The more Russian business integrates into world economy, the more in demand the services of professional translators become. If you actively conduct business with foreign partners in the “international language of business”, English is not always enough. And, to be honest, not all Russian managers know him at a sufficient level.
That is why many people with knowledge of languages and a desire to have their own business today open not a franchise cafe or a small store, but a translation agency.
If you decide to open your own translation agency, you need to be aware that it is The business is quite tough and amateurs don’t stay in it for long. However, those companies that were able to gain a reputation and acquire regular customers, they earn quite well.
What is the difference between a professional translation agency and a fly-by-night company?
Just a few years ago, a fairly common situation was when one or two people who knew one or two foreign languages, not wanting to work for the boss, created their own virtual translation agency. We ordered spam mailing to a database of companies representing medium-sized businesses and received orders (spam remains quite common today effective means attracting clients). At the same time, they did not pay taxes, did not spend money on renting offices, that is, they worked completely “for themselves.”
Now there are also quite a lot of such companies, but their number is constantly decreasing - large clients prefer not to work with freelancers. They do not provide any guarantees of the performance and quality of work, reporting documents, cannot carry out large-scale orders, and most importantly, it is difficult to build long-term relationships with them.
Therefore, if you open a translation agency, you still have to follow the traditional path: register a company and rent an office (even if not in the center, but on the outskirts).
Fulfill all orders on our own it won't work either- now translations are especially in demand not from English, but from less common languages, such as Spanish, Chinese, Italian, German, Dutch. In addition, the staff must have an editor, secretary, account manager and courier.
As for full-time translators, their number may be limited to 3-5, but they must be highly qualified specialists. An editor is necessary to control the quality of texts sent to the customer. Ideally, he should not only speak the language, but also understand the topic of translation.
In any case, if the volume of orders exceeds 1000 pages per month, a full-time translator is highly desirable. In the same time Not a single translation company can do without freelancers. When the volumes are large and the deadlines are tight (one person can translate no more than seven pages of text per day), it is necessary to invite outside specialists.
In other words, Before hiring staff, it is necessary to carefully analyze all business processes.
For example, It is extremely important to understand which translations will bring the main profit agency. In many respects, of course, this will depend on the circle of clients. There are a number of the most common options.
There are agencies that make money mainly from written translation instructions and technical documentation by order of large foreign companies supplying industrial or consumer equipment to Russia. This work requires translators who initially understand this field and, most importantly, are ready to learn and adapt to the client. Freelance workers are not suitable here.
It often happens that for the customer it is fundamentally important that the translation corresponds to the standard phraseological standards adopted by the company, standard expressions that should be translated exactly this way and not otherwise - this is what the translator must remember first of all. But such “capricious” clients rarely go to another contractor who is not yet familiar with their “whims.”
A completely different case - translation of legally significant documents. To do this, there are not enough proven full-time and freelance translators who are ready to do their work on high level. You will also need a full-time lawyer who understands issues of international law and is ready to provide notarization of the authenticity of the translator’s signature, legalization and apostille for documents intended for use on the territory of foreign countries.
Oral translations are a separate genre, requiring special training and professional skills from the translator. As a rule, such translators are in demand for translating lectures, presentations, as well as accompanying foreign representatives of companies interested in hassle-free communications with native speakers of another language. In essence, an interpreter is a “one-man orchestra”: highly educated, with well-delivered speech, fluent in both a foreign and native language.
In a special group it is worth highlighting companies serving international conferences and seminars and providing simultaneous translation services. Firstly, simultaneous interpreters are a special translation specialty and not every professional translator involved in written translations will be able to provide high-quality simultaneous translation. In addition, in order to work with large customers, the bureau must have own equipment for simultaneous translations and provide it to the customer together with the translators.
From a profitability point of view these services are distributed in ascending order. Just oral translation costs from $8 to $25 per sheet. Complex technical translation - from $15 to $35, oral - $40-$100 per hour, simultaneous - $100-$300 per hour. However, it is worth remembering that most large companies more or less successfully combine these areas.
Theoretically, any talented entrepreneur can become the head of a translation agency, even if he does not know languages. However, in the latter case, he will have to hire a deputy with a specialized education, whom he could trust, otherwise finding professional employees will be impossible. At all, this business is "recommended" to those who received higher education at MSLU, Moscow Military humanitarian university, Institute of Asian and African Countries, Moscow State University or other language universities.
If someone thought that creating a translation agency is a very complex and specific business, then perhaps the following figures can change his mind. The profitability of a translation agency increases as the quality and professional services it provides to the customer.
For comparison: the profitability of a security company, a small bakery or an average hairdressing salon does not exceed 20% .
Just don’t forget that investments in intelligence are the most profitable.
IN modern world knowledge of a foreign language is simply necessary, but for various reasons not everyone can obtain and use this knowledge. However, the need for translator services in our country, especially after the removal of the Iron Curtain, is only increasing. To overcome the language barrier To negotiate with partners on an equal basis and solve various other problems, people turn to a translation agency.
Brief market analysis
Your own translation agency can become quite profitable business. According to experts, in Russia the market for translator services is $200,000,000 – 250,000,000 per year, while annually it adds another 15%. All this indicates that the demand for such services is only growing.
Start-up investments in business
A person who speaks one or more foreign languages, or a person who does not know any of them, can open his own business in this area.
A huge advantage of such a business is that it does not require large investments - initial stage required about $4,000.
We staff the staff
By opening your own translation agency, with special attention It is worth considering the selection of personnel, that is, professional translators. It is best if your company specializes in translation from several different languages. This means that it is more profitable to hire employees who speak two or three foreign languages. It is very important to have translators from Chinese, Spanish, German and French in your company. Translations from Ukrainian, Lithuanian and other national languages of the countries of the former USSR republics are no less in demand. However, it is not at all necessary to hire many specialists: often in such bureaus, translators work as freelancers. In addition, specialists can even live in other cities and countries, and you can interact with them using the Internet and e-mail.
Services provided by the translation agency
Your agency can provide a whole range of services related to translation from one language to another:
Oral translation:
- simultaneous translation (the translator translates simultaneously with the speaker’s speech);
- consecutive translation (the interpreter begins to translate after the speaker has stopped speaking, having finished the entire speech or some part of it);
- support of events (trainings, seminars, conferences, presentations).
Written translation:
- legal translation;
- economic translation;
- translation technical documents;
- translation of works of literature;
- translation of medical documents.
Notarized translation(performed by a relevant specialist and certified by a notary confirming the accuracy of the translation).
Localization services(this includes translation of websites and programs, as well as films and computer games).
Translation agency business plan
Before opening a translation agency, you need to register your company, then rent premises and, finally, purchase the necessary furniture and organizational units. technique. In general, the investment in your enterprise will be about $4,000.
Typically, translating one page of typewritten text costs $15. The price may increase depending on the subject of the source text and the language in which it is written. Translation of technical and legal documentation is the most expensive. Its price can range from $30 to $40 per page.
Interpretation will cost even more. In an hour, a simultaneous interpreter can earn $100 - $200. However, this is very hard work, so it is not possible to do it on a large scale. Therefore, a significant part of the agency’s profit will come from written and, especially, notarized translations. The specialist translator himself receives 60-70% of the proceeds, the company takes the rest as a commission.
Having 3-5 translators, even with a small workload, the bureau is able to bring in $4,000 - $5,000 per month. Thus, the income of the owner of such an enterprise will be $1,350 – $2,000 monthly. Let us subtract the costs of paying taxes and rent from the resulting amount: the profit of the translation agency will be $850 – $1,500. Such a business will pay off in 3-5 months.
Anyone can open their own translation agency, regardless of whether they themselves know foreign languages. Such a business does not require large investments and pays off within six months. However, an entrepreneur should carefully consider the selection of translators who will work in his company, because the image of the enterprise, and therefore its popularity in the market, depends on the quality of the services provided.
The translation business is certainly attractive due to its accessibility, but the virtual absence of initial investments is compensated by fierce competition in this service market. Having your own translation agency is a fairly tough business in which non-professionals do not stay long. This business Only those people who have behind them can organize competently linguistic education and work experience.
Let's look at the step-by-step procedure for opening a translation agency.
1 step. It is necessary to register a legal entity with the tax office. You can do this yourself, within a couple of thousand rubles for all state fees. duties, etc. You can also contact a specialized organization, which will do the entire procedure itself for $200-300.
Step 2. You need to find office space. For the first time, an area of about 20 sq.m. is enough. with a connected telephone line.
Step 3. Equip the office with everything necessary - furniture, appliances, Internet, necessary literature.
Step 4 Personnel selection. In any business, personnel decides everything, so their selection is a very difficult but necessary task. Of course, if the head of a translation agency is a translator, then the problem is simplified: firstly, at first you can take on small orders yourself, and secondly, knowing a foreign language can determine the qualifications of a potential employee.
I would like to note that agency employees can be both full-time and freelance. To date, there is no consensus on which employees are best to hire. There are both advantages and disadvantages to any approach. Let's take a closer look at them.
The advantages of freelancers are that they do not need to pay a salary, they do not need office workspaces - significant savings on rent, also such translators can work on a flexible schedule, take on an order urgently, the possibility of tax optimization, etc. The disadvantages are also obvious - it is more difficult for editors to control, also a freelancer can disappear without prior warning, can work for several agencies, etc.
A competent translator, qualified in one of the most popular languages, translates on average one typewritten page for $4-6. In the case of an urgent translation, this figure must be multiplied by at least two; it is also necessary to take into account the inevitable loss of translation quality, about which it is better to warn the customer. For orders that do not require specialized knowledge, you can find students from language universities; for a couple of dollars they will translate.
A full-time translator looks more attractive, but it also costs more. The services of a reputable specialist in Moscow, for example, will cost about $1000, plus or minus a couple of hundred, depending on qualifications. A beginning translation agency must have at least one such specialist on staff, even if his work does not pay off at first.
To carry out large specialized orders, an editor is needed who will monitor and coordinate the actions of translators. Editor salary costs are even higher. In addition to the editor, you need an administrator or a client support specialist, because you need to control deadlines and the activities of translators and editors.
Step 5 Advertising. Serious clients do not look for translators through advertisements in free newspapers or leaflets, so advertising in serious business publications, telephone directories, and the Internet is necessary. If finances allow, you can contact website developers who, in addition to developing the website, will also promote it on the Internet.
Of course, the best advertising is recommendations from friends and acquaintances. Serious customers will choose performers not based on advertising, but based on reviews. In order for a newly founded translation agency to find a reputable client, it is necessary to use personal connections, make new acquaintances and not miss the chance when it comes.
A start-up company should never “break the market” low prices, because this will only attract insolvent clients, and large companies It will only scare you away.
Rare languages, of course, are much more profitable than common ones, but there is also little demand for rare languages. So exotic languages can only be an addition, but not the main activity.
A special place in the translation business is occupied by oral, consecutive and simultaneous translations. As a rule, the services of such translators are in demand at various lectures, presentations, to accompany representatives of foreign companies, etc. Simultaneous translation is considered the highest point of professionalism and is estimated at $70-80 per hour of work. Typically, simultaneous interpreters are freelancers, since their services are used infrequently and the cost of their services is high.
In addition to all of the above, such a service as notarization of translated documents is in demand. In order to certify a foreign document, a qualified translator is not enough; you also need a lawyer who knows the intricacies of international law.
As related services, we can also offer the preparation of abstracts, reports, annotations, layout, preparation of layouts, etc., up to interaction with the printing house at the request of the client and photocopying. However, a smart entrepreneur will always find a source of income.
Translation services have always been in demand. And bye different peoples The world uses many languages and dialects for communication and mutual understanding; they will not become less valuable. In addition to its high demand, this area of business is also made attractive by its low cost and accessibility. However, it is these factors that pose certain barriers to further development and growth and ensure the presence of fierce competition. Nevertheless, translation agency– very profitable view businesses that do not require large initial investments Money.
In order to open your own translation agency, you do not need to obtain any special permits or licenses. Enough to pass registration process as an entrepreneur – legal entity or individual entrepreneur. Going through all the necessary procedures will cost several thousand rubles if you participate independently and from 200 to 300 dollars if you contact a law firm. Despite the fact that the second method is more expensive, by resorting to it you will be able to save a lot of time and effort.
The next stage of business organization will be search for premises. The requirements for the office in this case are not very high. To set up a translation agency, it will be enough to rent large room, with an area of 20-30 sq. m. with telephone. The rent for such a space will be approximately $600 to $900 per month. But, if we are talking about accommodation in a prestigious location, the price will be much higher.
To operate a translation agency you will need to have technology: several computers, printer, scanner, fax, copier. In addition, to work, you will most likely need access to the Internet, so if the rented premises does not have a dedicated line, you will have to take care of it.
The most important thing in this type of business is staff. Of course, the task is greatly simplified if the entrepreneur himself is a translator and will perform most of the functions independently. But, most likely, one translator will not be enough and you will have to start hiring employees. Good translator, he is also an entrepreneur who can easily assess the competence of potential applicants, but otherwise he will have to resort to outside help. You can contact recruitment agency, which without special labor will select candidates, but there will still be no complete confidence in their skills, abilities and professionalism. The qualifications of such employees can only be assessed over time, when they are tested directly on the clients of the agency, which, in the absence of such, can have an extremely negative impact on the image of the company. Therefore, before hiring a translator, you should resort to the services of employees of relevant universities, acquaintances who speak languages, foreigners, or even your own future competitors.
It is also worth noting that in this area it is possible form a staff of specialists or use the services of freelancers. Both the first and second options have their disadvantages and advantages. The advantages of using freelance labor are: there is no need to pay just for the fact that they are present at the workplace, you do not need to organize workplaces for them in the office, using their services, you can respond more flexibly to orders. Moreover, there is an opinion that freelancers are more qualified and flexible professionals. Among the disadvantages are the difficulty of monitoring the progress of work, as well as the possible employment of a freelancer at a time when there is a need for his services. Forming a large base of specialists will help to avoid this, which, however, will take some time.
A good specialist can easily translate a text of 10 to 15 thousand characters in one working day. Of course, one should not exclude the possibility of emergency situations when these numbers become several times larger, and, as a rule, with a loss of quality. About which, however, to avoid conflict situations It is better to inform the customer in advance. The cost of translating text of average complexity will be approximately from 4 to 6 dollars per typewritten page (about 1800 characters with spaces). You can, of course, resort to the services of students from the relevant universities, who will take on the order for a price several times lower, but this option is most likely appropriate if it is necessary to translate tasks that are not particularly urgent and complex, which most likely simply cannot be screwed up.
As for full-time translators, in many respects they look more attractive. First of all, they are always “at hand” and monitoring the progress of the work is not difficult. But it is worth noting that the maintenance of such workers costs completely different money. So, wage a good specialist in Moscow will cost approximately 500 to 600 dollars, and sometimes thousands of dollars. In this case, everything depends on the qualifications of the translator. The higher it is, the correspondingly higher the level of wages. But, regardless of the chosen option for cooperation with translators, at least one full-time highly qualified specialist must still be available in the translation agency.
No less important is the role editor. Especially when it comes to completing large orders and the need to coordinate the work of a group of employees. In addition, a translation agency needs managers and administrators who contact clients, select translators and are ultimately responsible for the timing of orders and their quality.
The next important step on the path to development will be search for clients. The easiest and at the same time free way is to place information about the services provided in free publications, as well as post up and distribute leaflets on your own. But, it should be noted that this approach will not attract serious clients, and rare, random orders will not allow the business to recoup and make a profit. Therefore, you should choose a slightly different promotion option. The most appropriate means here are advertising in publications aimed at businessmen, posting information in directories, organizing mailing lists, and creating your own website on the Internet. Such advertising campaign will cost an average of $300 to $500 per month.
It should be noted that attracting really large clients using even the most effective advertising is not at all easy. This is primarily due to the fact that large customers do not welcome working with unknown companies, preferring trusted partners. Therefore, the most effective means advertising is the so-called “word of mouth”, when information about a company is passed on by word of mouth and contains positive reviews and recommendations. The only problem here is finding the first major client, who will provide such advertising in the future. To do this, you often have to use all your enterprise and personal connections.
A separate issue important for the existence and development of translation agencies is pricing issue. As already noted, there is fierce competition in this area of business, so prices for translation services are no less standard. As a rule, the cost of translation from popular languages into Russian ranges from 7 to 12 dollars per page, translation from Russian - from 8 to 12 dollars. Moreover, these values gravitate towards the average values of the fork. There are, however, such companies, mostly start-ups, that offer translation services at a price of 3.5-4 dollars. This allows you to attract certain categories of clients, but, on the contrary, it scares away reputable customers. As a result, at least at first, such a company will operate at a loss. However, over time, in the case of high-quality work performed, the translation agency will form positive reputation and, most likely, things will go uphill.
It is worth noting that translation from/to rare languages is much more profitable than from/to English or German. So, the cost of translating a page into Vietnamese or Japanese can reach amounts of up to 20-25 dollars. However, unfortunately, such translations are rare, so they act rather as a supplement to the main ones.
As for the dependence of the translation price on the complexity of the text, different translation agencies choose different policies. Some do not take into account the complexity of the text, others, on the contrary, rank it. But there is general unity regarding the price of fulfilling urgent orders. For urgent orders, translation agencies can charge the client double or even triple rates. Fulfilling such orders, as a rule, brings the greatest profit to the company.
Oral, simultaneous and consecutive translations are especially valued. Oral translation involves translating phrases as they are received; in the second case, translation is carried out almost without delay. This translation is most often used at various conferences. Simultaneous translation is considered the highest aerobatics. Accordingly, its cost also reaches its highest value. An hour of such work can cost from 70 to 80 dollars. Moreover, due to the complexity of such translation (it is extremely difficult for a translator to withstand simultaneous translation for more than 20-30 minutes), translation agencies require that the customer use the services of two translators at once. In this case, the payment for work is also doubled. As a rule, simultaneous interpreters are not employed by the company. This is extremely expensive and not so often in demand. Consecutive interpreting costs slightly less and ranges from $9 to $30 per hour. For about the same amount you can use the services of a guide-translator.
A separate category of text translation services is notarization of translated documents, that is, an apostille. This service is necessary for the legalization of documents issued abroad with their certification by the Ministry of Justice or the consulate. The price of such translation, as a rule, depends on the complexity and urgency of the work performed. For example, the translation of one seal in a document can cost only 20 rubles, while the translation of an urgent consular certificate costs at least 150 dollars.
Another translation service is proofreading of the translated document by a native speaker. The cost of such a service is approximately the same as the translation itself. This is due to the fact that compiling a text requires, at a minimum, a translation of the original source. The service is not in great demand, but, nevertheless, sometimes it is necessary. It's about about advertising texts, annotations, abstracts, preparation of original layouts, etc.
As a rule, the income of a translation agency is on average 40% of the cost of translation. The rest of the amount is received by the translator. It is this ratio that guarantees the normal functioning of the translation agency and ensures its survival in the market. To start a business, it is sufficient to have an amount of 1.6 thousand to 2.3 thousand dollars.
Currently, there are many ways for small firms to develop. A business plan for a translation agency should be drawn up in order to understand what this type business represents one of the options for possible investment of your capital. Many people need professional translation, so the demand for the services of such an organization is always at a very high level.
Any commercial structure whose activities are aimed at making a profit requires mandatory formal notification of special government agencies about your existence. Therefore, before drawing up a business plan for a translation agency, you must register as a legal entity. To do this, you need to collect a certain package of documents, send them to the necessary institutions, but it will be much more convenient to contact good office, which will help you register for a reasonable fee (7-10 thousand rubles). This will significantly save time, which is the most precious resource for a private entrepreneur. Translation companies are not required to obtain a license to conduct economic activity, which, of course, is a very positive thing.
After all the formalities have been determined Russian legislation, have been implemented, you can begin to develop a business project for the bureau.
General organization of the translation agency
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Location and premises
Any company, in parallel with registering its legal entity, must decide on its address, that is, on the premises where it will operate. The choice of location is determined by many factors - the availability of nearby parking spaces, the ability to reach it by public transport, and the well-being of the area. The number of clients in a translation agency usually does not depend on how close it is to the city center, so the founder is free to choose the most acceptable option for himself, based, first of all, on real estate prices and, accordingly, his own payment capabilities. The average monthly rental price for a standard office space (up to 50-60 sq. m) across the country in a normal area is 25-40 thousand rubles.
The size of the office may vary depending on how many people will work directly in it, and how many employees will have freelance status and carry out their work duties from home. But in any case, at the initial stage you should not rent a room that is too large - it simply will not pay off.
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Personnel structure
Representatives of recruitment agencies recommend that when opening any business, you need to make do with a minimum staff of employees. They must be sufficiently qualified, since it is on them that the future of the company will be built. None commercial organization cannot exist without a director, the head of the financial department (accountant), employees and service personnel.
A trusted person from among acquaintances who understands management and economics and has real management experience is usually appointed as a director. If there are no such people among your loved ones, then you can organize a competition for a vacant position and, after reviewing resumes and interviews with candidates, choose the one who is most worthy of holding it. You should do the same with hiring an accountant.
The situation is somewhat more complicated with the main employees - translators. To organize a competition for such jobs, you should seek the services of a professional - a language specialist, and communicate with those wishing to find a job in a foreign dialect.
At the very beginning of the company’s activities, it is better to limit the number of full-time translators and hire no more than 2-4 people, each of whom is a professional in at least one foreign language.
When hiring them, in addition to the results of the interview with a linguist, the director and founder should very carefully consider their level vocational education, presence of language practice abroad, previous occupation. Conclude employment contracts stands only with the most worthy people, both professionally and personally.
The translation agency must also have a list of freelancers. Their selection should be approached less strictly - for example, you can send job offers to graduates and students to the dean’s offices of universities that train specialists in foreign languages. It is recommended to hire no more than 7 people.
Housekeeping staff (cleaners, system administrators etc.) you can easily dial from advertisements. Their presence in the organization on a permanent basis does not make sense, so concluding a full-fledged employment agreement with them is not required.
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Furniture and equipment
Any office space needs furniture. It is worth ordering directly from manufacturers, as it will be much cheaper than buying it in a store. Number of seats, chairs, computer desks and other furnishing elements are determined based on the number of constantly busy employees; It is also worth always having a designated place for one client.
A translation agency must have modern technical devices. This organization cannot do without computers (laptops), copying equipment, printers, faxes and Internet access. All equipment should be purchased in specialized stores; it must be new in order to last as long as possible. The presence of a high-quality material base will significantly influence the speed and quality of order fulfillment, naturally, in a positive direction.
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Activities of the translation agency
The main activity for the bureau's employees is regular printed translation of varying degrees of complexity. Texts should be ranked as easy, medium and difficult. Based on this, prices are determined. The simplest transfers from in English into Russian and vice versa cost about 40 rubles per 1000 characters. Texts of average complexity - 60-70 rubles. Complex ones - from 80 to 120 rubles. Of course, all translations must be of high quality, otherwise no one will pay serious money for them.
The price depends on the language into which you need to translate and on the language in which the material is written. 90% of all orders are related to work with English, French and German are quite popular - their price tag is the same. Texts with other languages cost approximately 30-40% more.
Literary translation is a separate service. Replacing speech patterns and adapting text features to a specific language are much more expensive than direct, purely technical translation. Most often, the price for such work is piecework and is determined with each specific customer separately.
The most expensive service is simultaneous interpretation. An abundance of foreign TV series and films, computer games that are purchased Russian companies for localization, the number of orders of this kind sent to translation agencies is significantly increasing. The cost of performing such work is from 300 to 1500 thousand rubles per hour.
The price list and prices should be posted on the agency’s website on the Internet, which must be created without fail.