A Yorkshire-based translation firm has created 92 jobs after experiencing soaring demand for its services around the world.
New contracts with a total value of £12m have been secured by thebigword in the UK, Europe and the US.
According to Larry Gould, thebigword’s chief executive, there is an “urgent need” for staff to work in thebigword’s linguist recruitment, customer service, logistics and IT operations.
Thebigword, which is based in Leeds, is recruiting 41 permanent staff, plus 51 temporary staff who will be employed until the end of April. The company expects many of the temporary posts to become permanent.
Mr Gould, who founded the business in 1980, said yesterday: “This is a great success story for the UK and especially for Leeds. “We now employ people from 73 countries in 12 offices across nine locations and our Leeds HQ is at the centre of a huge global operation”.
“We’re delighted to be able to bring new business to Yorkshire and offer great opportunities for local people.”
Mr Gould praised the “great work ethic” of his Leeds-based team, which was helping the business to win more work.
Mr Gould said investment in technology was driving opportunities for thebigword around the world.
Thebigword employs 400 staff in Leeds. Worldwide, the company has around 550 staff, and 4,000 contract workers.
Thebigword has continued to grow during the recession, due to the demand for global trade and the need for the UK public sector to communicate with people speaking different languages.
Mr Gould said: “People are realising that you can’t just deal with local markets.
“You need to talk to customers in other markets.”
Thebigword translates 380 million words each year and interprets 14.6 million minutes of speech over the telephone, as well as completing 122,000 assignments for face-to-face interpreters.
The company achieved turnover of around £42m over the last financial year, and Mr Gould hopes to double the turnover over the next three years.
Yesterday. Mr Gould said his message to the business community was: “Don’t be depressed, there’s lots of business out there.”*
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