{"id":3149,"date":"2023-09-11T13:12:36","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T13:12:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/?p=3149"},"modified":"2024-02-20T12:57:05","modified_gmt":"2024-02-20T12:57:05","slug":"how-to-scale-your-translation-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency\/","title":{"rendered":"How to scale your translation agency. Our top 10 tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_79_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Table of contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency\/#How_to_scale_your_translation_agency\" >How to scale your translation agency<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency\/#1_Define_your_scaling_strategy\" >1. \u00a0 \u00a0  Define your scaling strategy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency\/#2_Pay_attention_to_the_quality_of_translation\" >2. \u00a0 \u00a0  Pay attention to the quality of translation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency\/#3_Expand_your_translation_team\" >3. \u00a0 \u00a0  Expand your translation team<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency\/#4_Invest_in_marketing_and_promotion\" >4. \u00a0 \u00a0  Invest in marketing and promotion<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency\/#5_Build_your_agencys_brand\" >5. \u00a0 \u00a0  Build your agency\u2019s brand<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency\/#6_Standardise_your_operations\" >6. \u00a0 \u00a0  Standardise your operations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency\/#7_Use_automations\" >7. \u00a0 \u00a0  Use automations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency\/#8_Monitor_the_outcomes\" >8. \u00a0 \u00a0  Monitor the outcomes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency\/#9_Embrace_the_change\" >9. \u00a0 \u00a0  Embrace the change<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency\/#10_Do_not_be_afraid_to_take_risks\" >10.\u00a0  Do not be afraid to take risks<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>The demand for translation agencies is increasing, and that is a perfect opportunity to use this potential to scale your business. Here are top 10 tips to help you scale your translation agency.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_scale_your_translation_agency\"><\/span><b>How to scale your translation agency<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main idea behind scaling your business is to increase your company\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Revenue\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> revenue.<\/a> But how does it differ from growth? The key difference is costs. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>When your company grows, your revenue grows along with your expenses. However, when you scale your business, your expenses do grow, but the increase in spending is significantly slower than the growth of revenue, which propels your company\u2019s expansion.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a rule, scaling should be planned already at the very early stages of creating your company&#8217;s activity. Sometimes, however, opportunities appear on their own, as a result of your business growth. Regardless of the stage your translation agency is in, you can still make a plan for scaling your business. Here is a list of 10 tips that we have prepared for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Define_your_scaling_strategy\"><\/span><b>1. \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b> <b>Define your scaling strategy<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before you make any specific improvements to your business, start with analysing the current state of affairs. Take a close look at the offerings of your agency, the staff, and the external processes. The conclusions you arrive at will <strong>help you realise what can be done to increase your company\u2019s efficiency and revenu<\/strong>e, without disrupting your current operations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a plan and scaling strategy in place, it will be easier for you to<strong> set specific goals, track your progress and analyse the results<\/strong> of the implemented solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Pay_attention_to_the_quality_of_translation\"><\/span><b>2. \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b> <b>Pay attention to the quality of translation<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Translation is the foundation of your business, therefore you have to<strong> deliver the best possible quality.<\/strong> In order to assess that, make a comparison between the translation and the source text. Did your employee understand the context well enough? Do you see any errors or omissions? Is the style and voice of the original still present in the translation? Are there any grammar or punctuation mistakes? If you are wondering how to scale your translation agency, you need to ask these questions. The quality delivered by your team is at the heart of your business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To find the answers to all these questions, you will need to invest some time (if you think you can judge the quality of the translations yourself) or financial means (by commissioning an external review of the texts or investing in the right tools). These are however the costs that are worth bearing. They will help you <strong>increase the quality of your services and eventually affect the loyalty of your customer base.<\/strong> If your clients are satisfied with the cooperation, they will come back, or maybe even recommend your company to their friends.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Expand_your_translation_team\"><\/span><b>3. \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b> <b>Expand your translation team<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why would you hire new people and pay new specialists if the expenses are supposed to grow slower than revenue? The answer is in the previous tip <strong>\u2013 it is all about the quality of services and expanding your offerings.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diversify your team by working with specialists from different countries. What they bring to the table is not only the ability to speak the languages, but also <strong>cultural context and even connections from their home countries.<\/strong> Sometimes the rates of cross-border experts are also better than those at the home market.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/for-employer\/\">Useme<\/a> will help you with billing while cooperating with international freelancers. The platform takes care of formalities and admin tasks associated with settling deals. It is Useme that actually hires your freelance translators, being in the position of their employer. In turn, you buy the effects of the commissioned work on the basis of a purchase and sale transaction. If you create a free account, your first transaction with a chosen freelancer will be free of service costs.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-e5d46af2-7466-4459-a299-3cb17df600da\" class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\"><span id=\"hs-cta-e5d46af2-7466-4459-a299-3cb17df600da\" class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-e5d46af2-7466-4459-a299-3cb17df600da\"><!-- [if lte IE 8]>\n\n\n<div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div>\n\n\n<![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/hubspot-cta-redirect-eu1-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/cta\/redirect\/27198211\/e5d46af2-7466-4459-a299-3cb17df600da\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"hs-cta-img-e5d46af2-7466-4459-a299-3cb17df600da\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" style=\"border-width: 0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/hubspot-no-cache-eu1-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/cta\/default\/27198211\/e5d46af2-7466-4459-a299-3cb17df600da.png\" alt=\"Create your free Useme account\" \/><\/a><\/span><script charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"https:\/\/js-eu1.hscta.net\/cta\/current.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> hbspt.cta.load(27198211, 'e5d46af2-7466-4459-a299-3cb17df600da', {\"useNewLoader\":\"true\",\"region\":\"eu1\"}); <\/script><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why should you give this solution a try? As a company owner you will not have to bother with registering a new employee or paying taxes related to hiring them. Your cooperation will be formalised with a tax invoice. You will save time and money that can be invested in furthering your efforts to scale your translation agency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Invest_in_marketing_and_promotion\"><\/span><b>4. \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b> <b>Invest in marketing and promotion<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nowadays marketing and promotion stretch far beyond the radio, television or billboards by the road. Even small investments can help you <strong>reach a wide audience, simply by using organic or promotional posts in social media\u00a0 and creating a good <a href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/6-free-email-marketing-tools,233\/\">e-mail marekting strategy.<\/a><\/strong> But how do you avoid burning through your marketing budget? Start with <strong>identifying your target and personas,<\/strong> and then analyse what social media they use. Remember \u2013 you do not need to be everywhere, but you need to be where your potential customers are.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By<strong> raising awareness of your brand,<\/strong> you are generating traffic on your platforms and website. These customers need to become interested in your offering, get convinced that you are indeed experts, and eventually \u2013 be part of a long-term business relationship. Tools such as blogs, newsletters, case studies or testimonials from satisfied customers will help you achieve that.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Build_your_agencys_brand\"><\/span><b>5. \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b> <b>Build your agency\u2019s brand<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Raising awareness is one thing, but you also need to identify strengths and unique properties of your agency. Once you find them,<strong> focus on them in your communication.<\/strong> Customers tend to trust companies that have <strong>established values and goals,<\/strong> but also engage in certain activities, for example take part in industry events, do community work or are known for working with big names.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Work on your network \u2013 start with your employees and current customers, but with time take up new cooperations that will help scale your translation agency and its services.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Standardise_your_operations\"><\/span><b>6. \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b> <b>Standardise your operations<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to scale your translation agency? <a href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/go-global-with-your-business\/\">If<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/go-global-with-your-business\/\">you want to go global with your business<\/a> take a step back. In order to expand your business, first you need to <strong>standardise your current operations,<\/strong> such as internal communications (within your team) and external communications (with your customers and other stakeholders), your company\u2019s values and mission, your organisational culture, recruitment processes, onboarding, quality assurance of your translations, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Please bear in mind that no progress is possible <strong>without properly taking care of the fundamentals.<\/strong> You will need an action plan to be able to measure and track progress, which is crucial to analysing whether the steps you are taking are actually helping scale your translation agency.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Use_automations\"><\/span><b>7. \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b> <b>Use automations<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You already know the processes your company runs on. Now it is time to examine which of them can be automated. The <strong>right tools will help you avoid doing the tedious and monotonous tasks,<\/strong> which not only take up your time, but also might be bad for morale and efficiency. Which processes can be automated?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customer service \u2014 use<strong> a chatbot<\/strong> that will answer the most common customer queries;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recruitment \u2014 <strong>use ATS\u00a0 systems<\/strong>, which offer multiposting or automatic resume selection;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Billing \u2014\u00a0 <strong>use<\/strong><\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/for-employer\/\"> Useme<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>,<\/strong> a platform that takes over your employer responsibilities and does all the billing in cooperating with <a href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/take-your-business-to-the-next-level-4-areas-in-which-a-freelancer-has-an-advantage-over-a-full-time-employee,111\/\">freelancers<\/a> for you.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Remember:<\/strong> if you are wondering how to scale your translation agency, <strong>automation is key.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-3152\" src=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency-our-top-10-tips-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"Scale_Your_Translation_Agency\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" srcset=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency-our-top-10-tips-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency-our-top-10-tips-980x655.jpg 980w, https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/how-to-scale-your-translation-agency-our-top-10-tips-480x321.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8_Monitor_the_outcomes\"><\/span><b>8. \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b> <b>Monitor the outcomes<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is no guarantee that your actions will ultimately aid your company\u2019s growth. Therefore you should<strong> closely monitor the state of your business and verify the changes being introduced<\/strong> to make sure that they are not moving you away from your business goals. This will allow you to react quickly to any potential issues or even <a href=\"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-optimize-company-costs\/\">optimize company costs<\/a> that you find to high.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"9_Embrace_the_change\"><\/span><b>9. \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b> <b>Embrace the change<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In big corporations every deviation from the norm has to be accepted by a long chain of management. Smaller businesses find it easier to introduce changes and respond to them. <strong>Stay up to date with market trends and potential customers\u2019 needs.<\/strong> In expanding your offer, consider their expectations, for instance offer translations of social media posts or movie scripts. Do not forget to do market research \u2013 your direct and indirect competitors. Who knows, maybe their activities will inspire you to find new answers on how to scale your translation agency?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"10_Do_not_be_afraid_to_take_risks\"><\/span><b>10.\u00a0 <\/b> <b>Do not be afraid to take risks<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether it is in private life or in business, progress requires changing your ways. Getting out of your comfort zone allows you to see new perspectives for growth. Reading this article is your very first step on this path. Do not be afraid to take risks, as they might help you<strong> scale your translation agency and grow in unexpected directions.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have now reached the end of the list of tips on how to scale your translation agency business. We believe that they will help you set a clear goal and expand your company in a way that will bring you more revenue than expenses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the foreign markets become more available, we all notice a growing demand for translating content, such as blog articles, documents, reports, websites, as well as related content-based services, namely editing and proofreading texts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":3153,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-employers"],"modified_by":"\u017baneta","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3149"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3812,"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3149\/revisions\/3812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/useme.com\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}