Interpreting

One year ago, we called the VIT hype a solution without a problem. In times of COVID-19 it has now become the solution to the problem. We figured this might be a good time to clarify the difference between some remote interpreting acronyms that easily get mixed up: VIT, VRI, OPI, and RSI.

While one of the key characteristics of the language industry is that so far it has been impervious to crises, the interpreting market might be the sector within the industry that has most heavily been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic—both negatively and positively.

Continuous growth and fragmentation have been the key characteristics of the language services market. Let's see what the data says.

Interpreters understand the threat “no voice, no job.” How do hearing loss and acoustic shock affect the profession?

We examined the interpreting markets in 12 different countries. So, what are the three things that the interpreting market needs now?

There are three key influencers for interpreting services in every market: the demand, the government, and the infrastructure.

We recently conducted a large study for which we examined the interpreting markets in 12 countries. We assessed how the interpreting markets are run, what trends, challenges and opportunities stand out, and what drives interpreting - including pricing. Based on our research, we identified five factors that drive pricing in interpreting.

In every country, the government has a huge influence on the interpreting market. Not only because it defines language access rights, how the country is run, and who receives funding, but also by deciding how government contracts are structured.

This year, the ninth Nordic Translation Industry Forum (NTIF) was hosted in Gothenburg, Sweden, from November 24 to 26. Over 170 attendees from more than 26 countries traveled to the largest non-capital city in the Nordics to exchange ideas and engage in lively debate and friendly competition. Nimdzi Insights was among the mingling crowd too.

In most countries, the government is the largest buyer of interpreting services because, as the below graph illustrates, the public sector is the dominant market in most countries.