Development of interpretation in post epidemic Era
By reviewing the industries and occupations affected by the COVID-19 situation, it is clear that the exhibition and interpreting industries have been greatly affected. What are the biggest trends in the industry today? Here is what we found out!
1. Online interpretation as a possible growth point
In order to fight COVID-19, all people are “social distancing”, and foreign contacts are bearing the brunt of the issue. Judging from the current development trend of the global epidemic situation, it is very difficult to resume overseas visits in August this year. If other countries and regions cannot control the epidemic situation or continue to tighten policies because of the fear of a second outbreak, international exchanges are unlikely to resume before the end of this year. In such a case, there will no chance of seeing a normal resumption in interpreting activities. Simultaneous interpreting and high-level international conferences can only be performed online. Not only can online interpreting ensure “social distancing” perfectly, but it can also expand the scope of customer screening and save on the travel and accommodation expenses paid to interpreters. At present, the main constraints of online interpretation are technology, equipment and signal delay. If these problems can be solved, it will no doubt be popular in the future.
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2. Online interpretation teaching ushers in new opportunities
Many offline education organizations have had to close down because of the coronavirus. Online education is favored by students because it breaks time and space constraints. It is also convenient, efficient, and versatile. However, what follows is that interpretation trainers may experience the “Matthew effect”, meaning that the more powerful, famous, well-known and experienced teachers are, the more likely they are to attract students, while those who are not high-level, unknown or not good at online teaching will be eliminated from the market.
3. The field of interpretation has shifted to biomedicine, high technology and so on
Influenced by the coronavirus, both officials and ordinary people have become more aware of biomedicine, high technology related to COVID 19, and new technologies such as AI and 5G that have changed our lifestyle. We are not ruling out the prevention and control of the epidemic situation after the outbreak, and are organizing various seminars and meetings in related fields. Those who are interested can accumulate knowledge and experience in these fields from now on.
4. Interpreters must learn to update their skills
Regarding the work of freelancers, during the epidemic period, some have had the frustrating experience of having to stay at home and wait for work. Some have begun to take up translation work due to the lack of interpreting opportunities. Some have started remote interpretation and live network teaching. After the epidemic, some interpreters who have struggled to keep up with the new technology and new situation will be gradually left behind, while those who change their thoughts in time and keep up with the development of the situation will stay in the running.
The epidemic will eventually be over, but it has unconsciously changed the way we live, work and study, making it impossible for us to go back to the past. So be smart, and act now to seize those opportunities!
HI-COM is a multilingual translation agency dedicated to providing professional translation and interpreting services to businesses around the world. Working with more than 40 language pairs, HI-COM is the go-to localization partner of hundreds of companies and brands! Contact us for your free consultation today!
If you’d like more information regarding interpretation, feel free to get in touch as we’d be delighted to hear from you!
