Much can be said about the language as it is one of the most defined concepts. It has provoked many discussions over centuries. Today one of the ideas that can be used is revealed through the application of a simple metaphor that the language is a container that can comprise anything in its structure. And it is really so! If you take a look and analyze the modern tendencies you’ll notice that much can be found in the modern language.
We want to pay little attention to the recent trend that now has acquired a character of a mainstream. Emoji! Please, admit that at least once in your text message you’ve used it! Or even twice? Or three times?
Why did it become so popular and did it happen so that it because a modern feature not only of online conversations but a part of business brands as well!
Whilst really taking off in 2011 when Apple first offered its users the ability to send emojis on their mobile platform, their existence actually stretches back to the Japanese mobile phone operating systems of the late 1990s.
What does emoji mean?
This word “emoji” is a blend of two words combined to form a new word. It comprises of (E) meaning picture and (Moji) meaning character. Though traditionally sent from one mobile phone user to another, today they have broken out of the bounds of mobile phone communication and can now be sent from inside many email programs as well as from a variety of messaging applications on the latest desktop and mobile operating systems from Microsoft, Apple, and Google. The fact that there is ongoing support, maintenance and updating of emojis by such technology giants is an acknowledgment of what has become a 21st-century staple of everyday communication.
Where does it take its origin?
The creation of emojis can be attributed to Shigetaka Kurita, who designed his innovation to provide a way for people to communicate more intimately, something he thought was missing from the email and text messaging systems of the day. Shigetaka drew inspiration from multiple spheres of everyday life. This meant users were able to describe multiple emotions or circumstances through these icons, which could act as a linguistic short-hand to express much longer and more complicated textual messages.
Influence and importance
Fast forward to 2016 and emojis could be said to be part of the cultural fabric of many countries around the world. As one example, emoji has been described as the fastest growing ‘language’ in the UK. In fact, emoji use is so widespread that the word ’emoji’ officially entered into the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013, whilst just two years later the OED named the emoji representing ‘Face with tears of joy’ as the word of the year for 2015, as it is the most commonly used emoji in the UK.
This impact on the way in which daily communication is conducted means that emojis have come to represent a significant point in time as part of early 21st Century technological and artistic development.
As of 2016, there are estimated to be in the region of 2000 emoji characters but despite this huge collection, emoji development doesn’t stand still. There is a rapid and ever-expanding base of emojis being created and continual development by tech companies around the world. Their use is supported by all the major desktop and mobile platform developers, with year on year increases in the number of emojis added to their collections.
The impact of cultural context
Whilst tech companies are continuing to represent diverse groups of people in their emoji collections, they are ever expanding to accommodate more people groups with each new release.
Such is this depth of variety in emoji characters depicted around the world that there is now an increasing need for cross-cultural differences to be carefully considered when sending and translating the meaning of a message. Just as a word in one language can mean something entirely different in another, there is a need for cultural sensitivity when interpreting the meaning of emojis between countries. With this effect, understanding the importance of cultural context on emoji use shouldn’t be taken for granted as what they are communicating may have a certain unforeseen complexities. Contextualising and localizing use of emojis and understanding how particular ones relate to a specific culture is now an important part of ensuring messaging containing emojis are effectively speaking to their audience.
Emoji influences the labor market and global brands
Today some of the translation companies are hiring emoji translators. The staff who works on emoji team is supposed to know the meanings of every single emoji so they can interpret any document or message with ease. An emoji used or interpreted incorrectly can have disastrous consequences for client’s business, so it is important that emoji interpreter knows the language inside out.
Emoji language interpreters are used for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, during a court case, for example, a text message or email will be used as evidence and this may contain emojis. It is very important that these messages are interpreted with accuracy and skill and that’s what our interpretation services aim to achieve. Interpreting the emoji is very complex and in certain scenarios, it is vital that they are translated correctly.
There are many reasons why businesses want to use an emoji including new and innovative marketing messages to customers, or as a way to receive customer feedback. If your clients use emoji symbols to provide feedback on your products or services it is important that you understand what they mean so you can continue to improve the business and meet the requirements of your customers.
Experienced marketers know that visuals are the trigger to the successful marketing campaign. That’s why many brands today involve using emojis to attract their target audience.
Among the well-known brands who apply emojis are Coca-Cola, whose campaign included an interactive component that let users acquire the cheers-ing Coke bottles by tweeting the “Share a Coke” campaign hashtag. Ikea rolled out more than 100 custom emojis which were designed to show that their company exists to reduce household stress. Mentos Introducing fresh emojis with witty wordplay made Mentos’ “Ementicons” a real standout this year. Disney developed hashtag-generated emojis to fuel the hype around the most anticipated blockbuster movie of the year (arguably the decade), Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Taco Bell, known for creating catchy ads with memorable brand mascots, went on to create 600 gifs and photos along with its own taco emoji generator as a show of appreciation.
With visual content accounting for 93 percent of all human communication, emojis have a broad play across all demographics. So, now when you know it all, you can speak out about yourself and with a help of professionals, you are able to reach even bigger audience.
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