An interview with Sabrina Geiersbach

SabrinaQuestion: How long has Mondo Services existed?

Answer: Mondo Services was founded in 2005, by one of the current managers.

Question: Since you have started working in this business, have you ever had to face a financial crisis, like at the moment?

Answer: Honestly, I could not speak from my own experiences, as I only started one year ago, when the crisis was in full swing. But as far as I have heard, mainly from our clients and suppliers, these are the most complicated times that many of them ever had to face, in terms of arrears and businesses’ bankruptcy. However, we have been doing pretty well.

Question: What measures have you taken against the current crisis?

Answer: Firstly I have to say, that as far as I can see, the translation/interpreting sector has not been affected as much as others, but we obviously know that these are not our heydays. It is true that many businesses are trying to save money, and there are many clients, who used to spend a lot more, but we also have to keep in mind, that the crisis forces many companies to move abroad and therefore, more and more businesses need translations and interpreting.

To come back to the question: We are trying very hard to be there for our clients, for the old as well as the new ones; furthermore we have charged the same for the past years, although our service has improved. We have also been trying to maintain and strengthen our relationship with clients, which in our era of technology and long distances, is more important than ever. And all this makes us stronger, as well as the positive feedback we receive from our clients.

Question: In terms of your clients, employees and partners, have you noticed the recession?

Answer: As I have said before, the crisis affects everybody. For example in construction businesses; although we are still working with many of them, the number of translations they need has drastically decreased. At the same time, we’re working with large businesses in construction and other sectors, which need more translations than before, as now they are mostly concentrating on projects abroad, which obviously is good for us. Our clients’ expansion into European countries such as Hungary, Romania, Poland, and other rising countries such as Turkey, China, Brazil, brings its own challenges, in terms of translations as well as interpreting.

Question: And would you say that it is more difficult to work with companies, which are having a difficult time? How does the situation affect your work?

Answer: Without a doubt, businesses are becoming more and more demanding, not necessarily in terms of translations or services, but everything else, such as deadlines, the price and payment. Therefore it is a lot more difficult to work like this, now. The quality of our services has not got worse in fact it has improved, in terms of quality we are constantly looking to improve our service. As I have been told by the coordinators and accounting; neither the deadlines have been extended nor do we pay less for our suppliers. Hence, in order to face these great difficulties, in order to counteract the decline of our profit-margin and the increase in risk, we had to improve our work system’s efficiency and increase our turnover; and this is where I and my work come into the equation.

Question: As quality has been mentioned, is it normal for agencies to struggle with regards to translations?

Answer: I can’t talk about other agencies, but in our case, as a good German, I wouldn’t enjoy selling a product I don’t believe in, and I couldn’t believe in a product if it weren’t up to scratch. We are aware of the fact that we have a great responsibility, in terms of our products’ quality, and that is why, we are constantly looking for new ways to improve and ensure our products’ quality, and why we have taken out liability insurance. After all, I am proud to say that until this date, we have not needed it. What’s our secret you may ask, as I said before, every single step, from receiving the document to handing it back to the client, is carried out with rigorous care, thanks to our translators and coordinators.

Question: What kinds of businesses contact you?

Answer: It would be hard to say, as our clients have all sorts of business ventures, and in fact, this is another tip to get through the crisis: Diversification. And that is what keeps us running and growing. We work with private and small to medium-sized companies, as well as large businesses, which are represented in all sectors.

Question: Mondo Services also has offices in other European cities, are you planning on opening more branches?

Answer: At the moment we are running two offices in Spain; the headquarters in Madrid and an office in Valencia, from where I work.
Around 4 years ago we opened a branch in Italy and it’s running smoothly. And recently we have reactivated our office in Stuttgart, Germany.

It is true that if we want to expand and maintain a certain proximity to our clients all over the peninsula, in Europe and beyond, we have to establish ourselves in as many locations as possible. We want to give our clients the opportunity to meet face to face, in order to provide them with a more personalised and better service. Therefore, we are hoping to keep growing and establishing new branches year after year.

Question: Do you already know where you are going to open the next office?

Answer: We are currently looking into the possibility of opening another office in Spain, but we are also thinking about establishing a branch in the UK, in order to appeal to an even more international clientele.

Question: If somebody were to ask you, why to choose Mondo Services instead of another translation agency, what would your answer be?

Answer: Because we are a professional as well as flexible company, furthermore we offer speed, in terms of the initial estimate and the final delivery, we are also transparent, and above all, we treasure the trust our clients, employees, partners and suppliers invest in us. We dedicate ourselves completely to maintaining long term relationships with our clients, which they notice and value.

Question: And if they were to ask you why to choose Mondo Services over a freelance translator or interpreter, what would you say?

Answer: The answer is simple, and there are various reasons. A freelancer can be an expert in 3 to 4 languages at the most, specialising in 9 to 10 topics at best. But as Mondo Services works with various freelancers in every imaginable language combination, we are able to offer speed, better service and to ensure security as well as availability.
In conclusion, Mondo Services, is the client’s single solution to multiple needs.
Best wishes,

Sabrina Geiersbach

 

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