A London-based global translation firm has posted a job for an Emoji Translator. Photo / File
A London-based global translation firm has posted a job for an Emoji Translator. Photo / File
For all you youth-bashing curmudgeons out there, it's true, the kids really are speaking a different language - and now it's official.
The picture-based language known as emojis, and often associated with the millennial generation, continues to force its way into the mainstream.
So much so that a London-based globaltranslation firm has posted a job for an Emoji Translator. According to the BBC, it's believed to be the first such job position offered worldwide.
The little pictures which have risen to prominence in tandem with the advent of smartphones have been embraced by youth culture. And with their ever-increasing use, the sophistication and nuance of meaning has also grown.
In fact according to some linguists and commentators, it is the fastest growing language of all time.
The job offering from the London firm called Today Translations will require its applicants to explain cross-cultural misunderstandings in the use of emojis and compile a monthly report about current trends in the picture-based language.
The founder of the company Jurga Zilinskiene said it's all about keeping up with the times and seizing on new opportunities.
She called emojis a "potential growth area" for the industry and pointed to the development of "inconsistencies" in their use across cultures.
She told the BBC that the job advertisement came about because she needed someone to translate diaries of emojis for a client but couldn't find a specialist.
"The successful candidate will join our global network of over 3000 linguists, with expertise in over 200 languages - as its first dedicated expert in this rapidly evolving form of international communication," the online ad reads.
"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."
The increasing ubiquity of emojis has seen companies base entire marketing campaigns around them and celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Conor McGregor bring out their own range of emoji characters.
Plenty of politicians have also tried to get in on the act. From Hillary Clinton to Julie Bishop they have desperately tried to embrace the online language as a way to tout their hip street cred and court the youth vote, albeit to varying degrees of success.
But maybe one day soon, they'll too want an emoji translator on staff.
