YouTube recently released a list of the most popular videos of 2013. As CNET points out, the year’s list is strikingly different than the list of the most popular videos of 2012. Rather than amateur, independent filmmakers recording everyday events, the videos that received the most attention in 2013 were slicker, polished and more produced. Some of the top ten included Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis’ “What Does A Fox Say?” and “The Epic Split” from Volvo Trucks and featuring Van Damme.

As the number of videos – and viewers – keeps rising, the appetite for polished, professional videos is growing. Rather than the shakily filmed, amateur videos that often fill YouTube’s coffers, the video-sharing site has also become the go-to hub for brands, entertainers and everyone in between to make their marks. Professional quality has started rising to the top.

Over the past few years, I’ve observed this same trend affecting translation services. Just like amateur YouTube films are losing popularity to professional ones, amateur translators are being replaced by professional translation services. But why is professional translation becoming so much more important? Well, as YouTube’s top 2013 videos show, a little polish goes a long way.

FROM CONTRACT TO COMMODITY

In the U.S., translators are among the top fifteen fastest-growing jobs, with the field expected to grow by 42 percent from 2012 to 2020. In many cases, translation…

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