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China Translation Association Releases "2025 China Translation Industry Development Report" and "2025 Global Translation Industry Development Report"

On April 24, the 2025 China Translation Association Annual Conference, guided by the China International Communications Group (CICG) and hosted by the China Translation Association, CICG Academy of Translation, and Dalian University of Foreign Languages, opened in Dalian, Liaoning Province. During the opening ceremony, the China Translation Association released the 2025 China Translation Industry Development Report and the 2025 Global Translation Industry Development Report.

As the sole national-level social organization in China's translation sector, the China Translation Association has consistently prioritized top-level industry design, conducting regular research and publishing annual development reports since 2012. These reports have garnered widespread attention from government agencies, industry players, academia, and media both domestically and internationally. This year, based on the industry's new developments, achievements, and challenges, the association conducted extensive research across areas such as industry ecosystems, enterprise operations, talent development, and translation technology to compile the 2025 China Translation Industry Development Report.

2025 China Translation Industry Development Report

The report comprises six major sections:

1. Overall Development: The industry's output value, number of enterprises, and workforce size showed steady growth in 2024, with total annual revenue reaching ¥70.8 billion. The workforce expanded to 6.808 million, and the number of active translation enterprises in China exceeded 650,000, including 14,665 firms specializing in translation services. Market competition intensified, and industry segmentation advanced.

2. Service Demand: Clients’ in-house translation capacity increased, with a 4.9% rise in organizations employing full-time translators. The top three sectors by translation volume were conferences/exhibitions, education/training, and intellectual property. Over half of translation service providers were concentrated in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong. Quality enhancement, cost control, and technological adoption were key operational priorities.

3. Enterprise Operations: Private enterprises accounted for 97.9% of translation firms, forming the market’s backbone. Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong hosted over 50% of the nation’s translation companies.

4. Talent Development: Demand surged for highly educated, interdisciplinary professionals. Translation education increasingly aligned with specialized fields, and the industry broadly agreed on cultivating practice-oriented, interdisciplinary, and globally competent Doctor of Translation and Interpreting (DTI) talents. Job satisfaction among professionals slightly improved.

5. Technology Adoption: Enterprises focusing on translation technology doubled, with Guangdong leading nationally. AI and large language models (LLMs) were adopted by over 90% of firms, and 70% of academic institutions offered related courses.

6. Trends & Recommendations: The report advised bolstering support for private translation enterprises, standardizing market competition, optimizing business management (cost efficiency, client retention, quality compliance), refining academic programs, and fostering technology through funding, promotion, collaboration, and standardization.

2025 Global Translation Industry Development Report

Simultaneously, the China Translation Association released the 2025 Global Translation Industry Development Report, analyzing five key areas:

1. Global Market: The industry’s estimated value reached $55.61 billion, with internet- and machine translation-based services growing significantly. North America held the largest market share, while Asia’s leading enterprises expanded their presence.

2. Talent Landscape: Over 35% of global translators held master’s or doctoral degrees. Europe led in academic research output, while China ranked among the top in research volume and institutional contributions.

3. AI Impact: Generative AI reshaped workflows and competition, with 54% of enterprises viewing AI as beneficial (+13% YoY). AI proficiency became a core skill for professionals.

4. Enterprise Practices: 80% of top global firms deployed generative AI tools, pivoting toward multimodal localization and AI data annotation. Mergers among tech-driven enterprises surged.

5. Future Outlook: As AI transforms the sector, many firms are evolving into global content service providers.

These reports serve as vital references for understanding the latest trends in China and global translation and language services.