Raphael Bohne
Research expert covering professional services
Language services industry in the U.S. - statistics & facts
The language services industry in the United States has grown rapidly over the last several years and has continued to play an important role in facilitating communication in a globalized world. The global language services industry was estimated to reach almost 60 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. Furthermore, as the English language has become the most spoken language worldwide, especially in academic and corporate environments, the learning of this global language has become somewhat of a necessity. This has led to an increasing need for translation services and interpreters, demonstrated by mean hourly wages within this profession having been on the rise since 2015 in the United States.
Leading language service providers
The U.S. company TransPerfect is one of the leading global language service providers (LSP), and has consistently been ranked at number one in terms of revenue. Located in New York, Transperfect, a company that has offered language services including translation, global content management, and online marketing, recently generated an annual revenue of more than one billion U.S. dollars for the first time. The second-largest service provider was UK headquartered RWS Holdings, who almost doubled their revenue over the last financial year.
Employment in language services sector in the U.S.
In 2022, the state with the highest employment in interpreting and translating services was California. Not only was California the number one state in this regard, it also had the highest percentage of the population who spoke a language other than English at home. These statistics could suggest a changing demographics in the United States, where speaking a second language could be seen as somewhat advantageous. Despite this, the number of employees in interpreting and translating services in the United States decreased between 2019 and 2022.
Leading language service providers
The U.S. company TransPerfect is one of the leading global language service providers (LSP), and has consistently been ranked at number one in terms of revenue. Located in New York, Transperfect, a company that has offered language services including translation, global content management, and online marketing, recently generated an annual revenue of more than one billion U.S. dollars for the first time. The second-largest service provider was UK headquartered RWS Holdings, who almost doubled their revenue over the last financial year.
Employment in language services sector in the U.S.
In 2022, the state with the highest employment in interpreting and translating services was California. Not only was California the number one state in this regard, it also had the highest percentage of the population who spoke a language other than English at home. These statistics could suggest a changing demographics in the United States, where speaking a second language could be seen as somewhat advantageous. Despite this, the number of employees in interpreting and translating services in the United States decreased between 2019 and 2022.
