The language business, like any service industry, can face a variety of regulatory barriers in the marketplace.  If a border is involved, then a foreign provider of “translation and interpretation services” confronting obstacles in another country can likely seek relief under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

For the uninitiated, the WTO is the international organization that sets the global trade rules for 159 member countries.  The WTO ensures that trade flows smoothly, predictably, fairly, and freely by administering trade agreements, facilitating multilateral negotiations, settling trade disputes, reviewing national trade policies, assisting developing countries in trade policy issues, and cooperating with other international organizations.  Among the WTO’s various trade agreements is the GATS, which sets objective standards for multilateral trade in services that facilitate the removal of  unnecessary barriers to trade.  All WTO member countries are GATS members and have assumed various levels of commitments in individual service sectors, including translation and interpretation services. More.

See: GALA Blog

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