7 Translation Trends in 2022 and Beyond 

Translation, like many sectors, has been through the pandemic’s wringer and emerged looking very different from when it went in. However, this does not imply that it has suffered. Rather, it has thrived and progressed. 

In today’s post, let’s take a look at some notable statistics of 2021 and discuss translation trends in 2022.

What has the language industry achieved?

• The number of translators has doubled between 2013 and 2020.
• The number of translators is expected to rise by 20% between 2019 and 2029, far faster than the average for all jobs.
• In 2019, the global language services sector was estimated to be valued at $46.9 billion.
• By 2025, it’s expected to be valued at $73.6 billion.

The translation industry is growing rapidly, but what’s fueling this expansion? When others have battled and faltered, why has the sector remained so strong and resilient?

One of the explanations can be found in the globalization process, which has been progressively intensifying for the past 20 years. The internet isn’t the only key to a connected society, valuable polyglots are also essential.

Globalization And Technology

As technology innovation spreads across borders, the necessity for linguists to facilitate communication grows. Reports and brand straplines, online events, and workshops, etc. are all things that many companies want to share.

Global connections are increasingly considered a necessary component of doing business, with companies expecting to circumvent linguistic boundaries with the click of a mouse. As businesses expand globally, marketing is becoming increasingly vital.

It’s no surprise that transcreation is booming with the translation sector as a whole. As the internet world expands, businesses are focusing their efforts on the new digital natives. Organizations are attempting to access these potential customers through cyberspace as more users get online (almost two-thirds of the world population will have internet access by 2023).

On the other hand, newcomers to the internet are likely to come from non-English speaking emerging countries like India, Ghana, and Ukraine. That implies there are enormous prospects for businesses willing to venture beyond their comfort zones and into non-English speaking regions.

• Currently, English language content makes up 53% of all internet content.
• According to the most optimistic forecasts, just 20% of the world’s population speaks English.

Podcasts And Videos

As users have gone online, the necessity to adapt information and programs for consumers all over the world has grown. Videos are a good example. In 2019, the average video consumption was 84 minutes per day, and Cisco said that by 2022, video streaming and downloads would account for 82 percent of global internet traffic.

With the inexorable rise of videos comes the necessity for localization, which includes video subtitling and dubbing. As a result, video translation services are thriving in an ever-expanding market.

Another example of how technological advancements are boosting the demand for translation is multi-language podcasts. Some of the world’s largest broadcasters are translating their most successful programs into multiple languages in order to broaden their appeal.

E-Learning

Before the epidemic, e-learning was a burgeoning field, but it’s now bigger than ever. Indeed, Forbes estimates that by 2025, the sector would be worth $355 billion, as the pandemic compels students and teachers to flee physical classrooms.

As corporations largely translate English e-tools and materials into other languages, this transition fuels major growth in the language translation and transcreation markets.

Remote And Online Working

While the digital age had already begun by the time Covid occurred, the pandemic forced people to communicate online. This requires the use of distant linguists, such as translators, as well as live translation.

Even though both had been available for a long time, the epidemic sparked a boom in demand: remote translating and live translation became the standard in clinics, courtrooms, seminars, and companies.

This trend will likely continue through 2022 and beyond, as many countries’ health rules prevent face-to-face interaction. Corporations are becoming adapted to distant arrangements as the pandemic spreads around the globe, and translating services benefit.

Luckily, the digital transition has been rather painless for linguists, given many of them previously worked online. If there was one ray of hope throughout the Covid horror, language service providers were pretty well adapted.

Medical Translation

The medical translation was another area where Covid had an impact. The need to share knowledge became important as nations across the globe tried to develop a vaccine and manage the disease.

Professionals in the medical and pharmaceutical industries had an urgent need to share research, ideas, data, and discoveries across the globe.

Once the pandemic had arisen, governments had to tell the public about safety precautions, ensuring that everyone knew the guidelines, regardless of their native tongue. As the global economic crisis continues, it appears doubtful that demand for medical translation will decrease any time soon. Finding enough appropriately competent translators to tackle this complex topic could be difficult.

A Growing Workforce

Since the pandemic started, the translation talent pool has been overflowing. People have turned to their linguistic talents to live after losing their jobs. Those that used the lockout as an opportunity to rethink their lifestyle and career ambitions have found the industry appealing. Plenty of new translators are growing as a result of their language skills.

The possibilities are particularly exciting for those who speak Chinese, Spanish, Russian, or Portuguese. Meanwhile, those who work in fields like blockchain and SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) are expected to be in high demand. As we’ve already mentioned, Health and Life Sciences will continue to require interpreters for a long time. For people who are bilingual or multilingual, your moment has come.

Artificial Intelligence

For years, tech prophets have forecasted the downfall of human translation and the growth of artificial intelligence (AI). While machine translation has progressed rapidly, it is still far from perfect.

For example, Google Translate cannot handle complicated texts or documents and continues to struggle with local and colloquial words. In many circumstances, having human translators translate the content is faster than having a machine do it and then doing translation post-editing.

However, emerging hybrid platform breeds could provide a better option for the language field in the future. . The human translator is kept in the loop via computer-assisted translation (CAT), allowing them to review and edit the machine’s translation as they go.

A person still controls the procedure, but it is easier and faster. The algorithm crunches numerous levels of training data, including the human’s translation style, terminology, and preferences, using a sort of machine learning called ‘deep learning neural networks.’

However, editing machine translation is now a time-consuming and labor-intensive procedure. When will computers be able to match a human’s knowledge and consistency? Keep an eye on this.

The Need For Efficiency and Quality Is Timeless

While these advancements are wonderful, the bottom line is what matters. With tight resources post-pandemic, no one wants to waste money on bad labor or unreliable companies.

A professional translation partner is essential, whether you’re working on a large volume of work or a complex project that requires precision. GTE Localize, an expert on customization and quality, takes the stage.

The ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach isn’t applicable here: our team develops a customized plan for each job. Furthermore, GTE Localize exclusively employs proven talent, such as in-market copywriters who are well-versed in local nuances.

Finally, because of our team’s extensive industry expertise, they appreciate the importance of getting to know the customer – what they want and how they work. You may see our case studies here.

Contact us today for a free consultation!