It’s a competitive market out there — and no less so in the language industry, where project managers and other experienced professionals are now leveraging their skills to snag new jobs at different language service providers (LSPs).
How can multi-language vendors (MLVs) in more expensive markets keep up as candidates negotiate ever-higher salaries from competitors?
Translation Back Office (TBO) offers managed services with a holistic solution: Look outside the usual talent pool, traditionally confined by geography, and consider a global search.
While TBO also provides translation to a handful of clients, the company specializes in assisting MLVs behind the scenes.
Founded in Argentina in 2005, TBO developed a reputation as somewhat of a generalist by responding to diverse client needs. Historically, the highest volume of work has been related to healthcare and insurance, with life sciences not far behind. TBO has also handled millions of words in translation dealing with software and hardware.
Today, e-learning demand is exploding, and TBO receives many requests for talent that can work with e-learning in almost any vertical. In particular, professionals working with e-learning need to know certain programs, such as Storyline, Captivate, and Articulate, which might be unfamiliar to general PMs.
One-Stop Shop
“We offer dedicated talent per client. We take care of everything,” said Lucrecia Jarab, Director of Business Development. “We find talent, arrange client interviews, do the hiring process, set up any IT.”
Jarab noted that the end customers of TBO’s clients benefit from global talent solutions. For example, a client starting out with just one office in the US was able to go global in less than three months, hiring in Vietnam and Europe through TBO.
Many owners of smaller companies, on the other hand, are not necessarily looking to grow their businesses exponentially, but to better handle current work.
“We can help the business keep steady work, so the owner doesn’t become the salesperson and the accountant all at the same time,” according to Caloã de Sá Gouvêa, Business Development Manager. “When you have a solution in place, you can concentrate. Growth might not come from more business, but from having more time to concentrate.”
In addition to expanding client talent pools, TBO’s international offices enable 24/7 coverage. “If a client in Seattle is asking for African languages, part of the challenge might just be keeping in touch due to the different time zones,” Jarab pointed out. “We can connect the client with PMs in their own time zone.”
The company currently provides more than 100 staff to 20 clients. “The entire solution is wrapped up in one invoice,” said de Sá Gouvêa. The client only pays after hiring talent through TBO.
Jarab said TBO finds and matches talent for clients depending on their request. “We can handle almost any sector,” she said. “It’s not about what we do, it’s about what our clients need.”
For more information about translation or managed services, contact Caloa de Sa Gouvea at caloa.gouvea@translationbackoffice.com.