Thepowerthatthecommunityofusersexertsonthe speechtypicallydeterminesthenorminspecialised languages,oracceptabilityintermsofuseatalllevels, frompronunciationandvocabularytothestructureof genres.However,thereisagradationbetweenthe professionaluserandtheamateuruserin"nonhierarchical"or"non-regulated"professionsorfieldsof expertise,whichresultsinfluid,oftendichotomous borders.Anexampleofthisis"influencers"whoutilise socialnetworks(suchasInstagram,Twitter,etc.)to expresstheiropinionsaboutfashion.Althoughthey hardlyeverholddegreesinfashiondesign,theycanhave asignificantimpactonthelanguageoffashionthanksto theirinfluenceonsocialmedia.Thestandardisationof somespecialistlanguagesisimpactedbythe empowermentoftheseactorsontheperipheryofthe profession.Astheseactorsmoveclosertothe profession'score,theyleavebehindatrailofnumerous borrowings,which,inthecaseoftheSpanish influencers,areprimarilyAnglicizations.
World'sLeadersthisproject“World'sBestLanguage InfluencersfortheYear2022”takestheexampleofthe specialistlanguageoffashionasacasestudy:by highlightinghowtherecognitionofperipheral influencerscanleadtovisibleresultsinthepracticeof thelanguage,itdemonstratesthattheestablishmentofa standardisnotnecessarilysubjecttotraditional hierarchies.Whateverthepuristsmayclaim,whenthey approachthecoreoftheprofession,theyleaveintheir
pathanumberofborrowingsthatareessentially AnglicismsinthecaseoftheSpanishinfluencers.
ThecoverfeaturesEricBauwelinckCEOat Mastervoice.Erichasalwayshadthedriveand aspirationtomakeadifference,berecognizedinthe industry,collaboratewithpeerstosharebestpractices, andprovideaddedvaluetocustomerswithdedicated projectcoordinators.VoicesfromAbove,abookabout thetransformationfromon-sitetoonlineinterpreting, waswrittenandpublishedbyEric.Hispersonalinterests includephilosophyandlanguagetechnology,andthe magicoflanguages.Heconsidershumanlanguagetobe aspecialgiftthathasthepowertoalterandshapeideas, people,andevenentireindustries.
Also,whileyouflipthroughthepages,don'tforgetto readthearticlescreatedbyourin-houseeditorialstaff andindustryexperts.
Have a lovely read!
The interpreting sector has experienced excellent growth in recent years, and this trend is set to continue in the years to come. The necessity to expose the language barrier in research and development activities, the entry of new players, product innovation, technological advancements, effective resource allocation, and increased competition among company rivals to extend their regional as well as consumer base Simultaneous interpreting services are essential for bridging linguistic divides in international communication. Do you want to be certain that your customers and business associates receive your message just as you intended? Any major event involving two or more languages must have simultaneous interpreting. Additionally, simultaneous interpretation-as-a-service requires highly specialized expertise. As CEO of Mastervoice, Eric Bauwelinck has been providing audio-visual equipment, simultaneous translation, and remote simultaneous interpretation to corporate organizations since 1990.
In1990,Mr.Bauwelinckbegan workingasaconferenceinterpreter formultinationalorganizations.He hassupportedcorporate organizationswithsimultaneous translation,audio-visualequipment, andremotesimultaneous interpretationoverthecourseofa longcareerthathaslastedmorethan 30years.Fortheremoteinterpreter, theconsultantinterpreteroragency, andtheendcustomer,itisacost-and time-effectivealternativethatalso allowsfortheabilitytoorganizethe workfromanyworkplaceinthe world.Outsidersmayfindonsite travelappealing,butifitisnotfor pleasure,itaddstotheworkloadand wastestimethatcouldbespentwith thefamilyorgainingmoreexposure
asproviderofsimultaneous interpretingservices.Intheearly stagesofhiscareer,Erichadtoput togetherawholeteamofinterpreters andaudio-visualoperators.Thatwas thebeginningofthelanguage solutionbusinesshestartedin1998, calledMastervoice.
Mastervoicespecializesinin-person, online,andhybridmeetingswith remotesimultaneousinterpretingas mainareaofexpertise.Simultaneous interpretingisnotanextraexpense; rather,itisadoorwayto inclusiveness,globaldiversity, involvement,andcorporate globalization.Reliablelanguage expertsarerequiredintoday's globalizedbusinessenvironmentto
helporganizationsbuildrelationships oftrustandwidebusinessprospects withtheirstakeholders,partners,and clients.
Mastervoiceactsasasinglepointof contactforclients,providingfastand reliablesupportwhilesteadily establishingconsistencyand confidence.Tofacilitatehybrid meetingsfromanylocationinany country,Ericandhisteamappreciate tieswithaudio-visualsuppliers globally.Furthermore,theyprovide experttranslation,transcription,and subtitlingservicesusingworld-class languagetechnologyandanetwork ofcertifiedlinguiststoprovide linguisticpost-editing.
EricBauwelinckhasalwayshadthe driveandaspirationtomakea difference,berecognizedinthe industry,collaboratewithpeersto sharebestpractices,andprovide addedvaluetocustomerswith dedicatedprojectcoordinators.. VoicesfromAbove,abookaboutthe transformationfromon-sitetoonline interpreting,waswrittenand publishedbyEric.Hispersonal interestsinclude philosophyand languagetechnology,andthemagic oflanguages.Heconsidershuman languagetobeaspecialgiftthathas thepowertoalterandshapeideas, people,andevenentireindustries.
“I am a strong believer in human language technology to globalize business.”-Ericsays.
Earlymorningandlate-night meditationpracticesenableEricto clearhisthoughtsandreconsider methods,possibilities,andproblems indailylifeandwork.Outsideof workEricenjoysliftingweightsat thegymorpunchingaheavybagto emptyhismindandrelievetension. Heisoftheopinionthatfretting aboutthingsyoucannotcontrolor changeispointless.Ifyouput enoughtimeandeffortintoyour goals,youcanachievethem.Instead offrettingaboutaimsyouhavenot beenabletoachieve,hebelievesthat themajorityofobstaclescanbe turnedintoopportunities.Inorderto meetandexceedcustomer expectations,Ericalsousesdefined protocolstohandlechallengeswith
humanresources,qualification,and servicelevels.
Thecurrentmarket'spressureon prices,mixedwiththeincreased demandforinterpreterservices followingthehealthcrisesof2020 and2021areparticularlychallenging today.Mastervoiceviewsthis challengeasachancetoemphasize theimportanceoffaircompetition, equalopportunities,andtheabilityof renegotiatingtermsandconditionsto remaincompetitiveinthevery demandingindustrynicheof simultaneousinterpreting.Atthe beginningofthehealthcrisis,Eric andhisteamcametotheconclusion thatworkingwithestablishedand provenRSIsolutionswaspreferable todevelopingproprietary applications,resultinginsuccessful strategicpartnershipsinremote simultaneousinterpretingsolutions.
Thepolicytoofferinterpretingas corebusinessregardlessofthe languagetechnologyemployedto deliverthatserviceisstillpartof theirlong-termgoalasan independentproviderof simultaneousinterpreting. Additionally,itgivesthemaccessto theworld'stoplanguagetechnology providers,whichisahugebenefit andvalueadditionforthecorporate andinstitutionalclients.
Ericbelievesthatinsteadofmerely understandingthesuccessionof operationalprocessesyoumusttake toaccomplishyourgoals,youtruly
needtohaveaholisticperspectiveon interpreting-as-a-service.The expertiseyouneedtosucceed unquestionablyincludesthecapacity toadapt,listen,andactunder pressure.Asabusinessleader,Eric feelsthatyoushouldalwaysbeon thelookoutforopportunities, collaborations,and,most importantly,payattentiontoyour customers,suppliers,andworkers. Additionally,hethinksthatthekeyto helpingothersistolistenandtake actionbasedonauthenticfeedback ratherthanlecturingorupselling.
InEric'sopinion,theolder generationofinterpreters,whohave grownaccustomedtoposhhotels, lovelyconferencespaces,andthe comfortthatoncecamewithhighendcorporateandinstitutional meetings,areconsiderablyless preparedforthecurrentchangeand growthintheinterpretingbusiness models.Despitethis,heisabig proponentofequalopportunities,and theinterpretingindustryisoneofthe fewprofessionswhereyoucan communicateeffectivelywiththe vastmajorityofqualifiedlanguage serviceprovidersregardlessofyour age,sex,religion,nationality,orlevel ofexpertise.Intoday'scompetitive market,theinterpreterisaself-made entrepreneurwhorecognizesthe needtoprovideexcellentcustomer serviceandispreparedtogoabove andbeyond..Headvisesthatin today'suncertainworld,especially amidconcernsofwaroran impendingeconomiccrisis,having goodwillandapositiveoutlookis priceless.
I am a strong believer in human language technology to globalize business.
Juan Julián León, CEO at SeproTec Mul lingual Solu ons, is a professional with nearly 25 years in the localiza on industry. As the CEO of SeproTec Mul lingual Solu ons, he has been able to successfully oversee and manage a business with loca ons all over the world, more than 480 employees, and a remarkably sound infrastructure thanks to his familiarity with the localiza on industry, direct involvement, and extensive understanding of the organiza on. Before taking this job, Juan Julián progressed through a variety of posi ons and divisions inside the business, including opera ons, sales, finance, and human resources.
Aninternationallyrenownedbusiness inthetranslation,localization,and interpretingfieldsisSeproTec MultilingualSolutions.Itstartedoutas atinytranslationagencyinthe1990s andgrewquicklyorganically, becomingasignificantindustry standard.SeproTecisoneofthetop30 languageserviceprovidersinthe world,withmainofficesin11 countries.
Belowarehighlightsoftheinterview conductedbetweenWorld'sLeaders andJuanJuliánLeón:
Describewhoyouareasaperson, insideandoutsideoftheworkplace. Iamaprofessionalwithan entrepreneurialspirit,avisionofthe future,anopenandthoughtful characterwhoenjoysbusinesstrips andtheopportunitytheybringtomeet industrypeersandotherstakeholders inthesectorandcontrastopinions. Accordingtomycolleagues,Iama personwithresilience,Ihaveagood abilitytoadapttochangesandIama multitasker
Idefinemyselfasafamily-oriented person,andIdoreallyenjoytimewith mychildren.Ialsolovetraveling,
sailing,gastronomy,andthemotoring worldingeneral.
Describeyourbackgroundandwhat didyoudobeforeyoustarted/joined thecompany?
Iholdabachelor'sdegreeinbusiness administrationandmanagementfrom theComplutenseUniversityofMadrid andaGeneralManagementProgram DegreefromtheIESEBusiness School.
Igotinvolvedinthefamilyproject whiletakingmystudiesatthe university,soIalreadyhavenearly25 yearsofexperienceinthelocalization industry
Iworkedcloselywithmyfatherfrom theinceptionoftheproject.This allowedmetohavedirect responsibilityoverallthedepartments ofthecompanyand,therefore,adeep knowledgeoftheinternaloperations.I havegrownprofessionallyasthe companyhasgrown.
Duringrecentyears,Ihaveheadedup operationsascrucialasthe internationalexpansionplan,the acquisitionofthePolishfirmlidolang andtheGermanfirmtsd,aswellasthe
creationofSHIPGlobalIP,an innovativeinitiativeintheintellectual propertyindustry
AsCEOofbothSeproTecMultilingual SolutionsandSHIPGlobalIP,Iam proudtosaythatthankstoalltheteam memberswhohaveeverworkedwith us,wehavebuiltasolidcompanywith aninternationalpresencein11 countries,8mainproductioncenters, 480+employees,andasubstantially solidinfrastructure.
Tellusabouttheinceptionofthe company.Howdiditallstart?
Thecompanyhasitsoriginsasa translationdepartmentofagroupof family-ownedprofessionalservices companies.ItwasatthattimethatI joinedthecompanytohelpmyfather tofurtherdeveloptherecentlycreated translationdepartment,whichinitially specializedinpatenttranslationsinto Spanish.
Inordertoestablishaleaderinthe multilingualsector,thetranslationand interpretingdepartmentwastransferred tothenewlyformedcompany SeproTecMultilingualSolutionsin 2000.SeproTecisnowoneofthe world's30largestcompaniesinthe MultilingualServicessector,with operationsdiversifiedintoawiderange ofmultilingualservicesinmorethan 120languages,deliveredfrom8main, strategicallylocatedproduction centers.
Whicharethemajorservicesofthe companyandhowdotheyenablethe companytogetaheadofthe competition?Whatvalue-added servicesdoesthecompanyprovide? SeproTecofferstailor-madesolutions thatincludepracticallyevery multilingualserviceacompany couldneed:documenttranslation, certifiedandsworntranslation, industrialproperty(patent)translation, machinetranslationwithorwithout posting,websitelocalization,software
andvideogamelocalization,languagerevision, simultaneous,consecutive,whispered,andsignlanguage interpreting,bothon-siteandremote,telephone interpreting,equipmentrental,transcreation,transcription, testing,multimedialocalization,subtitling,dubbing, validationmanagement,DTP(desktoppublishing),and writingtechnicaldocumentsinanylanguage.
Whatarethemostimportantaspectsofacompany's culture?Whatprinciplesdoyoubelieveinandhowdo youbuildthisculture?
Aspreviouslymentioned,SeproTecwasbornasafamily business,andthereforethecorporateculturewasheavily influencedbythevision,style,andvaluesofthefounder, whohappenedtobemyfatherandmentor,binding employeestoacommoncauseandfosteringaloyaland stableworkforcewheretalentwasmoreeasilyretained.The landscapeofourcompanyhaschangedsignificantlyover thepast10years,becomingatrulyinternationalcompany withpresencein11countries,8mainproductioncenters, andadiverseandmulti-locationworkforce.
Weareimmersedinadaptingourcompanyculturetothis newbroaderrealityintermsoftheworkforce,butwhatwill remainunchangedarethecorevaluesthathavealways boundourfamily,ourbusiness,andouremployees.
Ourcorevalues;Reliability,Leadership,Innovation, FlexibilityandHonestyreflectourphilosophyandactas aguidetothewaywedobusiness.
Whatisthesignificanceofinnovativeideasinthe company?
Ifirmlybelievethatthenewideasofferedbytheemployees whoworkwithourservicesorprocessesonadailybasis areenriching,tosaytheleast.Wehavereceivedvaluable ideasregardingthedevelopmentofnewservicesorthe establishmentofnewprocessesandproceduresintheir respectivedepartments.
Innovativeideasareseriouslyevaluatedwithinour organizationandshouldberecognizedandrewarded.
Giveusyouropiniononwhetherorganizationsrely moreheavilyonindividualheroicsorteamprocesses?
Inestablishedcompanies,withscalablebusinesses, processesandsystemsareamust.Successdependsonthe involvementofmostoftheteammembersintheproject, andhavingacorporatevisionwithasetpathhelpstosetthe mindsetoftheteam.
Fromtimetotime,everyorganizationmustfacetough challenges,andindividualheroicscanbeawaytobreak
throughprocrastination,albeit,sometimesinanunhealthy wayfromacommunicationpointofview.Let'sleave individualheroicstoentrepreneurship.
WhatareyourresponsibilitiesastheFounder/CEOof thecompany?Whatisthehappiestpartofyourdaily routine?
Iamresponsibleformanagingthecompany'soverall operations,makingstrategiccorporatedecisionsforlong termgrowthplans,drivingprofitability,managingthe company'sorganizationalstructure,andcommunicating withthewideraudienceandvariousstakeholders.Of course,therearemanyothertasksinwhichIamdirectly involved,suchasbeingthecompany'spublicfaceorsetting thevision,tone,andcultureoftheorganization.
IwouldsaythehappiestpartofmydailyroutineiswhenI seetheexcitementofateammembersharinggoodnews. Meetingstokickoffnewprojectsarealsobeneficial.Ialso enjoythecalmofaflightwhenIcancatchuponmy emails.
Whatadvicewouldyougivesomeonegoingintoa leadershippositionforthefirsttime?
Takethetimetogainadeepunderstandingofthesector,be passionate,surroundyourselfwithexpertsindifferent fields,believein,supportandrewardyourteam,listen,pay attentiontothethingsthathavebeeneffectiveinthepast anddon'tbeafraidtolookoutfornewpathstospearhead yourleadership.
Languageisthefundamentalmeansof expressionandcommunicationindaily life,andspeaking,writing,andreading areessentialpartsofthatprocess.Wecan learnmoreaboutourselvesandthe reasonsforourbehavioursbylookingat howpeopleuselanguageandthewords andphrasestheyautomaticallymix.
Researchersinlinguisticstryto understandwhatmakeslanguagespecial anduniversal,howitislearned,andhow itevolvesovertime.Theyviewthe phenomenonoflanguageascultural, social,andpsychological.
Thankstodigitalmedia,themarketis nowmoredynamicthanever.Marketing tacticsareimpactedbytheongoingflow ofideasandchangingtrends.Abrand's fatecanbedeterminedbysocialmedia.A onesize-fits-allapproach,however,is
ineffective;marketersmustprovide contentthatspeakstotheirtargetmarket. Therefore,regionalcontentisatrendthat isflourishinginthemarketrightnowand willcontinue.Manymarketersarecurious astowhatmightbecausingtheabrupt shifttowardsvernacularcontent.The truthisthathavingaccesstotheInternet todayisamust.Withthedevelopmentof technology,accesstotheInternet increasednationwideandisnow availabletoeveryone,regardlessof location.
Localmarketplacesarecomparatively lesscrowded.Thesearefrequently underutilised,withfewtonoathletes demonstratingasignificantabilityto establishabrand.Therelationship betweenthecustomerandthebrandhas beenstrengthenedasaresult,building trust.Workingwithinfluencers,we've
foundthatlocallanguagespeaking byproducersincreasesaudience engagement.
Regionalfestivalsarealsoanother importantmotivatorfortheentire process.However,thequestionof howtochoosetheproperonesstill stands.Althoughmanybrands occasionallylosesightoftheir objectivesintherushtoworkwith thefinest.Whileusinglocal influencersisthequickestandmost effectiveapproachtoengageyour audience,marketersmusttakeinto accountgeographicalconsiderations whenselectingitemsforlocal influencers.Aninfluencermayhave asignificantfollowinginaparticular area,butthatdoesnotguaranteethat youwillattracttheirfollowers.
Italsoreliesonyourproductand howwell-suitedtheinfluenceristo yourbrandandthetargetproductfor growththroughnewaudiences.
Thebrandwillbeabletosurviveand eventuallyprosperinthemarketif theproperplanisputintopractise withtheappropriateinfluencers.
Linguistsandpsychologistsat Stanfordinvestigatehowindividuals comprehendlanguage.Accordingto study,eventhesmallest discrepanciesinlanguageusagecan indicatethespeakers'partial viewpoints.
Accordingtoonestudy,seemingly innocentstatementslike"girlsare equallybrilliantasguysatmaths" mightcovertlyreinforcesexist
prejudices.Thegrammatical structureofthephrasesuggeststhat beingbrilliantatmathsismore frequentornaturalforboysthanfor girls,accordingtothestudy.
Linguistsareinterestedinlearning whichwordsandphrasesmayhave anunintentionalimpactonhowwe andothersseetheworld.
AtTranslationPlus,SvenjaMüllerisinchargeof formulatingandimplementingtranslateplus'growthplanas wellaschoosingtherightcombinationofstrategiesfor long-termclientacquisition,clientretention,andproduct development.SvenjaholdsaBAandanMAinBusiness ManagementandAdministration,givinghertrainingin bothlinguisticsandbusiness.Shehasbeeninthelanguage businessfor15years,andsheloveshoweverydayis different!Sheissteadfastlydriventoidentifyingthebest solutionsforourclientsinordertosupportthemin achievingtheirowngrowthgoals.Svenjaisafanofall thingsculinaryandartistic,andshealsohasanoddpassion forAmericanfootball.Shealsohasasoftspotfor Mediterraneanhistory,culture,andart.
RanslatePlus,adivisionofPublicisGroupe,isarenowned provideroflanguageservices.Itsgoalistomakeitpossible forbusinessesworldwidetoconnecteffectivelyacrossall languagesandmedia.Weprovideabroadvarietyof services,includingmultilingualSEO,e-learning,website localization,desktoppublishing,transcription,voiceover, subtitling,andinterpretinginmorethan200languages.
“Wecanassistyouincommunicatinginawaythatensures youincreaserevenue,shortentimetomarket,streamline userexperience,andimprovecustomerengagementacross localmarkets,whetheryouarespeakingtoaglobal audienceviayoure-commercewebsiteorwithyour internationalcontractorsviaausermanual.”
TranslationPlusprovidesafullrangeoflanguageservices, includinge-learningtranslation,websitelocalization, transcreation,multilingualSEO,machinetranslation(with orwithoutpost-editing),desktoppublishing,subtitling,
voiceover,videoadaptation,andtranscriptioninmorethan 200languages.Itisoneofthetop7languageservice providersintheworldbyrevenue.Itiscutting-edge,AIpoweredtranslationtechnology,likeIplus®,itsecures cloud-basedTMS,complementsallofthis(translation managementsystem).
Arevolutionaryfeatureofitscloud-basedtranslation managementsystem,Iplus®,istranslateonline.Itoffers secureaccesstoonlinetranslationmemorytechnologyand, ifnecessary,allowsinternalandexternaltranslatorsto exchangetranslationmemories.
“Youhavethefreedomtoselecttheprocedurethatworks bestforyourcompanywhiletakinguseofcutting-edge onlinetranslationmemorytechnologywhenyoutranslate online.”Withautomaticrecognitionof"exact"and"fuzzy" matcheswherecontenthasalreadybeentranslated,asimple workflowmethod,andsupportforanynumberof translatorsanddocuments,thismakessurethattextis translatedconsistentlyandsimply.
TranslationPlusonlinetranslatortool'suser-friendlyweb interfacedoesn'trequiredesktopinstallation,souserscan accessitfromanylocationwithanInternetconnectionand onanysystem,includingWindows,Mac,andtablets.Along withallthecustomizableaccess-levelpermissionsand otherfeaturesofferedbyIplus,thereisfullsupportforlive previewing(evenforAdobeInDesignfiles)andthereroutingoftranslationdutiestoothertranslators.
The CEO of BeTranslated, Michael Bastin, has a passion for languages and technology and has worked on a number of startup ventures as an Internet marketing consultant, promoting both the websites of his clients and BeTranslated itself.
Michael coordinates translation projects for international clients to assist them in meeting their translation needs in a variety of languages, including French, English, Spanish, Dutch, German, and Italian. Michael is multilingual and multiskilled.
Belowarehighlightsoftheinterview conductedbetweenworld'sLeaders andMichaelBastin:
Describewhoyouareasaperson, insideandoutsideoftheworkplace. Iamaprofessionaltranslatorthrough training,andovertimeIhavebecome moreinterestedinlearningand practicingnewlanguagesthan reinforcingmymothertongue.WhenI amnotworking,Ienjoymeetingwith friendstodoSUPatoneofthemany beachesaroundValencia,Spain.We alsogatherregularlytoplayMölkky, whichIfindfunandrelaxing.Other thanthat,Ienjoytravelingnowthatit's possibleagain,andbeingaBelgian expatlivinginSpainandmarriedtoa Dominican,travelopportunitiesare plentiful,albeitnotalwaysfor pleasure.
Describeyourbackground,andwhat didyoudobeforeyoustarted/joined thecompany?
IgraduatedfromtheUniversityof MonsHainautinBelgiumin1997after developinganinterestinlanguages.I studiedlanguagesthroughoutmyyears atschool,beginningwithGerman, whichsparkedmyinitialinterestin them.WhenIleftuniversity,Itraveled somewhileworkingafewoddjobsin thelogisticsandtelecomindustries beforejoiningatranslationcompany basedintheDominicanRepublic. Afteracoupleofyearsatthat company,Idecidedtobecomea freelancetranslatorwhileworkingona futurecompanytobecalled BeTransated.
Tellusabouttheinceptionofthe company.Howdiditallstart?
ItallstartedwithSEO,whichpiqued myinterestwhileworkingatprevious companies.Iwasgarneringmoreleads andjobsthanIcouldhandleonmy own.Istartedgettinglargeprojects fromtheUNandotherNGOs,andIset upateamofFrenchfreelancersto handlethevolumesIcouldn'tcope withonmyown.Itookthedecisionto moveclosertomynaturalmarket,and IchoseValenciaasagoodmiddle ground(mostlyforthegoodweather!). Fromthere,Icontinuedworkingon SEOandcreatedwebsitesinmultiple languagestomakemybusinessmore accessiblearoundtheworld.
Whathasmadeyousuccessful?
Whatdoyouvalue?
IbelieveIhavebecomesomewhat successfulbecauseIamajackofall trades.Beitcreatingwebsites,
promotingthem,writingcontent, managingprojects,doingsalesand marketing,trainingjunioremployees andinterns,plusalltheadministrative work,I'vealwaysprettymuchdonea bitofeverything.Thisbeingsaid,since therecentmergerbetweenourtwo entities(theBelgianandSpanish branches),we'verecentlyhiredstaff,so Icouldfocusondevelopingthe businessratherthanbeingavailableon allfronts.IthinkwhatIvaluemost aboutmyjobisthatIgettopassonmy knowledgeandexperiencetoyounger people,whichiswhyIhireinternsso often.Itkeepsmemotivatedandisan additionalrewardtotherole,aswellas providingalittledifferencetothe majorityofmyCEO-basedwork.
Whicharethemajorservicesofthe company,andhowdotheyhelpthe companytogetaheadinthe competition?Whatvalue-added servicesdoesthecompanyprovide? Wemostlyfocusonthedigitalindustry andprovideadded-valueservicesto webagencies.TheseincludeSEOorientedwebsitetranslation,subtitling, interpretation,andregulartranslations ofbrochuresanddocumentation.One waytostayaheadofthecompetitionis toconstantlyinvestinSEO.Ialways makesureatleastsomeoneischecking uponthemultilingualwebsites, constantlyimprovingthemandtheir SEO.Notonlydoesthishelpthe business'sreach,butitalsoensuresthat thewebsitesarealwaysup-to-datewith freshcontent,andaccessiblefornew customers.
Whatarethemostimportantaspects ofacompany'sculture?What principlesdoyoubelievein,andhow doyoubuildthisculture?
Givenourlimitedstaff,I'vemostly adoptedahorizontalapproachto hierarchywhereeachteammember focuses80%oftheirtimeonwhatthey
dobest,whilededicating20%ofthe remainingtimetoadministrativetasks.
Inordertoperformbetter,Iamnow dedicatingtimetowritingStandard OperatingProcedures,aswearedueto growinthecomingmonths.Interms ofacompany'sculture,Ithinkit's importanttobeopen-minded,and alwayswillingtolearnfrompeople whilebeingwillingtoteachotherstoo. There'snopointinbeingstuckinyour ways,becausethatdoesn'tcreatea healthyworkenvironmentforyouor yourcolleagues.
Whatisthesignificanceof innovativeideasinthecompany?
Iconsidermyselfacreativeperson, andsincelifeisfullofchallenges,and youcan'talwaysforeseewhatwill happen,youalwayshavetocomeup withnewideas.TaketheCOVID situationasanexample.Whowould havethought?Byhavingalean structureandworkingmostlyremotely already,wewereabletoresistthe crisis,andwearenowgrowing consistently AsidefromCOVID, though,innovativeideaswillalways haveaplace,asIthinktheykeepthe businessfresh,modern,andmore resonant.
Giveusyouropinionon;do organizationsrelyheavilyon individualheroicsorteam processes?
Ioftenliketocomparerunninga businesstocoachingafootballteam, whereindividualtalentsmeannothing ifpeoplearen'tteamplayers. Sometimesyouwinaclientdueto collectiveefforts,whileothertimes yougetthedealoftheyearthankstoa geniusideafromoneofourteam members.SoIthinkit'shalfandhalf; ultimately,itcomesdownto communication,butagoodbusiness can'trunwithoutbalance.
Whatareyourresponsibilitiesasthe CEOofthecompany?Whatisthe happiestpartofyourdailyroutine?
Thehappiestpartofmydailyroutineis checkingthebankaccountandmy SEOstatstocheckifweremain competitivelyrankedinourprincipal markets,whichareFranceand Belgium.SinceIammostlyincharge ofbusinessdevelopment,Iam particularlyhappytoseemyinboxfull ofRFQsandleads.Ialsoliketo introducenewideasandnewmarkets.
Whatadvicewouldyougive someonegoingintoaleadership positionforthefirsttime?
Confidence,clarity,boundaries,and respect—thesearethemainthings.If youdon'tgointoanewleadership positionwiththeutmostconfidence, despitethelackofconfidencethatyou mayhave,noonewilltakeyou seriously.Fakeituntilyoumakeit, firstandforemost.Makesurethatallof yourcommunicationisdonewith claritysothatyourintentionsare alwayscrystalclearrightfromthe start,leavingnoroomfor miscommunication,whichcoststime andmoney.Finally,developandlay outyourboundarieswithother businesses,colleagues,andemployees fromthebeginning,sothateverybody knowswheretheystand.Ifyoudoall ofthiswithrespect,thenyourbusiness andyourrolewithinitcanonlyexcel.
The language of inuencer marketing is universal, spoken everywhere from Russia to Taiwan, Argentina, and Greenland. Data is a word that is used frequently in that language. Knowing what data to use when evaluating inuencers and results is crucial for success as global brands work to establish and engage with critical audiences.
In every language, data is data.
Brandsarestartingtodevelopamoresophisticated strategyforinteractingwithinfluencersasinfluencer marketingcontinuestodevelop.Influencermarketing, though,isnotnew.InfluencerslikeSantaClaus,who firstbecameaspokespersonforCoca-Colain1931, existedbeforethereweremodels,politicians,orathletes.
Influencerswhoaredigitalnativeshavebecomemore commoninrecentyears.Thesearetheindividualswho, attheircore,arecontentcreatorsandhavethecapacity toconnectwiththeiraudiencesonatruelevel.Andas corporationsbecomemorecriticaloftheirexpectations ofinfluencers,thisgenerationofinfluencershasbecome accustomedtothedemandsthattheyplaceonthem.
Brandsallthroughouttheworldusemeasureslikereach, engagement,andimpressionsthatarestandardin marketing.Butasinfluencermarketinghasgrownmore sophisticated,anewviewpointhasemerged.
Brandswerecomfortablewithemployingacostperpost approachthatwasoptimisedonlyforreachintheearly daysofinfluencermarketing.Itwasn'tsufficienttousea preexistingaudiencetopromotetheirgoodstothe person'sfollowers.Butcompaniesarestartingto understandthattheymayusemeasureslikeCostPer Acquisition(CPA)orCostPerInstallation(CPI)to determineacampaign'sgenuineefficacy.
Thefunnelsthatmarketingteamsare alreadyusingfortherestoftheir effortsaremoreinlinewithCPAand CPIcampaigns.Brandsvaluethese datapoints,whicharetransferable acrossmarkets.Brandsmonitor impressions,clicks,andconversions forCPAandCPIcampaignsto evaluatetheireffectiveness.
Thetransitionfromcelebrity spokespersonstoamatrixofvarious degreesofinfluencershasalso occurredgloballyandadherestothe samefundamentalprinciples regardlessofgeo-localization. Anothercommonstatisticthat marketersallaroundtheworldmight useisthesizeofaninfluencer's audience.Wediscoverthatbrands aresuccessfulwhentheyusea matrixofseveralinfluencertypes.
Wecategorisethemintothe followinggroups:
Butcreativityisauniversalfact, regardlessoftheverticalorchannel. Thedegreeoforiginalityrequiredfor influencerpostsinvarioussectorsis intriguingtoobserve.Inadditionto knowledgeinthefieldthecreator specialisesin,contentproductionisa talentthatmustbelearned.Inthe end,thefinestoutcomesarestill producedbyhigh-qualitymaterial.
Globalbrandsarelookingforhighqualitycontent,andglobalcustomers arelookingforknowledgeable analysis.Thestrategytoachieveboth ofthoseobjectives,fromany location,isinfluencermarketing.
In1991,EdwardVickestablished EVSTranslations,acompanythat offerslanguageservices.The businesshelpsmultinational corporations,SMEs,and governmentalorganisationsmanage theneedformultilingualdigital contentandinformation.Itworks throughoutEuropeandtheUSA.It consistentlyranksamongthetop100 LSPsintheworldforlocalization andamongthetop20LSPsoverall forthefinanceindustry.Edward's familyresidesinGermany,despite thefactthathewasraisedinCanada andtheUK.Heenjoysreading qualitybooksandcollectingart.
ThehistoryofEVSTranslations beganin1991whenEdwardVick,a nativeoftheUK,establisheda translationcompanyinOffenbacham Main,Germany,specialisinginthe financeindustry.Overtime,EVS Translationsbroadenedthescopeof itsofferings,addedmoreclients,and developedintoaglobalproviderof linguisticservices.Itquicklybecame apparentthatthemanually maintainedlistswouldnotbe sufficienttosatisfythenew requirements.EVSTranslations requiredasystemthatexcelsbothon theGermanmarketandgloballyto managetheexpandingcustomer base.
“When we started at the beginning of the 1990s, we carried out our management processes manually. Once the company started to grow and digitalization increased, there were a need and a market for a system that helps to effectively
organize business processes across multiple locations."- EdwardVick
EVSTranslationschosePlunetafter doingalotofstudy.Theabilityto standardiseindividualprojectphases acrossmanysites,theabilitytostore allpertinentprojectdatacentrally, andtheabilitytousereporting featurestoidentifykeyperformance indicators(KPIs)werethethree decisivereasons.
Centralizationforbetter participation
EVSTranslationsnowhasa consolidateddigitalrepositoryfor projectandclientdatathanksto PlunetBusinessManager.Allproject participants(sales,project management,accounting,andsenior management)canthenaccessthe necessarydatainaccordancewith
theirresponsibilitiesandsystem rights.Becauseofthecentralization, themanyofficescollaboratemore closelyasaunit,whichalsomakesit simplertolocatevendors.Aboveall, thismakesitpossibleforeveryoneto beintegratedbetter.Since2009,this advantagehascontributedtoa24 percentannualgrowthinrevenue fromcurrentcustomers.
EVSTranslationsintendstoexpand itsmanagementsystemaftermaking successfuladjustmentstotheir companyprocedures.Themodular solutionfromPlunetallowsfor flexibleindividualadaptations.This specificallyentailsatighter integrationoftheaccounting softwareDATEVandSAGEforEVS Translations.
"When we started at the beginning of the 1990s, we carried out our management processes manually. Once the company started to grow and digitalization increased, there were a need and a market for a system that helps to effectively organize business processes across multiple locations."- Edward Vick
