Did you know that there are over 7,000 languages in existence around the world? So it’s no surprise that the translation services industry continues to grow at a rapid rate. But why stop at 1 fact? We thought we’d give you a better insight into the translation & language services industry by sharing some fun facts about translation… International Translation Day International Translation Day is celebrated annually on the 30th of September and is also a feast day for St. Jerome who is a translator from Christian history. He translated the Old Testament into Latin directly from the original Hebrew. The 30th of September marks the day of his death. The top dogs The most targeted languages for translation are English, French, German, Italian and Russian, making them the top 5 languages in the translation industry. Just 5% of books from 2000 to 2010 were translated into Chinese During the first decade of the 21st century, over 75% of books were translated into French or German, but only 5% into Chinese. This is surprising because Chinese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world! Translators can translate around 520,000 words per year A professional translator can translate around 250 words within an hour. A translator working full time can translate around 520,000 words per year, wow! Lots to learn! The most widely spoken languages are Chinese, Spanish, English, and Hindi. As old as the hills The translation profession is more than 2,000 years old! That’s right: the Old Testament is thought to have been translated into Greek in the 3rd century BC, which would make it the oldest recorded translation. Most translated authors The top 3 most translated authors are Agatha Christie, Jules Verne and William Shakespeare. Translator town According to the Translation Association of China, there are more than 300,000 certified translators. That is enough to fill a whole town of people. Billion-dollar baby Last year’s estimates put the translation industry’s annual revenue at $49 billion worldwide, and it’s continuing to grow fast with predictions stating it will reach over $52 billion by 2021. The easiest language to translate There is a language that is far easier than English to translate. According to most translators with years of experience, Spanish is the easiest language to translate. It is because, in the Spanish language, words written are identical to the way they sound, which makes it the most accessible language to learn and translate. If you have any more interesting facts to share about translation then please comment with them below!
