Language Services Market Report 2025

The language services market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $58.05 billion in 2024 to $61.87 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to globalization and international business expansion, translation for literature and publishing, legal and regulatory compliance, media and entertainment localization, emergence of global social media platforms, diversity and inclusion initiatives, international conferences and events, global travel and tourism industry.

The language services market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $90.82 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.1%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to e-commerce globalization, language access in healthcare services, demand for multilingual customer support, government initiatives for multilingual communication, increased demand for audiovisual translation, rise of multilingual virtual assistants, language services for accessibility, localization in gaming industry. Major trends in the forecast period include ai and machine translation integration, remote interpreting services, neural machine translation (NMT), voice and speech recognition technology, hybrid and blended translation approaches, e-learning and training localization, real-time language analytics, artificial intelligence in language editing.

The language services market anticipates significant growth due to increased outsourcing of translation and interpreting services. Outsourcing these services involves procuring language expertise from external sources, aiding in professional translation through substantial infrastructure and dedicated staff. For example, the European Language Industry Survey of 2022, conducted by a European association of translation companies, revealed an average outsourced business percentage of around 22% in Europe, a notable increase from 2020's reported figure of 18%. This trend forecasts a robust expansion in the language services market.

The increasing number of international students is projected to boost the growth of the language services market in the future. International students are individuals who move from their home countries to study in another country. As they navigate an educational environment where a foreign language is spoken, there is an escalating demand for language support in various facets of academic life, including lectures, assignments, and peer interactions. For instance, in August 2024, the Higher Education Statistics Agency, a UK-based organization that provides quantitative data on higher education, reported that during the 2022/23 academic year, there were 2,937,155 students enrolled, reflecting a 3% increase compared to the 2021/22 academic year. Notably, international students with permanent addresses outside the UK accounted for 26% of the total student population. Thus, the rise in international students is significantly driving the growth of the language services market moving forward.

Technological advancement emerges as a pivotal trend in the language services market, with major industry players leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance their offerings. in October 2022, Meta Inc., a US-based multinational technology conglomerate, unveiled an AI-powered speech translation system targeting unwritten languages as part of their Universal Speech Translator (UST) project. This innovation aims to break language barriers, enabling real-time speech-to-speech translation, even in languages primarily spoken but less frequently written.

Strategic partnerships and collaborations with start-ups and mid-sized firms drive expansion and diversification strategies in the language services market. For instance, in March 2022, A notable instance involved the partnership between the US-based soccer club, Philadelphia Union, and Language Services Associates, Inc. (LSA), a leader in interpretation and translation services. This collaboration aimed at enhancing fan engagement by expanding language accessibility in press conferences, media kits, player interviews, community outreach, and other initiatives, reflecting the increasing diversity of their fan base.

In August 2022, Propio Language Services, a US-based technology-enabled interpreting and translation service provider acquired Telelanguage for an undisclosed amount. With this acquisition, Propio Language Services aimed to significantly increase its presence on the West Coast and its capacity to meet the communication needs of its clients. Telelanguage is a US-based language service company providing interpretation and translation services.

Major companies operating in the language services market are LanguageLine Solutions Inc., Lionbridge Technologies Inc., RWS Holdings PLC, SDI Media Inc., Keywords Studios PLC, TransPerfect Translations LLC, Pactera Technologies NA, Honyaku Center Inc., Cyracom International Inc., Appen Ltd., Acolad Group SAS, Global Linguist Solutions LLC, Hogarth Worldwide Inc., PIXELOGIC MEDIA PARTNERS LLC, Translate plus Ltd., Welocalize Inc., GienTech Technology Co. Ltd., STAR Group, Centific, United Language Group, Propio Language Services, Argos Multilingual, ZOO Digital Group, LOGOS Group, LanguageWire, TAKARA Co. Ltd., SeproTec Multilingual Solutions, Sunyu Transphere, Akorbi, Certified Languages International, Global Talk, KERN Global Language Services.

North America was the largest region in the language services market in 2024. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the language services market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the language services market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

Language services encompass a range of offerings that facilitate communication between users and audiences or speakers who do not share the same language or culture. The primary aim of language services is to bridge linguistic and cultural gaps, enabling individuals and businesses to communicate effectively in an increasingly globalized world. These services are crucial for promoting understanding, ensuring compliance, and enhancing accessibility across various sectors.

Within language services, the primary categories include translation and transcreation, interpreting, localization services, and other related offerings. Translation involves converting text from one language to another, ensuring accuracy in conveying the intended meaning. Transcreation, on the other hand, involves not just translation but preserving the original tone, intent, and style while adapting it into another language. These language services play a vital role across various industries like IT, telecommunications, commercial sectors, government entities, automotive, healthcare, and more by aiding in conveying precise meanings and nuances.

The language services market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides language services market statistics, including language services industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a language services market share, detailed language services market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the language services industry. This language services market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

The language services market includes revenues earned by entities by providing services such as translation management systems, production of linguistic assets, global SEO (search engine optimization) management, and more. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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