In her book, Found in Translation, Nataly Kelly argues that translation can influence the world, including even the presidency of the United States. She discovered many interesting links between language translation and President Jimmy Carter.

Here’s the second part of our two-part post based on Ten Ways That Carter Influenced Translation -- and Vice Versa, a Huffington Post blog post by Nataly Kelly.

6. President Carter strengthened support for sign language interpreters when he signed the Disabilities Act of 1978, a predecessor to the Americans with Disabilities Act. This move significantly increased access to interpreters for the deaf. Interestingly, the word "interpreters" is mentioned 16 times in the law.

7. Carter used translation to court Latino voters. When asked about the importance of Spanish speakers in the United States during an interview with Televisa in 1979, the president voiced his support for the language, even delivering part of his answer in Spanish. Later that year, when he visited Mexico, he delivered an entire speech, translated ahead of time, in Spanish.

8. An interpreter once covered for Carter in Japan. In 1981 shortly after leaving the White House, Carter began a speech with a joke. The interpreter translated it into Japanese, and the audience erupted in laughter. Impressed with the interpreter's skill, Carter asked how he had managed to get such a laugh. Eventually, the interpreter admitted that he had said, "President Carter told a funny story. Everyone must laugh."

9. Carter takes no chances with interpreters during a crisis situation. Having learned plenty of lessons about working with interpreters, the former president was extremely careful during the North Korean nuclear crisis in 1994. Rather than rely on the Korean interpreters provided there, he brought along his own interpreter in order to ensure that his words were being conveyed as he intended.

10. In his peace-building activities today, Carter continues crossing language barriers. The Carter Center, which is active in more than 50 countries around the world, relies on language translation and interpretation to bridge communication gaps and diffuse conflict situations.

Nataly Kelly points out that these are not the only ways in which Carter shaped the fields of language translation and interpretation, and there are many other examples of how these professions influenced him too. But she believes the examples presented highlight how important translation and interpreting can be -- which is particularly important as America contemplates who will be its next president -- as the multilingual world watches.

What impact do you believe language translation and interpretation will have on a second Obama presidency, or on a Romney presidency? We’d welcome your comments.

By Alex Dupont
Marketing Communications Specialist
Language Translation Inc.

See Also

• More about language translation
  A successful document translation should read as if it were originally written in the target language.
• More about language interpretation
  The presence of a legal interpreter who can assist someone with limited knowledge of the English language is crucial to court proceedings.
• Ten Ways That Carter Influenced Translation -- and Vice Versa by Nataly Kelly
  Can translation shape a presidency? As I argue in a new book, Found in Translation, it can influence the world as we know it.
• More about the Carter Center
  "Ultimately, the work of The Carter Center is about helping people achieve better opportunities and watching hope take root where it languished before."?Jimmy Carter
• Nataly Kelly?s website
  Nataly Kelly is an author, consultant, and advisor in the areas of language services and global business.