More jobs on way as translation firm wins contracts

Jun 23 2009 by Karen Dent, The Journal

A SMALL but growing translation firm is shrugging off the economic gloom after winning five major contracts.

Interpreting Translation Line (ITL), which provides interpreters and language services, has clinched deals to work with Durham County Council and four NHS primary care trusts – Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Durham and Darlington.

The Felling-based firm, which has been in business for 20 years, will supply interpretation and translation services exclusively to the council for the next three years and will also provide interpreters to more than 300 surgeries and dental practices as well as all the hospitals in the four health trusts.

ITL managing director Grace Tia Bon Bon said: “These are very exciting contract wins for us and will really help to cement our position as the region’s premier interpreting and translation company.

“It also means that we will be in a position to employ more people on a full-time basis. We hope we can prove that there are businesses out there that are doing well.”

The company, which also recently secured the translation contract with Sure Start Northumberland’s children’s information services, uses 5,000 North East-based self-employed translators, who are fluent in almost 100 languages. It opened satellite offices in Manchester and Glasgow two years ago.

Ms Tia Bon Bon arrived from Japan in the 1980s to work as a language teacher at Newcastle University.

She provided translation services to Nissan when the car giant came to the region and she founded ITL shortly afterwards to work with other Asian companies locating in the North East.

ITL’s successes were highlighted at a meeting of Durham Business Club, which focused on the skills that companies need to develop in order to become world class.

Christine Yule, development director at Durham Business Club, said: “Despite the gloomy outlook, there really are business success stories out there and I think it’s time we as a club and as a region celebrated them more.”