The General Theory of the Translation Company PDF
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The General Theory of the Translation Company The first ever book about the language services industry that won’t bore you to tears. Renato Beninatto & Tucker Johnson Copyright © 2017 by Renato Beninatto and Tucker Johnson All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. www.nimdzi.com Second Edition: December 2017 Photography on back cover by Martina Wärenfeldt and Hugo Solomon. From Renato To Elcy, my mother, for making me yearn for the World. To Sophia and Luca, my children, for being my motivation. From Tucker To Awo, my wife, who put up with many late nights at the laptop while writing this book. To my children, Connor and Garry, who are my driving inspiration to follow my dreams. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION Presenting the General Theory of the Translation Company Introduction to Market Influencers Introduction to Support Activities Introduction to Core Functions PART I - LAYING THE FOUNDATION A High-Level Look Defining the Language Services Industry Structure of the Industry Defining Your Niche Operating with Little Information The Five Market Influencers Threat of New Entrants Threat of Substitutes Bargaining Power of Customers Bargaining Power of Suppliers Industry Rivalry Defining Your Niche PART II - INTO ACTION The Seven Support Activities Management Culture Structure Finance Facilities Human Resources Technology Language Quality Assurance The Three Core Functions The Vendor Management Core Function The Project Management Core Function The Sales Core Function Getting to Work! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS GLOSSARY The General Theory of the Translation Company Welcome to the language services industry! If you are already an industry veteran, then welcome to your opportunity to get a new perspective on the industry! It is a good place to be. We have fun here and we hope you will as well. And why wouldn't you? This is by far the most fascinating industry in the world. We, the writers, Renato and Tucker, have dedicated decades of our lives to localization. It is not just a job, not just a career, but also a passion and a way of life. There is no other job on the planet that could lure us away (it turns out "space cowboy" is not a thing yet). We have chosen to write this book for two reasons: to teach and to have fun (not necessarily in that order). Why teach? What do we want to teach? And whom do we want to teach? Let's explain. Typically, translation is a lot like toilet paper. Nobody ever thinks about it until it is not there and nobody really knows how much it costs. This has allowed the language services industry to largely fly under the radar for decades, serving humbly in the background and letting our clients take the credit for the work we do. But now, the industry is changing. Those of you who have been around a while know that this is nothing new. The industry is always changing. But there is a difference now: it is starting to mature and people from outside the industry are noticing. And they are very interested in what they see. More and more companies are turning their eyes towards global domination and fresh faces are entering the industry every day. Back in the Stone Age when we started working in localization, nobody ever chose to enter this career. Ask anybody who has been around the industry before George Bush was in office why and how they got started in localization. Most will simply shrug, smile, and say, "Funny story, actually…" At which point, you should run. Run fast. Despite what they say, it will not be a funny story. It will be long and boring. The point is that in days past, this was not a mature industry that people aspired to join. People just used to land up in this industry. Today, they climb into it. There were no school children dreaming of becoming localization project managers when they grew up. Today, multiple college courses and degrees prepare young aspiring language services professionals for a career in localization. No single person or company founded the language services industry. Over the millennia, the industry evolved into what it is today and that evolution has happened almost completely
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