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Strong growth for Global Talk
Global Talk, the number two interpreting service provider in Europe, shows strong growth. The number of interpreting services provided in 2023 rose by 20.8% to 870,000, representing turnover growth of 41.3% to a figure of €70.3 million. The annual magazine published today reflects on these developments.
In 2023, by far the highest number of interpreting services were carried out by phone (777,400 times, representing growth of 19.3%), followed by on-site deployment (86,800 times, representing growth of 40%). Video deployment lowered to 5,700 services, representing a decline of -13.5%. During the COVID-19 pandemic, interpretation via video was often utilized as an alternative to on-site interpretation. With the pandemic now two years behind us, clients are reverting to on-site or phone interpretation services more frequently.
In addition to retaining trusted accounts, a number of new clients were welcomed. In the Netherlands, we started working together with the Dutch Council for Refugees, Legal Aid Board, Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) and the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), among others. In Belgium, there was a notable influx of new clients in the healthcare and education sectors. Currently, three-quarters of Flemish hospitals are clients of Global Talk. Since the establishment of an office in Belgium in 2022, the number of interpreter requests there has quadrupled, and the client base has doubled.
In 2023, Global Talk withdrew from Sweden. The results were disappointing, and the investments required to reverse the trend were substantial, leading to the decision to cease operations there. Astrid van Rossum, CEO of Global Talk, stated, “We are experiencing strong growth, which has propelled us to the second position among interpreting service providers in Europe, despite the disappointing results in Sweden and our cessation of operations there. Our international ambitions remain high, and we will continue to drive growth in the Netherlands and Belgium.”
Interpreters and cultural specialists work for Global Talk on-site, by video or by telephone. They are deployed in the public sector for municipalities, ministries, investigation services and judicial authorities, as well as for companies and at international conferences.
In addition to providing interpreting services, Global Talk also offers customised services. This includes the apps Global Talk has developed in cooperation with clients in different countries. A good example is the Global Talk Care app, a multilingual communication app for the Flemish healthcare sector. Using the app, caregivers can ask patients initial supporting questions in any of 12 different languages. Or the Ambulance Interpreting app in the Netherlands, which enables EMS to engage the services of an interpreter at the touch of a button, within a minute, without requiring intervention of a call centre.