Boostlingo Wrapped 2022: Top Interpreting Languages, Sectors, and Services

It’s been an incredible year of growth for Boostlingo and our LSCs with total interpretation minutes for LSCs growing 53%. This year has seen us return to normal – or create a new normal – in relation to the languages, sectors, and interpreting services that were offered. Wherever the need was, our LSCs were ready to meet it. And now, it’s time to recap how interpreting was used globally through Boostlingo’s 2022 Wrapped.

From Dari interpreting that supports new refugee communities to medical interpreting that provides language access to rural communities, this is the real difference Boostlingo is making in the lives of people around the world.

Top interpreting languages of 2022

It’s no surprise that Spanish is at the top of the interpreted languages list, back-to-back years. The language is the year’s most used at Boostlingo – by far. Our LSCs provide a significant amount of Spanish interpreting, servicing different sectors like medical, legal, and education.

What stands out in 2022 are some of the new top languages. As most in the language industry know, language and immigration patterns are tightly intertwined. In 2021, there were at least 2.6 million Afghan people forced across borders to live as refugees across 98 different countries. We can see some of those shifting immigration trends in our language trends, too. New to our list this year are Dari and Pashto, official languages of Afghanistan. Haitian Creole is also new to this year’s list.

Top sectors of 2022

The medical sector tops our list and it’s with good reason. Language access is a civil right and a healthcare compliance measure under Section 1557. New changes to Section 1557 proposed in 2022 seek to expand language access requirements to telehealth. These changes will further expand the demand for medical interpreting and need for platforms like Boostlingo. This year, we’ve seen the impact Boostlingo-supported language access can have in healthcare: practices have reported influxes of refugee patients and have been able to confidently serve them despite language barriers. In fact, Boostlingo helped the medical sector provide care confidently in over 300 languages this year.

Business came in at number two. As confidence has grown in online communication and technology has grown to support it, the number of virtual conferences and meetings have grown. Boostlingo has held the door open for virtual, multilingual business.

Top remote interpreting service of 2022: VRI vs OPI

So, was Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) or Over the Phone Interpreting (OPI) the bigger service in 2022? OPI was the more used interpreting service of the two, by quite a bit. However, when looking at the growth of VRI and OPI minutes over the last year, something stands out. They both are growing at the same rate. Despite VRI having less usage, both remote interpreting services had a 79% growth rate in minutes in 2022.

Final recap of 2022

What’s Boostlingo’s mission?

Boostlingo is reimagining interpretation through innovative technology that improves global communication and increases language access.

We want to bring interpretation into space where this service was previously considered cost prohibitive or where procurement of certain languages was impossible. In rural areas around the world, in communities that are welcoming refugee populations, and anywhere there is an internet connection, we are expanding the reach of language support to help those who need it most.