It seems like we can’t get enough of emojis.
Marketing firm Emogi calculates that more than two trillion messages incorporating at least one of the colorful characters have been sent by smartphone users in 2016 alone, while around half of all messages have included at least one of the expressive symbols.
In response to the growing popularity of emojis in our daily online communications, a London-based translation firm has launched a search for its first-ever – and surely the world’s first – “Emoji Translator.”
So, consider yourself fluent in emoji? Then read on. The company says in the job listing that it’s “looking for the right person to help us meet the translation challenges posed by the world’s fastest-growing language.”
No, it’s not a joke.
According to the job ad, which, you’ll be surprised to learn, doesn’t contain a single emoji, responsibilities will include “internal emoji translation … monthly reporting on emoji trends, developments, usage, and areas of confusion and cultural differences [and] cross-cultural research on differences in emoji usage and interpretation.”
Jurga Zilinskiene, head of Today Translation, told the BBC the idea to create the position came when she needed someone to translate diaries into emojis for one of her clients.
Thirty applications have rolled in so far, with Jurga hoping to make an appointment – presumably by way of a single thumbs-up emoji – by the end of this month. Starting as a freelance position, payment will be made on a per-emoji basis, while the research aspect of the job will be paid by the hour.
Today Translation‘s job ad explains that “the accelerating pace of change in this burgeoning area now demands a specialist focus.”
It continues: “Emoji translation is itself an emerging field, but one dominated to date by software, which is often insensitive to the many cultural differences in usage and interpretation. We are therefore seeking an exceptional individual to provide the human touch needed where translation software is inadequate – and to help us become the go-to translation experts in this area.”
The successful candidate will have to demonstrate “a passion for emojis,” as well as “a deep knowledge and awareness of areas of confusion and cultural/international differences.”
And yes, there will be a test.
