Corporate Translation Services
For Global Companies, A Professional Translation Concierge Service Eases The Way
Letâs say youâve just landed a big contract with a foreign partner in Asia, South America or Europe. Congratulations! But now comes the hard part: working out all the operational details between your people and their people. And their people–at least those outside the C-Suite–all speak a different language.
Corporations expanding their business outside the U.S. are confronted with this issue all the time, and itâs not just communications with your new partners where many of the challenges lie. For the international business traveler, thereâs also the big list of incidental arrangements like drivers, security details, airport and rail transfers, customs issues, equipment rentals, meeting reservations, or simply personal care or wardrobe assistance for a big event.
A professional translation concierge service will make all of those arrangements, in a single customized package.
There are plenty of translation services that can quickly translate written documents for you. Our company, Lingua, offers standalone professional corporate translation services in multiple languages. Various translation services are also available to hire onsite interpreters who will facilitate live verbal communication in your face to face meetings. In our case, we offer interpreting services for consecutive interpretation and simultaneous interpretation in any language, both in the U.S. and abroad, as well as arranging multilingual events for clients where a polyglot of languages must be accommodated.
But in addition, Lingua offers something different and more valuable to the global business traveler. We have recently launched a professional translation concierge service that handles all your needs when traveling abroad, from business to travel-related to personal services. All interpreters are fully vetted and can be trusted for confidential communications.
Lingua is also a credentialed travel agency, and can take care of every last detail of planning your business trip to a foreign country.
Basically, we handle language services for anything a company might need done for their international business interests.
But wait – are human interpreters and translators really needed, with all the Artificial Intelligence devices around us?
Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) Tools arenât ready for prime time yet, when it comes to interpreting and translating for business. Although it is good to recognize the achievements and progress of machine translation, these systems are not ready to replace human translators for several reasons:
- Globalization requires handling of more dialects and languages.
- Translation services will be needed more in specialty vertical markets, such as automotive part manufacturing, healthcare and law.
- In the business context, lots of horizontal documents are needed, such as those used for systems, requirements and decisions.
- Specialized translation of a product’s functional aspects such as documentation and menus is increasingly in demand.
It’s undeniable that there will be more CAT tools to help facilitate and systematize the work of translators, but human translators can never be fully replaced by machines. Machines cannot understand the contextual meaning of words and passages. For highly accurate translation, you still need human translators and for business especially, you will want highly proficient and experienced translators with familiarity on a wide range of subjects.
Why the âhuman touchâ matters.
After having been in business for over 18+ years, weâve gathered a large network of the best and highest quality professional interpreters worldwide. Our highly skilled interpreters are chosen by their subject matter expertise to ensure they have the requisite vocabulary and understanding of your business model to provide an excellent quality service. They will be there to greet you on arrival, help get you where youâre going, and then facilitate the conversations you will be having with your foreign business associates.
If this is your first time using interpreters, youâre not alone. Plenty of people in your situation donât know where to start, or how to go about it. We can take care of all of it for you, and answer all your questions, then together we will come up with your best solution. We can customize each project based on budget, need and timeframe. Many of our clients doing regular business overseas pay a low monthly fee to get the lowest rates for high quality translation services, on demand.
Think of Lingua Company as your global, multilingual corporate concierge. We have the resources, connections, tools and expertise to arrange, plan, manage and carry out your entire event from A-Z. And, weâre available to handle all your corporate travel needs, from hotel booking to airfare.
Contact us today if youâd like a quote on interpreter services for an upcoming business event.
Corporate Translation Services
Translation and Language Services With Live Interpreters – What Are My Options?
When you need to organize a business meeting, training session or conference where the attendees are from different countries, speaking different languages, thatâs no easy task. Where do you turn for business meeting language and translation services, and what kinds of options are available?
First, you must understand the difference in terminologies. âTranslation Servicesâ refers to written translations of documents, manuals, etc. âLanguage Servicesâ can mean either written translations or verbally delivered. Most often, if you want live translations in a face to face setting the proper term is âInterpretation Services.â
Breaking this down further, there are several different ways you can engage language and translation services using live interpreters:
Telephone or Video Call Interpretation
Our company, Lingua, can provide telephone interpretation services in multiple languages. Interpreters are chosen for their industry-specific expertise. They participate in a conference call to provide translated dialogue during the call.
Consecutive Interpretation
Many seeking language and translation services end up going this route. Consecutive interpretation is most commonly used in one-on-one or small group settings, and itâs generally the least expensive option for face-to-face situations. Consecutive interpreters listen to a speaker, who then pauses while the interpreter relays their words in a second (or sometimes even third language, depending on the situation). No written translation notes are kept by the interpreter.
Simultaneous Interpretation
Simultaneous interpretation is used for larger meetings, conferences or perhaps training sessions in various settings, where two or more languages are required. Simultaneous interpretation is generally a more complex and strenuous process than consecutive interpretation, which will be reflected in their relative costs.
In this situation, multiple interpreters sit in an isolated booth while they listen to the speaker through a headset. The interpreters then speak the translation into a microphone, and their voices are wirelessly transmitted to headsets worn by audience members. This is often referred to as âU.N. styleâ interpretation. Interpretation services require specially trained interpreters and specialized equipment, all of which can be provided by Lingua.
Complete Conference Services
Lingua Company also provides complete conference services in a package that includes everything you would need for an international meeting, including onsite interpretation (simultaneous, consecutive, whispered, or escorted), American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, document translation, meeting coordination services, interpretation equipment rental and audio-video transcriptions.
Whichever type of interpretation service you need, the bottom line is that it all goes more smoothly with a âconciergeâ approach, which is our hallmark at Lingua Company. Weâre meeting planners, travel agents, AND language interpreters. One project manager is immediately assigned to each translation project in order to ensure that all quality steps are checked and met. Your concierge will ensure that all your documents are translated, proofread, edited and quickly delivered back to you.
Corporate Translation Services
Corporate Translation Services for COVID-19 Outbreak (Coronavirus)
Corporate Translation Services for COVID-19 Outbreak (Coronavirus)
In this moment of crisis a transparent, consistent, clear communication is a powerful weapon against the unknown and against fear.
Translation services are essential during these critical times. We believe language services play a key role in fighting this crisis as people need reliable information and effective communication.
It is our intention to keep our business running and to help businesses run smoothly during the COVID-19 outbreak. Lingua immediately implemented new procedures and protect our employees and clients.
At Lingua we are committed to help our clients the best way we can, any way we can, wherever they are by offering fast and reliable multilingual translation and interpretation services globally.
If there is anything we can do to assist, we are here – providing professional, high quality language and document translation services worldwide.
Available at 1-866-201-2921 or [email protected]
www.LinguaCompany.com
Corporate Translation Services
When do I need an Apostille?
When do I need an Apostille?
This is a question that is constantly asked by clients. And, it is a great question. Let’s assume that you are planning to move overseas, you are preparing for your move and you were told to bring all your important documents with you. You might want to use these documents to get work authorization, apply for school in a foreign country, or even get married overseas. These documents may be one or all of the following: your birth certificate, your marriage certificate, your divorce decree, school transcript, diploma, a criminal record, adoption documents, etc.
But these are in English, what do you do? If the above reference is your scenario than you will need to get an Apostille from the State Department in order for your documents to be validated and legalized for legal use by foreign authorities. However, this process is not as simple. A professional translation service agency should be able to walk you though all these steps and explain the process to you in order for you to be able to make an educated choice. You should be asking the following questions from the translation service provider of your choosing:
- Do they accurately translate your document? Your translation must be completed by a bilingual native language professional.
- Will your document be proofread for accuracy? This is one of the most important steps that is often skipped even by some translation agencies. Your document must be proofread and compared line by line with your original documents. Editing and formatting should be done to match the layout of your original documents. Often times, clients come to us with a translation that is inaccurate and needs retranslation, recertification and proper editing. In this case unfortunately a new Apostille needs to be obtained that carried additional cost to the client and time. This can be avoided by making sure that you hire a reliable professional translation agency.
- Will your document be notarized? Your translated document must be notarized in order to obtain the Apostille, since the Apostille is the document that validates the Notary’s signature on your document.Â
- Make sure you mention the country where the Apostille will be used.
- How much does the Appostille costs? Usually Apostille services cost additional fee, find out what the additional charges are.
- How long will it take? Time is of the essence, so it is important to find out how long it takes, a 5-7 business day timeframe is average for obtaining Apostille for your documents.Â
- Will you receive the physical copies with the original by mail? You will most likely need the original Apostilles and original translation when you are overseas, make sure you request a mailed copy.
Here at Lingua we make sure that we understand your goals and needs. Let us know if you need any assistance getting an Apostille and properly authenticating your legal documents intended to be used for legal purposes abroad. Email us with for a quote [email protected] or call 1-866-201-2921.Â
Corporate Translation Services, Language Concierge, Multilingual Event Planning and Management
For Global Corporations, A Professional Translation Concierge Service
For Global Companies, A Professional Translation Concierge Service Eases The Way
Letâs say youâve just landed a big contract with a foreign partner in Asia, South America or Europe. Congratulations! But now comes the hard part: working out all the operational details between your people and their people. And their people–at least those outside the C-Suite–all speak a different language.
Corporations expanding their business outside the U.S. are confronted with this issue all the time, and itâs not just communications with your new partners where many of the challenges lie. For the international business traveler, thereâs also the big list of incidental arrangements like drivers, security details, airport and rail transfers, customs issues, equipment rentals, meeting reservations, or simply personal care or wardrobe assistance for a big event.
A professional translation concierge service will make all of those arrangements, in a single customized package.
There are plenty of translation services that can quickly translate written documents for you. Our company, Lingua, offers standalone professional corporate translation services in multiple languages. Various translation services are also available to hire onsite interpreters who will facilitate live verbal communication in your face to face meetings. In our case, we offer interpreting services for consecutive interpretation and simultaneous interpretation in any language, both in the U.S. and abroad, as well as arranging multilingual events for clients where a polyglot of languages must be accommodated.
But in addition, Lingua offers something different and more valuable to the global business traveler. We have recently launched a professional translation and language concierge service that handles all your needs when traveling abroad, from business to travel-related to personal services. All interpreters are fully vetted and can be trusted for confidential communications.
Lingua is also a credentialed travel agency, and can take care of every last detail of planning your business trip to a foreign country.
Basically, we handle language services for anything a company might need done for their international business interests.
But wait – are human interpreters and translators really needed, with all the Artificial Intelligence devices around us?
Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) Tools arenât ready for prime time yet, when it comes to interpreting and translating for business. Although it is good to recognize the achievements and progress of machine translation, these systems are not ready to replace human translators for several reasons:
- Globalization requires handling of more dialects and languages.
- Translation services will be needed more in specialty vertical markets, such as automotive part manufacturing, healthcare and law.
- In the business context, lots of horizontal documents are needed, such as those used for systems, requirements and decisions.
- Specialized translation of a product’s functional aspects such as documentation and menus is increasingly in demand.
It’s undeniable that there will be more CAT tools to help facilitate and systematize the work of translators, but human translators can never be fully replaced by machines. Machines cannot understand the contextual meaning of words and passages. For highly accurate translation, you still need human translators and for business especially, you will want highly proficient and experienced translators with familiarity on a wide range of subjects.
Why the âhuman touchâ matters.
After having been in business for over 18+ years, weâve gathered a large network of the best and highest quality professional interpreters worldwide. Our highly skilled interpreters are chosen by their subject matter expertise to ensure they have the requisite vocabulary and understanding of your business model to provide an excellent quality service. They will be there to greet you on arrival, help get you where youâre going, and then facilitate the conversations you will be having with your foreign business associates.
If this is your first time using interpreters, youâre not alone. Â Plenty of people in your situation donât know where to start, or how to go about it. We can take care of all of it for you, and answer all your questions, then together we will come up with your best solution. We can customize each project based on budget, need and timeframe. Many of our clients doing regular business overseas pay a low monthly fee to get the lowest rates for high quality translation services, on demand.
Think of Lingua Company as your global, multilingual corporate concierge. We have the resources, connections, tools and expertise to arrange, plan, manage and carry out your entire event from A-Z. And, weâre available plan and manage your overseas global event, handle all your corporate travel needs, from hotel booking to airfare.
Email us or call us today at 1-866-201-2921 if youâd like a quote on interpreter services for an upcoming business event.
Consecutive & Simultaneous Interpretation, Corporate Translation Services, Language Concierge, Multilingual Event Planning and Management
Translation and Language Services with Live Interpreters
Translation and Language Services With Live Interpreters – What Are My Options?
When you need to organize a business meeting, training session or conference where the attendees are from different countries, speaking different languages, thatâs no easy task. Where do you turn for business meeting language and translation services, and what kinds of options are available?
First, you must understand the difference in terminologies. âTranslation Servicesâ refers to written translations of documents, manuals, etc. âLanguage Servicesâ can mean either written translations or verbally delivered. Most often, if you want live translations in a face to face setting the proper term is âInterpretation Services.â
Breaking this down further, there are several different ways you can engage language and translation services using live interpreters:
Telephone or Video Call Interpretation
Our company, Lingua, can provide telephone interpretation services in multiple languages. Interpreters are chosen for their industry-specific expertise. They participate in a conference call to provide translated dialogue during the call.
Consecutive Interpretation
Many seeking language and translation services end up going this route. Consecutive interpretation is most commonly used in one-on-one or small group settings, and itâs generally the least expensive option for face-to-face situations. Consecutive interpreters listen to a speaker, who then pauses while the interpreter relays their words in a second (or sometimes even third language, depending on the situation). No written translation notes are kept by the interpreter.
Simultaneous Interpretation
Simultaneous interpretation is used for larger meetings, conferences or perhaps training sessions in various settings, where two or more languages are required. Â Simultaneous interpretation is generally a more complex and strenuous process than consecutive interpretation, which will be reflected in their relative costs.
In this situation, multiple interpreters sit in an isolated booth while they listen to the speaker through a headset. The interpreters then speak the translation into a microphone, and their voices are wirelessly transmitted to headsets worn by audience members. This is often referred to as âU.N. styleâ Â interpretation. Interpretation services require specially trained interpreters and specialized equipment, all of which can be provided by Lingua.
Complete Conference Services
Lingua Company also provides complete global conference services in a package that includes everything you would need for an international meeting, including onsite interpretation (simultaneous, consecutive, whispered, or escorted), American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, document translation, meeting coordination services, interpretation equipment rental and audio-video transcriptions.
Whichever type of interpretation service you need, the bottom line is that it all goes more smoothly with a âconciergeâ approach, which is our hallmark at Lingua Company. ONE PLACE for all your translation and interpretation service needs, or wether, you are looking to plan, arrange and manage your upcoming global event, perhaps you need your corporate travel planned or simply translate your corporate document into several languages. One project manager is immediately assigned to each translation project in order to ensure that all quality steps are checked and met. Your language concierge will ensure that all your documents are translated, proofread, edited and quickly delivered back to you.
Contact us if you need a quote or call us at 1-866-201-2921 and our project manager/language concierge will assist you.
Consecutive & Simultaneous Interpretation, Corporate Translation Services, Multilingual Event Planning and Management
Planning and Managing your Next Global Multilingual Event
Planning and Managing your Next Global Multilingual Event
Planning any large scale global multilingual event requires careful planning months or even years beforehand. Corporate executives need to hire  suppliers, key presenters, and project managers need to map out strategic pathways and objectives. When the multilingual interpretation event involves a global, multilingual audience from several different countries or cultural backgrounds, the planning process requires even more consideration.
Events can come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the most common include:
- International multilingual conferences
- Concerts or other entertainment events
- Festivals
- Product launches
- Cultural exhibitions or art shows
- Sporting events
The Starting Point
Before any form of logistics planning can begin, the corporations will need to discuss, plan and determine the purpose and objectives of the event and to map out a basic planning framework.
There will be a number of key questions that will need to be answered in order to plan effectively. These will include topics such as:
Who are they presenting to and why?Â
The invited attendee list will vary depending on the type of event. For example, fans attending an international sporting event will like to hear commentary and have brochures and merchandise available in their own language. Employees of a major global multicultural corporation at a conference will need training materials and live interpreters at various sessions.
Who will be doing the presenting?Â
At a concert the key presenter would naturally be the performer or band. While they may not need to say much between songs, they would probably want to interact with the audience. Ensuring they know the basics of several common languages will help them to engage more effectively.
What languages do the presenters speak?Â
In some events, the presenters share a common language especially if they work for the same company, however sometimes they may speak a variety of different languages such as at a trade show. The selection of presenters may be greatly influenced by the languages they are able to converse in.
Where is the event being held? What languages are spoken locally? Are there cultural traditions that need to be taken into account?Â
Events like product launches or art exhibitions are taken on tour around many countries so the planning will need to include translation services for each country visited. Organizations may hold their annual conferences in a different county each year so while the participants may share a common language they would need help when communicating with the local staff and community. Particular care will need to be given to investigating local customs in relation to things like greetings, choice of colors for designs and venue decorations. If there are external activities or entertainment provided then due care will also need to be given to assess their cultural suitability. Translations will have to be checked carefully to avoid accidental offense or misunderstandings. Sometimes they donât have to be word for word as long as they convey the intended meaning.
What languages do the attendees speak and understand?Â
Event organizers will need to research the demographics of their likely attendees and determine the languages they speak. Is their one language spoken by the majority such as English or is there a wider range of languages and cultures that need to be considered?Â
How many languages will be catered for? Which will be the main languages spoken?Â
Once all the above factors have been researched and assessed, organizers will need to decide which language(s) they will provide translation and interpretation services for. This will certainly have an effect on the overall event budget and planning.
Operational Planning
Once the framework of the event and the communication needs have been established organizers will then need to break up the project into separate tasks to be managed by appropriate department leaders. These will include areas such as finance, transport and logistics, human resources, marketing and so on. Translation, transcription and interpretation services will be required in almost all of these areas to varying extents.
Here are just some of the areas that will need to be addressed and planned for quite early in the process:
- Budgeting in multiple currencies
- Cost of transporting people and goods into and around the country
- Creating contracts and legal documents
- Information packs for delegates, suppliers and sponsors
- Multi-lingual registration software for attendees linked to a central database
- Websites and social media channels
- Marketing â including TV and radio, print media and online in multiple languages
- Point of sale material including DVDâs, programs, posters.
- Local area maps and information.
- Venue information such as seating arrangements, dining and signage
- Live interpreters for presenters plus one interpretation booth per language
- Printed and online training materials and literature like abstracts, catalogues and manuals
- Audio visual presentations during sessions
- Recording of events to be available for download after the event if appropriate
- Post event communication and activities
All of this can be managed by large organizations with experienced staff dedicated to these planning areas, however most small to medium sized companies simply lack the manpower and resources to manage everything internally. They will need to strongly consider partnering with a multi-lingual global event management agency. This is particularly important in highly specialized industries such as software development, medicine and renewable energy.
The primary goal of implementing multilingual services in any type of event is the same. Organizers need to ensure that all communication imparts the same information to each attendee regardless of the language used. Each must have the same opportunities for participation, access, enjoyment and follow up activities. Through careful planning and consideration these goals are definitely achievable and they will contribute to the ultimate success of the event.
Contact us today via email or call at 1-866-201-2921 with your global multilingual event planning and management needs.
Corporate Translation Services, Language Concierge, Multilingual Translation
Professional Corporate Translation Agency
Professional Corporate Translation Agency
Hiring the ‘right’ translations agency or language service provider is a central component of your success, regardless of whether you are translating presentations, emails, websites, or simply need to reach out to your international clients and partners. A professional translation service agency is able to provide linguistic services, global and international resources, and access to talented and skilled translators who are hand picked for each linguistic project.
When it is crucial for your corporation to have access to multilingual services that are specifically customized to your requirements you need a hire language or translations agency who has years of experience. Regardless of whether you need a small, large or ongoing translation project, a corporate document translated into several languages, or any number of other language related services, a professional translations agency can handle them quickly and accurately.
What should you expect from a professional translation agency?
A professional corporate translation agency should have a long record of delivering high quality translation services, accurate document translations that are carried out by expert translators, interpreters and editors. These professionals should be native and bilingual in both, the source and target languages, who have the skills and the cultural know-how in order to be able produce an accurate interpretation of the source text, recognize stylistic and cultural styles and to be able to deliver quickly.
A corporate translations agency will provide high quality document translations to the client by evaluating context and target audience and providing a final translation that is translated, proofread, edited and formatted for final delivery.
Here at Lingua, we are professional, seasoned, and experienced with carrying out any size corporation translation services from and into all commercial languages. Email us today at [email protected], or call us at 1-866-201-2921.Â
Global Brand Management, Global Marketing
Global Branding â Taking Your Brand Abroad
 Global Branding â Taking Your Brand Abroad
Is your company or organization about to take the next step and leap into the global market? Do you already have existing outlets in other countries but lack a cohesive multi-lingual branding strategy?
Now is the time to get your company heads together and map out the most effective ways to maintain your brand image across multiple countries and cultures. How successful you are will be largely determined by how thoroughly you research and develop your branding and communication strategies.
What do you want to convey? Whatâs important?
Before you venture into the global market it is important to take stock of what makes your brand stand out. Is it the products themselves? The ethics and values of the company? The unique designs? The use of cutting edge technology or innovative approaches?
Once you have determined these factors, consider how they are portrayed to your customers. There are often many ways to convey these concepts with branding including the use of color and mood. For example a company selling organic or hand-made goods might use earthy colours in its literature and country scenes in its advertising.
When promoting your brand internationally, it is not necessary to reproduce every detail like a carbon copy. Sometimes it is better to make some adjustments that suit the local culture better and translate more smoothly. Be aware of the potential for insult or error with literal translations or the use of colors or symbols. Keep the essence of the brand but adapt it to each local environment. To keep everything looking like a recognizable brand, maintain consistency in design elements such as fonts, templates and formatting.
Who should be involved in branding decisions?
These are not matters to be decided on in a day. To globalize your brand you need the input of a number of internal and external parties. For example:
- Corporate heads in each country
- The design team
- The marketing team
- Production and distribution managers
- IT and software developers
- Other department heads to give different perspectives
- Professional translation and globalization consultants
By getting parties like these involved in the global branding process from the start your company will stand a much better chance of achieving a smooth implementation in your desired timeframe. Each party will know what their individual needs are and these can be analysed and incorporated as much as possible into the overall plan. For example, the design team would need to consider how the fonts used in different languages will affect the look of various documents and website pages. Logos that include text may look aesthetically appealing in English but not in German so they would need to decide whether to maintain the English version or create a new logo that is universally appealing.
Which factors and resources need to be reviewed for translation?
Every area of communication across the entire company will need to be reviewed to decide if translation is required.
All printed literature used for marketing, distribution, internal procedures and resources may have to be transcribed into several languages so that every customer and employee receives the same information. This also applies to all online text used in email templates, public and internal websites and social media posts.
Internal shared applications such as accounting systems, customer and other databases and production tracking systems will all need thorough analysis to ensure that local currencies, taxes, terminology and regional nuances are all taken into account and fully tested.
Multimedia resources and marketing campaigns are another area where careful translation is vital. TV advertisements that are funny in some countries could be quite offensive in others. Training videos that have incorrect subtitles or voice-overs could result in mistakes being made. These could potentially affect productivity, profits or even safety.
Once the areas to be translated have been chosen, organizations then need to decide how many languages to include and which ones to use. This would be determined by the regions they are targeting and the available budget and resources.
Who can do this?
Hiring local, crowdsourced translators and other skilled professionals managed by a specialized translation and branding management company often achieves the best results. The crowdsourcing concept involves outsourcing work to the global workforce âcrowdâ. Crowd members are generally freelancers who offer their services in their preferred areas. They post their profiles on websites that are similar to community notice boards but just in a virtual environment. Companies or individuals post their projects on these sites and the freelancers compete against each other and bid for the work.
Using freelancers saves time and money and allows existing employees to do their job without placing further stress on them. The freelancers are highly skilled and committed to top quality service and fast turn-around times. They also contribute fresh ideas and solutions. Many companies are increasingly finding that using a mix of crowdsourced and permanent employees to implement their global branding strategies gives the best overall results.
As only 20% of all internet users have English as their first language, organizations that have the most successful global expansion programs are the ones that have considered all potential users and developed strategies to communicate with them in their own language and cultural terms.
Contact us here at Lingua for your global Branding services.Â
Global Brand Management, Global Marketing
Global Crowdsourcing
Global Crowdsourcing
Itâs not that long ago that a shop owner was considered successful if they had 2 stores in the same town. Each would have had its own set of accounts and communication would have been through someone physically travelling between the stores. Some years later an entrepreneur may have had a small chain of stores in different towns or states. They would have relied on mail services, telegrams and their staff structure would often be duplicated in each store.
Over the last half century or so, big businesses generally needed large numbers of staff located in head offices. Keeping everybody centralized was essential to resource and communication management. Computer systems tended to be localized and their type and functions varied greatly. As technology developed it enabled people to communicate across borders and into remote areas but the core staff still needed to be based in head offices while communication was often restricted to one language.
What is crowdsourcing?
The word âcrowdsourcingâ refers to the concept of outsourcing to a crowd of workers. Over the last decade, technology has advanced so much that businesses no longer need to have a large, permanent employee base. Instead they can access skilled freelance staff on a contract basis anytime of the day.
When individuals or companies have a project that is too big or specialized to handle themselves they can draw on a pool of freelancers who are trained in the required areas. This pool is known as the âcrowdâ.
Who uses it?
The crowdsourcing approach is already being used by companies across many industries. Software companies can call on developers to help test their latest mobile apps in different areas for functionality, start up companies can seek help for logo design, and retailers can use administrative specialists to manage their customer databases.
How does it work?
Employers list their projects on sites such as Freelancer, Flightfox or Kaggle. The freelancers upload their skills profiles, sample portfolios and any relevant personal information to these sites.
Freelancers are invited to bid for projects and the successful ones are chosen based on factors such as cost, turn-around time and past experience. Parties communicate and share data via uploads to a common website. For example, a medical clinic may need an interpreter to help a doctor explain a procedure to a Spanish patient. They can go online and find an interpreter and involve them in the conversation within minutes via video link.
Some crowdsourcing sites are industry specific. Flightfox, for example, gets travel agents around the world to compete against each other to come up with the most practical and cost-effective itineraries for personal and corporate travellers.
Kaggle lists freelancers who are specialists in solving data science or energy resource problems. Freelancer lists over 14 million users working on nearly 7 million projects including software development, website design, social media marketing and ghost writing for e-book publishers.
While some projects can be extremely complex and take many months, others are very simple but just time-consuming. These are known as microtasks. For example, a nutrition company may want a new recipe section on its website. Instead of getting one person to produce hundreds of recipes, they could pay hundreds of freelancers a small amount per recipe uploaded to the site.
Why are more and more companies turning to it?
The benefits of this approach are multi-fold.
For companies:
- They can draw on many experienced minds. This generates a huge range of possible ideas and approaches.
- Tasks get completed more quickly as the freelancers can work simultaneously and are conscious of fast deadlines.
- They save money on permanent wages and can hire people as required. The freelancers often donât even need to be in the same country.
For freelancers:
- They can work from home and choose their own hours.
- Age and location are no barriers to their employability. As long as they have a computer of some sort with quality internet access they can get regular work.
- They can promote their unique skills and experience and work in their chosen industries.
The way of the future
As we move towards a more global economy more companies will engage in crowdsourcing to grow their business. So now instead of being limited to one town, they can operate anywhere in the world 24 hours a day.
While the crowdsourcing model is certainly here to stay, it wonât replace all internal employees. Instead new business structures will likely include a hybrid of the two systems. Internal employees are still vital as they hold a detailed knowledge of the company culture, systems, history and future goals. Freelancers bring in fresh perspectives, inspiration and solutions.
Crowdsourcing could be used in the initial stages of a project to generate ideas which could then be researched and analysed by the existing employees. The final stages could then be presented back to the crowd for testing and market research.
When we look back and see how business models have evolved over the last few hundred years and especially over the last few decades it is very exciting to think of the possibilities that are just waiting for us around the corner.