Since the time of the settlers, immigrants have had an important impact on the history and culture of American cities such as Boston, Baltimore and Chicago.Of course, the immigrants imported their native languages, which helped shape the identity of these cities.

By the end of the 1800s, many people believed Baltimore was by far the most important American city for immigration. Not unlike other cities in the United States, it was a cosmopolitan city. English barely edged out German as the native language spoken the most in the city of Baltimore. Chinese, French and Italian became increasingly popular, and by the time of the Civil War, the Chinese were one of the largest immigrant groups in the United States. Recruited to build the railroads, by the 1870s nearly every city of significant size - including Baltimore - had a “Chinatown” made up of restaurants, laundries, and a number of Chinese schools, temples, and homes. It was at this time that Baltimore Translator began to develop and take shape. Unlike most other American cities, Baltimore was considered a relatively welcoming place for the Chinese and other immigrant groups. And so, the city became a hub for Baltimore translators in every language. Boston, much like Baltimore, is also a port of entry for immigrants to the United States. In addition, Boston is similar to Baltimore in that it has openly welcomed immigrants throughout history.

Boston’s location, size, parallels to European cities and openness to foreigners has made it very popular among Russian and European immigrants. The 2000 census revealed that Russians and Eastern Europeans make up some of the largest ethnic groups in the city. The number of translation jobs with Boston Translation has exploded along with the Russian and East European immigration explosion. The suburbs of Chelsea and Brookline are home to a large number of translation services, each specializing in its own class of languages.

Although not located on the East Coast, Chicago shares many similarities with Baltimore and Boston. The French were the first to settle in Chicago. Immigrants to the Chicago area came mainly during the 1840s and 1850s. As Europeans were fleeing famine in Europe, Chicago was accepting them as new inhabitants of their city. In the mid-19th Century, more than 50 percent of Chicagoans were born in a foreign country, which increased the need for Chicago translators. By the end of the 19th century, most of the residents of Chicago had come over from Europe. Dutch translators, German translators and French translators were popping up everywhere, but translation services in other languages like Chinese were also popular. Throughout the mid-1900s, German neighborhoods grew and consolidated, leading to an even greater need for expert translation services. At the close of the Second World War, thousands of Japanese who had been interred in California moved to Chicago to start a new life. This sudden increase in the Japanese population of Chicago brought with it the demand for Japanese translation services, and Chicago Translation companies were able to accommodate that demand.

We worked hard to bring you this interesting account of the start of translation service companies in Baltimore, Chicago and Boston and hope that you have found it interesting. In future articles, we will be discussing the rise of translation services in Miami, San Jose, and Portland.