Definition and statistical classification of language service industry

Language service industry is an emerging industry in China and around the world. The concept and nature of language service industry has not been clearly defined and has not been included in the national industry classification system by many countries, including China. This paper thus intends to identify the activities as an industry and clearly define the industry from the perspective of industrial economics. Then it discusses how to put the industry into China's Industrial Classification for National Economic Activities (CISIC), while making references to the classification of the industry by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC), as well as European Standard Classification of Productive Economic Activities (NACE). It is of great significance to define the term and get the activity listed in the industry classification system to help build an understanding of how the industry is structured and promote the further development of the industry.