The cities of Baltimore, Boston and Chicago have rich histories involving immigrant populations that go back through the centuries. These groups brought with them their native languages, which added to the identities of the cities.

Many experts agree that Baltimore was perhaps the most important port of entry for immigrants in the United States around 1900. Not unlike other cities in the United States, it was a cosmopolitan city. The German language was a close second to English when it came to the most commonly spoken language in Baltimore. By the beginning of the Civil War, the Chinese were one of the most populous immigrant groups, along with Southern and Eastern European groups. Baltimore, along with nearly every other city of any size, had a Chinatown due to the large numbers of Chinese immigrants who were recruited to build rail lines. Chinese businesses began to spring up all over the country. It was at this time that Baltimore Translation began to develop and take shape. Baltimore was a unique city in that it did not experience an anti-immigrant movement like most other American cities. Therefore, Baltimore became a major center for Baltimore translators of all languages. 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.

But unlike Baltimore, Boston has attracted immigrants from Eastern Europe and Russia because of its similarities to European cities and its location. According to the US Census bureau, there are between 40,000 and 50,000 Russian-speaking immigrants in Boston. The growth in these populations has opened up many jobs in the area of Boston Translator which specialize in Russian and Eastern European languages. The suburbs of Chelsea and Brookline are home to a large number of translation services, each specializing in its own class of languages.

Chicago is different because of its location, but it is similar to Boston and Baltimore in other ways. The first settlers in the Chicago area were French-speaking explorers. During the 1840s and 1850s there was a flood of German immigrants into Chicago. 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. German translators, Polish translators and Italian translators were most in demand, but Korean language translations and Japanese language translation agencies were also sprouting up all over the city. Throughout the 20th century, the ethnic neighborhoods in Chicago grew and became more prosperous. This led to an even more pronounced need. 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 Services companies were able to accommodate that demand.

We hope you have enjoyed this article about the history of Chicago, Boston and Baltimore Translation services. Our next article in this series will focus on the growth of translation companies in Atlanta, Dallas, and Las Vegas.