Language services enjoy boom despite challenges

In the past five years, the language-service industry in China has doubled the value of its output, according to the latest report published in Beijing on Friday.

The report shows that the language-service sector, including translation, interpretation and localization, generated an estimated output worth about 282 billion yuan ($41 billion) by the end of 2015, compared to 125 billion yuan in 2010.

The figure was estimated from interviews with more than 400 companies among some 72,500 language-service companies in China, conducted by researchers from the China Academy of Translation and the Translators Association of China.

“The industry has grown rapidly in recent years,” says Wang Gangyi, the executive dean of the academy.

“Translation of files and legal contracts in the fields of energy, manufacturing and construction are among the major services in the industry as more Chinese companies expand their business overseas — a result of the national strategy of going out.”

English-Chinese translation and interpretation consist of 82 percent of services provided by companies in the industry, while around 10 percent of the market goes to JapaneseChinese translation.

In the future, services for languages of the countries in regions covered by the Belt and Road Initiative is expected to rise.

“More than 1,000 years ago, the ancient Silk Road promoted language learning and translation as well as business exchanges,” says Zhai Dongsheng, deputy director of the Department of Western Region Development of the National Development and Reform Commission.

“There are more than 60 languages used by people living in the countries along the Belt and Road Initiative. But 18 of them are not being taught in universities in China … Language professionals are badly needed in the future as more international cooperation projects are underway.”

Though the language-service market keeps growing, lack of industry standards has been an obstacle that hinders its healthy development, a vicious spiral that encourages unqualified translators who work for low pay.

For English-Chinese translation, more than 60 percent of the work was done at a low rate — below 200 yuan per 1,000 words.

Together with the report, the first professional standards within the industry were released by the Translators Association of China.

“Releasing standards is just a beginning, and implementing them is the vital part,” says Zhang Shibin, vice-chairman of the association. “Next, we will start the promotion, training andexecution of the standards.”

CFP Young readers flip through translated publications at a Shanghai book fair.