Almost in the blink of an eye, one decade has passed since the launch of TIL.
Our journey has had its ups and downs filled with excitement, thrills, and lots of hard work, but we have relished every single moment.
Evolution is likely the perfect word used to summarize the translation industry in this first ten years of our existence, where we have witnessed trends like the explosion of machine translation to the devastating and industry-altering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To mark our tenth anniversary, we want to give you a background tour of our experience so far, and how TIL has managed to navigate the evolving translation industry.
Every project is a milestone!!!
One question we have gotten a lot recently is — what is your most prominent milestone so far?
At TIL, we believe that every new project and client is a milestone for us. Working on a new project is just as stimulating as the last. Each client matters to us irrespective of their size.
Gaining the trust and the business of new clients that became “regulars” has always remained the difference. In an establishment like us, customer loyalty plays a vital role.
Technology has played an immense role in our establishment.
We made it clear from the start that we would always embrace technology in our operations, which is why we have tried to use CAT tools. For instance, to manage our projects, we use XTRF, a translation management system that integrates our entire localization process into one platform to help simplify our methods.
Recall that when we started, our translators’ database was a shared excel spreadsheet!
CAT tools such as Trados are also becoming more user friendly, but we have to address the elephant in the room — Machine translation.
MT has evolved in recent times and can no longer be ignored, but we believe that there is enough room in the industry for MT and human translation to thrive and that they both can complement each other.
Covid-19 is having a severe impact on the industry.
The pandemic took the entire world by surprise, in the translation industry, it has been a tale of good and bad, while some sectors in the industry thrive others are facing trying times.
We have to say that TIL has been quite fortunate during this period since our service focuses on the medical and pharmaceutical industries. We have experienced a higher demand for medical translations, and it would be dishonest to say that the pandemic has negatively impacted us in terms of growth.
All has not been smooth sailing, on a personal level, the high demand has resulted in limited family time, which can be quite overwhelming. There is always the risk of burnout especially when your mailbox keeps buzzing. Let us not forget to mention that our business is quite flexible, and most of the PM/VM work is done remotely.
An uncertain future that demands preparedness
Despite the popular narrative of a hostile takeover of machine translation, it seems we are all beginning to realize that human translation has an edge, but this still makes a case for why every translation company must prepare for uncertainty.
Our ability to be flexible has helped us a lot during the pandemic, and we keep aiming to make business seamless for both our staff and clients.
Yes, it may hard to make forecasts in this industry, and each month comes with its surprise, but a prepared mindset places you a step ahead.
Carve a niche and strive hard to become an authority
The advice we give any business attempting to break into the translation industry from our little experience is simple really, find a niche, and try to be the best in that segment.
It is also very important that you get to know your potential market. Finally, do not attempt a low pricing strategy you would not be able to sustain. Always ensure you are up to date with your industry and network in person when the pandemic restrictions are finally over.
While we acknowledge the road ahead of us, milestones like this warrant that we take some time to appreciate the progress we have made. We look forward to what the next ten years hold for TIL.