深圳翻译公司

It was an international drug trafficking case, one that involved a lot of money and a lot of violence. Undercover agents who had infiltrated the cartel had worn wires and collected evidence for years. A conviction depended on an accurate translation of their tape recordings. "Five languages were involved," says Liz Elting, 44, one of the owners of TransPerfect, the translation company chosen for the job. "The slightest mistake could mean the criminals would go free." For weeks, company linguists worked closely with prosecutors and agents to help win a conviction.

这是一个牵涉到重大金额和暴力事件的全球缉毒案件，卧底机构渗透进这个贩毒组织中多年，终于收集了一些证据。其中有一盒录音带，它的翻译的准确性会直接影响诉讼的结果。“其中包含5中语言”44岁的美译公司创始人利兹 艾尔丁说，她的公司被选中来承担这个重任。“任何一个微小的错误都可能导致犯罪分子逍遥法外。”连续几周，美译公司的语言专家们和卧底机构、检察官们密切配合来赢得这场诉讼。

When Elting launched her business 18years ago with Phil Shawe, both were attending New York University'sStern School of Business. Neither realized just how many situations wouldrequire their services. "We've transcribed black box data after planecrashes," says Elting. "We've done mergers and acquisitions.Translating Hooked on Phonics into eight languages was especially challenging becausewe were doing sounds, not words!"

艾尔丁和费尔沙文都是纽约大学斯特恩商学院的学生，十八年前当他们开始建立公司时，没有人意识到有多少场合会需要他们的翻译服务。“我们转录过飞机失事后的黑匣子数据”艾尔丁说“我们翻译过收购和合并的类型，我们还把《Hooked On Phonics》（儿童英语学习教材）主翻译成八种语言，这是非常挑战的，因为我们处理的是声音，而不是文字！”

Elting had once worked for a translation company, and she knew that the industry was essentially lots of tiny outfits delivering patchy quality. She also knew how important it was to get things right—like the instructions for medical devices. Ad companies, too, needed accurate translations that took cultural differences into account. She ands awe were certain that if they delivered a quick, reliable service, they could build an international business that would stand out.

艾尔丁曾经在一家翻译公司工作过，她了解这个行业里的一些小翻译公司的翻译质量并不太好。同时她也知道把翻译做对做好是多么重要。比如医疗装备的使用说明书；比如广告公司的翻译必须精确，并考虑客户文化差异的因素。她和沙文都相信，只要他们能够提供迅速可靠的服务，就能建立起杰出的跨国事业。

They set up shop in Shawe's dorm room.(The two were engaged until 1997. Though the wedding never happened, thecompany forged ahead.) While Shawe finished his MBA, Elting recruited freelancelinguists and made hundreds of cold calls seeking clients. One of their firstjobs was to translate an 800-page feasibility study of a Russian gold mine in30 days.

他们在沙文的宿舍里面开始办公。（两人1997年订婚，虽然最终没有结婚，但是公司稳步向前发展）。当沙文完成他的MBA学业的时候，艾尔丁聘用了很多自由工作的语言学家，打了数以百计的陌生拜访电话来寻找客户。他们得到的的第一项工作是在30天内完成翻译一篇关于俄罗斯金矿的800字的可行性分析。

Once the partners were out of survival mode, they hired people to helpgrow the company and told them to run their area as if it were their ownbusiness. "If they did well," says Elting, "they owned thatsuccess."

渐渐公司的生存不成问题时，他们开始聘请一些可以使公司发展壮大的人，并且让他们像经营他们自己的事业一样做好自己的领域。“如果他们敢干得很好，那功劳就是他们的。”艾尔丁说。

Elting and Shawe paid themselves $9,000 a year each and plowed everything else back into the business. Their ambition and na?veté, however, at times threatened the company's growth. In 2000, a major retailer promised $15 million in business—more than double their revenue. They opened an office in Miami, but when the Internet bubble burst, says Sha we, "the client pulled out. Today we get money up front; we share risk. Commonsense things."

艾尔丁和沙文每年只给自己付9000美元的工资，把其他所有的一切都用来辛勤耕作这个事业。他们的雄心和冒进，有时候也威胁到公司的发展。在2000年有一个大零售商许诺给他们投入1500万美元——比他们公司利润的两倍还多。于是他们在迈阿密开了一个新公司，但是互联网泡沫爆发的时候，“客户退出了。现在我们把资金摆在第一位，我们分担风险。这是常识。”沙文说。

TransPerfect's 4,000 linguists cover more than 100 languages. Last year, the company had revenues of $225 million; the average annual growth rate is 30percent. Elting and Shawe still work together as co-CEOs. "Phil is good at developing systems and creative sales ideas," says Elting. "I focus on operations and making sure our clients are happy." Shawe's take is a little different: "Liz is more risk-averse, and I'm more risk-tolerant."

美译公司的4000名语言专家覆盖了100多种语言。去年公司盈利了2.25亿美元，平均年增长率是30%。艾尔丁和沙文仍然是共同担任CEO。“沙文比较擅长发建立系统和建立创造性的销售方法。艾尔丁说：“我专注于具体运营和让客户保持满意。”沙文的说法有点不同：“利兹更多偏向于规避风险，而我更多能承受风险。”

With more than 1,100 employees, and offices in 57 cities in 18 countries on four continents, they still focus on the details. They keep a meticulous list of client preferences: soda or soft drink, sofa or couch.

即时他们已经拥有1100多名雇员，57个办事处覆盖了4个大洲的18个国家，但他们仍然专注于细节。他们小心地记录每一个客人的喜好，喜欢苏打或者软饮，沙发或是长椅。

Even now, at the top of the world's largest privately held language company, Elting refuses to be complacent and would prefer a slightly different translation: "We want to be the world's premier language company."

虽然目前美译公司已经跻身于世界最大的一流私营翻译公司之一，但是艾尔丁从不自满，她一贯要求质量更好的翻译。“我们想要打造成为世界第一的翻译公司。”

Getting Ahead with Liz Elting与艾尔丁的对话：

What inspired you to start Trans Perfect? 什么促使你建立美译公司？

When I was eight, my dad bought a KFC franchise in Portugal. Unfortunately, the Portuguese didn't want anything American after the Communist revolution. They thought my dad was a CIA spy! That taught me how fast things can change. I've studied in Spain and worked in Venezuela. This business is the perfect combination of my passions for languages, cultures, and business.

我8岁的时候在葡萄牙，有一次爸爸去买肯德基薯条。不幸的是，在共产主义革命以后，葡萄牙人不想要任何美国的东西！他们竟然认为我爸爸是中情局的间谍！那让我意识到事情变得有多快。我在西班牙上学，委内瑞拉工作。这个事业把我对语言，文化和商业的热情完美地结合起来。

Is the staff multilingual? 员工都是讲多种语言的吗？

Many are. I speak French and Spanish. My partner, Phil, who is American, likesto say he speaks English on a good day.

许多都是。我讲法语和西班牙语，我的搭档美国人沙文，喜欢说他在天气好的时候就讲英语。

What languages are requested most often?

什么语言最经常被使用到？

Spanish and Japanese. Chinese, Middle Eastern, Indic (South Asia), and Eastern European languages are on the rise.

西班牙语和日语。中文，中东的语言，南亚印度语和东欧的语言也越来越多。

How difficult is it to manage such a diverse workforce?

管理这么多背景完全不同的员工不是很难？

Our challenge is to be culturally appropriate in every country. When we handout year-end bonuses in the U.S., for example, we have to remember that in India, bonuses are distributed in the fall.

挑战在于适应每个国家的文化。比如，在美国我们发年终奖，但是在印度，奖金得按季度发。

How important was your early training in finance?

谈谈你进行早期财务训练的重要性？

The No. 1 reason companies fail is that they run out of money, so you have to be very aware of the numbers. I've learned that doing a great job is more about the soft skills—going with your instincts, acting with integrity, appreciating clients and employees, and dealing with them effectively. Do these things well, and the rest will follow.

导致公司倒闭的最常见的原因就是资金链断裂，所以你得时刻注意着资金的数字。我领悟到完成一项伟大的工作不仅仅需要软性的技能——比如跟随你的直觉，大局观，感激客户和员工，并让他们有效的配合起来。把这些做好了，其余的也会水到渠成。

Any advice for some one starting a business?

对开始创业的人有什么建议？

Get started before you have kids. In the beginning, I didn't know how to do this business on the side. I wasn't married, didn't have kids, and wasn't concerned about balancing my work and personal life. Now, with strong manager sin place, I can spend more time with my family [husband Michael Burl ant and sons Zachary, nine, and Jason, seven], traveling and playing baseball.