Digitalization combined with globalization powers businesses to fly high. While going global, the biggest challenge to overcome is the cross-cultural and language barriers. And if a business doesn’t focus on accurate communications, that will destroy its growth potential.
To break the language barriers and trade across the globe successfully, a business needs a trustworthy and reliable language solution provider. Ending the long search for a dependable partner, organizations can look to Rapport International for such a language solution provider, as Rapport International offers comprehensive offerings of language solutions to meet your needs.
Rapport International is a full-service multilingual communications agency that is proud of its 30-year legacy and achievement of becoming one of the top translations and interpretation agencies providing written and spoken solutions, multilingual and global marketing, and additional language services to help businesses reach their target audience.
The core of Rapport International’s success is linked to its mission “to unite people across languages and cultures”, and its foundational belief in “people-first communications”, which is infused throughout the organization’s ethos, processes, systems, and client relationships.
In a conversation with Wendy Pease, Owner of Rapport International, let’s discover what Rapport is all about and how are they transforming businesses across the globe.
What are the key challenges you tackled while growing the company?
The evolution of technology has created key challenges for many industries, including the translation and linguistic sectors. Yet in the challenge lies creativity and opportunity to expand and rise to new levels of service, which is what Rapport International has continuously achieved.
For example, in the time since Wendy purchased Rapport International in 2004, the world has seen the rise of the world-wide-web, internet functionality, artificial intelligence, chatbots, social media, as well as Google Translate, and a myriad of technological advancements that can unite, strengthen, advance communications IF used in the right way. Wendy’s team is committed to understanding and discovering the nuanced capabilities of each new evolution in technology to bring people closer together.
As a result, Rapport International has been able to ride out some potentially risky storms and find meaningful ways to incorporate tech advancements into innovative deliverables for their clients and projects.
What are the products and services the company focuses on? How are your services different from those in the market?
Rapport International specializes in and is known globally for high-quality language services, including Interpretation and Translation, Multilingual Marketing, Cultural and Global business strategy, customer acquisition, as well as legal, technical, and medical subject matters.
Given Rapport International’s “exceeding expectations” commitment to its customers, they have retained a significant number of clients from their early days back in the 1980s. In an age when vendors spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on lead generation to attract an ever-evolving door of clients, Rapport International leads the way through its “people-first” approach to client loyalty – a philosophy and business approach woven throughout the foundation of their services.
Rapport International listens, really listens, to understand the needs of each client and the scope of every job to ensure that each project is delivered on time, on budget, and in the right voice. The underpinning of every project? A desire to connect people across languages driven by a commitment to accuracy, correct terminology to enhance cultural sensitivity and avoid liability, and a high value for customized services, messaging, and strategy to ensure project success.
How do you define leadership? How do you empower your workforce?
Leadership is the ability to play well with others and to set a vision to get the team to move in the same direction. Good leaders create a culture that rewards motivates, and recognizes accomplishments – both from individuals and the team. The best way to empower a workforce is to make sure each person is doing the job that they want and can do.
What are the key achievements of your business journey?
- Technology = Staying current on new technologies to improve service delivery gives Rapport International a personalized edge in the industry; it’s what they do well.
- Longevity = Commitment to developing productive and fulfilling relationships that last.
- Global Connection = Embracing and facilitating connections around the world for personal and business success.
What kind of clients do you serve, any special mentions?
Rapport International nurtures and keeps long-term relationships with clients so that the client can depend on the consistency of the translation and the interpreting services over time. In addition to well-established clients, Rapport International also works with clients new to translation and interpretation. Their specialty is working with a client to develop a smart way to communicate across languages. Clients include Boston Red Sox, Duck Tours, TOMY, and many well-known hospitals and manufacturers.
How do you keep up the pace with the changing market trends?
Through the years, Rapport International held steady on providing high quality and on-time delivery of language services. The team understands that not all companies and projects are the same and work hard to deliver exactly what the client needs and how they want it. Clients are savvy and understand that not all translation is the same. They want to know if it will accurately convey their message and be culturally appropriate. The mindset changed from “why do I need it?” to “I want the best!”
What are values and ethos do you encourage in the company as well as in your personal life?
- Company values = global connection, understanding, delivery, quality
- Personal values = authentic connection, cultural exposure, health, learning, prosperity
Know the leader: Wendy Pease, Owner, Rapport International
Wendy Pease is an expert on translation, interpretation, global business, languages of the world, and cultural diversity. Of special note is her expertise and interest in Global Marketing for Lead Generation and Customer Acquisition. She is the author of “The Language of Global Marketing – Translate your Domestic Strategies into International Sales and Profits” found on Amazon and other retail stores.
Throughout her career, Wendy has worked with hundreds of companies to help them communicate across more than 200 languages and cultures. Her expertise in international relations grew from working in several international and global marketing roles and spending years living abroad.
As a creative side endeavor, Wendy hosts “The Global Marketing Show” podcast, which features experts speaking on opportunities and challenges in increasing multilingual lead generation and revenue, which can be found on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and other platforms.