On a quest to discover the latest translation industry trends? 2021 is not only one of the most anticipated fresh slates for many people’s personal lives; it’s also going to demonstrate increasing emphasis on existing business priorities for enterprises. 

2020 brought to light where the weaknesses lie within many companies. It also was a catalyst for a desire to demonstrate global growth after a year of global hardship. And whenever global growth enters the discussion, so does multilingual communication.

Here are the top 10 language translation industry trends 2021 is likely to bring. 

10 Translation Industry Trends for 2021

1. Jumping on the AI Language Train

One of our top-anticipated 2021 translation industry trends is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with the translation development process. While this has existed for some time, 2021 will see a more wide-scale adoption of AI in all industries––including translation––in comparison to previous years.

Expect to see more companies seeking translation management systems with machine learning (ML) built in.

2. Demand for Post-Editing

Post-editing will grow as a 2021 translation industry trend spurred from both adoption of translation machine learning (which is fueled by post-editing), as well as the new state of consumer psychology in a post-2020 world. 

Here’s why. 

Post-editing is the process of improving upon a translation from its machine-translated origins. If markets become increasingly competitive in the year where negatively-affected businesses begin to revive themselves, companies are going to seek ways to communicate better with foreign stakeholders, multilingual customers and clients. 

Trust, relationships, transparency, information accuracy are all going to be part of the competitive advantages arsenal that differentiate companies from their competitors.

3. Emphasis on Security

By 2021, enterprise security breaches have already lost their shock value. Enterprise-level security is going to become the standard in security for not only enterprises, but also small to mid-sized businesses. This is why you should expect to see enterprise-level security become a necessity in language translation software. Especially because translation software applications inherently intake a heavy amount of sensitive data.

4. Specialized Translators 

Another 2021 translation industry trend in which we anticipate growth is the demand for specialized translators. As information technology, science and manufacturing grow there will be an increase in the development of communication materials that include specialized terminology. That’s where specialized translators and glossary development enter the picture. 

5. Scaling Localization

Want to scale localization for your business? You won’t be alone in pursuing this translation industry trend in 2021. Whether you’re translating your website into multiple languages or adapting your product to meet the needs of customers all over the world, scaling these localization projects will be one of the top challenges companies seek to surmount.

6. Multilingual Conversational UI Design

While conversational UI has already begun to infiltrate the tech world, perfecting it for a multitude of language pairs will be the next challenge. As conversational interfaces gain more traction, we will see a growing standard for higher-quality multilingual conversations within chatbots and more. 

7. Speech to Text & Speech to Speech

Speech to text and speech to speech translation will experience a demand increase this year. As the convenience of hands-free inches toward becoming the norm, so will the desire for getting a transcript or audio translation from speech in real time.

8. English Source Language Translations for Manufacturing

This 2021 translation industry trend ties in with #4. With the recent emphasis placed on the revitalization of US manufacturing and reshoring of American companies, it’s likely there will be a trend toward English source language translations for manufacturing. Expect to see this in the UK as well, as the nation looks at improving domestic capability.

9. Integrations with Robust Translation API’s

API access is becoming increasingly important, especially when it comes to connecting a content management system (CMS) to a translation management system. With a focus on productivity and connectivity, companies are going to look to improve the quality of their translations while streamlining them. This requires more than raw translation, which means robust translation API’s with tools to enhance productivity and translation quality will become more popular.

10. eLearning Course Translation

The popularity of eLearning courses has surged throughout the past decade. But the pandemic in 2020 catapulted the world into online learning. In 2021, the growing availability of online courses means more competition. As eLearning course producers look to become more competitive, they will expand the availability of their courses in other languages. Therefore, eLearning course translation is an anticipated translation industry trend in 2021.

Modernize Your Translations in 2021 

Want a translation management system that keeps up with the times? Pairaphrase delivers a suite of powerful translation tools in a web-based environment. Choose translation software that allows you to jump on board with many of the 2021 translation trends listed above.

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