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GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE, SOLD!

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The theoretical ability to sell one’s business is actually a reflection of its value to others. Here’s how translators can add tangible value to their services to make their business appealing to a potential buyer.

Is my translation business sellable?1 Whether or not you have plans to sell your business in the near future, this question is very important and relevant, and not just to those on the verge of retirement. The theoretical ability to sell one’s business is actually a reflection of its value to others. Therefore, evaluating what others value about the business will give you a better idea of its potential selling points and the areas that need improvement.

TAKING ON THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

Many translators have a hard time separating themselves from the business they created. “I’m my company and my company is me,” some would say. For those lucky enough, the day will come to set down the keyboard and retire. At this point, if the business and the translator are inseparable, the business may not be very valuable to others. If clients are only interested in working with you, then there is no way to continue providing the same service with new ownership. For this reason, translators generally refer clients to a trusted colleague or simply leave them to fend for themselves.

But are we letting go too easily? Is there a way to build a business so that its value is not dependent on the person running it? Are our business practices and working methods unique, and could they conceivably be used by someone else? Is it easy for someone to see the value of what we’ve created and to build upon it so the business continues to grow? Taking the time to think about these questions can help reframe our understanding of translation practices, the role translators play in them, and their value to others. By exploring how we create value beyond ourselves, we can take on the elephant in the room and learn how to build our own businesses in a way that can hold value to a potential buyer. The first step is to think practically about potential buyers.

WHO WOULD WANT TO BUY MY BUSINESS?

The key to answering this question is to identify potential “interested parties” and figure out what value your business could provide them. If you can approach an interested party with potential for growth, they may consider buying your company instead of trying to grow their own organically. Here are a few suggestions for where to start your search.

Fellow Translators: If you have trusted colleagues who specialize in fields similar to yours, it might be worthwhile speaking to them to see if they have any interest in expanding their business through buying yours.

Boutique Translation Companies: Smaller companies who are looking to expand in your language set or field of specialization.

Main/Secondary Beneficiaries: Consider interested parties in your industry who may not currently focus on translation or editing, but may want to add such services.2

Now that you have a few ideas for who might want to buy your business, you need to analyze the business critically and think about what can be done to make it relevant and attractive to a potential buyer. The more confidently you can address the following issues, the more value you can add and the more attractive the business will look to a potential buyer.

8 STEPS TO ADD VALUE BY IMPROVING YOUR BUSINESS

1. Ironclad Numbers—Know Your Accounting: All stable businesses start with the most tedious part of the job—finances. Thoughts of selling or even evaluating a business can’t start until you audit the numbers and make sure they are defendable. Do you know what your profit/loss statement was last month? Do you have a separate bank account for your business? Do you know the current balance in your account? If you’re serious about evaluating the business, it’s worth considering hiring a professional accounting or auditing firm to complete a review of your finances and give you tips for how to improve your financial standing.

2. Mile 1, Not Mile 26—What Can Your Business Become? It can be tempting to look back at what you’ve accomplished over the years and try to estimate the value of the business based on that success. However, it’s much more critical to get into the mindset of a buyer and conduct a thorough analysis to see how feasible it would be for someone to take what you’ve created and potentially grow the business to something even greater than it is today. Remember, you may be at mile 26 of your marathon, but your buyer is only at mile one and needs to see what could be coming ahead. Can your model find success in a different market, specialty, or language set? Do you have a unique work process that differentiates you from others that would be difficult to replicate?

Another question worth considering is whether you can cross-sell new services to your clients in addition to your core business. For example, in the world of academia, translators can offer formatting, indexing, and other services that are important to their clients. Your business may have the potential to open up new channels for your buyer that they didn’t have before (be it new languages, geographic reach, cultural understanding, or otherwise). You need to make it easy for others to see this potential.

3. The Golden Rule of Seesaws—Diversify Your Client Base: One question every potential buyer will want answered is how much of the business is dependent on a single client. Think about what would happen if your biggest client left tomorrow. If one client accounts for more than 25% of your work, that can be a big liability and create an imbalance that presents greater risk to a potential buyer. A business that profits $100,000 and has 100 clients can actually be more valuable than a business that profits $125,000 and has five clients.3

The same rule applies for the services we pay for. It’s important not to be overly reliant on one employee, freelancer, or service provider. Think about a backup plan for every system you have in place and how complex it would be to switch providers or replace a departing employee. In addition, consider how complicated it would be for someone else to come in and implement a change or tweak your workflow process without your help.

4. Reverse the Rollercoaster—Improve Cash Flow Processes: Cash flow comes down to the simple question of how quickly you’re paid for your work relative to when you need to pay your expenses. If you pay suppliers at the end of the month but only collect what you’re owed after 60 days, you’ll run out of money. Cash flow issues are one of the most common reasons businesses fail.4 When a potential buyer comes to check out the business, the first thing they’ll want to know is the payment terms you have in place for clients and suppliers. This is why agencies often have long payment terms. While I’m not suggesting adopting agency payment terms with your suppliers, it may be worth considering asking clients for (at least partial) payment up front so that you can continue to pay your suppliers on time while not being crippled by cash flow issues. One way to encourage clients to pay in advance is to incentivize early payment.

5. When Did You Drink Your Last Coke? Repeat Business is Critical: The average citizen of the world consumes a Coca-Cola product once every four days.5 One of the secrets of the Coca-Cola company’s success is its ability to attract repeat customers. If you want to succeed in selling your business, your clients must be on board, which requires their trust and loyalty. How often do your clients return with new assignments? What percentage of your clients are repeat and what percentage are new? How big are the projects from returning clients? In other words, how loyal are clients to you and your brand? Loyal clients can also help you gain “social proof,” meaning that your clients talk positively about you online and your positive reputation creates positive word of mouth referrals (the best kind!).

6. Be a Fruit Loop in a Bowl of Cheerios—Stand Out from the Competition: The more specialized you are and the more you stand out among peers and competitors, the more value is created. Review your marketing materials, such as your website or newsletters. What makes you different? Is this difference clearly visible to the average visitor? Does anyone care deeply about the services you provide?

One way to differentiate yourself and encourage loyalty is by providing clients with content that is thought provoking.6 Another way to set yourself apart is to take a positive attitude when others are defeatist. If the word on the street is how Google Translate is taking business away from translators, be the translator that demonstrates how your translations are inherently superior to anything a machine can produce.

7. The Disney Principle—Customer Satisfaction: You’ve likely been asked to fill out a customer satisfaction survey for some product or service. There’s one simple question that all major companies, including Disney, Apple, Google, and Facebook, ask: “How likely are you to recommend this service to a friend?” The collected answers to this question are known as the “net promoter score.”7 True satisfaction is reflected by people willing to personally go out on a limb and recommend your services to others.

This is why you need to start tracking your success with clients. It’s important that this evidence be more than anecdotal and can be backed up by data. Celebrating success and learning from critique is the only way businesses can grow. That may mean spending more time making sure your current clients are happy than on recruiting new ones. If you can demonstrate a high level of customer satisfaction, the value of the business can skyrocket.

8. Letting Go—How Dependent Is the Company on You? It’s important to document the processes used in your business. While no one translates the same way, there are concrete and repeatable actions that can be modelled and copied by others.8 Think about what processes can be automated to make things easier for someone else. For example, if you’ve created glossaries or termbases, these may be able to give your buyer a step up. Selling your business also requires the humility to say that there might be someone else in the world who can translate materials in your niche at a high level.

WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE?

Selling a translation business isn’t a very common practice and comes with significant obstacles. However, by improving the value of your business while still working, you can create a system that’s efficient and sellable. You’ll also have a better chance of passing the business on to someone else when the time is right. This process requires reflection, honesty, and even the fortitude to let go.9 Parting with a business can be difficult and painful, but it can also be an important step. Beyond the financial considerations, it’s important to remember that you’ve created a legacy. Therefore, it’s important to take steps now to ensure that others will value what you’ve created and want to continue developing the business after you’ve moved on. What do you want the legacy of your business to be?

Notes
  1. This article is based on a presentation given at the 2017 ATA Annual Conference in Washington, DC. You can find a recording of the full presentation here: http://bit.ly/Staiman-ATA58.
  2. Davies, Stuart. “Small Business Growth through Acquisitions,” http://bit.ly/Stuart-acquisitions. One example is academic publishers who have added language services to their portfolio to expand the range of services they offer their clientele.
  3. Kokemuller, Neil. “Diversification and Its Importance,” http://bit.ly/Neil-diversification.
  4. Huls, Alexander. “The Key to Managing Profit and Cash Flow for Your Small Business and Knowing the Difference between the Two,” http://bit.ly/Huls-small-business.
  5. Bhasin, Kim. “15 Facts about Coca-Cola that Will Blow Your Mind,” http://bit.ly/Kim-Coca-Cola.
  6. For an example from the world of academia, see: Lagotte, Brian. “Academic Editing Tips: How to Use Your Abstract as a Tool to Create New Publishing Opportunities,” http://bit.ly/Lagotte
  7. Information on Net Promoter can be found at http://bit.ly/Net-Promoter.
  8. For more on this topic, see Warrillow, John. Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive without You (Portfolio, 2012), http://bit.ly/Warrillow-sell.
  9. Handelsman, Mike. “Managing the Emotional Toll of Selling Your Small Business,” http://bit.ly/Handelsman-small-business.

Avi Staiman is the founder and managing director of Academic Language Experts, a company based in Jerusalem, Israel, that has helped clients publish their academic research since 2011. Prior to founding the company, he worked as a freelance translator and editor in the humanities and social sciences. He has an MA in education from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Contact: avi@aclang.com.

Traduire un document administratif : pourquoi faire appel à un traducteur assermenté ?

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L’implantation de votre business à l’étranger soulève une multitude de questions auxquelles vous n’avez pas pensé auparavant. C’est tout à fait normal car l’internationalisation demande une organisation et une rigueur irréprochables. Au fur et à mesure de l’avancement de votre projet vous pourrez vous confronter à des démarches administratives qui nécessiteront l’intervention d’experts, notamment quant à la traduction de vos documents. En faisant un tour sur le web ou en demandant conseil à votre entourage, vous allez entendre des termes comme “traduction assermentée”, “traduction certifiée”, “traduction légale” ou encore “traduction jurée”. EAZYLANG vous a préparé un mini-guide pour vous aider dans les démarches d’officialisation de vos documents.

Pourquoi traduire un document administratif ?

Selon le pays d’implantation que vous visez, la langue peut être différente de la langue officielle de votre pays (ou même de l’alphabet). Par conséquent, toute démarche administrative entraînera la traduction de vos documents. Au-delà de vos documents d’état civil, d’autres besoins de traduction surgiront selon votre projet. Créer un partenariat, répondre à un appel d’offre, officialiser vos contrats – un traducteur assermenté doit intervenir pour rendre recevable la traduction de vos documents administratifs. Néanmoins, selon votre cas, la procédure d’officialisation peut entraîner encore plus d’étapes : EAZYLANG vous décrit les procédures clés et les cas spécifiques pour chacun d’entre eux.

〈 Astuce EAZYLANG 〉

En France, le statut de traducteur assermenté est attribué par la Cour d’Appel. Dans chaque pays, le système d’assermentation peut être différent. Par exemple en Allemagne, c’est Landgericht qui est en charge des traducteurs experts. Dans d’autres pays, c’est le Tribunal ou le Ministère des Affaires Étrangères qui nomme les traducteurs assermentés. Dans certains pays la notion de traduction assermentée (“sworn translator”) n’existe pas. Si vous résidez en dehors des frontières françaises, renseignez-vous auprès des autorités locales sur la législation en vigueur concernant l’officialisation de vos documents.

Si vous résidez en France et avez un doute sur les conditions spécifiques des autorités étrangères concernant la traduction de vos documents, ayez le réflexe de contacter le Consulat ou l’Ambassade du pays que vous visez. Il vaut mieux être informé au préalable des démarches à suivre car selon les destinations, les exigences peuvent être plus ou moins conséquentes, longues et coûteuses.

Traducteur assermenté : un expert dans son domaine

En France, le statut de traducteur assermenté est attribué par la Cour d’Appel. Un traducteur assermenté est donc un expert judiciaire. Il possède d’importantes connaissances en termes de linguistique, de terminologie et de législation. De même, le traducteur assermenté est soumis au secret professionnel afin de garantir la confidentialité des données et des informations. Étant officier ministériel, il suit un code de déontologie qui régit sa profession. Il appose son cachet et sa signature sur la traduction pour certifier sa conformité. La traduction devient alors “certifiée conforme à l’original” ou “officielle”. Au-delà de l’aspect légal, le traducteur assermenté doit également respecter une charte de qualité, notamment en termes de mise en page et de présentation de documents traduits.

La traduction assermentée

La traduction assermentée est une traduction réalisée par un traducteur expert judiciaire, dit “traducteur assermenté”. En France, quand il s’agit d’une traduction d’une langue étrangère vers le français, la traduction assermentée suffit pour être valable devant les autorités. La traduction assermentée est le seul type de traduction qui peut être recevable par l’administration française. En effet, seuls les traducteurs assermentés sont autorisés à traduire tous types de documents officiels, qu’ils soient juridiques ou administratifs.

En réalité “être assermenté” veut dire “avoir prêté serment en vue de l’exercice d’une mission, d’une fonction, d’une profession” – Larousse. Par conséquent on parle d’un “traducteur assermenté” car c’est une personne qui a prêté serment, donc logiquement le terme “assermenté” ne peut pas vraiment être employé pour une traduction. Néanmoins, c’est le terme qui est entré dans l’usage et c’est également celui qui est le plus utilisé pour désigner une traduction effectuée par un traducteur assermenté. C’est celui que vous allez entendre le plus et rencontrer le plus sur le web, mais aussi dans les agences de traduction spécialisées. Les termes précis donnés par le site officiel de l’administration française sont “traduction certifiée conforme à l’original” et “traduction officielle”. Parfois les termes “traduction agréée” ou “jurée” sont acceptés comme étant des synonymes. Cependant, pour faciliter la compréhension de cet ouvrage et s’adapter au langage courant nous utilisons le terme “traduction assermentée” dans notre écriture.

〈 Astuce EAZYLANG 〉

Au moment où vous vous apprêtez à faire traduire votre document, et surtout dans des cas d’urgence, pensez à un critère important : si vous devez faire traduire du français vers une langue étrangère, il est préférable de choisir un traducteur assermenté inscrit sur la liste des experts judiciaires de votre ville de résidence. La proximité géographique avec votre traducteur assermenté et avec sa Cour d’Appel de référence pourrait être utile pour faciliter vos démarches (notamment dans le cas ou il est nécessaire de présenter les originaux des documents auprès des instances administratives).

La certification

La certification est nécessaire si vous devez faire traduire vos document du français vers une langue étrangère. Elle désigne l’authentification de la signature du traducteur assermenté. Pour certifier la signature de votre traducteur assermenté, il est nécessaire de s’adresser à la mairie du lieu de résidence du traducteur assermenté, ou auprès d’un notaire (prestation souvent payante). La certification s’effectue afin de légaliser ou d’apostiller une traduction assermentée par la suite.

〈 Astuce EAZYLANG 〉

Une fois la traduction effectuée, le traducteur assermenté envoie le document traduit (signé et cacheté) par voie postale. Vous recevez toujours une version papier de votre traduction assermentée car le document n’est recevable par les autorités qu’en version originale.

Attention, certaines autorités étrangères exigent que le traducteur assermenté travaille à partir d’un document original en version papier afin de garantir l’exactitude des informations. Certains pays demandent également à ce que le traducteur assermenté appose sa signature et son cachet sur votre document original (selon le type de document).

Renseignez-vous auprès du Consulat ou de l’Ambassade du pays visé au sujet des exigences requises concernant les modalités de traduction.

La légalisation

La légalisation auprès du Ministère des Affaires Étrangères

Désormais votre traduction est assermentée et certifiée. Cependant, afin d’obtenir une valeur légale à l’étranger, votre document traduit doit maintenant être légalisé.

La légalisation intervient après l’étape de certification et se fait soit par courrier soit sur place au Ministère des Affaires Étrangères. La mission du Ministère des Affaires Étrangères est de valider la traduction assermentée puis de la transmettre au Consulat ou à l’Ambassade du pays que vous visez. Attention, certains pays exigent une double légalisation : il s’agit de celle des autorités françaises mais également de celles de leurs propres autorités consulaires.

〈 Astuce EAZYLANG 〉

Contactez le Bureau des Légalisations du Ministères des Affaires Étrangères ou le Service de l’Apostille de la Cour d’Appel de votre traducteur assermenté pour vous renseigner sur l’exigence de la légalisation du pays visé.

L’apostille

Certains pays n’exigent pas la légalisation d’un document auprès du Ministère des Affaires Étrangères. Pour rendre un document légal, parfois une apostille suffit. Dans ce cas, il faut présenter l’original et la traduction assermentée auprès de la Cour d’Appel de votre traducteur assermenté. Le service de l’Apostille reçoit vos documents afin de comparer la signature du traducteur assermenté qui a traduit votre document avec celle enregistrée dans le registre de traductions. Si la signature est identique, l’officier chargé de la légalisation appose un ultime tampon pour authentifier la signature du traducteur. Cela rend votre document “apostillé”.

〈 Astuce EAZYLANG 〉

Vous trouverez les informations nécessaires sur les pays supprimant l’exigence de la légalisation des actes publics étrangers en consultant La Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961. Nommée également “Convention Apostille”, elle facilite la circulation des actes publics en remplaçant les formalités lourdes et coûteuses par la simple émission d’une apostille.

 

Cet article est disponible en version PDF. Pour télécharger le dossier gratuitement et y avoir accès en permanence, cliquez ici.

The Effects of Cultural Differences on Global Business

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by DAY TRANSLATIONS – SEPTEMBER, 26 2018

More businesses are entering the global market. It is vital for businesses to understand that cultural differences can affect how they perform in the local markets they are targeting. One of the first things to consider is communication because bridging the language gap is extremely important in business talks.

Cross-cultural challenges

As you learn more about cultural differences, you will encounter several more concepts, such as low-context and high-context cultures. In low-context cultures like the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, communication is explicit and clear while in a high-context culture like Russia, communication is nuanced and implicit and there is more shared content. However, the opposite happens when negative feedback is to be given. Russia becomes direct, while low-context cultures tend to be indirect when negative feedback is called for.

Building trust is another challenge for businesses. The concept may be relationship-based or task-based. When doing business in China, for example, one of the ways to build good relationships involves spending time together at the dining table (drinking and eating). It is akin to building a strong network where gaining trust opens a path to success as cultural differences are set aside. The Chinese call this type of relationship ‘guanxi.’ In the United States, however, people tend not to have drinks with potential business partners often, unless necessary, so they can avoid embarrassing situations.

Another factor that affects trust building is the comfort of silence. In some countries, a few seconds of silence make the conversation uncomfortable. This happens in countries where the comfort of silence is low, such as in France, Italy and the United States. In Asian countries like Korea, Indonesia and Japan, however, the comfort of silence is high, which often results in Asians not being able to speak often during business meetings with people from Western countries. Asians are not likely to feel uncomfortable if the conversation stops for as long as 30 seconds.

Business executives should learn that cultural sensitivity is essential when engaging in cross-cultural business. Never look at cultural differences as weaknesses. Instead, respect cultural differences to gain success.

Gaining benefits from cultural differences

Accepting cultural differences provides you with a wide range of business expertise and gives you novel business insights to overcome business-related problems. It’s your way to cope with potential barriers regarding international business and culture.

It is vital for a global company to understand that there is a difference in the definition of culture per se and culture in relation to the context of international business. Culture is typically defined as a group of common and accepted standards shared by a specific society. When you put it in international business context, what one society considers as professional may be different for another foreign society.

You have to understand that cultural differences affect global business in three primary areas – organizational hierarchy, etiquette, and communication. Understanding them and recognizing their effects on your business will prevent you from creating misunderstandings with foreign clients and colleagues.

  1. Communication

Effective communication is vital to business success, whether you are a start-up or a big corporation. Although it is common to hear that English is the language of business, do not ever assume that you will be able to come across your foreign counterparts by using or speaking English.

When you venture into the international business arena, one way of bridging the cultural differences is through language. Understand the language your target market speaks and know how you use it to convey your message. In India for example, business professionals typically communicate in nuanced and indirect ways. This is opposite to the Finns who tend to be direct and brief in their communication.

Aside from the verbal communication, it is essential to learn that non-verbal communication is also extremely important when dealing with international businesses.

  1. Interactions

Gestures that are commonplace in your own country, like kissing people you meet on the cheek, making eye to eye contact and shaking hands firmly, may be taken as offensive or unusual by your foreign clients or business partners. As many business coaches will tell you, it is critical for you to remember the proper professional interactions when dealing with different cultures. Doing research on accepted and proper business etiquette is important. In some cases, you need to be extra observant of body language and at times, it is better to ask than commit a cultural faux pas.

  1. Etiquette in the workplace

When you are working for a multinational company, you are likely to encounter many differences, which prompt you to learn international business etiquette.

Put high importance on the formality of address when dealing with foreign business partners and colleagues. In some cultures, it is all right to address a person you’ve recently met by their first name, while in other countries, they would rather that you address them by their surname or their title. Canadians and Americans often use first names, even when dealing with new acquaintances. But in many Asian countries, such as Singapore, China and South Korea, you should always address a person formally by adding Mr. or Ms. before their surname. If you are in doubt, use the formal way of address.

Punctuality is something that is relative. When you deal with business partners, clients or colleagues from the United States, South Korea, Japan and Russia, you are expected to be on time. In Germany, you are even expected to be at least 10 minutes early for your appointment. In Greece, they expect foreigners to arrive on time but just like in Russia, you may expect your counterpart to arrive slightly late. Brazil is ambivalent. They could either be late by a few or several minutes unless you indicate that they follow the English time, meaning they should arrive at the agreed time.

In Malaysia, expect to wait up to an hour if your counterpart will be about five minutes late. They are not required to give an explanation, either. In China, it is acceptable to be at least 10 minutes late while in Mexico, it is quite normal for people to be late by 30 minutes for a business meeting. When doing business in Nigeria or Ghana, the appointed hour for the meeting may be one hour late or within the day. In Morocco, personal meetings could be delayed by an hour and in some cases, a day. When scheduling meetings in India, understand that being punctual is not one of their ways.

  1. Hierarchy in the organization

Cultural norms dictate how attitudes towards management and organizational hierarchy are perceived. In some cultures, junior staff and people in middle management may or may not be allowed to speak up during meetings. In some countries, it is difficult to question decisions by senior officers or express opinions that are different from the rest.

Attitudes are dependent on social equality or the societal values of a country. In some countries such as Japan and South Korea where respect for elders and people in positions of authority is deeply ingrained in the members of society, the concept is applied to the workplace as well. It helps in defining responsibilities and roles in the company and those holding positions in senior management expect deference from junior staff and a higher level of formality and respect.

However, the situation is different in Scandinavian countries. In Norway for example, societal equality is emphasized so the organizational hierarchy tends to be flat. The workplace environment calls for cooperation across all departments and informal communication is prevalent.

Differences in negotiating styles

Negotiation is a principal component of international business. Culture influences the way people behave, communicate and think. These characteristics are reflected in the way they negotiate. It is crucial for businesses to understand cultural differences during business transactions and find ways to hurdle the barriers these differences present.

Spanish speakers view negotiation as the means to have a contract, while in some Asian countries, negotiations are taken as the way to build stronger and firmer business relationships. The Japanese regard negotiation as a win-win process while the Spanish look at it as a win-lose process.

The way one communicates during negotiations should be carefully considered. Israelis and Americas are very direct, so you immediately know if the transaction is approved or not. The Japanese, however, tend to be indirect. You have to read and carefully interpret vague signs to know if they rejected or accepted your proposal.

Some cultures are very emotional like the Latin Americans. Most Asians, on the other hand, have a tendency to suppress their emotions and keep things formal.

Even the way different cultures handle contracts vary. Americans like to have every detail included in the contract because they want to anticipate possible eventualities and circumstances. The deal equates to a contract, therefore everything that was discussed and accepted during the negotiation should be specified in the contract. The Chinese, on the other hand, prefer a contract to have the general principles only, because for them, sealing a deal means forming a relationship with the business partner.

Remain competitive and successful in the global market

Cultural differences are sensitive issues and those who take the time to address these differences will have a better chance of remaining competitive and successful in the international business environment.

Businesses preparing to enter the global market have to diligently learn how cultural differences can affect their conduct of business in different markets. Their performance depends on understanding cultural diversity and that different markets have their own set of priorities, preferences and expectations. Day Translations, Inc. can help you navigate the complexities of cultural differences through localization.

Our translators live in-country, thus they have insider knowledge of specific cultures. They are also native speakers, assuring you that every nuance of the language is properly incorporated in the localization process. We share our wide experience and long-term expertise in translation and localization to ensure that your business can truly respond to the needs of your target markets. For your translation and localization requirements, you can send us an email at Contact us or call us at 1-800-969-6853 anytime night or day. We are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, to quickly respond to your linguistic needs.

Image Copyright: rawpixel / 123RF Stock Photo

Organization and productivity for translators: starts Monday

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Starting Monday, I’ll be facilitating a four-week online course taught by translator and productivity expert Dorothee Racette: the course is Organization and Productivity for Translators. Dorothee now runs her own consulting company–appropriately named Take Back My Day–and she’s been a tremendous help to me in my own business; I’m excited that more translators will now get to benefit from her expertise. This course will help you:

  • Break the stress/time crunch/feast/famine cycle in your business
  • Create a realistic plan for getting more done during each work day, without added stress
  • Set up your ideal physical and digital work environment
  • Learn productivity techniques specifically for translators, including managing your translation software

We’ll do two live sessions every week (recordings provided if you can’t attend), plus a weekly homework assignment. Everyone in the class will also receive an individual consulting session with Dorothee at the end of the course. Registration is $380 with a $25 discount for ATA members (use coupon code ATA). We have a good group signed up already, but there’s room for a few more people. Hop on over to the course web page for more information or to register!