#33 How LSPs Sell, RWS Pays Back, Machine Mistranslations, Signs of Life for Loc Jobs

In episode 33 of SlatorPod, Florian and Esther talk about fresh signs of recovery in the language industry, from the Slator Language Industry Job Index (LIJI) — which rose (slightly) in August 2020 for the first time since the pandemic hit — to encouraging survey data from the ATC UK’s Coronavirus Pulse Survey in July.

The two also share news that the world’s most valuable listed LSP, UK-based RWS, decided to voluntarily hand back money to the UK government that they received under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. It’s probably not a huge sum of cash that RWS is giving up since they only “furloughed a small number of employees,” but still.

With what looks like more than tentative green shoots appearing, what better time for LSPs to think about ramping up Sales and Marketing? The two discuss Slator’s recently published Pro Guide on Sales and Marketing for LSPs and share personal anecdotes from working in Sales (Florian) and Project Management (Esther) functions at large LSPs.

In other news, they talk about a mistranslation of a Facebook post, which sparked public and monarchical outrage in Thailand, and run through LSP Ai-Media’s unfolding plans to list on the Australian Stock Exchange.