According to a recent UN economic report, 10 of the world’s 15 fastest-growing economies were based in Africa. Foreign direct investment in Africa reached US$62 billion in 2009, up almost 700% from a decade earlier. The report also found that the number of middle-class households will increase by half from 2010 to 2020. And, by 2030, the top 18 African cities will have a combined spending power of US$1.3 trillion. So what does any of this have to do with translation?

Companies seeking to reach upper and middle class Africans do so using the colonial languages of English, French, and Portuguese.  While this is certainly an important way to reach government agencies and professional markets, companies with information services and consumer products seek a broader set of audiences. These companies now translate into a growing number of local languages as well. Africa is rich in cultural and linguistic diversity, which means that companies seeking to benefit from the rising economic tide require access to translation and interpreting services in many tongues from very different regions.

When economic opportunities begin to surface anywhere in the world, language service providers (LSPs) arise to bridge these language gaps, enabling cross-border business to happen. For buyers of translation, the challenge of addressing new markets in Africa stems from the sheer size of the continent, the number of countries, the still-lagging infrastructure for travel and communications, and the variability of legal-financial norms for transacting business. Recently, we have noticed a crop of Africa-focused translation and technology vendors springing up in four regions of Africa. The biggest cluster is in Egypt, where many of the top providers in Africa are located. North Africa’s historical connections with European countries and ready access to markets in the Middle East have helped Egypt’s companies gather momentum. More.

See: Common Sense Advisory