"Global Language Services Market Report 2017-2020" released in LSC40 annual forum

December 31, 2021, Language Services China 40 (“LSC40”, a China-based non-governmental organization consisted of 40 experts in the language services field) organized its annual forum online, reaching over 11,000 audiences via a live broadcast via TTV.CN. At the forum, the Alliance for Language Service Education was established, and “Global Language Service Market Report 2017-2020” was released. Dr. Meng Yongye, Secretary General of LSC40, presided over the opening ceremony. And over 11,000 audiences were consisted of experts, scholars and practitioners from the language service industry, as well as teachers and students from universities.

▲ Professor Wang Jihui of Peking University, the co-chairman of LSC40, delivered a speech on behalf of the organizers

▲ Dr. Meng Yongye, Secretary General of LSC40, presided over the opening ceremony

Professor Wang Jihui of Peking University, the co-chairman of LSC40, delivered a speech on behalf of the organizers. He said, in recent years, the language service industry had developed rapidly, far exceeding everyone's expectations: the sub-discipline of "International Language Services" was approved, and Beijing Language and Culture University began to cultivate doctors of international language services, Hainan Normal University established the first "School of International Language Services” in China, these milestone events marked that language service has become “conspicuous" in China, striding into the international community. He forecast that the discipline of language services will continue to be a hot topic in the Chinese education community; and in the tide of rapid development in China, the Chinese language service practitioners will certainly make their own contributions.

▲ Tahar Bouhafs, CEO of CSA Research, delivered a video speech

Tahar Bouhafs, CEO of CSA Research, a world-renowned language services consultant, congratulated the release of the Global Language Services Market Report 2017-2020 in his speech. He reviewed the approval of International Language Service as a graduate program and a doctoral program by the Chinese Ministry of Education on August 20, 2021, and the construction of language service export bases as a national service trade strategy according to the governmental policy jointly issued by 7 Chinese ministries on November 3, 2021. He said, all these proved that language service was growing as an important industry in China.

▲ The release ceremony of "Global Language Services Market Report"

At the release ceremony of "Global Language Services Market Report", one of two book translators, Professor Wang Lifei of Beijing Language and Culture University, the co-chairman of LSC40, introduced the introduction and translation of the book, with deep appreciation to CSA Research's loyalty-free authorization. The book is consisted of eight important reports released by CSA Research from 2017 to 2020, covering the latest developments in the global language service market and the cutting-edge data of Global Top100 LSPs, providing domestic teachers and students with an important way to understand the profile of the global language service market, providing domestic language service experts and scholars authoritative data to study the language service industry, and pointing out Chinese LSPs criteria to benchmark their performance against international counterparts.

▲ Wang Lifei, co-chairman of LSC40, introduced the report

Professor Wang Lifei introduced, according to the latest report of CSA Research, in 2021, despite the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the language service market, the global language service market still maintains a high growth rate as 6.92%, and the global output will reach 49.28 billion US dollars. North America and Europe dominate the global language services market, reaching 86.5% of the global market share. Asia also overperformed, accounting for more than 13% of the global market. In the next three years, the Asian language service market is expected to grow, with an average annual growth rate of over 9%. He said that, from an overall viewpoint, the demand for language services will be strong in 2021, the Internet, international communication, biological sciences and other sectors will grow steadily, and human-aided and machine-aided language services will increase significantly. The functions of linguists will undergo major changes in the future market. The coming of the metaverse ushered in the era of digital language services.

On that day, the Alliance for Language Service Education was established, with Professor Wang Jihui of Peking University as the honorary chairman, Professor Wang Lifei of Beijing Language and Culture University as the chairman, Professor Cao Jin of Northwest Normal University, Professor Feng Guangwu of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Professor Guo Yingjian of Renmin University of China, Dr. Meng Yongye of Language Service Institute, Professor Si Xianzhu of Beijing International Studies University, Professor Wang Mingyu of Tianjin Foreign Studies University, Professor Zhang Falian of China University of Political Science and Law, and Professor Zhang Tianwei of Beijing Foreign Studies University serve as vice-chairmen, and Dr. Meng Yongye as the secretary-general, Professor Gao Xiao of North China Electric Power University and Dr. Han Lintao of Beijing Language and Culture University as the deputy secretary-general.

▲Speakers of "Language Services Discipline Development" roundtable forum

At the "Language Services Discipline Development" roundtable forum  of LSC40 held subsequently, Professor Li Yuming, secretary-general of the National Emergency Language Service Corps, Professor Cao Jin, dean of the School of Foreign Languages of Northwest Normal University, and Professor Gao Xiao, director of Foreign Language Department of North China Electric Power University, delivered speeches respectively on the national emergency language service, the construction of emergency language service base, and the language services under “dual-carbon” goals. Professor Wang Mingyu of Tianjin University of Foreign Studies, Professor Si Xianzhu of China Language Service Research Subcommittee,  and Professor Cai Jigang of Fudan University delivered speeches on language service studies, language service industry research and interdisciplinary research; LSC40 experts participated in these topic discussions. This forum was chaired by Professor Guo Yingjian, Deputy Director of the Capital Institute of Development and Strategy, Renmin University of China.

▲ Speakers of "Language Service Industry Development" roundtable forum

In the "Language Service Industry Development" roundtable forum, Professor Wang Lifei, Dean of the International Language Service Research Institute of Beijing Language and Culture University, Dr. Meng Yongye, Chairman of Language Service Institute, and President Wang Huashu of WITTA Translation Technology Research Association delivered speeches respectively on  think tanks for language service, language services for standard internationalization, and digital language technology. Professor Zhang Falian of China University of Political Science and Law, Professor Chen Yihua of Hainan Normal University and Associate Professor Cui Qiliang of the Center of International Language Service and Management of the University of Economics and Business, delivered speeches on foreign-related legal language services, Hainan Free Trade Port language services, and localization services. This forum was chaired by Professor Zhang Tianwei, Deputy Director of the National Language Capability Development Research Center of Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Since its establishment in 2017, LSC40 has gathered top experts and scholars in the Chinese language service field, attracted many well-known language service institutions at home and abroad, and integrated important research deliverables and resources in the language service sectors, providing language service wisdom and solutions for China's new development, and effectively promoting China's language service academic innovation and industry development.