Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) introduced itself on the global stage at the tail end of 2019. A mere number of weeks later, it began to spread throughout the world, devastating healthcare institutions and sending most of the world’s economic systems into panic. But COVID-19 isn’t the first pandemic we’ve survived, and it certainly won’t be the last. Nonetheless, for countless businesses that have had to endure severe setbacks, the focus must now transition to one of economic survival and recovery. We must all take a sober look at how well prepared we were before this crisis hit, how well-built our internal infrastructures are to withstand economic blows, and how versatile we are moving forward. 

The following report is divided into three sections — past, present, and future, each highlighting the critical need for language services pre-, during-, and post-COVID-19. For many of the hardest-hit sectors (especially healthcare), these sections pinpoint the main challenges in communicating effectively with a diverse multilingual population and provide viable solutions to help in your recovery plan now and in the weeks and months ahead. As we gradually return to some semblance of normalcy, it is our sincere hope that this report and the multi-faceted Akorbi solutions we offer, provide support to you during this most unsettling time in our collective history.