MEDIUM - TERM PRIORITIES

5.4 –

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After initial branding strategy and site design have stabilized, the company should shift focus to raising financing and expanding its marketing capabilities. An important aspect of this is site internationalization, which will enable potential Chinese, Korean, and Japanese customers to seamlessly browse the site in their native languages. A professional translator can be hired to edit and review text that can be “dropped in” to the existing English language codebase without any significant problems or disruptions.

In addition to this, the company should start developing features that should ease the use of the site by remote employees. As of launch time, only simple order browsing and uploading is enabled. The translator should have all tools necessary to perform work full-

time for the site, including coordination of paychecks & full chat and video tools for communicating with clients.

Development:

• Complete website i18n targets for Korean, Japanese, Simplified Chinese Build out a feature-complete translator-facing interface.

• Develop survey features for repeat customers and collect data on customer needs

Sales and Marketing:

• Continue business development in Taiwan

• Explore early-stage finance options

• Develop exploratory strategies for Korean & Japanese markets

5.4 –

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The company should be aiming to enter a phase of stability and strong growth, marked by initial exploration of several target markets, including Korea and Japan. Depending on the viability of document editing and translation as a business, the company should weigh the benefits of a stronger marketing push in new markets versus focusing resources on additional features and developing complementary services. Securing venture capital financing will be crucial at this stage.

Development:

• Explore options for new site features and evaluate existing site features

• Explore viability of native Android and iOS application versions of the site

• Determine risks/benefits of diversifying product offering beyond translation services, perhaps into other SaaS product offerings

Sales and Marketing:

• Open marketing campaigns in Korea and Japan

• Develop exploratory market analysis for Mainland Chinese market

C

6 – R

1. "SAY WHAT? TECHNOLOGY MAY NOT REPLACE HUMAN TRANSLATORS, BUT IT WILL HELP THEM WORK BETTER" .

THE ECONOMIST. THE ECONOMIST NEWSPAPER, PUBLISHED 05 FEB. 2015.

http://www.economist.com/news/business/21642187-technology-may-not-replace-humantranslators-it-will-help-them-work-better-say-what

2. ANTHONY PYM, FRANÇOIS GRIN, CLAUDIO SFREDDO, ANDY L. J. CHAN.

THE STATUS OF THE TRANSLATION PROFESSION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION.

ANTHEM PRESS, 2014.

3. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR,

OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOK HANDBOOK, 2016-17 EDITION, INTERPRETERS AND TRANSLATORS.

HTTPS://WWW.BLS.GOV/OOH/MEDIA-AND-COMMUNICATION/INTERPRETERS-AND-TRANSLATORS.HTM (VISITED AUGUST 06, 2017).

4. MATHIEU, MICHAEL. "INCREASES IN DEMAND FOR TRANSLATION SERVICES AND MARKET FRAGMENTATION." SMARTLING.

SMARTLING.COM, 19 AUG. 2014.

https://www.smartling.com/blog/translation-services-increases-demand-marketfragmentation/

5. "THE INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE SERVICES MARKET." LINGOKING.

WWW.LINGOKING.COM, 04 JAN. 2017.

https://www.lingoking.com/en/about-us/press/the-international-language-services-market/

6. "TRANSLATION AND LOCALIZATION INDUSTRY FACTS AND DATA." GALA GLOBAL. GLOBALIZATION AND LOCALIZATION ASSOCIATION, 29 AUG.

2016.

https://www.gala-global.org/industry/industry-facts-and-data

7. SCOTT, TOM. “WHY COMPUTERS SUCK AT TRANSLATION.” YOUTUBE, MAY 21, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAgp7nXdkLU

8. PAVLUS, JOHN. "SKYPE TRANSLATOR: IMPRESSIVE, BUT IMPERFECT." MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW. MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW, 15 JAN. 2015.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/534101/something-lost-in-skype-translation/

9. INSIDE.COM.TW JOB BOARDS. JUNE 2017 www.inside.com.tw

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The following is a list of questions that were asked of each interviewee. Their responses were condensed in order to provide interview summaries.

1. Can you please give me some basic information about the company involved? This includes name, approximate company size, geographic location and target markets, and typically contracted services.

2. Can you tell me a little bit about the translation agency used in the past? Was it a family company, a Taiwan-based corporation, or a subsidiary of an international company? How long have they been in business?

3. How did your organization develop a relationship with this company? How would your organization typically provide materials to them? What this relationship close or distant?

4. Have you used the same company for all of your translation needs, or have you procured translation from multiple such agencies in the past?

5. To what extent did you interact directly with the agency or people representing them? Did you most commonly meet face to face, communicate via email, etc etc.

6. What type of education and professional qualifications did your point of contact at the translation agency have? How many people would you typically deal with?

Would you ever interact directly with translators, or only indirectly through sales?

7. Can you provide your title on behalf of the procurement company? How many hours a week generally would you spend on the procurement process here? What were the basic responsibilities of your job?

8. What was the normal length of time you would spend on a single contracted job with the agency?

9. How would you upload documents and download the finished product? Where would the agency store them? What was the typical turnaround time on a document?

10. What type of prices would your organization typically pay? Would these payments be made in advance, in installments, or on credit terms?

11. If I asked your boss or coworker about his/her interaction with your company, how do you think he/she would describe it? In what areas would this business be

satisfactory, and in what way would it be in need of improvement?

12. What would you say were the strengths and weaknesses of the agency’s overall performance? In what ways do you think this company can improve the way it conducts business? Did the company have any legal or bureaucratic restrictions that hampered its ability to grow?