The Chinese Translation Market

Prior to China’s economic reforms, translation services functioned as a centrally planned activity, with government agencies exclusively controlling production and distribution. The post-1978 liberalization policies sparked a fundamental restructuring, giving rise to a commercial translation market governed by market mechanisms. This chapter traces this critical transformation and its enduring consequences for China’s language services sector. The examination first explores the market’s formative years following economic reform, when emerging private sector demand fuelled the proliferation of translation enterprises and market-determined pricing structures. Subsequent analysis focuses on the current industry landscape, evaluating productivity metrics, diversified service offerings and persistent quality control issues in an increasingly competitive environment.