BEST LANGUAGE SERVICE PROVIDER FOR EMPLOYEE RETENTION
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tlas Translations is a UK Atlas Translations first im based translation company, plemented a 4-day working week established in 1991 by Founder for all staff with no reduction in and Director, Clare Suttie. Aware salary back in 2019. Atlas finds that there are certain limitations to that granting this extra day off career development within a small leads to better productivity, and LSP, Clare is always thinking up less burnout, leaving the team free new ways to retain her staff, and to pursue hobbies, spend more time the figures speak for themselves! with loved ones, take on additional 71% of staff have been with the freelance work, or even just do company for longer than 5 years, those household chores that would with 9 years being the average usually be left for the weekend! There is no doubt that having years of service.
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happy, healthy staff is conducive to doing good business. Atlas is open to requests if staff seek training in a particular area, facilitating continual professional development. This year for e x a m p l e , J i m (Op e r a t i o n s Manager) has been learning Japanese with one of Atlas' long standing trusted suppliers, and Joanna (Project Manager) has enjoyed an inh·oductory course to subtitling.
The monthly bonus scheme starts as soon as a member of staff joins the team; the bonus increases as employees gain more clients, place more jobs, and can work more quickly. In appreciation of the team's hard work and achievements this year, Clare awarded a substantial annual bonus to everyone at Atlas; the same amount was given to each member of the team, regardless of role or length of service. In addition, Clare offered a monthly voucher of the staff's choosing, to
that appraisals are now run by office staff rather than the company owner. The team get on well in and outside of work, and have enjoyed two weekend getaways together this year in both Bath and Dorset. As a long-serving and multi award-winning member of the UK- b a s e d A s s oc i a t i o n o f Translation Companies (ATC), Atlas this year gave a webinar to other ATC members about issues and solutions surrounding staff retention. During the talk, Atlas
In 2023, Atlas have won four i n d u s t r y awards and b e e n commended and/or shortlisted for seven; these include Project Management Team of the Year with the ATC, Outreach Champion with the I TI and Language Industry Person of the Year with Think Global. A highlight of the year was when Atlas Director, Clare, achieved SME London Business Woman of the Year, and was short listed as Employer of the Year 2023. An excerpt from the judges' comments reads:
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Atlas has happy, long-serving staff who are organised, focused, and enjoy what they do. Their employee retention is testament to Clare having created a working environment t h a t fos t e r s independence and empowers staff through trust and responsibility. the value of £50 per month for the next 12 months. When given the choice, Atlas staff prefer not to work completely remotely, due to the positive atmosphere and camaraderie of office life. The skills and traits of each team member complement one another in a way that fosters real mutual respect amongst colleagues. It is for this reason that there is no sense of hierarchy or pecking order within Atlas Translations, cemented by the fact
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staff discussed how they first piloted the 4-day week scheme, outlining the initial difficulties, and explaining how these were overcome. ATC members were amazed to hear that only one year after implementing the 4-day week, Atlas went on to achieve their highest turnover to date since business began. So, watch this space! Atlas may well be the pioneers of a 4-day working week for UK-based translation agencies.
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At the heart of LinguaeMundi are our values: • Customer Obsession: We prioritize creating exceptional client experiences by actively listening to our clients and acting in their best interests. • Long-term thinking: We focus on the future, not just short term profits, and this guides every decision we make. • Respect for People and Humanity: Our business is built on helping others, and we do so with respect for everyone involved and the world we live in. • Continuous Improvement: We encourage personal and professional growth by challenging our team members and fostering a growth mindset, always looking for ways to improve our services.
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LinguaeMundi stands out in the workshops, encouraging them to industry for our commitment to take on challenges beyond their e m p l o y e e i n v o l v e m e n t i n usual roles. We believe in learning decision-making, creating an from mistakes and continuously inclusive and collaborative improving through trial, error and atmosphere where innovation self-reflection. thrives. We invest heavily in the What really sets LinguaeMundi development of our employees apart is our culture, where our through mentoring sessions and values are not just words but
1 0 I LinguaeMundi
guiding principles. We've created an environment where everyone's ideas and concerns are valued, leading to innovation and a customer-focused mindset that directly benefits our clients. Our approach is characterized by a blend of humor, a relaxed attitude, and professionalism. We work closely with our clients, genuinely care about their success, and foster s t r o n g r e l a t i o n s h i p s. O u r employees and clients consistently praise us for our excellent project m a n a g e m e n t , e ff e c t i v e communication, creative problem solving, complaint handling, and commitment to sharing knowledge and welcoming new ideas. In e s s e n c e , Li n g u a eM u n d i believes that the world is a richer place when people understand each other, and we are passionate about making that a reality. Our unique blend of expertise, professionalism and empathy ensures that working with us is not just a business transaction, but a partnership built on trust and shared values.
�Locaria
2023
Best Employer Overall
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hat steps have you taken over the last few years to improve employee happiness? The most effective way that we have found to boost our employee happiness is really quite simple -listening and bringing the team together. By rolling out pulse surveys, we're able to keep track of the concerns of the team and get an insight into what-in their opinion would improve their working life and performance. And who better to get this information from? By creating a set of values that are company-wide -taking content fu r t h er, g r o w i n g t o g e t h e r ,
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What are the challenges that Locaria see's when it comes to attracting candidates in the current market? As an international agency we benefit from working with talent from all across the globe -this overall enriches om network and puts us in a great position to reach new talent. And over the course of the last year we have been fortunate enough to experience a period of high growth and welcome a lot of incredible, new talent to the team. The challenge for us is to find new hires with multiple skill sets -budding professionals with local market perspicacity, creativity and SEO expertise - at the same time as maintaining excellent communication and translation skills. Finding the right fit can take
some time, but we do attract a lot of interest from candidates who are looking to tie together a passion for language, digi ta! marketing and creative, which does help in the recruitment process. Our HR team has done a fantastic job in rolling out benefits that exceed our employee expectations -and we achieve this by listening to our employees and what's important to them. Gathering feedback from pulse surveys, we have implemented a benefit structure that favours a healthy work-life balance, including recharge days, volunteering opportunities and working from abroad. These come in addition to flexible working policies, regular socials, team lunches and much more.
celebrating individuality, doing good along the way, and caring -we hope to foster an environment where employees feel both appreciated and listened to. Allowing employees to recharge their batteries is also important -which is why in 2023 we increased the number of summer recharge days that employees have to concentrate on activities that they enjoy outside of work. We also acknowledge that our staff have friends and families in other cities, regions and countries, and we actively encourage them to take time to visit their loved ones, and work from another country or
location. Global town halls are important, and being part of a large agency means that it can be a challenge to get everyone in on the same meeting. Despite the challenge, we usually find a solution to have several town halls throughout the year, as well as 'virtual socials' which sport fun games and i c e b r e a k e r s to e n c o u r a g e employee collaboration and to help everyone become acquainted, especially the newer staff. We also organise local-level social events and activities in each city where we are based - from London all the way to Mexico City.
Interview with
Christophe Toppan Toppan has recently been recognised by Nimdzi and CSA as one of the fastest growing LSP's in the world, what is the secret behind that growth? No secret sauce! It is a mix of different ingredients coming together. We first focused on addressing the gap in our industry - many traditional Language Service Providers struggle to solve complex client needs for regulated, business-critical content. Then, we focused on attracting the best talentin the industry to create a tech-enabled, premium new entrant together. We maintained an entrepreneurial mindset guided by hyperspecialism and hyperfocus. Other than differentiating through a whole business approach, we also had a bit of luck! What challenges has Toppan had to over come in the 2 years since it started to get to where you are now? Our main challenge was to establish ourselves quickly in the market as a competitive force against large incumbent suppliers. We were able to do this by acquiring strong businesses with good reputations in the market and by recruiting teams of very experienced people to be able to provide the service that large enterprise clients expect. So on top of the acquisitions, we have seen very high levels of organic growth.
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I would add that our agility helped us to react quickly to the changing market conditions during the last few months. We had some growth pains as expected but we were able to anticipate many of these challenges (at least the ones under our control). We now have a strong foundation, structure and infrastructure to be able to scale rapidly and to provide a superior service. Also, the most important with any strategy is to define what you do not want to do ... and we have this pretty clear within our team! Given Toppan's relative new ness compared to competitors you offer a wide variety of benefits, why is this? Creating a rewarding environment for our team is a core part of our people-centric strategy at Toppan Digital Language (TDL). That's why we've focused on our TDLers' well-being from day one by implementing new benefits and regularly reviewing them. We are committed to ensuring our team feels supported. Making this a priority early on in TDL's journey reflects our ongoing dedication to our people as we aim to be the 'Best employer of choice' in our industry. Our team truly feels responsible for our shareholders, clients and our employees. How important is company culture to Toppan as you grow? As our company grows and our staff base expands globally, a strong culture is crucial to keep our diverse team connected and united. With employees from many different countries, our shared goals and vision for the future are the cornerstones that
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bring us together and make us strong. We all believe in and thrive within TDL's innovative, agile and rewarding work environment. Even with a larger, more dispersed team, our powerful culture keeps us moving forward in sync. It is great to see that now our employees are our brand ambassadors and truly evolving the culture - It is not stagnant at the end of the day as they 'own' it ... Culture is very important for me and illustrates the true DNA of the company. How do you go about ensuring that employee engagement, well being and culture are maintained despite your growth? We continuously listen for feedback from our team and maintain an open-door policy. Through regular business updates, we promote transparent communication while actively encouraging each employee to share their views. We believe in ongoing dialogue. Every team
member contributes to shaping our culture - their feedback via surveys and revising our values is fundamental. We provide competitive pay and benefits plus an agile environment that enables work-life balance. This combines with growth opportunities as we invest in our people, our greatest asset. From social events to celebrating achievements together, we love our Mondays and celebrate our Fridays to foster an enjoyable workplace. Our two way approach means all voices are heard in making TDL a great place to work. How important is employee well-being a personal growth to you? This is a key priority in our People & Culture strategy. We strive to provide benefits including health insurance, pension plans, work from home flexibility and competitive compensation. These offerings enable employees to thrive personally and professionally. By investing in the wellbeing and development of our people, we aim to foster an engaging, supportive workplace where all can succeed. What does Toppan offer as an employer that is unique to you? It's hard to say that anything is unique but our model of growth and investment probably creates one of the most dynamic environments for employees, whether they want to expand their experience into a new sector, work with new clients or even into a completely new role. And the sense that they are building something new and different in the market is certainly a big draw for many of our recruits.
How is the short week working for you? After one full year of the short work week, I am amazed by how we managed to keep growing and make our customers happy. Some of them has not even realized that we do this, and this is a huge result for us. Internal surveys and chats over coffee confirm that the stress level of all team members has decreased and productivity has increased. Of course this is an ongoing effort and I sometimes get those ,,why-did-I-do-that" feeling, but generally speaking I am satisfied. I was hoping more companies in our industry will follow, but this has not been the case so far. I have mixed feelings about this How important is company culture to Creative Words as you grow? Building a positive company culture was one of my main objectives even before I started Creative Words, and it still is. I was not expecting (nor planning, to be honest) such a speedy growth, so I am putting even more care in making sure we still keep the good vibes as we grow. This is the reasons why Creative Words hired a People Manager earlier this year, that is to make sure we don't lose sight of our values and care for people. The more you grow, the more we will need it, especially in times or remote working (50% of our team
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is now either hybrid or full remote).
our values and objectives. We also have biweekly, online short meetings to keep everybody up to date on what's going on at the company. We also have two new letters, a monthly one "What's new at Creative Words" and an "Innovation newsletter" that goes out weekly. While having so many initiatives in place may sound an haunting task, I believe that engagement also comes from transparency, alignment and knowledge, and I am very proud we found our own way to do that.
How important is employee well-being and personal growth to you? Before being employers or employees, we are human beings, and we all want to live a happy life, feel safe (whatever that means to each of us) and keep growing as individuals. I always try to put myself in other people's shoes, and this is true for my team as well. This is why we have invested so much (in money and effort) on different well-being What does Creative Words offer as an employer that is initiatives. Traning is also very unique to you? dear to me, not jost from a professional point of view, but I am sure and I hope there many also from a personal one. Also, other like-minded employers out there who really care about their we have been embracing people, but there are a couple of coaching to help our employees leverage their skills and become a things that make us special, if not better professional, and human unique: being, day after day. How do you go about ensuring employee engagement, well being and culture are maintained despite your growth? This is not an easy task, especially when 50% of our staff is either fully remote or hybrid. First, we have global meetings at our headquarters every three months. That's the best occasion for us to catch up IRL, organize some team building activities and make sure we are still aligned on
• The short work week • A clear focus on the needs of our team members • Additional benefits such as non-compulsory insurance for our employees • 100% flexibility on where to work from and when • The opportunity to attend events and conferences is extended to the whole team, not just for the leadership team
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Adaptive
M&A
Who is Adaptive M&A? Adaptive M&A is the sister company to Adaptive Globalization and is a consulting agency with offices in London, New York, San Diego, Singapore, and Berlin. We specialize in connecting buyers & sellers within the vibrant and fast-moving Language Service mergers and acquisitions arena working with companies ofall shapes and sizes from $300k right up to $300m+. Ifyou would like a free, informal consultation on buying or selling a business, then reach out to ma@adaptiveglobalization.com. Please don't hesitate to also request, our report on Selling a Translation Business. As part ofthe Adaptive Business Group family of companies, Adaptive M&A leverages an extensive private network of business owners, client-side businesses and investors to uncover unique opportunities for buyers, sellers and business partners.
20 I Under $1 Om category
David James - CEO Adaptive Business Group. Investing in People.
Andrew Jones Global Language Service Director Location: London Tel: +44 208 123 0472 Email: andrew.jones@ adaptiveglobalization.com Linkedln: https:// www.linkedin.com/in/ thelanguageserviceconsultant/
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Best Language Service Provider For Employee Retention Chris Hodgson Castillo, CEO "We arc pleased as punch to receive this award. Everyone here works hard to make Mother Tongue as welcoming and fulfilling a place to work as possible to have some external recognition of that is fantastic."
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t Mother Tongue, we help global brands speak their customers' language. We are an international network of creatives, strategists and linguists, united by a love of cross-cultural communication. From our hubs in London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Singapore, and Beijing, we connect the best in-market talent with cutting-edge technology, to produce multilingual content that always cuts through. Founded back in 1990, we've been doing this a while. And we're proud to have many loyal clients, writers, and staff who have come on this journey with us, and who have helped shape the Mother Tongue of today. Fast forward to 2023, and our language hubs are home to 90 full-time employees, who liaise with a pool of over 2,700 writers around the globe. We're fortunate to have experienced significant growth in the last few years, allowing us to
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welcome many new faces to the Mother Tongue family. And despite this expansion, we're proud to say that 67% of our staff have been with us for over 5 years. We like to think this isn't just a coincidence, and is (at least in part) down to the importance we place on ensuring our employees feel valued, heard, and understood.
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welocalizeO ,.,,.,,
Best Language Service Provider for Training and Development
Best for Training and Personal Development "Our dedication to nurturing our talent shines a grand total of nearly 30,000 hours of enriched learning per year within our internal community of learners. It's testament to the culture of growth and development we've cultivated together." comments Marta Robleda, Global Learning and Development Manager at Welocalize. Celebrating Growth: The Journey of Each Welocalize Employee From their very first day at Welocalize, employees are given the support and resources to thrive in their roles with access to a growing number of courses designed to facilitate the acquisition of new skills. Their manager assigns each new hire business unit, role-specific training, and internal courses through Welocalize's Learning Management System "WeLearn," which consists of 164 courses that fall into four main categories: quality, interpersonal skills, functional skills, and technical skills.
25 I Welocalize
If an employee at Welocalize wants to improve their skills, but the Learning and Development team is unable to provide the necessary training, they can apply for subsidies for external training through the Welocalize Training Fund. Any employee can request funding up to a maximum of 50% of the cost of the training, provided that it is relevant to their role and level within the company. "Our dedication to nurturing our talent shines a grand total of nearly 30,000 hours of enriched learning per year within our internal community of learners. It's testament to the culture of growth and development we've cultivated together," comments Marta Robleda, Global Learning and Development Manager at Welocalize. Welocalize places a high value on employee development beyond merely offering training sessions. The company also implements programs designed to foster improvement and benefit its employees. Bridging Gaps with Welocalize's Talent Exchange Program Another way Welocalize improves the growth and flexibility of its workforce is through its innovative Talent Exchange program. This internal mobility initiative provides diverse career opportunities within the company, acting as a bridge for departments needing to find the expertise they require from skilled professionals inhouse. So far, over 73 employees have seamlessly transitioned
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into new roles in 2023. Expanding Horizons: Opportunities Beyond the Organization Apart from personal development and training, Welocalize emphasizes the importance of team building and idea sharing. This is achieved through various virtual and in-person fonnats, including global town hall meetings, office roadshows, and various Welocalize Employee Network Engagement Groups (WENGs), continually fostering connection and employee satisfaction.
About Welocalize, Inc.
Wclocalize, Inc., founded in 1997, is a leading global language service provider (LSP) that helps global brands connect with audiences worldwide in over 250 languages. The company holds 7 ISO certifications, a quality portfolio available in less than I% of LSPs, and offers various language services, including translation, interpretation, localization, automation and technology, digital marketing, and validation and testing. Classified as a Super-Agency by language industry intelligence firm Stator, Welocalize is I of the 8 largest full-service, multi-vertical LSPs in the world.
translateO A PUBLICIS GROUPE COMPANY
BEST LANGUAGE SERVICE PROVIDER FOR CAREER PROGRESSION
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e are very honoured that the judges of this year's BELA awards have decided to award translate plus, part of Publicis Groupe, with the prestigious "Best Language Service Provider for Career Progression. award! ''
'translate plus has long been committed to recognising and nurturing talent by promoting a culture of inclusivity, transparency and growth. Every talent is championed equally in our company, and our commitment to supporting every single member in their professional and personal growth extends beyond words. For instance, we offer many great benefits to our employees that apply in different ways to both of our HQs in Sofia and London. This is in addition to the tailored training and knowledge workshops the company offers, which are designed to boost personal development, industry knowledge and well being at work. 'We also have a well-established and long term practice of actively supporting and facilitating cross-departmental transitions for employees who wish to experience a different function or work within a different department in our company. 'Our primary ethos is caring for our people and their growth by nurturing their skills and experiences in order to help them advance further in their careers. We recognise and reward exceptional performance, talent and work, as we see our people as the key drivers of our companys growth -Adrian Metcalf & Umer Nizam, Managing Partners @ translate plus.
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Career progression stories at translate plus
'I started working at translate plus in 2016 in an entry-level position right after completing my M� degree. Since then, I have qmckly climbed up the ladder in the Operations department by passing through quite a few roles, from Project Manager to Team Manager and now to Operations Manager. My path was dynamic and challenging at times, yet always exciting. I was provided with encouragement, guidance and all the tools I needed to succeed. translate plus is a company that appreciates personal capabilities and seeks to grow talent from within.' - Maria Ivanova, Operations Manager@ translate plus. 'In 2017, I joined translate plus' busy Sales & Marketing team as a Marketing Assistant, and within two years I was promoted to Marketing Executive, then up to Senior Marketing Executive. Since 2020, I have been working
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as the company's Marketing Manager, leading the marketing team's activities, including strategy, campaigns, brand design and communications. I feel lucky that the company quickly recognised my skills and passion for marketing as well as my hands-on approach, as this has given me the chance to grow faster within my role. translate plus is truly a unique place, __ offering many great opportumhes for everyone to progress!' Alexandra Kravariti, Marketing Manager @ translate plus.
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ABOUT ADAPTIVE
I Andrew Jones
Global Language Service Director Location: London Tel: +44 208 123 0472 Email: andrew.jones@ adaptiveglobalization.com Linkedln: https:// www.linkedin.com/in/ thelanguageserviceconsultant/
I I Veronika Gonzalez
US Manager Location: New York Tel: +l 332 233 8601 Email: veronika.gonzalez@ adaptiveglobalization.com Linkedln: https:// www.linkedin.com/in/ translationindustryrecruiter/
I Alex Ross-Scott
EMEA Recruitment Director Location: London Tel: +44 208 123 0036 Email: alex.rossscott@ adaptiveglobalization.com Linkedln: https://www.linkedin. com/in/alexross-scott/
I I Michele Cerioni
Partner - Europe Location: Berlin Tel: +49 (0) 152 245 48578 Email: michele.cerioni@ adaptiveglobalization.com Linkedln: https://www.linkedin. com/in/michele-cerioni/
31 I About Adaptive
Adaptive
GLOBALIZATION
I Ian Lau
Singapore Manager Location: Singapore Tel: +65 9837 8778 Email: Sg@ adaptiveglobalization.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin. com/in/theianlau/
Here at Adaptive Globalization we have been working as specialist recruiters and consultants in the Language Service and Technology industry for over a decade. In doing so, we have assembled a team of experts who know the industry inside-out. As specialist recruiters, a key aspect of our day-to-day lives is finding the best possible fit for all parties involved in the hiring process, ensuring a good cultural fit, a similar vision and that the candidate has the necessary skills. All of these things help achieve long term, successful employment. But there is one aspect of negotiation that will undoubtedly make or break a deal: salary.
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