Since 1994, Skrivanek has been providing translations, localizations and interpreting to customers across the globe. Skrivanek’s global network includes branches in business centers like Germany, Great Britain, and the US.
The company translates and interprets in 80 languages covering 96 specializations, including over 200 language combinations. Their greatest asset is people. Linguists, technicians, project managers, subject specialists – they all work together as a team to offer extraordinary customer service.
Easy Engineering: How was 2022 for your business, a short summary?
SKRIVANEK: In a word, 2022 was busy. To Skrivanek it brought expansion in some departments and a continuing diversification of the types and locations of companies we serve. We’re doing more work for clients in key Asian markets, for instance, and we have experienced growth in certain sectors of technology translation. You could also say it was a year of adaptation to changes in global communication. That is always true for LSPs to some extent, but some years are more defined by the speed of change. With the increased localization of video and audio elements, and increased capacity of AI technologies, we found ourselves in 2022 with the exciting challenge of keeping up with client requests and strategizing exactly how to make the investments that were and are necessary to fulfill them.
E.E: What new products/services will be launched this year?
SKRIVANEK: Mid-January of 2023 we began operation of a dedicated Multimedia Department. The demand for subtitling has just exploded, in numerous languages, for many target markets. We had the expertise to do a great job on these projects, so we kept getting more and more requests, to the point where we knew we had to meet the challenge with even more focus and investment of talent, training, and technology.
Technically oriented companies are often required to provide training videos and extensive technical manuals for employees and customers. We have technical subject matter experts that are native-level speakers in over 80 languages, and we expect to see more of our engineering, mining, energy, and automotive clients transcreate core materials into multimedia formats. It has become a Skrivanek specialty to provide full-service products that begin with conceptualization of what a company needs and proceed into translation, transcription, localization, and then final testing of multimedia elements. We handle it all.
E.E: How did the market change in the last year?
SKRIVANEK: Despite all the disruptive variables of the last few years – pandemic, lockdowns, supply chain disruption, war, inflation – our business has continued to grow. Not only does international communication continue to be necessary under all conditions, it has become even more important in some ways as companies seek to survive and thrive by reaching into new markets beyond their borders.
E.E: What were the best-selling products of 2022?
SKRIVANEK: Multimedia localization was the area where we saw the biggest growth in our sales. This includes subtitling, short-form video dubbing, and website upgrades. Traditional translation for companies and institutions that were expanding their communication held its own as a foundation for our activity. All these products are relevant to engineering companies that want to expand their market share by adding multilingual elements.
As multimedia features become easier to create and especially desirable to some demographics, competitive companies choose them because human beings all over the world are responsive to them, often more responsive to such non-verbal communication than verbal.
A perennial best-selling product for Skrivanek is high volume, high quality translations enabled by our sophisticated CATand MT tools. Our engineering clients benefit tremendously from these as they provide greater consistency and faster turnaround for technical texts.
E.E: What sector of business do you think is expected to grow this year?
SKRIVANEK: For our company the largest area of growth will most likely be in Multimedia Localization. As mentioned, this is where we are putting a lot of resources right now. In the world of global commerce, multimedia is more and more common for marketing, training, and other types of communication – in every field.
Engineering and other technically-oriented companies often provide training videos and essential technical manuals to their customers and employees. Skrivanek has subject matter experts that are native-level speakers in over 80 languages to process these requests. We expect to see this part of our business grow as innovations in the energy, IT, automotive, and various engineering sectors continue to prompt the development of new products and sometimes entirely new technologies.
E.E: What estimations to you have for the coming year?
SKRIVANEK: It seems safe to predict that certain trends and conditions will continue since they have a lot of energy behind them. Globalization keeps the language industry growing steadily even when some other industries lag. The challenge of finding and retaining the best talent is always at the top of our list of priorities and this has been difficult since 2020. It’s common knowledge that language technology is blazing on into futuristic forms like ChatGPT, and the balance between human and machine roles in translation is an ongoing process we are engaged in and have been for years. Change, challenge, and opportunity are what we see before us in 2023.
E.E: A short message for collaborators for the beginning of the year.
SKRIVANEK: Because engineering fields are central to global well-being and the re-invention of many aspects of civilization, we are thrilled to be able to provide superior language products for these clients. It feels like this will be another year of adaptation to the realities of a changing world, and it’s profoundly important to us as professionals and as individuals at Skrivanek to be part of positive developments.
Skrivanek’s daily operations are still, and always will be, based on the Single Point of Contact model of operation for our customers. From concept to completion each project is handled and overseen by one Account Manager, with a Project Manager who organizes details. No matter how much global commerce or language technologies may change over the years, we know that the source of our success is our people and how they connect with our customers. We’re busy – everyone from our management staff to technicians to linguists are often in high gear. But we love it that way, and at the very heart of our energy is personalized connection with each client, through an ongoing conversation that drives problem-solving and innovation to specifically address each of their needs. It’s especially gratifying when our customers’ endeavors achieve a higher quality level because of the language services we provide for their international projects.
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