Two weeks after the incorporation of EVS Translations (USA), Inc. in Atlanta, the first employee started on March 1, 2008 as General Manager. Around five years later, in the summer of 2013, the team had grown to ten employees, and today it includes an impressive 19 people.
Why found a translation company in Atlanta?
After an intensive location search, Atlanta was selected – with the German-American Chamber of Commerce right there and a flourishing economic area with a multitude of international companies, consulates, and binational chambers of commerce, the metropolis of five million seemed ideal. Also known as the City in a Forest, the capital of Georgia distinguishes itself as an interesting place to live for our employees with many leisure options for a good work-life balance.
The US translation market was practically saturated in 2008 – the market participants were first and foremost large translation agencies. The disadvantage for customers: limited personalized advice and individual translation solutions. Small agencies, in contrast, have difficulties delivering the quality that international customers from the fields of economics, technology, and medicine require. EVS Translations USA has positioned itself between these two models with an in-house concept that is rather unusual for the industry. Translators, proofreaders, project managers, graphic designers, and IT employees work together on site in our office. We are therefore able to provide our customers with professional specialist translations and a unique service with individual translation solutions. At the same time, our in-house concept enables us to keep relying on the 25 years of experience that EVS Translations Germany has gained.
Stumbling blocks on the path to success
Looking back at a decade of EVS Translations USA also shows, however, that the leap to Atlanta was not a perfect success story; expectations and reality did not always line up. Especially at the start, there were many difficulties: differences in lease negotiations, employment contracts for various nationalities and visa applications – an indispensable part of a multinational translation company – the lack of visibility on the American market, and the unfamiliarity of our in-house concept as a business model. All of this meant that the goals that were originally supposed to have been achieved in five years ended up requiring ten years.
Looking to the future with pride and optimism
The satisfaction of our customers confirms that we are on the right track: both the personalized advice and the reliability are especially appreciated. Current General Manager, Björn Prüfer, looks back on the past few years with positivity: “I am very proud of what we have achieved in the ten-year history of EVS Translations USA for our customers, our US employees, and the EVS Translations Group as a whole. We have managed to establish EVS Translations as a brand on the American market and convince many international customers of the high quality of our language services. Especially over the last five years, the office in Atlanta has become a full-fledged branch. The team at EVS Translations Atlanta is looking forward to the next ten years full of new translation projects.”
Do you have individual questions on your translation project? We are more than happy to help via email at usa@evs-translations.com or by telephone at +1 404-523-5560.
