foreign languages because of the close connection between language and culture.
Studying a language involves learning much about a foreign culture, in a natural way. “The
individual may not be able to master the language at each country of assignment, but the
diplomatic service as a whole should be able to offer language competence at various levels,
covering all the countries and regions that are of importance.”
(Cross
Cultural Sensitivity)
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