The Translation Company Talk

The German translation market is not just big, but it is also very unique and different from the North American translation markets. Christina Jagdman, CEO of wordinc, joins me on this episode of the Translation Company Talk, discusses how the translation business works in the German market. She discusses how she started in this industry as well as how things have changed in the past year or so. S...

This is the first episode of the second season of the Translation Company Podcast. It is a special episode because Sultan Ghaznawi, the President of YYZ Translations, who hosts this podcast reverses roles with his past guests to talk about his involvement in the language industry, his views on technology and NLP in particular, as well as his vision for the future of this industry. He discusses how...

In this episode of the Translation Company Talk, we discuss how you can have a growth mindset to expand your language business while the world is going through a pandemic. I have invited Jordan Evans, President and CEO of Language Network, to discuss his experience for growing his business in the past year while dealing with adversity on a personal and business level. Among other things we talk ab...

Kevin McQuire is the president of Atlas Language Service. On this episde of the Translation Company Talk podcast, he explains how he found himself in this industry by accident and to this day he credits his mentor, Luis Echeverri for helping him navigate his way in the interpreting world. He has been leading his organization to provide interpreting services to 14 world leaders as well as the Pope....

In this episode of Translation Company Talk podcast, I had a candid discussion with Patrick Nunes from Rotary International. Patrick is a seasoned industry veteran who is not only leading the localization efforts at Rotary but also a member of Board of Directors at the Globalization and Localization Association. He provides his deep insights about the industry and in particular how localization pl...

In our latest episode of the Translation Company Talk, I had the pleasure of speaking with Anna N Schlegel, from NetApp. She is a veteran of this industry and a pioneer in so many areas. We discuss many topics that revolve around corporate globalization and define the key concepts related to strategy, building teams and establishing value through a consistent and well-formulated thought process. A...

We are witnessing a generational shift in the localization and translation industry both on the supply side and on the client side. In this episode of the Translation Company Talk, we discuss the opportunities and challenges for selling language services to the millennial buyer. I invited Javier Carvajal from Acclaro to join me in this discussion and provide his take on how to successfully connect...

Product localization is a relatively less understood and discussed subject within the larger localization and globalization picture. In this episode of the Translation Company Talk, Iti Sahai from Procore, takes a deep dive into what this concept is and how it affects the end user. Imagine the position of the steering wheel on a vehicle in North America versus in the UK, automotive manufacturers h...

Paul Doherty is a seasoned entrepreneur and has spent most of his life in the localization and translation industry. In this episode of the Translation Company Talk, he talks about what makes successful mergers and the causes for failures. In particular he talks about the importance of setting expectations, not rushing into conclusions,  having the right people and the role of leadership in succes...

The language translation and localization is a diverse industry and has evolved over the years. Molly Naughton, president of aia Translations speaks with me about what it means to be a woman leader in this industry. We discuss topics such as challenges and obstacles for women in this industry, mentorship opportunities, biases within and outside this industry and Molly's personal experiences in thi...

In episode 20 of the Translation Company Talk, I got to speak with with Carmen Hiers from Transforma Translation Services. She talks about the issues and challenges as well as opportunities that small language companies in the United States encounter. This is a very interesting conversation as Carmen shares her story, how she started in this industry and how it has evolved over the years. We discu...

In this episode of the Translation Company Talk, I got to speak with Cecilia Enbäck from Translator Scandinavia AB. She started her career in the language industry by accident at a camp fire. This is a fascinating story. She talks about how the industry has evolved, how technology has guided their decisions and direction. She believe technology has helped their company deliver better quality to th...

Management is an art and a skill, and not many people in the language industry have received formal schooling in this area. While every human being has some management skills as they manage their life and work, managing a language company is somewhat complicated. Richard Brooks from K-International, talks about what management actually entails in this industry and what type of a mindset you need t...

Business development in the translation industry is often a misunderstood and confusing topic. I had a chance to speak with Elizabeth Gomez on this topic. She talks about value proposition, creating a niche and ways to understand your customers' issues. We discuss how a knowledge-based industry like the language industry can strategize develop the business, who is involved in the definition of bus...

My guest this week is Carrie Fischer. She is the Manager of Globalization Services at Subway, where she manages all aspects of globalization and localization for the restaurant giant. Carrie provides a candid perspective on her early beginnings in the industry, her experience as the industry has evolved and her current role at Subway. Carrie is passionate about volunteer work and causes that are i...

Leading and managing a language company is not easy. As a small business owner, the LSC leader wears multiple hats to get things done within the company. In this episode we are talking in general on the different aspects of managing more than one organization in the language space. Lelani Craig talks about the challenges that an entrepreneur in this industry faces and her ways to mitigate problems...

Sales and selling remains a very unique art in the language translation industry. In this episode of Translation Company Talk, I talk to Francesco Pagano, President of Interpreters and Translators Inc. He is a true veteran of the translation industry and grown up in the trenches, he learnt by doing from an early age. He calls the language industry oldest that mankind knows. Francesco has learnt se...

Kocarek is an Essen, Germany, based translation and localization firm that has gone through several iterations of innovation and evolution. In this episode of the Translation Company Talk, we hear first hand experience from Werner Lierz, CEO and Kerstin Küpper, Head of Translation Management, as well as Alexandra Navruzova-Lang, Head of Project Management at Kocarek. We discuss how Kocarek has sta...

In this episode of the Translation Company Talk, I had a deep dive into issues surrounding the current challenges and our industry. Allison Ferch, the Executive Director of GALA, shares her insights and valuable information about our industry that they have obtained through industry research. She also covers GALA's 5 year roadmap and how they plan to respond to industry needs. The Globalization an...

In episode 11 of the Translation Company Talk podcast show, I had the opportunity to speak with Rick Antezana, the President of the Association of Language Companies (ALC). We cover the current state of the translation industry, in particular in the US, in the context of recent developments. Rick talks about regulatory changes affecting our the language service companies, COVID impact on interpret...

Jessica Rathke is a seasoned sales and business development guru in the localization industry. In this episode, I had the opportunity to talk to her in detail about what sales entails, how it has evolved and what works and does in the language services industry. She elaborates in great detail the techniques, challenges and opportunities in selling language translation and related services. For any...

Welcome to episode 9 of our first season at the Translation Company Talk. In this episode we discuss the current market conditions and health of the translation and language industry. Our guest, Andrew Smart - Co-Founder and Commercial Director at Slator, dissects the current economic and sociopolitical threats and opportunities for our industry. Among other things, we cover issues related to unce...

Customer service is expected in every industry and business transaction, however, it remains far from being ideal in the translation industry. Paul Doherty from Strategy Management Consultants, Ltd. believes that customer service is the cornerstone for all B2B and B2C relationships across all verticals and industries. In this episode of the Translation Company Talk we discuss how simple strategic...

In episode 7 of the Translation Company Talk, I spoke with Veronique Ozkaya. She is the CEO of Argos Multilingual, and a seasoned leader and manager who has worked across multiple business functions in the translation and localization industry during her career. During this candid conversation, she offers leadership advice that is applicable to the day to day life of an LSC owner. Our discussion t...

In this episode of The Translation Company Talk we discuss marketing for language services companies (LSCs) in the digital age where businesses harness online channels for business translation, video transcription and translation, and overarching contract translation. We cover a number of topics including personal branding, influencer marketing, marketing your translation business and establishing...