The history of translations is very long, as you can see from the infographic below. Translation is a big boost to communication, literacy and information dissemination. The invention of the printing press greatly helped translations. It allowed for the faster printing of texts. Likewise, it encouraged the use of languages other than Latin. More materials were written and made available as the growing middle class during the 16th century became voracious readers, and different literary materials became in demand.
Still, the translation of the Bible into other languages has always been a big issue, with some having to lose their lives in the process. The Bible translation also helped spread the use of a language, such as what happened when the Bible was translated into German.
