Off topic: Where do you think is the best or most suitable city for setting up a translation company in the UK?
Thread poster: ilanguagehk
ilanguagehk
ilanguagehk
Hong Kong
Local time: 16:20
Feb 23, 2021

We would like to know which city is best or most suitable for setting up a translation company in the UK.

Any ideas from you?

You are welcome to reply.


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:20
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Wherever Feb 23, 2021

Wherever your costs would be lower. Any town in Cornwall would be charming. But check broadband speeds.

If you want absolute rock bottom, Shildon in County Durham would be the place to head for, according to this article:

https://tinyurl.com/ycz6wm4m

[Edited at 2021-02-23 10:46 GMT]


Dan Lucas
Christine Andersen
Robert Rietvelt
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
More info needed Feb 23, 2021

ilanguagehk wrote:
We would like to know which city is best or most suitable for setting up a translation company in the UK.

Best or most suitable in what way? Tell us more about what you want/need/plan.

In business terms it will probably make little difference in the modern world.


Carolina Barba
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 08:20
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Why does it matter? Feb 23, 2021

How many clients are you expecting to come knocking on your door? How many suppliers? Surely, they'll all get in touch with you electronically, unless you offer the translation of certified documents, in which case those will probably arrive by post.

Were you thinking of working from a rented office and having employees physically on site? If so, you'll want to look at rental prices and the availability of staff. But staff will probably be happy to relocate if they really want to wo
... See more
How many clients are you expecting to come knocking on your door? How many suppliers? Surely, they'll all get in touch with you electronically, unless you offer the translation of certified documents, in which case those will probably arrive by post.

Were you thinking of working from a rented office and having employees physically on site? If so, you'll want to look at rental prices and the availability of staff. But staff will probably be happy to relocate if they really want to work with you, and especially if it's in a nice place. Presumably, you want to live in a nice place too -- we aren't at work 24/7 throughout the year, after all. So I recommend opening your business somewhere you want to live. I really can't see it being a handicap. In the centre of a large city is probably going to make 100% of jobs available to you, but the rents, rates, salaries, etc., will all be sky-high. For the loss of a few percent of jobs you could set up the business on a shoestring in a quieter and more healthy environment.
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Robert Rietvelt
Christine Andersen
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 09:20
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Outside a large town but not far away Feb 23, 2021

If most business is online, then anywhere is fine, as others have mentioned.

However, some of my favourite translation agency clients have been located on the outskirts of towns in business or industrial areas, so here are some thoughts to consider.

These agencies do not need expensive or impressive city-centre offices, but comfort and car parking for employees and accessiblity for visitors are an advantage.

The medium to small agencies I am thinking of h
... See more
If most business is online, then anywhere is fine, as others have mentioned.

However, some of my favourite translation agency clients have been located on the outskirts of towns in business or industrial areas, so here are some thoughts to consider.

These agencies do not need expensive or impressive city-centre offices, but comfort and car parking for employees and accessiblity for visitors are an advantage.

The medium to small agencies I am thinking of have made a point of close collaboration with end clients in business and industry, which means visiting them, or inviting representatives to meetings on agency premises. That is why accessibility is an advantage - and the agency's own employees can come and go as needed too.
End clients are not always local, but some definintely are.

It depends what you mean by a translation company too. Many provide other services around translating to some extent, but I know one husband-and-wife business that collaborates with an advertising agency and a network of others instead.
Here I am thinking of DTP and so on.

A somewhat larger agency has its own DTP section, coordinates large projects with different languages, and even helps with technical writing for documentation and user manuals in the source language, if required, before having them translated.
They experiment with machine translation and collaborate with the nearest university too.

If you specialise in a particular industry or subject area, then it might be an advantage to be near end-users who specialise in the same area.

But as others have said, in principle you can set up anywhere, or more information is needed.
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Where do you think is the best or most suitable city for setting up a translation company in the UK?






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