The multi-lingual subcontinent is not keeping up with the demand for language services, especially in the medical and legal fields.

A recent post from the excellent language services blog Global Watchtower explains that India is in need of more translators and interpreters -- especially in specialized fields such as law and medicine.

According to Common Sense Advisory researcher Vijayalaxmi Hegde, access to language services in India is, rather surprisingly, "mostly restricted to the capital, New Delhi, and currently used primarily for diplomatic purposes."

While much of her post focuses on the demand for better legal language services, she explains that medical tourism is increasing the need for interpreters in health care settings.

Medical tourism may sound like an oxymoron, but it refers to the rapidly-growing practice of crossing international borders to get medical care. India, with its largely English-speaking professional medical community and its increasingly high quality city hospitals, has become a popular destination for those seeking to save money on all sorts of treatments.

However, English isn't always enough to get by. Hegde emphasizes that patients from various countries, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, "have a need for interpreters who speak West Asian languages, thus spawning the local market demand."

Betty Carlson

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