We often ask ourselves, “What does the translation and interpretation company of the future look like?” When we think intentionally about the future, we are better able to predict trends and plan for them, or at least identify them early on. We are also able to foresee potential problems and develop plans for addressing these issues before they significantly impact our work. For example, California recently passed a new law (called California Assembly Bill 5) that changed the legal requirements for classifying people as “freelancers” versus “employees.” We knew that this law would go into effect on January 1, 2020, so we did our research beforehand on how to legally continue our working relationships. We prepared ourselves, and when the law went into effect it did not significantly disrupt our work.

Of course, when we are working with such new technology and subject matter, we will encounter things that we have never seen before. How do we handle the challenge of facing new things? We simply have to dive in headfirst to gather all of the information that we can, using our network of trusted resources as well as our own ability to practice and test different technologies or methods out. We keep open communication with all of our stakeholders: you never know where the next tip or trend is going to come from.

We also are always working to expand our network of linguists across the globe, both to make sure that we can cover any request relevant to new trends, and to open new channels of information exchange. Of course, one great way to keep abreast of new trends is always to research and never be afraid to address challenges. Another way is by getting the perspective of younger people who might have new, unconventional ideas, which is why we always keep in touch with the new generation of translation, interpretation, and localization students.

Modern translation and interpretation providers operate very differently than those of the past, and we can assume that they will continue to evolve and change. To stay current or even ahead of the curve, we must work hard to remain updated with today’s trends, which means we are always thinking ahead, learning, and growing. We focus on the future and accomplish things today that will set us up for success tomorrow. We rely on our hard-working staff, our network of various relationships, our technologies, and our information-gathering strategies to keep us energized and to help us stay a dynamic translation and interpretation company! Every day is interesting for us at work because no two days are the same at Monterey Language Services!