It’s the beginning of a new year which marks a fresh start for some and another year of the same old tricks for others who know they can’t keep a new year’s resolution for more than a fortnight… (you know who you are!). The new year also means new things for the translation industry as we’ve spotted some translation trends that we think will be big in 2019…

Voice Search

Voice search is expected to soar over the next two years and in 2020 it is predicted that 50% of all search queries will be voice-based. In order for brands to rank higher on search engines they will not only need to consider what keywords their consumer might type in on search engines, but also what they might say. The difficulty with identifying what words and phrases consumers might use for voice search is that there can be many differences between the way someone speaks and the way they write/type. Also, individuals have their own accents and dialects which means identifying key voice search phrases for an entire target market is not an easy job especially if a brand wants to reach foreign consumers. It is essential for brands to have deep linguistic knowledge of all of their consumers regardless of their native language and in 2019 international SEO will be extremely valuable to expanding businesses.

Blockchain

Blockchain caused a huge hype in 2017 but was followed by disappointment in 2018 with the monumental crash. But what will 2019 entail for blockchain? Well, in 2019 the digital currency may be down but it is definitely not going out of fashion as several central banks are still serious about getting into cryptocurrency which could lead to cash being replaced entirely in the future. For the language service industry this would have several benefits, the main one being the ability to send payments faster to clients and freelancers. The global potential of blockchain opens up new opportunities across all sectors, not just the translation industry, and blockchain is one to keep an eye on this year.

On-trend Languages

2019 will be a historical year for the UK and the EU as Brexit is approaching rapidly and will take place officially in March. But what will this mean for the translation industry? Will there be an increase in requests for European languages such as French or German? That’s our prediction! As the UK distances itself from the EU and English will not be the official language of the Union, international businesses will be wanting to secure their relationship with their European clients and so it is likely that more businesses will requiring translation into the most dominant European languages.

Video Translation

Video ads will rule 2019 as 80% of online content is predicted to be video. Bestselling author, Ben Angel describes how conversion rates on landing pages that feature videos increase by up to 80%. Interactive video ads are also said to be big news this year as interactive ads drive a 47% increase in time that consumers spend with a brand compared to non-interactive ads. When consumers interact, this makes an ad 32% more memorable to the consumer which is great for brand awareness. Although video advertising is a great way to interact with consumers, you can also isolate potential foreign consumers if your content is only available in one language. In 2019, subtitling, voiceovers and transcreation services will be sought after by brands who are wanting to reach a global audience with their video advertising.

We can’t wait to see what 2019 has in stock for the translation industry and are excited to see if our predictions come true. What do you think will be big news this year in the translation industry, or your sector?

If you require translation services for your business this January then get in touch now and see how we can help you!