The General Theory of the Translation Company

160 Pages·2017·6.62 MB·English

by  Renato Beninatto

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