Gatineau, November 17, 2008
The Canadian Language Industry: An Opportunity not to Be Missed
Notes for an address at the
2008 Canadian Language Industry Showcase
Graham Fraser – Commissioner of Official Languages
Check against delivery
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am very happy to be participating in this year’s Language Industry Showcase, which brings together the cream of the crop from a growing industry.
As Commissioner of Official Languages and federal ombudsman for language rights, languages are my daily bread, so to speak. In fact, you and I are natural partners. Each in our own work, we fight with the same purpose in mind: that of promoting English and French, and defending diversity.
Introduction
The Canadian language industry is comprised of more than 2,000 companies and approximately 30,000 specialists. The translation sector alone accounts for 6% of the world market and generates annual revenues of over $400 million. Our language training experts serve approximately 12% of the global demand and generate approximately $450 million in revenues.1
In fact, the language industry continues to grow, despite the fact that its economic potential remains under-explored. This is why I am so pleased that the federal government is committed to increasing the visibility of your industry in domestic and international markets. The Roadmap for Canada’s Linguistic Duality, launched in June 2008, is a step in the right direction, even though others must still be taken before we reach our goal.
Today, I would like to talk a little bit about the demand for language services within the federal administration, and about the challenges to overcome. I will conclude by discussing the future outlook for your industry and the importance of drawing on human capital.
1. Demand for language services within the federal administration
The demand for language services in federal institutions continues to grow. This can be partly explained by a boom in the delivery of services through the use of automated systems, by the proliferation of bilingual content on federal sites and by rapidly changing language training needs.
Of course, the increase in demand drives federal institutions to better manage the linguistic aspects of their respective mandates and to work in closer partnership with you. This said, one can only expect such institutions as the National Research Council of Canada, the Canada School of Public Service and the Translation Bureau to play a very active role in the industry’s success.
For instance, the Translation Bureau’s plans and priorities for the current fiscal year point to a significant shortage of language resources in Canada. Nearly one-third of the Bureau’s professionals will be eligible to retire in the next three years. The average age of translators and interpreters in the public service is 50 years old. There is also a shortage of professionals specialized in Aboriginal languages and in foreign languages in the military, diplomacy and intelligence sectors.
The industry needs 1,000 new language professionals yearly, but fewer than 300 new qualified candidates graduate from universities each year. It’s a Sisyphean task. Clearly, it would be impossible to meet the demand without a considerable effort in terms of university training and recruitment.
Speaking of the Translation Bureau, I want to take a moment to point out one of its most successful projects, as announced by the government in the Roadmap. Shortly, all Canadians will have free access to the Government of Canada Language Portal, which groups together a variety of language tools, including the terminology database TERMIUM®, within a single Web site.
For its part, the Canada School of Public Service plays a key role in ensuring the quality of learning services offered in the private sector. For example, it has established partnerships with nine private schools and 12 colleges and universities to increase access to high quality linguistic services.
The School is also expected to contribute $2.5 million over the next five years to extending access to linguistic learning products to Canadian universities. A pilot project is also underway, and I am monitoring the progress of this project.
In terms of language training for federal employees, many public servants are under the impression that transferring training to each department will lead to a reduction in funding for language training. Training can vary from school to school, hence the importance of establishing quality standards. In addition, the current set-up makes it more difficult to develop an overview of the situation. This is a disconcerting matter that the government must address. It goes without saying that we are following this matter closely.
2. Language professions
The language industry in Canada is still a work in progress; it is a vast community under development.
The Formative Evaluation of the Language Industry Initiative,2 launched by Industry Canada in 2006, indicates that the success of this initiative is based on the language industry’s capacity to overcome four major challenges:
- the fragmentation of the industry;
- the shortage in human resources;
- the lack of visibility, and;
- the lack of research and development.
In addition to these challenges, there is, of course, that of better identifying the industry’s future economic impact. As with all new fields, continued investment and a well-developed plan are absolutely essential in the language industry.
Under the Roadmap, $10 million over five years is earmarked for the second phase of this initiative, and $10 million has been allocated to the Language Technologies Research Centre. These contributions will help to ensure that your industry meets these challenges.
In this context, it is important to recognize the informed leadership and energy of the Language Industry Association and the Centre. These groups, in close collaboration with you, are looking to strengthen your industry’s place among world leaders in this field.
An area in your industry that is experiencing one of the most significant booms is English and French second-language teaching. Today,
- nearly two million English-speaking students across the country are learning French, while one million young French-speaking Quebeckers are learning English;
- approximately 300,000 of these English-speaking students are enrolled in French immersion programs; and
- nearly a quarter of young people between the ages of 15 and 29 consider themselves bilingual.
However, there remains a great deal of work to be done before individual bilingualism reaches an acceptable level. In Quebec, parents continue to show a strong desire for the improvement of English language programs in their schools. Outside Quebec, only 47% percent of young English-speaking students are currently learning French as a second language.
This is why I constantly insist on the need to ensure greater continuity and coherence in second-language teaching, from kindergarten to the workforce. In this sense, language schools must partner with other educational institutions.
According to a survey commissioned by Berlitz Canada, “bilingual and multilingual Canadians enjoy a greater range of career options, build stronger relationships with colleagues and clients, and benefit from accelerated promotions and salary increases compared to their unilingual counterparts.”3
Indeed, as noted in the Canadian Council on Learning’s recent study, Parlez-vous français? The advantages of bilingualism in Canada,4 the bilingual advantage extends to individual income as well. According to the 2001 census, Canadians speaking both English and French had a median income nearly 10% higher than that of unilingual Anglophones, and 40% higher than that of unilingual Francophones.
The study also noted the results of a survey done by Compas Inc. indicating that, out of 133 Canadian business leaders interviewed, 55% believed that fluently bilingual job seekers are more employable than their unilingual counterparts.
According to another survey of about 500 supervisors of bilingual employees outside the public service and outside Quebec,5 which was recently conducted for Canadian Parents for French, bilingualism continues to be a major asset:
- Four out of five supervisors consider bilingual employees to be a valuable asset to their company;
- Bilingual employees are equally represented in entry- and mid-level positions, while 21% are in senior-level positions;
- Seven out of 10 supervisors say that even a basic ability to communicate in French is an asset and, more significantly, almost half of the respondents say they have difficulty finding bilingual employees.
One example is that of the Société Québec multilingue in Québec City, which recognizes the importance of bilingualism and multilingualism in enhancing the vitality of local residents and increasing businesses’ competitive edge. Their action plan could serve as a model for other communities.
These findings suggest that we should step up our efforts with respect to English and French second-language programs, and also that there may be an untapped market of job-seekers wanting to upgrade their second-language skills.
Our goal is to ensure the access, quality and continued availability of second-language courses in English and French across Canada. In addition, we would like for interculturality to be given greater prominence in the teaching of English and French as second languages, through exchanges, internships and other forms of cross-linguistic contact.
I would like to point out in passing that the Roadmap contains an interesting measure to facilitate access to the literary culture of both official language communities in Canada—that of the National Translation Program for Book Publishing. Under this program, $5 million over five years is earmarked to help support Canadian publishers translating the works of Canadian authors.
On its end, the Language Industry Association will also play a key role in the renewal of second-language programs in English and French by ensuring that the market is more integrated and more narrowly focused. Achieving this objective will naturally require the development of new pedagogical tools and, more specifically, of improved interactive training software.
The language technology changes currently underway are clearly part of the information revolution. And language professionals, like media, communications and publishing professionals, must quickly adjust to new demands in order to succeed.
Technology has amplified the demands, the challenges and the opportunities you face. Although language technologies eliminate some of the more tedious tasks, they are certainly not about to replace you. Used strategically, however, they can improve the quality of your products and services, and further highlight those aspects of your work that make you true professionals.
In this context, I tip my hat to the pioneering work done by the Language Technologies Research Centre in developing tools used to increase productivity in translation, in the production of multilingual content and in language training. In our most recent annual report, we referred to a wonderful initiative carried out by the Centre, the Transcheck‑2 project, an automated translation error detection tool that scans for correspondence errors between the source text and its translation.
With innovations being announced on an almost daily basis, no one can really predict what the future of language technologies has in store for us. Personally, I’m still trying to anticipate, grasp and even accept tools like Facebook, StumbleUpon, Wikio, Flickr, Twitter, Shozu, Utterz, Seesmic and the many others that are sprouting up like dandelions.
Who could have foreseen that, for a modest sum, you could purchase software for your Apple iPhone that can translate into 22 languages? Will we witness great strides in artificial language, voice recognition and word generation? What will Google cook up in 10 years? Is computer-generated automatic interpretation the next big thing? Of course, I don’t have the answers to these anxiety-provoking questions. But what is important, for you and for us, is to be on the cusp of these advances and to ensure that the language industry in Canada remains at the front of the pack.
3. Building the future
No doubt, mastering language technologies will be an increasingly determinant factor of your success. More important, though, is the need to ensure a sufficient number of well-trained language professionals. The strength and growth of the information revolution lies in the seamless connection between human capital and technology.
I alluded earlier to the critical situation of succession. Fortunately, under the Roadmap, the Translation Bureau will establish the University Scholarships Program in Translation and Interpretation. This $8 million, five-year program will help address the shortage in the field.
However, as shown in the report on human resources in your industry, which was commissioned by AILIA and prepared by Vestimetra International,6 there is a considerable need for both certified court interpreters and professional community interpreters. There is also a severe shortage of English and French teachers and professors. In fact, the shortage of French second-language teachers for core French and French immersion will only continue to increase.
As a result of this shortage, some employers are forced to hire candidates who are either unqualified or inadequately trained, or to turn to immigration to meet the demand. In addition, the minimal skills requirements for teachers have yet to be accurately defined.
To face this resourcing crisis, it is imperative that key federal stakeholders and members of the Language Industry Association work together to develop practical solutions. This work is well underway, but we must pick up the pace. It is also important to actively continue current initiatives intended to ensure the quality of services offered by your industry.
In this regard, I am pleased to note that the Canadian General Standards Board recently published a new national standard for translation services,7 a project in which the Language Industry Association also participated. The national standard was prepared in the hope of harmonizing with the European translation services standard, while taking into account aspects that are unique to Canada.
Consideration is also being given to implementing mechanisms to assess the compliance and certification of translation service suppliers. Publication of this standard will undoubtedly result in many translation service suppliers seeking certification. In so doing, they will have a seal of quality in a very competitive market.
Conclusion
If we take a step back, it is clear that the language industry in Canada is in the midst of profound change. Your aim, and ours, is to build the future and not simply to react to it, as well as to build this industry, which is so important to linguistic duality, on a solid and sustainable foundation. This requires an ongoing commitment on the part of the federal government and a high level of cooperation among all stakeholders.
I can assure you that the Office of the Commissioner will continue to remind the government of the need for action. Canada is well positioned to make our language industry a world leader. We must seize this opportunity. It is a strategic change that we cannot afford to miss out on.
I cannot conclude without expressing my admiration for the work that you do. Your professions are demanding and your accomplishments are remarkable. You contribute to the dissemination of knowledge while playing a key role in working towards the equal status of English and French in Canadian society. You make communications among citizens more meaningful and you enable us to communicate with the world.
I congratulate you and thank you for being, in some sense, the architects of our national dialogue.
1. www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/lain-inla.nsf/en/qs00023e.html
2. www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/ae-ve.nsf/en/01429e.html
3. www.berlitz.ca/pdf/berlitz_langrelease.pdf
4. www.ccl-cca.ca/CCL/Reports/LessonsInLearning/LinL20081016Bilingualism.htm
5. www.cpf.ca/eng/press-releases/PR_Oct-16-08-2.html
6. http://carriere.jobboom.com/carrieres-avenir/actualites/2007/10/11/4568489.html (article in French only). For French second-language teachers, see also www.pch.gc.ca/progs/lo-ol/pubs/plan-2013/2_e.cfm.
