#22 Japan’s Undervalued LSP, Australia and VRI, Translator Strike Contd.

#22 Japan’s Undervalued LSP, Australia and VRI, Translator Strike Contd.In this week’s podcast, Florian shares news from Japan’s largest LSP, Honyaku Center, whose translation revenues shrunk by +4% to a still-substantial USD 75m year-on-year (and USD 107m for the whole company). He says that the listed LSP could be a steal for companies looking to acquire within the world’s third largest economy, as its market cap stands at a meagre USD 39m.Florian points to research that shows almost 70% of global clinical trials have been disrupted, and discussed the impact that may have for many of the world’s largest LSPs, for whom clinical trials are typically a high-margin and lucrative business.One market less susceptible to coronavirus disruptions is the public sector. And Florian outlines how a heads up about multiple large tenders is making waves in the Netherlands, amid fears from interpreters that quality may be compromised as procurement becomes more centralized. Esther shares updates from language associations in three countries; first in Belgium, where language industry association CBTI-BKVT has outlined financial support measures available to interpreters and translators. Meanwhile in Australia, a group of associations are making their views known about use of phone and video interpreting. Back in the UK, Esther pinpoints a few findings from the UK ATC’s Coronavirus Pulse survey for May.Links to the stories discussedHonyaku Keeps Losing Ground in Core Translation Businesshttps://slator.com/financial-results/honyaku-keeps-losing-ground-in-its-core-translation-business/Rundown on Lockdown: How Large LSPs Are Navigating the Pandemichttps://slator.com/features/rundown-on-lockdown-how-large-lsps-are-navigating-the-pandemic/Dutch Minister Moves Ahead With Controversial Language Services Contracthttps://slator.com/demand-drivers/dutch-minister-moves-ahead-with-controversial-language-services-contract/