Translation boss puts in a good word for growth

Mr Gould, owner and founder of the firm, said two acquisitions are likely within the next year with Germany and the mid-west of the United States being targeted.

Thebigword, which has a turnover of £42m and employs 280 staff in Leeds as well as 250 staff in nine other countries, is sponsoring the Exporter of the Year category at the Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards. Thebigword uses 9,000 interpreters and translators in 73 different countries and has around 4,000 customers in key markets including the public sector. such the NHS. and private sector.

Thebigword was appointed to provide interpreters for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The keynote speaker at the seventh annual Excellence in Business Awards will be Business Secretary Vince Cable, while comedian Alistair McGowan will present.

Mr Gould said: “We are delighted to be supporting the Exporter of the Year award because we are seeing huge changes across the world.

“Great nations like China that we in the West once, perhaps patronisingly, viewed as suppliers are now consumers with the desire for – and ability to buy – technology, luxury goods, and even our Bentleys.

“There are huge markets opening up for exporters and we at thebigword provide the ability to overcome the last great barrier to international trade – language.

“Whether you want to talk, email, provide marketing materials or multilingual websites, it’s never been quicker or easier to communicate with your customers – whatever their language.”

The bigword sees 58 per cent of all its work go overseas, said Mr Gould, who added that the United States and China are among the key growth markets for his company.

“United States is our biggest growth market, they are a huge economy and they are growing at a rapid rate. We are seeing big increase in Asia, the smallest increase is coming from the eurozone.”

“I think it’s not just that the eurozone is not doing as well, I think it’s that these other economies are doing so much better. And so for us as well the eurozone has become a less expensive place to produce.”

However, he added that Germany, “as a strong eurozone country”, was a key growth market for the firm.

Excellence in business is achieved through “delivering over 100 per cent of your target”, said Mr Gould, who added: “That is not just financial but bottom line, top line and all that comes in between, including such things as staff retention, training and development, and creating an optimistic, can-do culture.

“And this approach has to be backed by a commitment to, and investment in, technology.”

Thebigword has recently invested more than £1m in the development of Word Pie – an online linguist booking system.

The other categories in the Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards are: Companies with a turnover under £10m, sponsored by Yorkshire Bank; Companies with a turnover between £10m and £50m, sponsored by PwC; Companies with a turnover of more than £50m, sponsored by DLA Piper; Young Business of the Year, for firms up to three years old, sponsored by Goldman Sachs; Young Entrepreneur of the Year, for all promising owner-managers and directors aged 35 and under, sponsored by O2; SME Manufacturer of the Year, for manufacturing companies with a turnover of under £10m, sponsored by KeyedIn; Innovation of the Year, sponsored by Drax; Outstanding Employer of the Year, sponsored by Bradford University School of Management; and the Business Community Award, sponsored by QBE Insurance.