In the revised version we update figures for many companies with more accurate and more recent numbers. We have also split the reports into three sections:
The original version published in March of 2018 is still available here and you are free to check out the full change log here. The 2019 Nimdzi 100 is available here.
In the table below, we list companies that have had a significant impact on the market, but for which Nimdzi was not able to get reliable data as of the publication date of this release.
Large-scale clinical research organizations, digital marketing agencies, auditors, technical documentation developers, and even retailers like Alibaba have language services business units that complement their service offering. In some cases, the billions in revenue from the core business in some of these companies makes the proceeds from the translation business units seem like nothing more than rounding errors.
Because of this, it is not always possible to distinguish the language services component from the larger organization. Yet, some of these language services business units make far more than USD 10 million. Therefore, they are relevant for an in-depth analysis of the industry because they compete with conventional market players for the best talent and the best clients.
We list some of them below.
There is a large, unique market that exists in the United States parallel to the conventional language services industry that provides specialized language and intelligence analysis services to the American military and government agencies. Companies operating in this space have low margins and very high volumes. Because many of these contracts are classified, the size of this market is more difficult to assess.
However, some reliable extrapolations can be made from the publicly available data from the General Services Administration (GSA) and occasional media publications. Estimates for this market range from USD 5 to 15 billion per year.
Government contractors rarely compete with other LSPs for clients, so we have not included them in the Nimdzi 100 Ranking. However, any thorough study of the language services industry must account for the existence and impact of these contractors because they have a significant influence on the industry by competing for the same labor pool.
In the course of this market analysis, Nimdzi has uncovered prominent LSPs that have previously been invisible in market reports because they do not participate in surveys and are reluctant to disclose their revenue. Nimdzi has employed an investigative approach and invested countless hours into intense research, data collection, and analysis in order to present data that have previously been unavailable.
We are very proud to offer broad access to our data. This report is offered to all who are interested. No paywall. No strings attached. Localization buyers, investors, savvy job seekers, and analysts are welcome to use this document, just don’t forget to reference Nimdzi Insights LLC as the source. Interested parties are free to reach out to us directly should they have any questions.
Below is a summary of the methodology used for the Nimdzi 100 Ranking.
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If you are interested in discussing any of the information in this report with the Nimdzi team, we are eager to talk to you. If you have any questions, please reach out.
The Nimdzi 100 is our flagship piece of content. It includes a ranking of the top 100 LSPs by revenue, a watchlist of large players that don’t disclose their revenues, and a detailed overview of the size and state of the language services industry. The Nimdzi 100 is widely considered an industry standard and is read by tens of thousands of people in the translation and localization space and beyond. LSPs, localization buyers, investors, savvy job seekers, and analysts will benefit from this free resource.
3 March 2020