Translating business

In today's world where quality, speed and efficient communication with clients are highly valued, one translation agency has found its chance for growth and development. K&J Translations is a leading European based translation agency which was founded in 2017 in Slovenia. In addition to translation, the company also specialises in programming, SEO and web developing, which gives them a significant edge when translating websites for their clients. Located in Ljubljana, the heart of the Europe, the company has many franchises around the Central Europe. They therefore have a wide range of native translators and proof-readers of European languages. K&J Translations are constantly growing their offer or world languages in their portfolio of offered work.

Jože Prelec, Owner of K&J Translation, tells us, the company started with one, relatively small office. However, as the demand for their services grew steadily, so did the need for more employees. At the end of 2018, they moved to new, larger premises and continued to expand their portfolio of significant clients. We asked Jože who are his desirable franchise partners, what are the costs, and what markets they are focused on for future developments.

“In a short time, we managed to gain good references. We have cooperated with domestic, Slovenian and foreign companies and have established cooperation with major public institutions. Today, we actively operate in eight foreign markets and have established franchises in four different countries,” says Prelec.

To ensure that the service is always high quality and fast, K&J Translations cooperates with more than 5,000 translators around the world, notes Prelec. “We work with most translators on a part-time basis, but a certain number of them are also employed internally. We translate into more than 85 world languages ​​from various fields, and we are mostly specialized in the fields of medicine, law, tourism, technology and finance,” Jože said.

Namely, in addition to the classic translation service, K&J Translations also offers a certified translation service, fast translation, proofreading and proofreading, paying special attention to digital content - localisation and optimisation of sites, blogs, but also with software and marketing materials. “This service goes beyond mere translation. It is a matter of complete adaptation to the linguistic spirit and cultural context of the users from the given area,” Prelec points out.

How do you translate franchising?

The dynamics and internationalization of business, as well as the constant movement of people and goods, has created a world in which translation services have become a daily necessity. K&J Translations are very aware of this.“There will always be work for quality translation agencies,” says Jože, explaining that this led him to think about development outside the borders of Slovenia. First, they opened their own branches in two foreign markets, and then they started thinking about developing a franchise.

“I first learned about the franchise business system a few years ago when I checked how big global companies such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola, KFC, Burger King work... However, I initially thought that franchises were more suitable for brands from areas of catering and gastronomy. Later, however, I noticed that many other companies, from different fields, operate as franchises. After reading the book E-Myth and expanding our company to the German and Slovak markets, I became completely enthusiastic about the idea and began actively looking for partners in different markets,” explained Prelec about how he learned about franchise development.

K&J Translations currently has four franchise agencies which operate in the Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian and Czech markets. “We are currently negotiating and establishing a franchise on the Italian market as well,” he adds. However, this is only the beginning of international development. In the future, he says, they plan to expand to the Polish, French and Spanish markets. “In the foreseeable future, K&J Translations wants to further expand to the American and Asian markets,” reveals Prelec.

Experience and support are fundamental to the business

The ideal recipients of this franchise are companies that already operate in the local market and are well acquainted with that market. “Knowledge in the field of translation, provided quality and fast and friendly communication with clients are also mandatory,” says Prelec in relation to franchisee requirements.

On the other hand, K&J Translation, as a franchisor, will provide support to its partners on key business issues - the use of translation programs, pricing for customers, issuing offers, invoices and the like. “The franchisee receives detailed business management instructions, price lists and draft emails. They also have access to a program for managing translation projects, issuing offers, invoices and collecting translation memory. We help even in the case of unpaid invoices,” Prelec explains.

“In short, we offer our franchise partners full support in the field of IT systems, employee management, marketing and sales, which will facilitate and enable the future continuous growth of the company,” the owner sums up.

Big potential with low investment

The franchise doesn’t require large investments to start a translation agency. The recipient should provide adequate space for work, purchase computers and translation programs. However, Prelec emphasizes there are no specific requirements regarding the appearance, size or equipment of the office, because communication and agreements with clients are mostly done via e-mail or telephone. “Ideally, the franchise agency should have at least two employees,” he says.

It should be noted that the franchisee doesn’t pay any franchise fees for the purchase of the franchise license. The franchisee does however, have pay the company an agreed percentage of the total income on a monthly basis. Prelec outlines that, “Part of this money is spent on marketing in local markets.”

Therefore, people who have experience in the field of translation, and who have considered starting a translation agency, could also be ideal candidates for taking this franchise. “Certainly, with our help and our knowledge in the field of marketing and running a company, franchisees will achieve the desired results much faster than if they developed the business independently,” he points out. “In addition, recipients will not have to deal with marketing, graphic design and finding new programs and IT solutions. We will organize all of the above for them, so that they can focus on the organization of translation projects and the translation itself,” says Prelec.