New guide translates into business success

A WEST Midlands translation firm is helping companies looking to secure overseas business by improving their communication skills.

Comtec Translations, based in Leamington, has launched a free Language Guide which explains to businesses how to take some simple steps that will increase their ability to communicate in other languages and access export markets worth millions of pounds.

To coincide with the launch of the guide, Comtec is also offering a free one-hour review of their language communication requirements.

Picture caption: Sophie Howe, director of Comtec Translations, with Adrian Morgan, sales director at Hydrajaws

Sophie Howe, director of Comtec Translations, said: “Exporting firms can reap real rewards from actively using foreign language skills and research has shown businesses which are proactive in their use of foreign languages achieve, on average, 45% more export sales.

“When the British Chambers of Commerce asked almost 3,500 of its members why they did not export to Europe 11% cited language barriers and 5% cultural barriers. The same BCC research has shown small businesses were losing up to £250,000 per year in orders due to a lack of language skills.”

She said the guide and the review would hopefully help firms get over their language barriers and improve their chances of accessing new markets.

One company to have already benefitted from the service is Coleshill-based Hydrajaws.

The firm, which employs eight people, produces testing equipment for the construction industry, including devices used to test the holding power of anchors and fixings in most construction materials.

Following success in the UK market, and having already begun to break into export markets in Europe, the United States, Australia and the Middle East, the company enlisted the help of Comtec to help it expand its client base even further.

Comtec has produced six different language versions of Hydrajaws’ website – www.hydrajaws.co.uk – and provided product information in Russian, French, Italian, Polish, German and Spanish.

Adrian Morgan, sales director at Hydrajaws, said: “We already exported to countries across the globe but we mainly picked up clients through word of mouth and we wanted a way of expanding our customer base further.

“Comtec helped us to make it even better by converting pages into half a dozen languages which will hopefully help us pick up more export business.”

Companies can download the guide to using language in international business at www.comtectranslations.com

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