A languages graduate who eight years ago set up and ran a translation service in his bedroom today employs 3,000 freelance linguists and is eyeing turnover of £4million.
Christian Arno, who speaks five languages, started an early version of Lingo24 in Aberdeen in 2001, with just £2,000 he had left over from lucky share dealing.
Requests for his translation services today range from firms looking to build websites in foreign markets, to individuals needing to understand legal or technical documents.
But recalling his early days, Mr Arno hinted his commissions weren’t always as proper: panicky students would call for help, as would porn sites, which he refused.
Speaking to the Times, he also said that growing his firm was, wrongly, left to “ads that I thought were magically going to” win new leads, that were not targeted.
Having learnt his lesson, the 30-year-old opened an office and took on staff, only to find Google had placed his website far down the rankings for translation services.
Demand for the service reportedly plummeted, just as he realised the syntax of some of his translators living outside of their native countries made for “weird” translations.
Less reliance on Google, and on translators living away from their mother tongues, followed, partly by setting up in ten nations, hiring 3,000 freelancers, 100 staff and operating 24 hours.
Measures to help the bottom line, like using translators in low-cost cities, should see Lingo24 hit a profit this year of £200,000, beating its expectation of breaking even.
And testimonials on the firm’s website by services giants, including Bloomberg, T-Mobile and RBS, go some way to explain its estimated revenues of £4m, up from £2.9m last year.
May 20, 2009
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