Last week, promoted by the work group headed by PhD and professor Celia Rico from the Universidad Europea de Madrid, a meeting was held aimed at presenting the draft of the survey for gathering data, and  writing up the subsequent report, on the present state of the Spanish translation market.

The last study on the matter was published in 2005 and, since then, no other official analysis has been made available showing the current state of the situation.

The meeting summoned representatives from all the agents involved in the industry: translation associations, translation and interpreting services providers, professors and freelance translators. The aim of the meeting was presenting the survey draft to this expert group and asking them their suggestions, to define and complete it, so that the report made upon the gathered data reflects the a true scenario as much as possible.

Basically, the research intends to define the scope of the translation market in numbers, to establish the factors determining the criteria for contracting translation services and to identify the volume and trends of the market. For all those aspects, the opinion and experience of the agents involved have been taken into account from the beginning, something that, in the words of Valentín Barrantes, Nóvalo eLinguistic Services manager, is: “a great initiative that will allow us to get a realistic picture of the translation industry. This, in turn, will make possible, for all parts involved, to draw valid conclusions and have common frontlines that are beneficial to all and can contribute to a better evaluation and higher awareness of the profession”.

The study will be conducted by means of unstructured surveys. The subsequent report, expected to be completed in late 2015, will be published via social networks and dedicated journals. The report will be intended to bring the reality of translation back to statistics and market researches as well as getting a precise picture of the current state of the sector.

The initial meeting for the survey presentation and project launching “has been very enriching, most of all, thanks to the prestigious work group and its commitment. I am convinced that PhD Rico´s idea of calling up a variety of agents that live really up to date with the special features and trends of the industry will keep the study stuck to the reality”, Valentín Barrantes concludes.