Bet you don’t think of translation when people say “Canada”
But you probably should. For all its vast expanses and natural resources, Canada is essentially an urban country with a thriving high-tech service economy. More than 4 out of 5 people live in cities, more than a third are concentrated in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, and some 90% live within a two-hour drive of the US border. It is also an officially bilingual country, home to two of the most spoken languages in the world, English and French.
What’s more, Canada is a country of immigration, and one of the most linguistically diverse in the first world. Mandarin, Punjabi, Spanish, Arabic, Tagalog, and other languages are widely spoken. In Toronto and Vancouver, over half the local population are native speakers of non-official languages. In Montreal, the extensive immigrant community speaks its own languages, but also English and French, making the city one of the most trilingual in the world.
All of this has combined to make Canada a translation powerhouse
The federal government has been a big impetus to Canada’s translation sector. The public service has been officially bilingual for over 50 years and has operated in English and French since the country’s birth in 1867. The resulting demand for language professionals has given birth to an entire industry.
Today, Canada is known for its solid academic programs, its vast pool of professionally trained translators, and its many translation technology innovators. The federal government’s Translation Bureau plays a leadership role, contributing to the professionalism and quality of language services in Canada.
Canada is a mature translation market that demands excellence
One of the things that has propelled Canada to the forefront of translation quality is the makeup of the marketplace. Canada’s translation buyers are very sophisticated—they demand quality and value for money, and many are fluent enough in English and French to know whether they are getting it. There is also significant demand—not only is government a big source of work, but almost all businesses in Canada require translation. This provides incentives to invest in quality, technology, and production capacity.
The industry is further buttressed by its strong network of professional associations, including Quebec’s professional order of translators, OTTIAQ, whose mission is to provide training to translators while ensuring the public is protected against poor quality. This provides a consistent source of qualified workers. You could say that translation is to Canada what fashion is to Italy.
Montreal and Toronto are leading innovators in artificial intelligence
Canada is also driving the future of translation with its major players in artificial intelligence. With over 1,000 researchers and doctoral candidates, Montreal boasts the world’s largest AI-related academic community. Over 30,000 workers in the city have IA-related skills and more than 22,000 people study in the field. Toronto is also emerging as a major industry player through its high concentration of tech workers.
A global leader for global business
Playing a leading role in the Canadian translation market is TRSB, Canada’s #1 translation provider. In just under 40 years, it has grown to be a true success story, leveraging the strengths of Canada’s translation industry to deliver quality and technology at truly competitive rates. TRSB is the language partner and advisor to some of Canada’s biggest and most successful businesses.
For your global ambitions, consider putting your translation needs in the hands of TRSB, the translation leader in Canada’s world-leading translation market.