Plans are afoot to streamline China's translation industry in a bid to make its work more standard.

Management must also be stepped up as the country's economic growth gains more pace and there are more clamors for a better international translation service.

The industry in China accounted for some 11 billion yuan (US$1.33 billion) in 2003, and that number is expected to grow to more than 20 billion yuan (US$2.41 billion) by 2005, according to the Translators' Association of China (TAC).

Huang Youyi, deputy director-general with the China Foreign Languages Publishing and Distribution Administration, said the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Shanghai World Expo are golden opportunities for faster growth in the industry.

By 2008, one out of every 10 sentences spoken in Beijing is expected to be in a foreign language, Huang said.

The industry has witnessed an upsurge in the number of companies, with more than 3,000 currently operating in China. The number may actually be closer to 10,000, as many small companies that are registered as consultant agencies also conduct translation business.

To thrive in this growing market, the industry has taken steps to standardize its services.

In November 2003 the State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine issued an official specification for translation services, which took effect in June, to provide objective criteria on qualifications and compulsory contractual regulations.

A certified examination system, the China Aptitude Test for Translators and Interpreters was also introduced last year. So far, about 30 per cent of the 4,600 examinees have passed, Huang said.

"Translation is still a fledgling industry in China, compared with its European and American counterparts. Problems, including poor quality, non-standard prices and lack of skilled labor, have impaired the market's development," he said.

China needs a government department to supervise its translation industry, a common practice in some Western countries, he added.

The industry in China has a lack of professionals, although the number is increasing rapidly alongside the growing number of international companies.

With China's entry to the World Trade Organization, foreign translation firms will inevitably pose great challenges to Chinese companies, something else the industry must bear in mind, said Huang.

(China Daily November 12, 2004)