The Voice of the Canadian Language Industry

1. The Voice of theCanadian Language Industry Les activités de l'AILIA sont subventionnées en partie par lndustrie Canada dans le cadre du Programme de l'industrie de la langue. The work of AILIA is made possible in part by funding from Industry Canada's Language Industry Program. Les activités de l'AILIA sont subventionnées en partie par lndustrie Canada dans le cadre du Programme de l'industrie de la langue. The work of AILIA is made possible in part by funding from Industry Canada's Language Industry Program.

2. The Canadian Language IndustryA joint venture between the federal government and the private sector • Canada : one country with two official languages • French and English • So translation is a tradition – first association of translators 1940 • Translation is also a science – 11 universities • Translation is an industry - 800 firms, 15,000 individuals

3. The Canadian Language IndustryA joint venture between the federal government and the private sector • Challenges • Fragmentation • Visibility • Initial training and continuing education • Corporate v/s professional standards • Investments in HR and R&D • Growth strategies

4. Translation • Canadian offer* • 800 firms (10,000 employees) • 4 500 independent workers • Combinations** • English-French combinations represents close to 80 % of market • Growth in French-Spanish and English-Spanish combinations • Expected growth in languages from Asia (China) • Services offered by Canadian firms* • 75% translation • 23% translation and interpretation • 2% interpretation *Source: Final report of the Canadian Translation Industry Sectoral Committee, September 1999. **Source: Language Translation, Localization and Globalization. Allied Business Intelligence, 2002.

5. Translation • Educated professionals* • 81% hold at least a B.A. degree • 26% of these have a Master’sdegree • Areas of specialization* • Industry and technology • Communications • Economy and finance • Policy • Management and administration • A high level of satisfaction* • Quality • Quick turnaround • Price *Source: Final report of the Canadian Translation Industry Sectoral Committee, September 1999.

6. Professional Infrastructure • Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council (CTTIC) • A pioneer in the language industry • Devised the world’s first examination for translator certification in 1971 • Represents 10 regional organizations • Represents also 3,500 certified individuals who are members of the provincial and territorial associations

7. CANADA’S ADVANTAGES • In the top five countries in the language training and translation markets • Recognized leader in setting international standards for translation certification • Rare status of having two official languages that are among the most widespread in the world • Excellent training infrastructure including eleven universities • Worldwide reputation for language training • Respected research and development infrastructure

8. Language Industry Association AILIA covers three major sectors: - Translation - Language training - Language technologies Our mission The mission of AILIA is to promote and increase the competitiveness of the Canadian language industry nationally and internationally through advocacy, accreditation and information sharing.

9. Language Training • Training infrastructure • More than 200 schools and academies offer language courses • Costs • On a monthly basis, Canada is one of the less expensive countries for studies*. • CAPLS • CLC *Source: “Global Comparison”, Language Travel Magazine, January 2005.

10. Language Technology • Canada’s sectors of research and design of aids for translation recognized worldwide • Computer science • Internet • Machine translation • Management of textual information • Technology Road Map Initiative • Goal: set out a technology strategy to help improve the language industry’s productivity and global success • Composed of: representatives from companies and research institutions across Canada, and observers from Industry Canada and the National Research Council of Canada • Subcommitees: content management, language training, speech processing and translation

11. BACKGROUND 1999:Translation Industry Sectoral Committee Spring 2002:Symposium on the language industry Spring 2003:Action Plan for Official Languages AILIA obtains its letters patent Fall 2003:First contribution agreement with Industry Canada First General Assembly of members – Election of Board of directors Spring 2004:Second contribution agreement with Industry Canada (up to March 2006) September 21, 2004:Second annual meeting and one-day conference September 16, 2005: First Language Industry Showcase and third annual meeting Spring 2006:Third contribution agreement with Industry Canada (up to March 2008)

12. FOUR CHALLENGES Eliminate fragmentation Increase visibility of the industry, of companies and of the Association Prepare the next generation Improve financial support for the businesses and for R&D

13. ELIMINATE FRAGMENTATION One Association – three sectors Influence buying practices – large customers Educate - Share information Build a network

14. Increase visibility of the industry, of companies and of the Association Be present on the national and international scene (PRECARN,CTTIC, ICLC, FIT, LISA, NAFSA …) Press relations Advertising Tradeshows Web site and Industry portal

15. Prepare the next generation Promotion of language industry professions and standards Integration into the workforce Development of professional skills through continuing education

16. Improved financials Help corporations have access to investors and programs such as LIP Demonstrate potential of the industry Create market conditions to foster joint ventures, partnerships and alliances Improved competitiveness will lead to improved profitability Growth through investment in tools and human resources

17. Support for R&D • Language Technologies Research Centre (LTRC) • New research centre to spur language technologies • Partnership of the National Research Council, the federal government’s Translation Bureau and l’Université du Québec en Outaouais. • Will be training 40 scientists a year and bring together 150 researchers and experts in the language field. • Will work in partnership with private-sector companies

18. Support for R&D LTRC – Strategic directions • Develop tools for productivity improvement in the following areas • Translation • The creation of multilingual and multicultural content • Language training • Develop content management and semantic search tools for the processing of multiple languages. • Become the world leader on standards in • Terminology • Quality control • The implementation of linguistic databases

19. Growth Strategy - Corporate standards for translation service providers Quality Assurance – Preferred Supplier Status - Differentiator • Build on existing strengths: • Project Management Experience • Terminology Databases • Translation aids (tools developed in Canada) • Very large customer (driver and influencer) • Multilingual offerings • Become export-ready

20. A FORMAL INVITATION World Language Summit Fall 2007