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Channel: Working at Capita TI – Capita Translation and Interpreting

Meet our new Marketing intern – Amandine

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Amandine, our latest intern, joins us from France, after studying Marketing and Management to find out more about business life in the UK. In this blog, we get to know her better and find out why she is interested in being an intern at Capita TI.

What’s your background?

I have a bachelor degree in Marketing and Management. Until recently I was working in recruitment at a temping agency.

Why did you want to work in the language industry?

I am very interested in international business.

I think it is important for a company to be understood by all of their customers, especially if they want to expand to international markets.

What do you love most about languages?

Languages are very important for me, because it is the best way to discover different cultures and meet different people. Language brings us closer by sharing with people.

Tell us about your studies

I studied Marketing, Management and Business Development in France. I learned all the basic knowledge that you need to build up a company. During my studies, we also had to lead group projects so we could practice what we learned. The best part was the internship, especially the one we had to do abroad. This was the perfect opportunity to discover another country, language and culture.

What would you consider to be your biggest professional success?

I would say my recruitment experience. I didn’t have much experience before this, but in few weeks I totally adapted myself to the agency.

By the end I had expanded my client portfolio and developed a really good relationship with them and my colleagues.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I would like to work in an international company. I really want to be part of several projects and hopefully be responsible for a team.

What makes you get out of bed in the morning?

Recently, I would say that I’ve had to face new challenges, and it’s quite exciting.

What are your hobbies outside of work?

I like sport, mainly running and playing football. I like to meet friends, just to go for a drink or a good meal. I am also a big movie fan.

Do you speak any other languages?

I am French native and I learned German at school but I’m not very good at it! I’m fluent in English though.

Who inspires you?

My 2 brothers, they work together at their own company, and it works very well. I am very proud of them and what they did to achieve that. They are very good people and they have always looked after me.

Any funny language stories to share?

The first time that I went to a Boots store (a pharmacy) in Manchester, I needed to buy toothpaste. But I didn’t pay enough attention to what I was buying. And finally the next morning, I nearly brushed my teeth with a denture adhesive cream!

Any tips for those wanting to learn another language?

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and talk to people. Good things will come from these conversations.


Meet the team – Idrees

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Idrees joins our IT support team as an IT Junior Technician, helping internal staff and colleagues with their IT and computing requirements. In this blog post, we get to know Idrees a bit better.

Why did you join Capita?

I wanted to seek new challenges in a big organisation, and Capita TI seemed like the perfect business for that.

Why did you want a role as an IT Technician?

I already have a few years of experience within the IT field. I’d really like to further develop my skills and knowledge, eventually progressing to higher levels within the business, and I believe that Capita TI holds these opportunities for me.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I’d love to be working as a contractor, still within IT, but with a choice of different projects to work on.

What makes you get out of bed in the morning?

Determination

What are your hobbies outside of work?

When I’m not solving IT and technical problems, I like to go to the gym or read books.

Do you speak any other languages?

I speak Punjabi and Urdu, to a fluent level.

Who inspires you?

Malcolm X, for his work pioneering human rights and race equality.

JFK, for his policies and support on the civil rights movement.

Mark Zuckerburg, who started off as a computer programmer and is now the CEO of one of the largest internet businesses of our generation.

Chris Gardner – a successful businessman and philanthropist. “The Pursuit if Happiness” is based on his struggle with homelessness and trying to raise a young son. It’s my favourite movie/book of all time. It gives me that little boost inside the back of my mind to push, and the confidence that anything can be done; with the will of determination and sacrifice. Don’t let anyone tell you what to do, you do whatever it takes to reach your goals in life. “You got a dream, you got to protect it”.

Meet the team – Abdullah

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Abdullah joins Capita TI as a Finance Assistant, working alongside the rest of the Finance team. Originally from Hong Kong, Abdullah tells us more about his professional career in Finance, why he joined Capita, and why he’d like to be a professional cricket player.

Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m originally from Hong Kong but a British National. I’m also an MSc Graduate from the University of Salford in Banking & Finance, and have always wanted to work in the Finance Sector. I’m part qualified ACCA and can speak 5 languages.

Why did you want to work in the language industry?

As I am originally from Hong Kong, I have come across many different cultures and the languages associated with them. I enjoy learning about different types of languages, and meeting people from all over the world. So joining Capita TI and working alongside people from multicultural backgrounds is a great experience for me!

Why did you want a role in Finance?

Working as a Finance Assistant will boost my confidence and allow me to learn more about financial activities. As I’m studying towards further ACCA qualifications, it should also give me a lot of experience to count towards my studies. I believe that working as part of a great Finance will lead me towards a  successful career, as I’m constantly learning new things, as each day brings a new challenge.

What would you consider to be your biggest professional success?

So far, I would have to say becoming an ACCA member.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I’d love to be working as a chartered accountant, or working for one of the world’s top companies as an accountant.

What makes you get out of bed in the morning?

I don’t usually wake up before 6.45am. To be honest I’m happy getting up early and going to work, as I always come across new things every day.

What are your hobbies outside of work?

I enjoy playing club cricket, and I’m hoping to start playing for the Delph and Dobcross Cricket team (a team local to the Oldham area, where our office is based). I also enjoy going out with friends and travelling to different places.

If you weren’t a Finance Assistant, what would you love to be doing?

I’d love to play cricket for Lancashire! Otherwise, I’d like to work as a book keeper or as a salesman; travelling to different countries to meet with clients.

It’s been a busy March

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We have been incredibly busy during this past month, and a couple of our key teams have been well and truly kept on their toes!

Not only have we unveiled our new company website, attended a series of industry events and released a suite of new technology, but we’ve also been winning and implementing a host of new clients.

New website

A brand new website has been in the pipeline for the past year, but in March, we finally revealed the new site. We believe our new site is easier to navigate, and showcases our sector and service expertise. The site also features our new SmartMATE brand, our ecosystems, and a new resources section, where you can find our blogs, case studies, videos and whitepapers.

New technology

Along with a new website, we also unveiled a new technology brand in Q1: SmartMATE, which focuses on quality, connectivity and productivity.

For more information, watch Antonio in this 2 minute video:

New General Manager

We’re also pleased to welcome Antonio Tejada as our new General Manager. After holding the position of Language Solutions Director for the last year, Antonio will now manage the daily operations of the company.

With over 25 years’ experience in the language industry, Antonio has worked hard to help Capita TI deliver new innovations and technologies.

New clients

Our Business Development Manager Les, and our Account Manager Zoe, in the Public Sector Sales team have been negotiating and implementing interpreting services with four major healthcare organisations in the Midlands. Each implementation was carried out in just a week, which is an amazing feat in the language services industry.

Our Interpreting Operations team has also been busy on-boarding these new customers, and ensuring interpreters are where they need to be, when they need to be there. One of the key challenges when on-boarding new customers is ensuring our communications with linguists are frequent and informative, as this means the linguists have a clear understanding of the customer and their requirements.

New team members

We’ve welcomed a few new faces in Q1, including: Sean, our Graphic Designer; Grace, our Account Executive; Amandine, our Marketing intern; Idrees, our IT Junior Technician; Abdullah, our Finance Assistant; and Simona, who started an internship with us in 2016 and has since progressed to become a full-time member of our Sales team.

It’s great to see departments and colleagues working in tandem, ensuring customers receive the best services possible.

So, do we want a rest in April…? Absolutely not! We love being busy helping our customers and we are passionate about our services and how we deliver them.

A day in the life of a localisation engineer

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Dave Williams has been at Capita TI since 2015. He began his time here as a Project Manager, and has since turned his hand to file engineering. We hear from Dave about what spurred on this change, and what he does on a day-to-day basis at Capita TI.

What exactly is file engineering?

When I tell someone that I’m a File Engineer, I normally get a puzzled look and am asked “what is that!?”

Most assume that with ‘engineer’ in the title; I use metal lathes, CNC machines and can build a car engine. Well, this job isn’t actually that far off! I use CAT tools and software to ‘fabricate’ and ‘manipulate’ files from clients to make them translation-ready.

The basic procedure is to process the file from the client, whether that be an InDesign file, Word file or website XML using CAT (Computer Aided Translation) software. We use two main CAT tools; Trados and our latest in-house developed software. Both CAT tools will process the files and output a translation friendly file type. This will also give a word analysis to build a quotation for translation costs.

Once the CAT files have been translated and proofread, File Engineering will then post-process these files to output a fully translated file in the exact same file type and layout as the file received from the client. The translation memories are then updated with all the translated content from these files for future translation projects.

What type of projects do you handle?

The CAT tools only accept certain file types, but these are varied and most are generally accepted. If a file received is a non-accepted file type, this is where the engineering comes in. The file is filtered and manipulated into an acceptable format for the CAT software.

How is file engineering time estimated in a quote?

The majority of projects require a short amount of file engineering time and this is absorbed into the ‘overhead’ costs. Some projects will be quite large and require hours, maybe even days of file engineering time. This is usually identified at the early stages and recommended that this large amount of time be chargeable to the client.

When do you get involved in a project?

File engineers are usually involved in most projects at the beginning to help with analysing and quoting for any desktop publishing (DTP).

DTP is where we use specialist suppliers to format the translated files to replicate the source layout and format. This is usually done for company literature, marketing and informative brochures and leaflets. Our latest CAT software is an all-encompassing, project handling system that enables the translation process to be carried out automatically, with little input from File Engineers and Project Managers.

What activities are included?

Tasks can be endless, but here are a few examples:

  • validating and extracting content to be translated;
  • piloting multilingual capability including creating language selections;
  • integrating the translation workflow with the existing authoring workflow;
  • ensuring that all the appropriate coding changes are made so that the content will show up properly on all browsers;
  • ensuring that all relevant content is translated, including metadata, alt texts, text phrases embedded in code, etc.;
  • adjusting content and graphics to handle text expansion and maintain proper design /look-and-feel for the foreign languages;
  • planning for future updates.

What are the main difficulties you face on a daily basis?

The main issues faced by a File Engineer are unusual file types, creating software filters and settings to best extract translatable content.

How can costs be saved for file engineering?

File engineering helps to evaluate and test files to ensure the most efficient process and output for translated documents to save both time and costs for our clients.

We advise our clients that the better the source files are, the less time will be needed to manipulate the files for translation. This is where the real costs can be saved.

We refer to this as simplified technical English, and all this really means is keep your sentences short and sweet, and make sure source formatting is as simple as possible.

If you have any questions about file engineering, or want to understand more about how translation tools can help to save you time and money, contact Capita TI today using the form below.

Meet our new Marketing intern – Olivia

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Olivia, our latest intern in the Marketing department, tells us why she loves languages, how she made English interesting for French teenagers, and why she loves staying active.

What’s your background?

I am three quarters of the way through my degree in French Studies with Spanish, and have spent the last three years studying and working in administration and customer services. Most recently, I’ve spent 7 months in the south of France teaching English to teenagers.

Why did you want to work in the language industry?

Languages were always my favourite subject at school, but it wasn’t until I started university that I realised just how useful a discipline they are.

Working in the language industry will not only allow me to build on my linguistic and professional skills by working with such a wide range of people and groups, but will also improve me as a cultured and understanding individual outside of the professional environment.

Why did you want to intern with Capita?

I want to build myself a future working with languages, and I’m sure Capita will give me so many enriching and positive experiences, as well as the knowledge and skills I need to be successful.

What would you consider to be your biggest professional success?

My biggest professional success is having managed to make English interesting for the students that I helped teach last year on my year abroad. Managing to convert students from having little to no motivation to come to class, to being able to have relatively lengthy conversations with them feels like a big achievement.

What makes you get out of bed in the morning?

I am an active person and I like to be on the go as much as possible, so having a busy day ahead puts a spring in my step and helps me get the day off to a good start.

What are your hobbies outside of work?

I am a tap dancer (which is something I started when I was just three!), and am keen on cycling swimming, travelling and always having a good book on the go.

Who inspires you?

My parents inspire me as they work hard to put my brother and me first, and they’ve taught me everything I know about how to get on in the world and how to succeed.

Do you speak any other languages?

I speak French, having studied it for 10 years now. I am learning Spanish and I can read Italian, after having studied it at school.

If you’re interested in becoming an intern with Capita TI, visit our careers page for more information.

A day in the life of Head of Public Sector Sales

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Chris joined Capita TI in October 2015 as Head of Client Services, having worked in the language service industry for a number of years and has recently taken on responsibilities as Head of Public Sector Sales. In this blog, we find out more about his role, what motivates him and where he sees Capita TI in the future.

What is your background?

I have worked in the language services sector for nearly 13 years now and joined the industry shortly after graduating from the University of Southampton where I studied Management. I’ve worked for a number of companies within the industry and started off in a customer service role, progressing to account management and business development before becoming a Sales Manager and now Head of Public Sector Sales for Capita TI.

Why Capita TI?

I see Capita TI as having the perfect blend of size and flexibility to be able to deliver the best possible service to our clients.

We learnt a lot through our experience with the Ministry of Justice and we are emerging from that experience as a customer-centric, service focussed business. This is totally in line with my values and that is why I chose to work with Capita TI.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?

I head up our public sector Sales and Account Management team. My role is all about the customer. The teams that I manage interact with our clients on a daily basis and provide a valued link between the customer and the business. We use this two-way communication to make service improvements, develop new ideas around delivery and to help guide how we shape the innovation in technology that we believe will further enhance the customer experience.

What is the most enjoyable part of your role?

No two days are the same! There is always a new challenge in front of me and I like the fast-paced nature of the role. I am very fortunate in that part of my role is to have an impact on shaping the direction of the business and I really enjoy having the ability to help take the business forwards.

What is the most challenging part of your role?

No two days are the same! This is what makes the role so challenging but it’s also the reason why I love it.

What motivates you?

I have two key drivers; one is to deliver the best possible service to all of our customers regardless of the nature of the challenge or issue that faces them. The other is to develop, mentor and coach my team to enable them to be the best that they can be.

Why the language industry?

The people. I’m not a linguist but I love working with people and the people who work in this industry are great.

It’s a fascinating and ever-changing industry that is evolving at a fast pace in order to meet the new challenges thrown up by an ever globalised world.

 

Where do you see Capita TI going?

I see 2018 as being a very exciting year for Capita TI. There is a real focus on our customers and in particular the service that we offer to them, both in terms of their interaction with our people and also in terms of how technology can play a part in making our services more accessible for them. We brought on some really exciting new contracts last year and we’ve learnt an awful lot from these new clients as well as from our past experience.

I’m particularly looking forward to launching some new services throughout the year which I hope will bring huge benefits to our customers.

International Women’s Day 2019

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International Women’s Day is a global celebration of women across social, economic, cultural and political landscapes, but also a time to reflect on issues impacting women & girls across the globe.

This year’s theme is Balance for Better. Gender-balanced representation is being called for at all levels – whether it’s in business boardrooms, the government, or the media.

At Capita TI, we have some amazing women working across various departments and levels of our business. We’re proud to be a diverse, inclusive, multicultural company – after all, it’s at the heart of what we do, enabling anyone to communicate in any language, anywhere.

Our people are our biggest asset and these 13 staff profiles highlight the hard work, dedication and commitment of some of the inspiring women in our team.

Meet the incredible women at Capita TI


Click on any of the below profiles or scroll to learn more.

 

 

 

Bonnie

Bonnie
Operations Manager

Bonnie, Operations Manager

I am currently Operations Manager for Translation Service Delivery in our Delph office. I’ve been working for Capita TI for 9 years and have held a variety of roles including call handling for Interpreting Operations, Project Management and Vendor Management. I come from a languages background, having studied French and Spanish BA and then a Translation studies MA.

What obstacles have you had to overcome?

I’ve been lucky enough not to encounter anything that would be traditionally considered as an obstacle in my working life. However, I took a gamble in moving to China in my mid-twenties, predominantly in order to support my then boyfriend (now husband) who wanted to spend time out there. This was basically a pause in my career, as I had been planning to join the translation industry in 2007, immediately after finishing my MA, but instead I didn’t start until 3 years later. At the time, I felt some friends and even family thought that I shouldn’t be “following a man” instead of putting my own career first. However, I decided that the move was worth doing as I was able to learn Mandarin and work as a teacher for two years. My time teaching has given me skills that I continue to use in the business world now, making me comfortable presenting in front of diverse crowds and tailoring my communication to different audiences. I don’t regret it for a moment.

Why is International Women’s Day important to you?

Supporting women in the workplace is very important to me and I am happy to see Capita TI is supporting International Women’s Day.

A great benefit of being at Capita TI for me is the flexible working pattern I’ve been able to adopt since returning from maternity leave, in order to work full-time whilst also feeling that I am sufficiently present at home. This does not just apply to the workplace of the mother; my husband’s company has been equally flexible, which in turn supports me in returning to work.

 

Suzan

Suzan
Inside Sales Executive

Suzan, Inside Sales Executive

I’m an Inside Sales Executive with a background in sales and customer service. I love languages, especially French! It’s been a long journey to get where I am today – multiple roles in various industries to get to this point and enjoy the work that I do.

What obstacles have you had to overcome?

Entering the localisation industry has been a huge learning curve for me. There’s a lot more technology to understand and get used to than I expected, so having the support of colleagues willing to share their knowledge has been invaluable. Earlier this year, I relocated and the shift to remote working could have been a challenge, but thanks to the support of my management team, this has gone off without a hitch.

Why is International Women’s Day important to you?

Women are growing in strength, having children is thankfully no longer seen as a disadvantage to your career and does not mean compromise where a family is concerned – more support with flexible working hours is the key here.

I LOVE the localisation industry, the support network at Capita TI and the positive attitude of my manager and colleagues makes life easier. Every day is different and the more proactive I am, the more I get back from it.
 

 

Alicia

Alicia
Senior Account Manager

Alicia, Senior Account Manager

I’m a Senior Account Manager with an educational background in languages as well as 11 years of experience in the localisation industry, working for large multinationals to smaller organisations.

How have you got to where you are today?

Getting my career to where it is today hasn’t always been easy, but I’m a firm believer in hard work, not giving up and having a good attitude towards life. When overcoming difficulties in the workplace, it’s helped me to realise what I did and did not want to do and who I wanted to be professionally. I was made redundant from a role which lead to an opportunity to travel South America for 6 months. I have moved locations several times and each time new, exciting opportunities have presented themselves – I have worked on a lot large projects that helped me learn how to listen and truly work as part of a team. Listening is free and is the greatest education you will ever have.

Why is International Women’s Day important to you?

International Women’s Day helps women to feel empowered, no matter what age they are. Having gone through different levels of employment from the age of 16, I can testify that teenage girls and women need to be surrounded by positivity and people who make them believe that they can succeed and feed the fire that might be burning inside them.

When it comes to businesses supporting women, I think that it’s all about trust, trusting your employer to do right by you and them being able to trust that you will be able to get the job done, no matter where you are. I think when you’re trying to strike a balance it helps being able to work flexible hours that suit your lifestyle (not just the standard 9-5) and then being allowed to work from home when needed helps.

 

Nikki

Nikki
Executive Business Support

Nikki, Executive Business Support

Can you describe your career journey to date?

In my role as Executive Business Support, I am responsible for compliance, GDPR, auditing and certifications. My background is quite varied, I started my working life in finance near my home in Bedford. Unfortunately, after 3 years I was made redundant, but I soon gained a new role as a training officer, traveling around East Anglia recruiting and training cashiers. I then moved to Milton Keynes and worked as a PA but was again made redundant after several years – it happened the same week as we completed on our first house and came totally out of the blue, so it was a massive shock.

In 1999 my husband was offered a role in Manchester so we relocated with our young daughter, and I became a stay-at-home-Mum for a few years. I returned to work after accepting a role as at my children’s primary school, which suited me and meant I didn’t need to arrange childcare. When my children moved to high school, I then moved to a full-time role with the NHS, who were also very supportive of parents in the workplace and offered flexible working.

What obstacles have you had to overcome?

I have encountered a few obstacles in my life; moving to the North West was a big change, with a small child, to a completely new area – but I’ve never regretted it, I’ve made some wonderful friends and would be very sad if I had to leave the North.

Why is International Women’s Day important to you?

On International Women’s Day, it’s important that we reflect not only on how far we have come, but also to look at the injustice that is still happening to women around the world: FGM, forced marriage, abuse, violence, lack of respect, inequality in the workplace, being looked down on for being a stay-at-home mum and many more. Businesses can help by offering flexible working hours and they should manage inequalities, so women are not overlooked for roles just because they are of childbearing age.

I have been lucky in the roles I have taken since becoming a parent and have always had a supportive team in the workplace. This has continued at Capita TI – whilst childcare isn’t as important for me now my children are grown up, I have had some personal issues to deal with and I have felt fully supported and trusted to work flexibly whilst dealing with what was happening at home.

 

Jessica

Jessica
Account Manager

Jessica, Account Manager

I joined Capita TI 7 years ago, my first job was as a Project Assistant, then I became Project Manager in 2013 and then moved to Account Management in October 2017. I studied English in Almeria, Spain and have a Master’s in teaching foreign languages. I came here and loved it so much I did not want to leave! One of the things that has made me stay and grow was always the teams I’ve been working with, across the business. I’ve received a lot of support and had some great managers.

How have you got to where you are today?

The main obstacle I’ve overcome is moving countries and leaving my family for such a long time. My initial idea was to move to the UK for a year or so and I’ve now been here for seven. Working in a different language and culture has been difficult too, I am still learning new things every day and trying to adapt.

Why is International Women’s Day important to you?

I think it’s important to celebrate and commemorate women globally; it’s a day to empower women, protect our rights and shout for full gender equality. Also, this is a day to remember and raise awareness of the inequality and discrimination that women keep suffering in many places around the world. Businesses can help by fixing the pay gap, being more flexible with women who have a family, giving the same opportunities, and having more women in the highest ranks of the company.

In my office, there are a lot of people from different places and cultures, sometimes the way we see things differs, depending on our backgrounds. We can have open conversations about different matters, including feminism – one of my favourite topics! Also, I’ve always loved the way women celebrate this day in my home country (Spain), there is a “women’s association” that organises a dinner party for all women that want to join and celebrate how amazing they are.

 

Sally

Sally
Business Development Manager

Sally, Business Development Manager

I always loved languages at school and studied German and Russian at university, followed by a masters in Machine Translation. I have always worked in translation, starting as an Assistant Project Manager, working my way up to Senior Project Manager, then moved over into Senior Localisation Engineer, heading up the Engineering team for 12 years. The knowledge I built up over the years really helps me in my current role to advise customers on the best solution for their translation requirements.

How have you got to where you are today?

Working at Capita TI means that I am fully supported by our wider teams, especially our fantastic Language Solutions team with all the innovative technology they bring. I really enjoy working in localisation because it’s so varied with interesting and keeps me on my toes. I enjoy taking part in wider industry events, including Women in Localization seminars and meetings, helping others to understand about the issues we face in our industry.

What obstacles have you had to overcome?

I changed my working life about 12 years ago after I had 2 daughters; we relocated from London back to North Yorkshire, which is where I had my 3rd daughter and now work from home, with occasional travel to our London and Manchester offices. I enjoy the work/life balance of working from home.

The people I work alongside at Capita TI make my role a happy one. I still haven’t lost my interest in languages despite working in the business development side and now that machine translation is being deployed more and more, it’s interesting for me to see the developments in that field compared to many years ago when I studied it for my MSc.

Why is International Women’s Day important to you?

I think International Women’s Day and supporting women in the workplace is important because often our career can take different turns due to family life and we need support from our employer to do this. I am happy that Capita TI promote flexible and remote working.

Working parents form a large part of the workforce, so allowing flexi-time or remote working really helps. Also, helping a mother to settle back into working life after having a child is an important time because you can feel quite vulnerable returning to work after maternity leave.

 

Jane

Jane
Operations Manager

Jane, Operations Manager

Can you describe your career journey to date?

As a language graduate from Leeds University with a passion for communication and international travel, I first launched my career in tourism, working in both France and Italy as a tour guide. The sunny outdoor lifestyle was fantastic, but after years of study, I missed intellectual challenge, so sought a graduate role in the UK in the language industry. Now I’ve gained over 20 years’ experience, working originally in Project Management, then moving into Account Management and then in Team Leadership roles.

What obstacles have you had to overcome?

During the years I’ve faced a range of challenges from managing heavy workloads affecting my work/life balance, exploring the question of whether this is the right industry for me, changes in my personal life which led me to take a work sabbatical, and the stressful situation of fearing redundancy, through to being part of an acquisition by Capita.

During all of this time however, I have been incredibly fortunate to have had nothing but positive support in the workplace from focused, motivated and inspirational women, including directors, line managers and colleagues.

I have never encountered any gender bias or been held back within my career and this was due firstly to the nature of the industry itself, which is traditionally female-led and driven by strong female leadership who acted as role models for both equality and promotion of women in the workplace. Secondly to this, my own belief in my capabilities and my tenacity to demonstrate and promote my achievements within the workplace has helped me to move up the career ladder.

From my perspective, organisations can support women in the workplace by hiring diversely, addressing unconscious bias, having clear growth and career development opportunities, and by supporting work/life balance whatever your situation or role.

 

Laura

Laura
Solutions Architect

Laura, Solutions Architect

I graduated in 2005 with an MA (Hons) degree in Languages in Interpreting and Translating (French and German). As part of my studies, I lived in both France and Germany where I attended the University of Haute Alsace in Mulhouse and Johannes Gutenberg University in Germersheim.

Can you describe your career journey to date?

Following University, I immediately started my career in the translation industry as a Project Manager for a small translation company in my home town of Harrogate. The company was later bought by Applied Language Solutions and again later in by Capita in 2012. This involved relocating to the current office in Oldham, a huge change, both personally and professionally. I have now worked in the translation industry for 12 years, having also taken a year out to travel independently.

How have you got to where you are today?

During my time working in the industry I have held a variety of positions. I started as a Project Manager and my interest in the technology aspect led me to become a File Engineer. I was later offered the opportunity to become the Implementation Project Manager for our translation management system. Following the launch of the software across the business I joined the Language Solutions team as a Solutions Architect. Each of these change in job roles has come about through hard work, commitment and a desire to proactively learn new skills and technologies. I am now fortunate to have a job which combines two things that greatly interest me; languages and technology.

Why is International Women’s Day important to you?

In my current role I am more closely involved with technology solutions both internally and externally. While there has been an increase in the number of women working in the technology industry, it is still a male-dominated area. Despite this, within Capita, I feel supported and encouraged to contribute to technology discussions and feel my input is valued. This is an important attribute for any business and I feel particularly lucky to work for a company that actively welcomes this. It’s great to see the entire Capita business supporting International Women’s Day, acknowledging how far businesses have progressed to achieve gender equality over the years and recognising that there is still more that can be done.

 

Katie

Katie
Head of Account Management

Katie, Head of Account Management

I’ve been in the translation industry for 11 years, after studying French & Spanish at Durham University, I went on to complete a Master’s in Technical & Specialised Translation at the University of Westminster.

Can you describe your career journey to date?

After gaining my qualifications, I’ve worked in a number of roles within the industry. I started out as a Project Manager and then progressed to Team Leader, managing the translation requirements of the company’s New York and Paris offices. After a 2-year career change, during which I learned about digital marketing, I decided to return to the translation industry and combine my newly gained SEO knowledge with my translation experience and moved back up North to work as an SEO Translation Project Manager. I’ve been there ever since, in a variety of roles including: Service Delivery Manager, Head of Project Management, Head of Vendor Management, Account Manager, Senior AM and most recently, Head of Account Management – I’ve practically worked in every department!

Languages has always been a passion of mine since I first started learning French at school, so working in the language industry where I am surrounded by like-minded people is great. I love learning about other cultures and am privileged to work with a diverse group of people from all corners of the globe.

What obstacles have you had to overcome?

After studying for my MA in London, I lived in Windsor for 4 years, but the North soon called, and I moved to be nearer to family. I also spent a year abroad living in Paris and then Barcelona as part of my studies which was a fantastic experience but rather challenging at times, especially being away from family and friends and adapting to a different way of living.

Why is International Women’s Day important to you?

Supporting women in the workplace is extremely important and something which I think we do well at Capita TI; we have a mix of genders, background and experience across all departments and levels within the business and everyone is treated equally.

I am heavily involved with a local musical theatre group which takes up a lot of my time outside of work and leaves little time for relaxing! So, I need to be very organised and disciplined with my work to balance the 2, but I think it’s extremely important to have a work/life balance and I encourage my team to do the same. Sometimes you need to put in the extra hours to meet an important deadline, but it should be the exception and not the norm.

 

Sarah

Sarah
Business Development Manager

Sarah, Business Development Manager

Can you describe your career journey to date?

I didn’t start out with a languages background; I studied Fashion Design at University in London and then spent 6 months in Brussels as part of a product design placement for C&A. I then got the travel bug and took a few months out of my career to travel around South-East Asia, Australia & New Zealand. Whilst I was away, I started working in Sales and Promotions for a B2B company and realised that I had a passion for this line of work. After returning to the UK, I joined Capita TI as an Inside Sales Executive. When the opportunity to live in Chicago for a year came up, I just couldn’t turn it down, and moved out there to understand the US localisation market and help to drive the Capita brand overseas. When I came home, I became a junior Business Development Manager, and then progressed up to my role today.

I find the languages industry so interesting – it reaches so many different sectors and companies and when dealing with international markets, you realise how important multilingual communication is.

How have you got to where you are today?

During my time travelling and living in the US, I spent a lot of time on my own, where I learnt a lot about myself and how to be independent.

Luckily, I’ve always had encouraging and supportive managers, but I also learnt a lot from my peers and colleagues – looking at how they handled projects and set-backs. Learning from others shouldn’t be underrated.

At Capita, I feel part of a bigger team; Capita plc has 70,000 people worldwide. At a recent conference in Manchester, I got the chance to meet other Sales team from across the entire business – a great learning and networking experience for me.

Why is International Women’s Day important to you?

I believe that we have a duty to encourage the next generation. I have young cousins and nieces, and I feel responsible in leading the way for them, helping them to understand the workplace and career opportunities from an early age.

Careers advice in schools has come a long way in recent years – roles or subjects that were previously considered ‘masculine’, such as engineering, are now being opened up to girls too. I chose to study fashion because I enjoyed, I didn’t really know what my career options were.

I deal with a lot of customers in the manufacturing sector – a traditionally male-dominated industry, but when I go to customer meetings and events, I’m confident that my background and experience have positioned me well in understanding their translation requirements and how to help their sector reach new markets.

 

Katie

Katie
Content & Bid Producer

Katie, Content & Bid Producer

My experience is based wholly in marketing rather than the language industry, but I had the transferable skills needed to take on the role. I have 16 years’ experience in B2B marketing in the media sector, and 5 months in the languages industry! My degree in Retail Management included strategic thinking and marketing, so it was a good starting point for my career.

How have you got to where you are today?

I had two amazing female mentors and one male mentor in my early years in the media industry. All of them offered me invaluable learning opportunities. The female mentors not only taught me key skills to do my job (strategic commercial marketing) but also encouraged me out of my shell and helped me find my voice. All three sometimes putting me in situations I wasn’t comfortable with and didn’t think I could cope with, to show me that I could rise to the occasion. There are lots of inspirational women in Capita to learn from too!

What obstacles have you had to overcome?

On returning to work after my first maternity leave, the team I was on had doubled in size and I had new responsibilities. On the other hand, when I returned to work after my second maternity leave, I had no team at all, as they’d all been made redundant while I was off. Two different scenarios, both very testing!

I was made redundant in July 2018, which was scary at the time. The prospect of job hunting and interviews after 16 years of working for the same company was daunting, but it opened up a whole new opportunity for me, a whole new industry to learn about, which was a challenge, but one I was ready for.

Why is International Women’s Day important to you?

Supporting women should be high on every business agenda, not only for equal opportunities for women but also for the greater good of the business. Research shows that those businesses with women at the exec level perform better. Having said that, we have some way to go to remove the ingrained assumptions that are woven into society. Most of these are down to language – the phrase ‘man up’, or the idea that men can show ‘leadership’ when women show ‘bossiness’. All of these have to change before I can truly believe we’ll ever see a representative boardroom, so there’s a huge cultural shift needed.

The opportunity to utilise flexible working is invaluable to working parents. What’s more, it’s mutually beneficial; employees who feel listened to and valued enough to be offered that flexibility, in my experience, will work hard and remain loyal.

Whilst I do feel that we’ve still got some way to go before the workplace becomes a fully balanced environment in terms of gender, I can see from my own experience how far we have come in just the last few years. When I was 19, I was temping in a design agency and I was the only female employee at the time. My colleagues were all lovely, however we did have one client who came into the office and referred to me as ‘a bit of crumpet’. Thankfully, he was tactfully dealt with, but I’m certainly glad we’re moving away from that era!

 

Marga

Marga
Vendor Manager

Marga, Vendor Manager

Can you describe your career journey to date?

I studied translation and interpreting at university and have worked in the localisation industry for most of my working life. My family and I moved to the UK from Spain in 2014 and then in 2015, I joined Capita TI, working in the Vendor Management team.

The main reason why we moved to England was to offer our sons the opportunity to live in a different country and enrich their experience. My husband also works in the translation industry and we both had lived in other countries before we became parents, so we appreciate the importance of cultural learning.

What obstacles have you had to overcome?

In my career, combining motherhood with work has probably set the biggest challenges to the date. I took some sabbatical time for a while and when I was ready to work full time, it was very hard to return to my career path.

Nowadays, I’m grateful to work in a company like Capita TI. I can work in my field of expertise but within a big corporation and a family-friendly work environment, where inclusion and diversity are intrinsic.

 

Nahid

Nahid
Project Manager

Nahid, Project Manager

Can you describe your career journey to date?

I was born in Afghanistan during the war. I remember going to school when rockets and bullets were being fired – we had to change classrooms to go to the ‘safe side’ of the building. Back then, there was a rule that if a student can study the main school subjects during 3 months of summer holidays, they can take an exam at the start of school year and if passed, they can jump to the next school year. I did this twice and completed 12 years of school in 8 years and missed 2 other years when schools were shut. Mostly I was home schooled by my parents. After graduation from school, I attended Kabul University and studied English Literature. In 2007, I won the Chevening Scholarship (funded by Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK and managed by British Council), which allowed me to do my MSc degree in Human Resources in the UK. I was one of the 12 who was awarded this scholarship, after a thorough selection process of 1500 applicants from all over Afghanistan. I have lived in the UK ever since, working in different roles.

Capita TI has been the longest I have worked for and I love my job – my colleagues are great, and this industry is growing fast and I like the challenge of keeping up with it.

What obstacles have you had to overcome?

Growing up, I haven’t had the best of childhood and education experiences due to war but I made the most of the little opportunities with my family’s support.

Here in the UK I’ve faced a bit of discrimination in a previous workplace, and to some extent the law wasn’t on my side there, so I left and got a job in the localisation industry, which suited me much better.

Living in the UK has taught me a lot and I am grateful for the opportunities in my life, and the struggles growing up. It’s made me the person I am today, and I am happy.

Why is International Women’s Day important to you?

There are some key issues that should be addressed throughout the year, not just on International Women’s Day, such as domestic violence, the gender pay gap, harassment, period poverty, flexible working.

Women make up half of the workforce. Businesses should help and support women by being flexible and understanding when it comes to maternity and parenthood. We need to talk more openly about what many consider to be ‘taboo’ subjects, such as periods, for example. Some women go through painful periods or experience other related illnesses, and this isn’t always discussed or fully understood in the workplace. Women shouldn’t suffer just because it’s part of who they are.

Flexible working across genders and industries is becoming more widespread and I think this is key. Businesses need to build trust with employees, and this works both ways – the employee puts in the required work and hours, in the knowledge that the company is looking after them. The pressures of work should also be evaluated on a regular basis so that it doesn’t affect the employees’ personal life.

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Giving our values a voice

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translation ecosystemOur vision is to create a world without language barriers. How will we achieve this? Our mission sets out how we will reach our vision: by combining innovative people, process and technology, to enable our customers to communicate with anyone, anywhere.

 

Our new values

Our values represent the core ideology of our business and the way we interact with each other and our customers – they are one of the most important things to our organisation, so we’ve given them a voice.

We are…

 

MarketingOpen

We’re transparent, demonstrating open-communication, integrity, trust and compliance. Our people are who we are – they are the face of our business, and they are how we achieve success. Why not meet some of them for yourself…

 

Language-solutionsIngenious

In the ever-advancing world we live in, we use technology to our, and your, advantage. Our home-grown language technology suite, SmartMATE, was built to help deliver high-quality translation & interpreting when timescales and budgets are tight.

Go to the SmartMATE suite

 

Collaborative

We put our customers first, building partnerships and relationships that deliver unique services. We don’t want to just sell our services, we want to understand how we can help your business grow and communicate with other communities & markets. Don’t just take our word for it though; see what our customers say…

Read case studies

 

Effective

We focus on quality with our experienced staff, linguists and partners. We do our best to ensure whatever your project, whatever the language; we will deliver the best we can do. We implement strict quality controls throughout and we’re ISO 27001 certified, meaning we look after your data securely. Quality is so important to us that we’ve created a range of tools and resource to measure and control it.

View Quality tools

 

Giving our customers a voice

The fundamental value of Capita TI, the reason we exist, is to give our customers a voice – whether it is a website translation project to help take a business global; or an interpreting appointment so that a patient can understand their doctor. We understand the importance of communication and breaking down language barriers.

A day in the life of a translation Business Development Manager

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Rodrigo is an Enterprise Business Development Manager, helping large global manufacturers with their multilingual requests. Originally from Portugal, Rodrigo has over 10 years’ experience in translation and localisation. In this blog, we find out more about his role.

How long have you been working at Capita TI?

I have been with Capita TI for 2 and half years, since late 2015.

Describe your current role

With a clear focus on large enterprise accounts, my role is to pair clients’ translation requirements with Capita TI’s language solutions, through a unique service delivery model supported by our in-house technology. This is achieved through developing new long-term partnerships based on trust and a solution driven approach. A key part of my role is to respond to RFPs (Requests for Proposal) for potential customers. It’s normally through these benchmark exercises that our prospects and clients evaluate the quality of our services, and decide whether or not to use our translation solutions.

Over the last 2 years, I’ve been focusing on supplying translation solutions for the manufacturing industry.

What do you do on a typical day at Capita TI?

My day starts with a strong black coffee. Responding to emails from clients about projects, contacting new prospects via phone and producing proposals sum-up the main tasks in a typical day for me.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job?

The most challenging aspect of what I do is linked to the length of the sales cycle. Large corporations do not go to market or change their providers very often. Sometimes you actually have to wait for 2-3 years until the next tender/RFP comes. This is why I consider every opportunity “THE opportunity”.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Diversity is probably the key word. Diversity is one of the most exciting characteristics of the translation industry. We are in touch almost every day with different stakeholders from different industries that require different content types to be translated, and each of these come with their own challenges.

I also love the technology aspect of the job, and how, when used properly, technology can break barriers and help us to find solutions for complex challenges.

How did you get into the job?

I guess a lot of the people say the same: “pure chance”. My background is in business administrations, so nothing specifically pointed towards a career in the language industry. In 2005, I responded to an interesting advert asking for a Business Development professional in the language industry, and that’s how and when the journey started.

Do you speak any languages?

I speak Portuguese, English, Spanish and scratch the surface of French.

What advice would you have for newcomers into the industry?

This is one of the industries out there where you can enjoy yourself the most. I normally say that this is the industry where art and culture meets business. It’s hard work to do sales, because the differentiating factors are few. But it also opens up the opportunity for people with the right mind-set and work ethic to actually make a difference.

What would you love to be doing if you weren’t in your current role?

I’d be playing tennis on my own island, while enjoying a healthy amount of piña coladas.

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