The Translation Company Talk Show is a B2B podcast show that covers issues and opportunities for the language translation industry. We touch on everything related to translation, and related services including interpreting, transcription and localization. Topics that are regularly covered include business and management of a translation company, sales and marketing, crisis management, staffing, technology and trends within the translation industry. This show is geared towards translation company owners and staff, but anyone with an interest in this industry may find the topics informative and useful. The Translation Company Talk Show is hosted by Sultan Ghaznawi and sponsored by YYZ Translations. Comments and feedback can be sent to podcast@yyztranslations.com or you can connect directly with Sultan Ghaznawi via LinkedIn to share your opinions.
Episodes
Sunday Jan 23, 2022
S03E02: Effective Translation Vendor Management
Sunday Jan 23, 2022
Sunday Jan 23, 2022
In this episode of Translation Company Talk we hear from Carla Itzkowich, President of International Contact Inc., about effective translation vendor management. This is a special episode because Carla is joined by Norma Armon, her business partner and her mother and they take a deep dive into the history of translation services in California and how they started their business.
Vendor management is an art and a science, Carla and Norma discuss how it has changed over the years and what are some of the top challenges that our industry faces with regards to the supply chain. The conversation revolves about what activities are involved in vendor management, building an inventory of qualifications and the processes around effective vendor relation development. We also cover the role of standards compliance, the impact of vendor processes on translation output quality, best way for a translator to stand out, qualities of a good vendor manager, the role of education institutions in improving linguistic supply mechanisms and much more.
This episode is of particular interest to both translation companies as well as freelancers and MLVs interested in collaborating with translation companies.
Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your platform of choice, and please keep your comments and feedback coming. Give us a five star rating wherever you are listening.
This podcast is sponsored by Hybrid Lynx.
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
S03E01: Trends in eLearning Localization
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
In our first episode of 2022 season, we discuss eLearning localization with Kristin Gutierrez from United Language Group. While the pandemic has highlighted the need for remote learning across all areas of education, Kristin covers eLearning from a corporate perspective and discusses how it has evolved over the years.
From developing an eLearning localization program to intricacies of designing an efficient process, selling eLearning localization, working with a client to identify needs and offering solutions, the type of effort needed for a proper eLearning localization implementation and more, we cover topics related to this specific type of localization.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk podcast on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite platform. Give this podcast a thumbs up wherever you are listening, and send us your comments and feedback.
The Translation Company Talk podcast is sponsored by Hybrid Lynx.
Sunday Dec 19, 2021
S02E21: Principles and Benefits of Quality Management Systems for LSCs
Sunday Dec 19, 2021
Sunday Dec 19, 2021
In this episode of the Translation Company Talk we sit down with Leigh Turgut, Quality & Compliance Manager from CQ fluency and she talks to us about the principles and benefits of a Quality Management System, the different definitions of Quality within a language translation company. Quality is something we all promise our clients and clients naturally assume every vendor delivers translation with optimum quality, but how do we measure quality? Like in any industry quality issues can arise, particularly with the something as subjective as language.
Leigh is a veteran industry expert,having occupied multiple roles within localization, she eventually found her niche in Quality & Compliance, and now oversees and aims to grow that function at CQ fluency. In this interview we cover many topics, including the definition of quality in product, process and perception by client in addition to many other interesting topics.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk podcast on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite platform. Give this podcast a thumbs up wherever you are listening, and send us your comments and feedback.
The Translation Company Talk podcast is sponsored by Hybrid Lynx.
Sunday Dec 05, 2021
S02E20: The State of Legal Interpreting Sector
Sunday Dec 05, 2021
Sunday Dec 05, 2021
Translation Company Talk podcast is back with another exciting episode covering the state of legal interpreting sector. The language industry has seen a roll coster effect across all lines of business, but interpreting and in particular the legal sector has seen changes that has affected both service providing companies as well as interpreters. COVID continues to present challenges for in-person meetings and given the nature of legal interpreting, it will evolve rapidly.
Luis Echeverry from Continental Interpreting takes a deep dives on the state of this sector. A veteran of interpreting sector, Luis has seen this industry sector transform over the decades. He talks about his own experiences in the context of the pandemic, his personal challenges and how his company adapted and evolved in the face of so many unknowns. Luis also provides his perspective on how things are changing, the role of technology and what it means for service providers.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk podcast on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite platform. Give this podcast a thumbs up wherever you are listening, and send us your comments and feedback.
The Translation Company Talk podcast is sponsored by Hybrid Lynx.
Sunday Oct 31, 2021
S02E19: Automation for Translation Companies
Sunday Oct 31, 2021
Sunday Oct 31, 2021
Welcome to another episode of the Translation Company Talk podcast. After a brief break, the podcast is back with lots of interesting and valuable interviews with visionaries and leaders in our industry. In this episode we will be exploring the subject of automation beyond machine translation for companies providing language services. Our guest is Matija Kovač from Taia Translations.
Among subjects discussed in our conversation today, we talk about the need for automation, applying different automation techniques to the process of translation, using automation for business processes in production, vendor management, sales and more. We also discuss why our industry is lagging behind in innovating automation solutions and how a change in our thought process can change our perspective.
Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your platform of choice, and please keep your comments and feedback coming. Give us a five star rating wherever you are listening.
This podcast is sponsored by Hybrid Lynx.
Monday Aug 30, 2021
S02E18: Navigating the World of Regulated Industries for LSPs
Monday Aug 30, 2021
Monday Aug 30, 2021
The localization industry serves clients in numerous other industries. While some are relaxed in
their requirements, there are other industries that have very stringent and unique requirements.
In this episode, we hear from Alexandra Jarvis, Chief Strategy Officer at Toppan Digital
Language about what it means for a language services company to offer its services to clients in
regulated industries. She clearly describes what business is like with these industries and how
language companies can gear up to focus on this niche.
Among the many topics we cover, we discuss the concept, how LSPs can add value in the
content supply chain, understanding the rules and policies governing these industries, typical
sales cycles, nature of doing business with these organization and much more.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk Podcast On Itunes, Apple Podcasts,
Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite platform. Your comments and feedback are very
important, please share them with us and don’t forget to give us a 5 star rating on wherever you
are listening to this podcast.
The Translation Company Talk podcast is sponsored by Hybrid Lynx.
Sunday Aug 15, 2021
S02E17: Business Acumen for LSP Leadership
Sunday Aug 15, 2021
Sunday Aug 15, 2021
Starting a business is very hard, but the actual challenge is in managing and growing it beyond the point of plateau that most businesses reach after the initial demand wanes. As the owner and executive of a language company, it becomes imperative to possess the right knowledge and tools to direct your organization including its people, processes and assets to your strategic objectives. Annemarie Rutz, Chief Operating Officer from Milengo talks about what a leader needs to know in order to operate a successful language services company.
Among the topics discussed, we cover the lack of business skills in the language industry, the tools and sources of information available to industry leaders, the best way to quickly skill-up and learn about driving your organization and much more. As a very young leader in the localization industry and managing the operations of a German language organization in the technology space, Annemarie presents a very fresh and interesting approach to managing with a vision.
Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your platform of choice, and please keep your comments and feedback coming. Give us a five star rating wherever you are listening.
This podcast is sponsored by Hybrid Lynx.
Thursday Aug 12, 2021
S02E16:The Importance of an Exit Strategy for an LSP Owner
Thursday Aug 12, 2021
Thursday Aug 12, 2021
Language company owners start their business with a dream and most realize it by working hard and creating value in the process. However, few entrepreneurs actually sit down and think about inevitability and our legacy as we build these organizations. This week on the Translation Company Talk, we talk about the timing of thinking about an exit strategy. Olga Blasco, a veteran industry leader, discusses this subject in depth.
In this discussion we cover topics such as planning for an exit, developing a strategy, identifying your needs and wants, and much more. This week's episode is highly relevant and applicable to all small to medium size LSPs at any stage of their lifecycle. Don't miss it.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk Podcast On Itunes, Apply Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite platform. Your comments and feedback are very important, please share them with us and don't forget to give us a 5 star rating on wherever you are listening to this podcast.
The Translation Company Talk podcast is sponsored by Hybrid Lynx.
Monday Jul 19, 2021
S02E15: Building Customer Centric LSP Model
Monday Jul 19, 2021
Monday Jul 19, 2021
In this episode of the Translation Company Talk, we sit down with Anna Gargiulo, Chief Sales Officer at Toppan Digital Language. It is an interesting and engaging conversation on the topic of customer centricity in the context of language services. Among the many interesting topics we cover customer centricity at the core of LSP strategy, foundation of the right culture, doing the right thing for our clients with competing internal challenges, being able to meet the needs of your client that require specialization when you are a generalist, alignment of objectives with those of clients to drive meaningful interactions at all levels.
Toppan Digital Language is carving a niche for an under-served market that has been neglected overtime as the industry demand has changed. Anna further talks about the importance of allowing the customer's strategy to drive your business as opposed to imposing the LSP objectives on client, thinking strategically to drive the relationship versus applying band-aid solutions to typical problems, understanding the need of the customer for the kind of experience they want and to be able to provide that experience, what are clients actually buying from a translation company, determining the buyer journey and improving the experience at different touch points, how to analyze our customer's problem and offer strategic solutions in the light of volume explosion and proliferation of media types. This is a master class in sales and leadership that LSP executives cannot miss.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk podcast on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your platform of choice. Give us a 5 star rating and thumbs up wherever you listen to this podcast. Your comments and feedback are very important to the improvement of this podcast.
This podcast episode is sponsored by Hybrid Lynx
Wednesday Jul 07, 2021
S02E14: The Disconnect in Expectations of Buyers & Sellers of Language Services
Wednesday Jul 07, 2021
Wednesday Jul 07, 2021
In this episode of the Translation Company Talk, we cover the Disconnect In Expectations of Buyers and Sellers of Language Services. The author of the The General Theory of the Translation Company, Renato Beninato from Nimdzi Insights, talks in depth about what our industry doesn't understand about the needs and requirements of the buyer side. This is a very timely subject and while covered in most conferences, Renato provides a jargon free and easy to understand way of grasping this concept.
Among the many topics that we cover, we discuss some of the seismic shifts that have occured in the localization industry, the next pivotal evolution, the LSP misunderstanding about customer needs, the inability to speak customer's own language, mapping our services to the challenges of end clients as solutions, pricing and pricing models, the reason why an LSP exists, the core functions of LSPs, what do customers look in their vendors, and many other great topics. If you are an LSP owner and thinking about your growth strategy, you do not want to miss this episode.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk Podcast On Itunes, Apply Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite platform. Your comments and feedback are very important, please share them with us and don't forget to give us a 5 star rating on wherever you are listening to this podcast.
This episode of Translation Company Talk is sponsored by Hybrid Lynx
Wednesday Jul 07, 2021
S02E13: Role of Technology in Success of Language Providers
Wednesday Jul 07, 2021
Wednesday Jul 07, 2021
Monday Jun 07, 2021
S02E12: Post Merger Operational Scalability
Monday Jun 07, 2021
Monday Jun 07, 2021
In this episode, we welcome Paul Doherty back once again to discuss post merger operational scalability in language services organizations. Most mergers happen for the purpose of expanding sales and operational footprint and if not done right, the two merged organizations will experience chaos when combining the operations teams.
We cover the following topics in this episode, please see the time-code for easy access:
1. How to market yourself | 02:25 |
2. Operational Scalability | 07:14 |
3. Why do companies want to acquire another company |
08:40 |
4. The mindset of the buyer | 11:25 |
5. What is supposed to change and what should stay the same | 15:58 |
6. Is there a template for scaling up an operation | 18:58 |
7. The role of training in process improvement | 31:25 |
8. How to maintain talent | 32:24 |
9. The right time and the wrong time to publish a new organisation chart | 35:03 |
10. How do you know you have reached the next level | 38:15 |
11. The complexities and complications of implementing a change program | 44:12 |
12. How to deal with growing pains | 40:58 |
13. Why is it so hard to scale up a one million dollar revenue company | 41:50 |
14. What is the role of management | 43:06 |
15. The role of broker firms | 44:20 |
16. Final words of wisdom | 45:44 |
Paul is a seasoned industry veteran with multiple mergers, acquisitions and executive roles under his built, his advice and insights are applicable to every organization within this category.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk podcast on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite platform and give us a 5 star ratings. Make sure to send your comments and feedback.
Monday May 31, 2021
S02E11: Basic Principles of Keeping Translation Clients Happy
Monday May 31, 2021
Monday May 31, 2021
In this episode of the Translation Company Talk, we hear from Georgia Roeming from Geo Group about tools and tricks to keep translation clients happy. It is a challenge to keep a client happy in order to grow their business in a fashion that means value to the client but also a happy relationship with the vendor. This is where we draw the line between transactional sales and relationship based business development.
We cover topics such as the foundations of account management, how account management is different from sales, identifying a good fit, role of production staff in client satisfaction, comparing ROI from sales with account management, importance of good customer experience, how do our freelancer partners keep their LSP clients satisfied and much more.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk Podcast On iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite platform. Your comments and feedback are very important, please share them with us and don't forget to give us a 5 star rating on wherever you are listening to this podcast.
Tuesday May 25, 2021
S02E10: Evolution of Localization
Tuesday May 25, 2021
Tuesday May 25, 2021
In this episode of the Translation Company Talk podcast, we look at the evolution of localization. We go back and see the foundation of this industry and what gave rise to the demand for translation at the start. Soren Eberhardt from Microsoft discusses how localization has has evolved and which direction it is headed to, in particular focusing on where we are in the course of the great localization evolution.
Among the subjects covered, we discuss the disconnect between academia and industry, the role of computing power in broad adoption of localization, the impact of computational linguistics and machine learning beyond translation output, the evolving notion of end-client to supplier relationship, value of emerging technologies from machine learning to blockchain, the role of engineers in demand for automation in this industry and why language service providers must use trust as a currency to justify their existence and much more.
Soren Eberhardt is a Global Site Manager for Microsoft 365 web direct sales. He has been working in the field of internationalization and localization for 25 years, both on the vendor and client side and in different roles, from translator to localization engineer and program manager. Products that he has worked on include Windows, Skype, and Microsoft Teams. He has taught localization classes at the University of Washington and classes on computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools at NYU and Montclair State University; and he also helped release the first MOOC on localization at EdX.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk Podcast On Itunes, Apply Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite platform. Your comments and feedback are very important, please share them with us and don't forget to give us a 5 star rating on wherever you are listening to this podcast.
Tuesday May 18, 2021
S02E09: Future of Events for the Language Industry
Tuesday May 18, 2021
Tuesday May 18, 2021
Last year we saw an unprecedented chaos due to the pandemic which continues to impact many industries. In person events, which was one of the main drivers of business for our colleagues in the on-site interpreting sector, disappeared almost overnight. Companies that depend on this line of business had no choice but to either evolve right away into digital platforms for interpreting or give up.
In this episode of the Translation Company Talk, we talk to Alex Chernenko from Translit to understand the current state of events and what the future looks like. This conversation builds upon what we discussed earlier with Kevin McQuire on this subject. Among many topics we discuss gamification of events, impact of isolation on interpreters, hybrid model of events, new opportunities presented by digital events, interpreter market places, the lag behind AI enabled interpreting, new industries driving multilingual voice in realtime and many others.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk Podcast On Itunes, Apply Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite platform. Your comments and feedback are very important, please share them with us and don't forget to give us a 5 star rating on wherever you are listening to this podcast.
Tuesday May 04, 2021
S02E08: Successful Acquisition of Translation Companies
Tuesday May 04, 2021
Tuesday May 04, 2021
Mergers and acquisitions are common in all industries and the translation and localization sectors have seen their fair share of activity in the M&A area in the past decade or so. In this episode of the Translation Company Talk, Christophe Djouani talks about his experiences with M&A, and in particular the ingredients of a successful acquisition which is the objective in every M&A deal. Christophe is a veteran in this area as he has been involved and overseen multiple acquisitions and mergers throughout his career in the language industry.
We tackle questions such as how to set expectations, how to establish the value of an acquisition target and much more in this thought provoking discussion that should not be missed by industry leaders.
Make sure to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk podcast on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or the platform of your choice and keep your comments and feedback flowing as it will help improve the quality of future conversations. Give this podcast a 5 star rating or thumbs up to boost its ratings if you enjoyed this episode.
Tuesday Apr 27, 2021
S02E07: Scaling Up a Translation Company
Tuesday Apr 27, 2021
Tuesday Apr 27, 2021
One of the challenges that most of us face is to push our companies to grow beyond what has naturally been their growth rate or threshold. In this episode, I spoke with Cody Broderick from InWhatLanguage to discuss just that. Cody discusses in depth areas that language companies should be focusing on in order expand and scale up. He addresses key issues that are often overlooked by entrepreneurs in this space.
Cody is the founder and CEO of InWhatLanguage. He is passionate about translation and technology, and stays ahead of the curve as he is very deeply involved in the industry. Besides that he is an advisory board member at the World Trade Center Utah, a member of the Board of Trustees at the Utah Technology Council and and advisory board member at the Utah-Qinghai Ecopartnership.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk Podcast On Itunes, Apply Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite platform. Your comments and feedback are very important, please share them with us and don't forget to give us a 5 star rating on wherever you are listening to this podcast.
Sunday Apr 11, 2021
S02E06: Alignment of Sales and Vendor Management in Language Companies
Sunday Apr 11, 2021
Sunday Apr 11, 2021
We are often confronted with a difficult situation of resource imbalance in language companies. Some of us are more proactive in resource estimation, but there is no perfect formula. Anu Carnegie-Brown, Managing Director of Sandberg Translation Partners, Ltd. spoke with me about best ways to mitigate resource availability situations. Among other things we took a look at in-house and outsourced models and their pros and cons, as well as the potential of emerging technologies in improving the resource imbalance for language services.
Anu also talks about alignment of demand between sales and production teams that impact the output of vendor management organization. Many organizations do not have proper communication in place and end up in a reactive situation where vendor management is constantly responding to urgent inquiries for resources which affects the quality of work and in some cases in loss of revenue due to cancelled projects. As service companies very rarely we spend enough time in the area of service or product development in order to package our resource output for our sales team, and Anu talks about the importance of this area of business.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk Podcast On Itunes, Apply Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite platform. Your comments and feedback are very important, please share them with us and don't forget to give us a 5 star rating on wherever you are listening to this podcast.
Sunday Mar 14, 2021
S02E05: Understanding Marketing Localization in the Enterprise Context
Sunday Mar 14, 2021
Sunday Mar 14, 2021
In this episode of the Translation Company Talk podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Rafaela Rescolino, a Localization Program Manager at Uber - the ride hailing giant out of Silicon Valley. Rafaela candidly talks about how she got involved in the localization industry and reflects on her experiences navigating different roles until she ended up at her current role at Uber.
We discuss what marketing localization is and in particular in the context of an enterprise setup, what does it mean to implement localization of creative content for different channels. She talks about what makes a good marketing localization team and what is important to ensure the content reflects the organization's vision, ideals and its voice across all markets and all channels. If you are a localization manager, you will find this interview very interesting as we discuss what it takes to do your work successfully. For the supply side, this conversation offers insights on how value can be generated by understanding the inner workings of a marketing localization team.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk Podcast On iTunes, Apply Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite platform. Your comments and feedback are very important, please share them with us and don't forget to give us a 5 star rating on wherever you are listening to this podcast.
Monday Mar 01, 2021
S02E04: Defining Specialization for Translation Companies
Monday Mar 01, 2021
Monday Mar 01, 2021
Steve Kahaner is the VP & General Counsel of Marste & Co., Inc. and the Executive Director of Juriscribe®, and he spoke to me about the importance of specialization for a translation company on this episode of the Translation Company Talk. Steve has been around in the industry for a long time and has a firm understanding of legal translation sector as his organization only works with lawyer linguists and offers its services to legal and financial organizations.
Among the topics we were able to cover, we discussed why would organizations want to be specialists verus generalists, the impact of specialization on sales, creating focus and clarity through defining what the company does best which is reflected in its business makeup, the roles of linguists and internal staff and many other interesting topics.
I highly suggest this conversation for leaders of small to mid size language companies that are in the process of carving a niche for themselves or trying to scale up their niche expertise. Steve is also a lawyer, seasoned entrepreneur and one of the founding members of the Association of Language Companies, where he serves as a general counsel these days. He is also a long time Board member and currently the Secretary of the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce. His contributions to our industry are many, and he is tirelessly supporting efforts to improve conditions for our colleagues in this exciting place.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Translation Company Talk Podcast On Itunes, Apply Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite platform. Your comments and feedback are very important, please share them with us and don't forget to give us a 5 star rating on wherever you are listening to this podcast.