I am a PhD student at McGill University and my research topic is on machine aided human translation. I am currently writing my thesis and came across your blog post “Translation Industry Statistics” while looking for some financial data on the translation industry.

I was wondering if I could cite the information in that article. If so, could you please send me the exact citation text that you would like me to use.

Also, it would be helpful for me if you could provide me any current statistical information with regards to the translation industry. In addition, as I am working in French to English translation in Canada, any information concerning that would be appreciated.

Regards,
Aarthi

Thank you so much for your passion and interest!

But your point is taken: The U.S. lags in language studies. Right now, this isn’t such a big issue, because English is currently the lingua franca of international affairs. (I just returned from a trip to Europe and have traveled to China a few times. English is everywhere.) But like you said, when the balance of world economic power shifts, future generations will be sorely unprepared if we don’t start learning other languages now.

You make a great point about China and the lack of westernization of their language. However, did you know that there are more people in China that speak English than there are Americans? They are learning English in school…something I think we American’s need to take queue from. I think our school system is critical to making us competitive for future generations.

Xie Xie!

I study Chinese, and I’m not attempting to tackle the traditional characters just yet. Simplified is hard enough for an American.

Watching me agonize over the writing, my wife recently asked my why China doesn’t just Romanize their writing using a standardized system like pinyin. Aside from the fact that there are thousands of homonyms that depend on the characters for distinction, why should it be China’s job to conform to the rest of the world?

As its power grows, China will need to accommodate English, the lingua franca of international affairs, but at the same time, the world’s most populous nation will be less likely to change its own writing system for the sake of outsiders. The Chinese call their country the “middle kingdom” for a reason.

That said, further standardization could boost literacy and aid economic development. The simplified character system – aside from a unified country that has led to China’s current successes – could be the most enduring of Chairman Mao’s few positive contributions to Chinese society.

There are a few other languages like Korean and Greek. Are you a translator or plan to be a translator in the future?

You may reach me at clare.li@echineselearning or skype: clare_echineselearning

Thanks,
Clare