A job advertisement for an emoji translator has been placed by a U.K. firm in what is thought to be a world first.
London-based Today Translations placed the advert for an emoji translator in order to meet the "challenges posed by the world's fastest-growing language."
Part of the job for the successful candidate will involve explaining cross-cultural misunderstandings that arise from emoji meanings in different parts of the world. The poo emoji, for example, is used as a symbol for luck in Japan, as the words for "poo" and "luck" are similar in Japanese.
"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 advert states. "We are therefore seeking an exceptional individual to provide the human touch needed where translation software is inadequate.
"In the absence of any native speakers, the successful candidate should be able to demonstrate a passion for emojis, combined with cutting-edge knowledge and awareness of areas of confusion and cultural/international differences."
The job's responsibilities include compiling a monthly report on emoji trends and research into cross-cultural differences in emoji usage.
Earlier this year, the King James version of the Bible was translated into emoji by an anonymous translator known only as the "sunglasses smiley emoji."
"What's amazing about emojis, and what's made them so successful, is that they're language-agnostic—they allow you to convey an idea to anyone, regardless of what language they speak," the creator told religious website Christian Headlines.
"A major goal of this whole process was to take a book that I think is very non-approachable to lay readers and try to make it more approachable by removing a lot of its density."
