In today’s increasingly consumerist, globalised, advanced Western society, the diversity, accessibility and quality of food has never been greater. The consumption and enjoyment of food is an activity we all partake in on a daily basis, and now, massively fuelled by globalisation, we can enjoy a vast range of different types of food from all over the world and are able to make food choices to suit virtually any dietary or ethical requirement or condition (for example, gluten-free, lactose-free, vegan, pescatarian, vegetarian, organic, fat-free, low calorie, high protein, allergen-free, locally sourced etc.). The food and catering industry has become so globalised that translation has become an integral component in order to for it to function at the level it does.
Thanks to globalisation, we are exposed to and can try a huge variety of foods that originate from countries all over the world, from sushi from Japan, to quesadillas from Mexico, to couscous from Algeria, to donuts from the USA. Not only can we buy international foodstuffs from our local supermarket, but thanks to increased disposable income and the accessibility of eating out, we can also enjoy international cuisines by visiting a restaurant. In my local area, within roughly a ten-mile radius, there are multiple restaurants offering Italian cuisine, British, Thai, Chinese, Mexican, 
Indian, American, Mediterranean, Turkish, Persian, Lebanese, Polish… the list goes on! Our increased accessibility to these foods, paired with increased ease and interest in travelling, has led to changing gastronomic tastes, and a desire to try foods from all over the world. This industry, like all others that have expanded with globalisation, now requires translation on varying levels.
As there are many international foodstuffs that are produced by suppliers in foreign countries, the importation and exportation of these products is increasing, and therefore sales documentation such as contracts, receipts, orders, quality control documents, manufacturing documents, packaging, product descriptions and nutritional and allergen information need translating. Due to quality control and health and safety requirements, the information must be translated accurately for transparency and legal reasons. Imagine the consequences of a mistranslated allergen information label…
In addition, global food chains such as McDonalds, Five Guys, Hard Rock Café, Starbucks, Subway and many more, operate in a number of difference countries, therefore must translate and localise all their advertising, branding, marketing, menus and websites for all the different cultures they operate in. It is important that these are done by professional translators who have a high awareness and knowledge of the target culture in order to ensure that they are received in the desired way by the target audience. For example, the advertising needs to be done in a way that appeals to the culture of the target audience, which may be very different to that of the original target audience in the country of origin of the brand meaning a lot of changes may need to be made. The branding, which often includes slogans and puns, needs to be translated so that they have the same meaning and catchiness as in the original language. There are many examples of where this has not been done successfully, such as when KFC translated their famous slogan ‘finger licking good’ into the less tempting, more cannibalistic message of ‘eat your fingers off’ in China.
The importance of accurate and professional translation cannot be overstated, as there can be consequences, both humorous and serious, when it is not done properly. The role of translation has grown dramatically alongside globalisation in many industries and sectors, food being no exception, and without it, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the huge variety of countless different food products and cuisines from across the world.