LSPs Working with Governments

LSPs can help a huge range of government departments to deliver their services. 

Here are some examples of LSPs in action.

In the US, the largest contractor of LSPs is the Department of Defense. The right words can often lead more effectively to peace than a show of strength, hence the department’s procurement of a $10 billion translation and interpretation services contract back in 2017. Govconwire reports in this article that nine companies were appointed to manage the contract, which has the scope to run for an entire decade.

Military departments also regularly use translators in foreign bases and battlefield environments (usually sourcing local individuals), as well as for off-field work such as the translation of foreign documents and intelligence information.

Health departments also have a strong need for language expertise, with requirements based around the linguistic diversity of each particular region. Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas, Texas, for example is looking to spend more than $1 million in order to double the number of Spanish interpreters it has available.

The medical tourism industry has also given rise to a need for translators. India, Brazil, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, Mexico, Costa Rica, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea are all popular medical tourism destinations. While many procedures are undertaken privately, there is often the need to liaise with health departments ‘back home’ in order to access relevant data about the patient. The use of LSPs in these situations can, at times, be quite literally life-saving.

Trade and commerce departments also make good use of LSPs. Money makes the world go around and language service providers are central to ensuring it flows smoothly. From international trade-related documents to field work requiring translators and interpreters, there is plenty of demand out there.

An example is China’s One Belt One Road initiative, which is providing immense opportunities for LSPs right now. The massive global commercial initiative spans 71 countries and could be worth in excess of $1 trillion according to The Guardian, with LSPs playing a key role in making it happen.

Foreign affairs departments also rely on LSPs for their translation work. Diplomatic cables, cultural missions and a variety of cross-border consultancy initiatives all call for top-quality language skills. As such, LSPs are supporting departments as far afield as the US State Department, the UK’s Foreign Office and the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as many, many others.

Domestic departments’ needs are being met by LSPs as well. From social welfare and housing teams to legal departments needing legal translation services and agencies such as Homeland Security, there is plenty of call for translation and interpretation support. The ability to buy in less frequently used language expertise at short notice is often particularly important to these agencies. They deal with a huge range of issues, from illegal immigration to crimes committed by multinationals and global trafficking cases. Cases of abuse and neglect involving immigrants, multinationals and those who speak minority languages also require the swift involvement of top-notch language services.

On a happier note, LSPs can also do much to support tourism departments. Governments around the world are doing all they can to court tourists and ensure that their particular destination benefits from the $1.34 trillion that tourists spend globally each year (source: UN World Tourism Organization). The internationally pitched ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ campaign is a prime example of this in action.

What Are the Advantages of Using LSPs?

The key advantage of working with a language service provider is access to a vast range of languages. The need for different linguistic support varies over time, so having a resource that can provide all of the languages that are required now, as well as those that could potentially be needed in the future, is invaluable.

Using a translation agency in this way can also be far more cost effective than having an in-house translation team, particularly when it comes to languages that the department only needs to user intermittently. With an LSP, these services can simply be called on as required, without the need to fund a fulltime, in-house position.

LSPs also have the advantage of being able to deal with huge volumes of work to strict deadlines. Professional agencies are used to juggling the demands of large projects and this includes delivering high quality translations in line with government departments’ requirements.