Liu Xiliang, president of the Translators Association of China
(TAC), said on Sunday that with the 29th Summer Olympic Games in Beijing and 18th
FIT (International Federation of Translators) World Congress in
Shanghai, both in 2008, China could expect soaring demand for
translation services over the next few years and the industry could
be entering something of a golden era.?
The organizers of the two-day China International Forum on the
Translation Industry, which opened yesterday morning in Shanghai,
held a press conference later in the day.
"At a global level, by the end of 2007, the output value of
'human translation' is predicted to reach US$11.5 billion and
'machine generated translation' to arrive at US$134 million," Liu
explained.?
"Statistics show that the output value of China's translation
market stood at 11 billion yuan (US$1.375 billion) in 2003 and
possibly exceeded 20 billion yuan (US$2.5 billion) last year," he
said.
Currently China has about 60,000 professional translators and
interpreters and hundreds of thousands of people are engaged in
translating in a variety of forms. There are more than 3,000
translation agencies or companies nationwide?-- over 400
registered in Beijing alone?-- with a total annual turnover of
some 13 billion yuan (US$1.625 billion).
"An essential resource to international communication and
globalization, the translation sector is an important economic
player," said Sheryl Hinkkanen, FIT secretary-general. "It has
created at least 125,000 jobs in Europe alone and the number is
estimated to be double that worldwide."
According to a statistical breakdown of data produced by the US
Allied Business Intelligence Inc., during the five-year period from
1999 to 2004, the value of the global translation market rose by 23
percent, increasing from US$7.6 billion to US$9.3 billion, she
explained. "Europe and Asia both witnessed an increase of 32
percent and China, with the fastest growth, is undoubtedly the
biggest contributor to the Asian market."
As the world became more global in outlook, language was the key
to success in social, economic, political and cultural development,
Liu said. "The translation industry as a newly emerging force has
entered the economic arena," he observed. "Therefore it's an urgent
task to discuss ways to strengthen its competitiveness and promote
its sustained development."
Although prospering, the domestic translation industry had been
troubled by vicious competition and confusion in management.
"Shoddy products are still flooding our translation market," he
said.
In an effort to regulate the market, the TAC and China
Association for Standardization jointly drew up the "Specification
for Translation Services?-- Part I: Translation" and the
"Target Text Quality Requirements for Translation Services," which
were circulated in November 2003 and June 2005 respectively. A
national standard for oral interpretation will be published soon.
"However, we still have a long way to go before a truly mature
market is established," said Huang Youyi, vice president and
secretary-general of TAC and vice president of FIT.
Hinkkanen said the structure of the translation sector had
undergone fundamental changes worldwide at a very rapid pace. Ever
since the early 1990s, it had evolved from individual national
markets into a global industry.?
"Standardization is one response to the altered operational
environment," she said. "First come the national standards," she
said. For instance, Italy in 1995, Germany in 1998 and Austria in
2000 formulated their own standards for the services and activities
of translation and interpreting enterprises.
"The current development is toward a broader approach," she
added. Among the latest efforts is the European standard for
translation services drafted in March 2006. It may come into force
in the second half of this year.
"Another thing deeply concerning me is the fact that the
significance and value of translation work is far from being fully
realized by the public," Liu said.
The rights and interests of translators and interpreters, who
are doing tough work for meager earnings, didn't always receive
appropriate protection, he said. For example, it was still common
for publishers to deny a translator's lawful claim to sign their
names on works of translation, he commented.
Liu urged TAC, the "voice" of those involved in translation
services across the country, to take effective steps to put an end
to the current situation and create a solid market environment.
(China.org.cn by staff reporter Shao Da, May 29, 2006)