Will Language Service Providers Finally Change Pricing Models in 2025
                     WILL LANGUAGE SERVICE PROVI
DERS FINALLY CHANGE PRICING 
MODELS IN 2025?
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Introduction
2024 closes with a second Trump 
administration set to begin in the US. 
Immigration was at the center of Trump's 
presidential campaign and promised more 
draconian immigration controls. Meanwhile, 
as Americans voted, the long-awaited 
2023 American Community Survey, or 
ACS, data reveal that the number of those 
who do not speak English increased by 71 
million and now stands at 21% of the US 
population.
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In fact, studies show that the surge in the foreign-
born population reached a rate not seen since 
1910. All the while, the Department of Homeland 
Security (DHS) also increased deportations to the 
highest levels in over a decade.
These are conflicting trends, but constitutionally 
speaking, language access rights are unlikely to 
change under Trump and will continue to be a 
strong demand driver for language services. 
However, implementation of 
AI translation by non-language organizations 
and translation-as-a-feature (TaaF) add 
challenges and uncertainty to an otherwise strong 
2025 business outlook.
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Impact of Trump’s Re-Election on Demand for US Language Access 
Poll on November 15, 2024. Vote Count: Services
48
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AI Speech Translation 
Fever
There were constant mentions of AI speech translation in 2024 in the academic 
and AI commercial areas. For instance, in the last quarter, Apple researchers 
published a paper on speech-to-text translation (S2TT) highlighting limitations 
in the way S2TT-capable systems process and incorporate nuance in translation.
Then, in November, Microsoft announced the early release of a 
new mobile AI speech translation app for Azure subscribers. Dubbed Microsoft 
Translator Pro, it boasts many of the same features found in other standalone 
mobile translation apps, including Samsung's Live Translate and Google Translate.
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And it is not just translation. In November, OpenAI’s Whisper was in the news 
due to hallucinations in healthcare transcription. The AP reported that more 
than 30,000 clinicians and 40 healthcare systems have already begun using a 
tool from Nabla based on Whisper.
We asked readers how often they use AI speech-to-text tools, and most 
respondents (40.7%) said they never do. Close to a quarter (24.1%) rarely use 
it, and the rest use it often (14.8%), sometimes (11.1%), and very often 
(9.3%).
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How often do you use AI speech-to-text 
toPoolll so?n November 22, 2024. Vote Count: 
54
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December to Remember?
Throughout 2024, there was no shortage of M&As and funding rounds in tech 
and services in the language industry, leaving an impression both of financial 
recovery (compared to what for many was a slow 2023) and optimism for the 
year ahead.
Slator reported over 30 acquisitions, advising on a few. Super Agency and 
Leader LSP handled multiple. TransPerfect made 4 acquisitions, 
Translate.One made 3. Teleperformance acquired ZP in November, while 
Stoquart, LXT, and ArKadia closed deals in December.
At year-end, 31.7% of businesses reported being quite busy. Equal groups 
(20.5% each) had normal or somewhat slow activity. Meanwhile, 18.2% 
experienced very slow activity, and 9.1% saw their busiest period ever.
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How’s your business / work in December?
Poll on November 29, 2024. Vote Count: 
44
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Slow-Changing Pricing Models
Despite advances in machine translation and workflow automation, 87% of 
language service providers still use the traditional per-word pricing model, per 
the Association of Language
Alternative pricing models have been discussed at industry events, but 
subscription pricing—offering tiers based on edit distance (human or 
automated)—is only now gaining traction.
Australia's AI Media adopted a subscription model in April, boosting shares by 
250%, catching investor attention
We surveyed readers on translation pricing: 68% charge/pay per word, 15% use 
edit distance, 7% each prefer hourly or other metrics, and 3% opt for a 
subscription model.
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How do you charge or pay for translation?
Poll on December 6, 2024. Vote Count: 
100
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