Quality of translations deteriorating

Translation used to be a serious academic endeavor but now it has become a heavily market-oriented industry, and one in great disorder.

Since China began to open itself to the outside world about 30 years ago, exchanges with foreign countries have been increasing dramatically. That posed a rising demand for translation of Chinese and foreign languages.

Companies specializing in translation cropped up in major cities. There are now about 3,000 translation companies registered with the industrial and commercial authorities. In addition, there are numerous unregistered organizations and individuals engaged in the business. It is reported that the business has developed into an industry with an annual output value of more than 20 billion yuan ($2.78 billion).