1-800-Translate

Situation and Challenges

Based in New York City, 1-800-Translate provides ISO 9001-certified language and industry translation services to half the Fortune 500. The company operates in more than 150 languages for multilingual print, Web and audiovisual production. It employs a staff of 13 and works with 2,500 contractors across the nation. In all, it serves 4,000 customers on many different types of projects:

• For litigation preparation, the company was called on to analyze and translate gigabytes of data in the space of a few hours.
• For video broadcast translations, one project involved 600 half-hour episodes of an animated Japanese TV show into French subtitles.
• For a European automaker, the company was hired to translate all its full-color vehicle brochures from English into German.

1-800-Translate is accustomed to working on very large files. “Instead of sending us the text for a brochure that needs to be translated, customers want the convenience of sending the entire project, images and all,” explained 1-800-Translate CEO, Ken Clark. “With the entire document, our automated technology will strip out the English and replace with the correctly translated text. Translated files can then be delivered client-ready.”

To handle these massive desktop publishing files, video and audio files, the company tried to use its own FTP server. FTP was problematic because customers were inexperienced in sending very large files and FTP was too complicated for them to use.

• To maintain security on an FTP server, individual customer passwords needed to be created and maintained. Guest passwords were not a secure method.
• Obtaining a password from the IT department can take 20 minutes. It would then be sent to the customer, who often needed 15 minutes of downloading instruction. A project manager at the company could spend up to an hour just helping one customer access the FTP server.
• Often customers entered their passwords, but the system didn’t work. Some users did not realize passwords were case-sensitive, or other issues would arise.
• 1-800-Translate frequently used commercial courier services instead of the cumbersome FTP system. “I can’t tell you how many times a customer said, ‘Never mind, I’ll FedEx it to you,’” Clark recalled. “This would happen at least a couple times a week.”
• Other frustrated customers wanted to fax a brochure or document , but the company required the original files to efficiently process the translation.

“When quoting a job, it is important to us to have a prospective client send us their entire file,” Clark said. “The chances of doing business with us increases by magnitudes once they entrust us with their file. Consequently, we needed to make delivery of these large files easier for our customers.”

Solution

Initially, the company used the trial version of YouSendIt for Business. Later, IT recommended deploying YouSendIt for Business to multiple users within the company, which allowed easy routing of files for clients.

“Our IT manager sent an e-mail to everyone in the company with a single line describing where to go to access YouSendIt for Business,” Clark said. “The message provided a user name and password, and that was the extent of the training required. It has been up and running ever since.”

Why YouSendIt for Business

Besides being simple to learn and use, YouSendIt for Business gave 1-800-Translate an important business advantage. “Those of us who use YouSendIt for Business enjoy a real advantage over competitors,” Clark noted. “We really need to see an entire file to quote it and to engage prospects in the sale process from the start. YouSendIt for Business is an essential relationship builder for us.”

• Additionally, YouSendIt for Business provides a secure way to send, receive and track customer files. For example, the company’s legal clients use the company’s YouSendIt for Business solution. Clark said, “I thought our legal clients and attorneys would be concerned about sending documents under court order without a proprietary solution. Security and confidentiality is a big concern for many of our customers. YouSendIt for Business has never been a problem for any of our clients. I was happy to see how eager they were to use our system.”
• Another benefit for 1-800-Translate is that YouSendIt for Business requires no IT support. Plus, the company does not need to buy, download, install or maintain any software. It is all hosted by YouSendIt for Business.
• 1-800-Translate was looking for a private-label solution to replace FTP. YouSendIt for Business’s branding capabilities met its needs very effectively.