Success in Any Language

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success in any language Working in the background, a small but dynamic group of companies is providing critical translation and interpretation services to growing numbers of governments and businesses. I ll u strations by M ic h ael Au stin

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hen fashion web- unsung industry, and many people Not surprisingly, Common Sense site NET-A-PORTER have never heard of it. Yet it’s one of Advisory also found a striking correla- launched in 2000, the most important in today’s global tion between offering multiple languag- it was credited economy; worldwide revenues totaled es and making money. It discovered with revolution- $34.8 billion in 2013, according to that among businesses with foreign-lan- izing the world of market research firm Common Sense guage websites, those that increased online W fashion retailing. When it added Advisory, up from $23.5 billion in 2009, their translation budgets were 50% a series of multilingual sites late last and they’re heading higher this year. more likely to report an increase in year, IT director Richard Lloyd-Williams Language industry companies are offer- total revenues than their Fortune 500 called it “one of the biggest events in ing increasingly sophisticated services, peers. NET-A-PORTER’s history.” It’s easy and play a crucial role for businesses Even so, among the websites sur- to see why: While the retailer already that want to expand their markets, fully veyed, a surprisingly large number rely ships to 170 countries, it now features engage with customers, or deliver com- solely on English, says Don DePalma, product descriptions and editorial con- pelling products and content to diverse founder of Common Sense Advisory, in tent in French, German, and Chinese, communities. spite of what he says is a clear desire with more languages coming this year. among the world’s consumers to be ad- In case you were wondering, the Revenue Generator dressed in their own language. company charged with developing and Common Sense Advisory recently DePalma cites another of the firm’s maintaining NET-A-PORTER’s localized conducted a survey of the top global studies, called Localization Matters, online content is Lionbridge Tech- brands, and concluded that 60% of which gauges both consumer and buyer nologies, the world’s leading language their websites are multilingual, averag- attitudes in foreign countries toward services company. ing more than eight languages per site, engaging with vendors in English, Language services? It’s a largely with many offering 30 or more. versus their native tongue. In seven out of eight countries, close to 100% of respondents expressed a strong prefer- ence for material in the local Communicating to language. “Even in Sweden, which has a very high level of consumers in their own proficiency in English, 86% language can bolster a still want to see things in company’s credibility and Swedish. And that preference increases in the post-pur- increase relevance while chase process. I call it the maintaining brand integrity ‘pajama effect.’ Even if you speak English at work, it’s and building loyalty. not your primary language. And if you’re sitting in front of the computer at home shop- ping online, you’re relaxing, engaging the ‘home’ part of your brain.” In spite of the clear data, adds DePalma, “some com- panies are late in recogniz- ing the reality. The need for language services only comes to them as an afterthought, after they’ve saturated local markets. If you’re just selling in English, you’ve left a good portion of the world’s popula- tion outside, looking in.”

S2 www.fortune.com/adsections Lionbridge is the #1 Translation Company in the World.*

Lionbridge enables more than 800 world-leading brands to increase international market share, speed time to global markets and engage their customers in local markets worldwide. With innovative cloud technology platforms and a global crowd of more than 100,000 in-country professionals, Lionbridge delivers unparalleled quality, innovation and knowledge.

THE RESULTS 40% 30% faster time to global markets reduction in global marketing costs 15-40% 35% increase in global website traffi c improvement in global campaign results

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* Source: Common Sense Advisory Language Services Market: 2013

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Approximately 9% Engaging consumers in their own of people in the U.S. plagued its Affordable Care website, languages isn’t just a concern for busi- http://healthcare.gov, but as the As- nesses that export goods and services. don’t speak English, sociated Press reported last month, Companies operating solely in the U.S. a sizable market the Spanish-language version, http:// are also guilty of leaving money on the CuidadoDeSalud.gov, has fared even table; approximately 9% of people in waiting to be tapped. worse. Debuting two months late, the the U.S. don’t speak English, a sizable site’s insurance plan details, originally market waiting to be tapped. including Navajo. It very much af- written in English, had been translated Last year, Aetna partnered with fects the front line of our interaction so badly that workers helping to enroll CyraCom International, a Tucson-based with our membership.” The move is Spanish speakers have been forced to language services provider specializing already reaping benefits. “It’s helping translate the translation. Enrollment by in over-the-phone interpreting, to set up us empower our customers in their Hispanics, a major target of the Afford- multilingual call centers in an effort to health care. And it’s also been a market able Care Act, has lagged far behind “reach audiences on their own terms,” differentiator for us that has positively hopes and expectations. says Tito Colon, head of Aetna’s multi- impacted business.” “Language services go straight to cultural marketing. the core of a company’s promise to its “The U.S. demographic has shifted, The Bottom Line consumers: its brand,” says Donald and so has our market. Aetna recog- Communicating to consumers in their Plumley, president and CEO of Elanex, a nized that we needed better capabili- own language can bolster a company’s San Francisco-based company spe- ties to connect with consumers in the credibility and increase relevance while cializing in finance, tech, energy, and way they want to be spoken to. We have maintaining brand integrity and building M&A projects. The company developed to engage the customer through the loyalty. It also boosts the bottom line— expressIt, a technology that automates lens of their culture and language.” if it’s done right. But doing it wrong can workflow to speed turnaround, but it Since integrating language services have devastating consequences. counts on specialist human translators to into its operations, Colon says, “We’ve The Obama administration has been get things right. “Each earnings season,” probably touched on 90 languages, excoriated for the troubles that have says Plumley, “we do volumes of analyst reports every night, meeting in- credible performance standards. Technology plus skilled profes- sionals make the difference.”

Second-Oldest Profession The translation and interpre- tation business, some in the industry quip, is the second- oldest profession in the world. “It’s been around forever, as long as people from different cultural backgrounds have been trying to understand one another,” says Craig Buckstein, CEO of Geneva Worldwide, Inc. and president of the Association of Language Companies, a na- tional trade group representing about 200 providers. "There’s no foreseeable point in the fu- ture when the need for language services diminishes.” According to Common Sense Advisory’s 2014 Market Report, growth in the language services

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in-person services, is sought by companies like Aetna that want Paragon to reach and serve diverse com- munities. Growth in demand has also come from federal, state, GOES and local governments that have been mandated to provide lan- ABOVE guage assistance to people with limited English proficiency. OPI, which is often critical for 911 calls and other emergency When Hanne Mintz and her then- services, is used frequently by partner founded their company, hospitals, especially emergency they chose the name carefully. “Our rooms, to quickly overcome intent was to be the finest example language barriers and enable of excellence in language services,” staff to proceed with diagnosis she says. Twenty-three years later, business slowed last year to 5.13%, and treatment. In hospital and other Paragon “is still hell-bent on staying after gains of 12.17% in 2012 and health care settings, for example, that way.” 7.41% in 2011. The firm attributes CyraCom employs a dual-handset The company, which specializes the drop to a number of factors, phone; one handset is for the doctor, in translation, primarily serves health including pricing pressures, technol- the other for the patient, with the care, pharmaceuticals, advertis- ogy buyers that altered purchasing interpreter on the line facilitating ing, marketing, legal, and research. behaviors, low-growth economies conversation between the two. Based in Los Angeles, it also gets its that squeezed demand, the effect of Much of the OPI sector uses share of entertainment business, pro- foreign-exchange issues, and even home-based interpreters working viding captions, subtitles, voice-overs, U.S. military drawdowns overseas. independently. But CyraCom, which and voice coaching for commercials, Still, says DePalma, “growth of more boasts a client list that includes TV, and film (including HBO’s True than 5% is something a lot of indus- banks, hotels, and insurance compa- Blood, which has needed help with tries would envy.” nies, as well as educational districts Ancient Aramaic and Old Norse). The same report counted almost and emergency services, staffs three “We’re a small company but our 28,000 language service providers call centers, which better support clients are not,” says Mintz. “That worldwide. The vast majority are pri- data security and confidentiality, and means we can’t afford to not do it vately owned companies; many are enable performance tracking, says right, because the repercussions are small businesses with few employees chairman and CEO Jeremy Woan. big.” A recent project needed transla- that may have started years ago as “Clients are becoming more sophis- tion into 26 languages, requiring one-person translation operations. ticated, and they’ll increasingly be some 130 independent linguists and Translation, which refers to convert- looking at whether you can really do meticulous review by the in-house ing written words from one language what you say,” says Woan, who has staff. “Speaking another language is to another, is still the largest sector overseen growth of 25% a year at the one thing,” says Mintz, “but does the of the industry, taking a 45% slice of company since he arrived in 2008. intent of the message come across the market. to the reader? That’s where we excel. The second-largest slice, about User Friendly We’re your partner in conveying the 15%, is comprised of interpreting Like web language localization, message.” • services—the conversion of spoken which creates a user-friendly inter- words into another language. Of face, over-the-phone interpreting can For more information visit paragonls.com that, onsite, in-person interpreting help generate a positive customer accounts for the lion’s share, but experience. That’s the conclusion of interpreting over the telephone is in- research underwritten by CyraCom creasingly important to government, and conducted by the International business, and health care providers. Customer Management Institute , Over-the-phone interpreting (ICMI), which recently surveyed 443 (OPI), which offers time efficien- contact-center leaders in the U.S. cies and lower costs compared to continued on page s8 >>>

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Turning language challenges into money making solutions

CyraCom helps industry and government signed a directive mandating recipients of federal funding to provide guidelines for language as- communicate with U.S. consumers—in sistance, the market for CyraCom’s interpreting more than 200 languages. and translating services has grown. “About 9% of people in the U.S. are ‘limited English profi- cient,’” says Ivan Venzin, director of marketing. hen you FIRST hear about “If you don’t provide language services, you’re ex- businesses that need language ser- cluding almost a tenth of your potential market.” vices, you probably think of companies While pricing of language services has de- selling goods and services abroad. clined, says Woan, “A key part of our focus is not You’d be right, but don’t overlook de- how much could we sell the service for, but asking Wmand for interpreters and translators right if we are selling it at a price that represents truly at home. The domestic market is surprisingly good value to our clients. We’ve increased service robust—and growing. levels and objective performance metrics while Just ask CyraCom International, a Tucson- making our pricing extremely cost-effective.” based firm providing services in more than 200 CyraCom, adds Woan, strives to not only be a languages to over 3,000 U.S.-based clients. With vendor that provides high-quality, cost-effective more than $60 million in 2013 revenues and an language services, but also a trusted business The domestic annual growth rate of better than 25% during the partner. Toward this end, it emphasizes best market for past six years, CyraCom has established itself practices, top-notch security, and deep knowl- translation as the country’s eighth-largest language services edge of regulatory requirements. “Regulation is services is company and one of the fastest-growing overall. increasing, and a lot of it is around data privacy “Doing business overseas is important,” says protection,” he says. “We’re in a position to say, surprisingly Jeremy Woan, CyraCom’s chairman and CEO. ‘We can support you in those efforts, and help robust— “But so is the ability to deal with a wide consum- you be compliant.’” and growing. er base right here.” Key to those efforts, Woan believes, is staffing The company got its start in 1995 after its call centers to provide interpretation, rather than two founders patented the first dual-handset relying solely on the industry practice of routing phone, enabling doctors and patients who didn’t calls to individuals working remotely from home. speak the same language to communicate with The company operates two call centers in Ari- each other through an interpreter. CyraCom, zona (where it has been named one of the state’s which received an exclusive endorsement from leading job producers) and one in New Mexico. the American Hospital Association in 2009, is In the summer of 2013, CyraCom opened a now the world’s second-largest provider of over- satellite office in downtown Tucson—in one of the-phone interpretation. the city’s busiest districts—after one of its young CyraCom delivers its interpretation services employees suggested it could attract talent inter- in-person and via video remote. It also provides ested in living there. Good decision, says Woan, document translation, training, and assessment who tries to encourage a culture of employee for health care and other clients, ranging from ownership and innovation: “It’s now generating federal, state, and local government agencies to excellent results and providing our business with courts, utilities, 911 dispatchers, and consumer- incredible potential.” ● Jeremy Woan oriented businesses. Chairman and CEO Since 2000, when then-President Bill Clinton For more information visit cyracominternational.com

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W. Klein. “But video interpretation is the fastest-growing part of our business.” Last year the company began offer- ing a video remote interpreting (VRI) service, Language UC. “It’s been a great way for us to leverage technology,” says Klein. “And it’s enabled us to seam- lessly help our clients communicate in spoken languages and with the deaf and hearing-impaired. You can imagine using American Sign Language over the phone. It doesn’t work.” VRI has actually been around for about 20 years. “It’s not anything new,” says Klein. “VRI that’s easy to access and works well—that’s brand-new. Our service can be delivered on any com- puter, iPad, Android, or iPhone. Video interpreting can be available literally on a moment’s notice to facilitate interac- tion between a patient and a doctor. In- stead of dealing with heavy equipment, the doctor can just pull an iPad mini out of his lab coat and he’s ready to go.” and abroad, in every major industry, Driven by technology Education and training, another seeking hard data about why private specialty in the language services organizations choose multilanguage and the evolving needs industry, is another rapidly growing customer service. of global enterprise, component of LanguageLine’s portfolio. While the full findings have not yet The company’s LanguageLine Academy been released, the organization reports the offerings of offers testing and training for any firm's that about three-quarters of those sur- language services bilingual staff. The diverse courses veyed said they felt providing support include advanced medical training and in a person’s native language improved companies have cultural competency. their customers’ overall experience, as become extremely Additional sectors of the industry well as their satisfaction with customer include those that address media ap- service. Some 58% felt it increased diverse. plications like voice-overs, dubbing, and brand loyalty. Overall, respondents said captions for film and TV, while other spe- they were motivated to use language equipment access, but a pretty major cialties focus on the adaptation of rich services because they offer potential pricing shift is also going on. Telephonic media like games, training, and e-learn- for higher customer satisfaction, the interpretation, which used to be very ex- ing. Still other sectors include providers ability to scale a growing customer pensive, has become very cost-effective. of translation for software technology; base, and competitive differentiation. There’s a price premium now for video, software and web localization; testing Video remote interpreting (VRI), an- but as soon as you see prices start to and QA that examine the functionality of other service provided by CyraCom and decline in the same way, you’ll start see- translation and localization software; and others, can offer an even more intimate ing real demand take shape.” internationalization, also known as 118N, experience than OPI. Although VRI cur- LanguageLine Solutions, based in a design process that ensures products rently accounts for only a tiny share, just Monterey, Calif., is the fourth-largest can be easily adapted for numerous over 1%, of the language services mar- language services provider worldwide locales and languages. ket, it’s gaining attention and traction. and the largest interpreting company “There’s been a lot of interest in vid- globally. “Over-the-phone interpreting Moving to the Next Level eo for a long time, but the demand from is the biggest part of what we do, and a Many language services companies consumers has not really followed,” says significant part of our business is trans- offer most or all categories of services— Woan. “The real catalyst now is easier lation,” says president and CEO Scott and more. Lionbridge, which supplies

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rganizations that embrace language companies to rapidly respond to market requirements and as part of an overall customer experience strategy achieve a greater level of engagement.” She goes on to say that will win the hearts and minds of customers.” So says “Innovation also has a key role. Advanced machine translation ‘‘ Kathleen Bostick, vice president of North America solutions, such as those developed by SDL, are revolution- Language Solutions at SDL, who adds: “In today’s izing how organizations communicate internationally. They Ocustomer-driven era, language is a key element of engaging make it possible to translate broader and bigger volumes of with global customers and providing a relevant and personalized content than ever before. Used for real-time translations of experience that drives bottom-line results.” social media, to automatically translate user reviews and enable Bostick has been in the language services business since multilingual chat, among other applications, machine translation 1996. During these years, there’s been a remarkable evolution is opening up a world of possibilities for enterprises. in the industry, and nowhere is it more evident than at SDL. “We “Matching the right content with the right type of translation started out focused on language only. Today, we’re a provider of is critical. We advise our clients on the best solutions for their complete global customer experience management solutions,” says Bostick. With 2012 revenues of slightly over $445 million, SDL is one of the largest language solution provid- ...the language ers in the world, as well as offering a unified suite of solutions for web content management, campaign of the customer. management, social intelligence and analytics, e-commerce, language, and documentation via its SDL Customer Experience Cloud. content. We have clients that use our network of nearly 1,000 With international business continuing to grow and digital in-house translators for their highly nuanced marketing copy, content exploding, SDL was quick to recognize that language our machine translation technology for their online user forums, isn’t a standalone solution. “Language is one part of the puz- and our hybrid human and machine translation solution for their zle,” says Bostick. “Successfully engaging global consumers product documentation. spans the ability to understand what customers want, deliver “By offering an integrated set of language solutions, we relevant content and communications at the right time, and make every interaction in the customer journey multilingual,” personalize experiences across channels and devices. concludes Bostick. “We make it easy to speak the customer’s “Today’s consumers are connected, well informed, and full language.” of expectations. Being able to successfully meet their needs—often shaped by linguistic and cultural factors—is a key differentiator for SDL has launched the Voices of Global Innovation series, call- companies." ing on some of the most successful experts on globalization Bostick also believes that the ability to today, including: quickly and easily translate information from - Anna Schlegel, NetApp and Women in Localization within business applications is essential - Rajal Shah, Juniper Networks today: “SDL makes this possible by - Regina Bustamante, Guidewire and Women in Localization providing seamless integration to - Paul T. Liotti, Carestream its language solutions, enabling - Daniel Jonathan Valik, Microsoft - Luciana Vecchi, NetApp and Women in Localization - Render Chiu, Intuit Kathleen Bostick VP North America Language Solutions, SDL Hear what they have to say at: www.sdl.com/globalinnovators ●

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language services to NET-A-PORTER and “But we recognized early on that with many cases they are easily integrated other global brands, is a good example. cloud technology we could manage our with core business functions, so much It maintains offices in 26 countries, enterprise crowds remotely in multiple so that one large player in the field be- utilizes more than 100,000 independent countries simultaneously. Another ah-ha lieves “language services” is no longer professionals, and uses a cloud plat- moment came when we realized we an appropriate term for what they do. form for workflow efficiency. Lionbridge could take what we learned in the trans- “Language solutions industry” is the works primarily with U.S. companies lation business and apply it to other preferred term at U.K.-based SDL, one that export to the world, concentrated business needs of large enterprises.” of the largest global players. in technology, life sciences, media, and The company now offers services “With the emergence of the digital content. The Lionbridge roster of more that include testing, search optimiza- economy and content explosion, we than 800 clients includes Microsoft tion, digital marketing, video localiza- have evolved from providing language and Porsche, as well as a large search tion, customer support, content market- services to offering a full solution engine company. ing, and search engine testing to ensure for language management, including Lionbridge had estimated sales of results are customized to the specific technology for workflow efficiency and $483 million in 2013, making it the needs of each culture in each market, all increased automation,” says Kathleen world’s No. 1 translation provider. over the world. And it makes sure that Bostick, vice president of Language Much of its revenues comes from trans- everything is relevant to local audiences. Solutions at SDL. “In fact, SDL offers lation and “other services where trans- “Lionbridge has spent 10 years building solutions that address more than just lation is embedded in other functions this capacity,” says Cowan. “And now language. We have technology that of global-scale content management,” our clients are ready for it. We do more is fully integrated with our language says chairman and CEO Rory Cowan. than just manage processes for them. capabilities and that helps companies Cowan is very bullish on what the We act as their global business partner." create and deliver seamless global cus- company calls its “Crowd-in-the-Cloud” Driven by technology and the evolv- tomer experiences across all channels, model for delivering services on a global ing needs of global enterprise, the devices, and languages.” scale. “When I first talked about this offerings of language services compa- Founded more than 20 years ago in in 2004, I was laughed at,” he recalls. nies have become extremely diverse. In the U.K., SDL believes that in order for companies to successfully engage with customers globally, it is essential they consider language as one part of their overall customer experience strategy. For example, translating a website is just step one. How do you then manage this content on a global scale, publish it across multiple channels and devices, and ensure that information is relevant for each customer interaction? This is a complicated process all global enter- prises face today, and one that SDL helps streamline. SDL plays a leading role in the language solutions industry. Its transla- tion memory technology is used by the majority of translators worldwide. This technology re-uses previously translated material, enabling translators to focus on new content and improve efficiency. SDL was a pioneer in machine translation, and has nearly 1,000 in-house transla- tors in 40 offices around the world. SDL also operates a cloud translation platform, offering both machine and human translation, as part of the recent release of its SDL Customer Experience

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“If you want to communicate with There is also a need to verify accuracy and enhance material generated by Elanex someone, speak to machine translation systems. them in their Most language services profes- Blends sionals say that automated transla- language.” tion definitely has a place in the world —Lori Thicke of translation. For functions that re- The Best owner of Lexworks and quire a great deal of translation, but founder of Translators for which high-quality services would of Both Without Borders be cost-prohibitive, machines can get the job done in a fairly efficient man- Worlds Cloud. SDL Language Cloud enables ner. User reviews and real-time chat, companies to engage customers for example, fall into this category. in their preferred language across But industry experts caution that It’s no wonder San Francisco-based all interactions, quickly and cost- for any projects or content that are Elanex, which works mostly with M&A, effectively. mission-critical, it’s crucial not to energy, tech, and financial firms, is depend on machines alone. “known for delivering great translations, Working Together “There are free tools like BabelFish reliably, in demanding situations.” As SDL’s example illustrates, au- and Google that rely on crowdsourc- The company received an urgent tomated translation is now a core ing,” says Hanne Mintz, president of request to translate changes to a component of the industry. Often Los Angeles-based Paragon Language website terms-of-use agreement into 43 referred to as “machine translation,” Services. “And then there is very languages—a day before the Christmas it’s currently a hot topic. Advanced sophisticated machine-based transla- holiday. “That’s not a trivial task,” says machine translation technology, tion that’s mainly used for technical Donald Plumley, president and CEO such as SDL’s, which can be trained and other clear-cut text. It’s absolutely of the company. “Normally it would and customized to produce highly a way of expediting the process. But require a roomful of project managers accurate output, is allowing for the those machines have to be trained. to set it up.” translation of more content than ever It takes a lot of time and resources Instead, expressIt (expressitnow. before. This gives companies the to build up their memory, so you still com), the technology that automates opportunity to increase their global need human beings at both ends who the company’s workflow platform, customer engagement and efficient- have experience.” went into action, assessing the project, ly drive international revenue. In some cases, machines just searching a database of more than As options like Google Translate won’t suffice. “If there’s any ambiguity 35,000 translators, making assign- have proliferated—offering easy ac- in the source text,” says Mintz, “it’s ments, and shepherding everything cess, usually at no cost—they have best not to use machine translation. through to completion. Elanex had the created competition for language Only humans can figure that out, and translations ready within hours. services companies. They are one of even then, it takes time, effort, and At its core are skilled professional the key factors that have driven down careful attention.” translators and editors with expertise the price of professional translation. That’s the primary reason why in specific subject matter. “Then,” But even that is not entirely a bad Elanex, for one, insists on using says Plumley, “we layer in artificial thing for business, say those in the translators who have expertise in the intelligence. There are some things in industry, because it offers companies subject matter they work with—for which humans are indispensable. We a chance to differentiate themselves example, hiring locals in Mongo- believe in using technology where it by providing higher quality. lia with experience in the mining makes sense.” ● “The growth of machine translation industry who can accurately translate is actually increasing the demand for critical mine equipment documenta- Discover why Elanex is the world leader in fast professional services,” says Plumley, tion and training materials for a mine and accurate translation: www.elanex.com head of Elanex. It draws attention to in their country. It’s also why Mintz the value of connecting with a global and her staff analyze every piece of customer base in their own language, written information they get before leading to greater numbers of poten- they translate it. “We tear source tial clients who are evaluating profes- documents apart, mark them up, and sional translation for the first time. send them back, asking, ‘Is this what

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you really mean?’ or saying, ‘It looks like Without Borders (TWB), the charity French translation company. Doctors you may have introduced a couple of of choice for many language services Without Borders asked for a quote on a errors; here’s what we suggest.’ companies, which provides volunteers translation project and suggested that “Translation is highly sensitive to translate material in life-threatening if it were done for free, they would be linguistically and culturally,” concludes situations of all kinds that can have a able to help more people. After she set Mintz. “You’re entrusted with your profound effect on peoples’ lives. In the up TWB in the U.S. in 2010, Lionbridge client’s message to adapt it to work in immediate wake of the devastation in and Elanex were the first major donors, another language. You have to under- the Philippines, the UN called on the signing on with pledges of money and stand your client’s business, as well as organization to help translate key mes- pre-vetted professional translation the target audience, and then ensure the sages to the people. volunteers. translated content is absolutely clear The first time Thicke fully realized Since then, TWB has translated and delivers the same impact as the how critical translation could be was more than a million words a year for original message.” when she traveled to Kenya, looking into organizations like Oxfam America and Thicke’s original inspira- Preventing tion, Doctors Without Tragedy Borders. It all adds up While striving to meet to more than 4.5 million high language standards donated words so far, a is a key strategy for figure that’s tallied on business, in some situ- TWB’s website. In Kenya, ations it can also avert which has 42 languages, human tragedy. Just as TWB keeps a small full- language can affect the time staff to translate life-or-death outcome health material. Save the of a 911 call or a trip to Children recently pro- the emergency room, it vided TWB with its first plays a crucial role when major grant, for assis- disaster strikes. tance with major disaster After Typhoon Haiyan relief responses. hit the Philippines last Despite TWB’s November, says Lori activities and progress, Thicke, the owner of Thicke says the unmet Lexworks, a Paris-based need is enormous. When translation provider, she Common Sense Advisory followed accounts pro- surveyed translators vided by a doctor there who worked in Africa, a with Doctors Without shocking 63% said they Borders. “They said that had a friend or family the English-speaking media tried to get material being disseminated there about member who had died because they the word out, telling people to move health practices. “It was excellent,” she didn’t have access to translation. away from coastal areas in advance of says, “but it was all in English.” She trav- Thicke is very clear about the mes- the ‘storm surge.’” eled to a small village four hours from sage she wants to get across: “If you In spite of the warning, thousands Nairobi, where she talked with a group of want to communicate with someone, of Filipinos were swept to their death. children who’d been orphaned by AIDS. speak to them in their language.” It’s “Many survivors said they didn’t antici- She had to use an interpreter. “No one a powerful message that goes to the pate the sudden increase in water levels in the village spoke English. I wondered very heart of human interaction. It’s because they had no idea what the term whether these children’s parents would also a takeaway for everyone, from ‘storm surge’ meant,” says Thicke. “A still be alive if they had been able to businesses anxious to expand into new chill went down my spine when I heard access health information they could markets and governmental agencies that. How many people could have been understand.” looking to provide services they’ve saved if they had understood what was Thicke got the idea for Translators promised to deliver, to people attempt- being said, in their own language?” Without Borders when she became ing to save lives. ● Thicke is the founder of Translators involved in work for nonprofits at her — Robin Micheli

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Translating Human Needs into Business Success

LanguageLine Solutions thrives by helping people live their lives.

UR COMPANY million, LanguageLine ranks offers the most comprehen- touches the lives No. 1 by a very wide margin sive suite of solutions to help of more than 50 on the latest Top 15 Interpret- businesses capture their fair ‘‘ million people every ing Companies list, published share of this growing market. year,” says Scott by market research firm Com- The LanguageLine solution OW. Klein, president and CEO mon Sense Advisory. set includes over-the-phone, of LanguageLine Solutions. “One of the primary rea- onsite, and video remote “We enable communications sons we are ranked number interpreting, in every language that empower relationships one is the quality of our a client may need, including in important ways that save interpreters,” Klein proudly American Sign Language. time, save money, and even states. LanguageLine invests Klein proudly states that its save lives.” more than $12 million annu- new video remote inter- Scott W. Klein, President and CEO Since Klein was named ally in interpreter training and preting service, known CEO in 2012, he has or- quality control. Interpreters as LanguageUC, is by far ganized the company’s receive up to 140 hours of the easiest to use platform. best language solution, so resources to sustain a single- training and nearly two years LanguageUC is available on our clients can focus on doing minded focus on doing what in a structured development iPhone, iPad, Android mobile, their jobs.” it takes to make a difference. program. tablet, PC, and desktop de- LanguageLine Solutions’ He says, “We are committed “Language should never vices. Additionally, businesses work is compelling. At any to total and complete client present a barrier to building often turn to the company's given moment, interpreters satisfaction.” relationships with your cus- translation and localization may answer a gut-wrenching LanguageLine Solutions tomers,” says Klein. He states division for websites, software, 911 call, help a mother is trusted by more than 60% that by tapping into multicul- e-learning, and training proj- through a difficult birth, or of companies on the Fortune tural consumer segments, cli- ects, to name a few. facilitate a straightforward 500 list for their interpreta- ents can grow their business- Klein says, “Our solutions business transaction, like tion and translation needs. es by leaps and bounds. To are sophisticated and flexible. opening a new business The company supports over do so, it’s essential to provide We listen closely to our clients banking account. 25,000 clients in finance, services to customers in their to create unique offerings “This is much more than a insurance, health care, and language of choice, across an that help them meet their business for us,” Klein says. other major industries through array of touch points. challenges and realize their “Our work has an impact on a vast network of more than LanguageLine Solutions business goals.” Additionally, the daily lives of people; as 6,000 experienced, profes- he says, “We are a result, we make sure that sional linguists. always innovating every call counts.” ● LanguageLine Solutions is our solution set on the industry leader in interpre- their behalf. It’s our For more information visit tation. With revenues of $300 job to find the next www.languageline.com

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