Preparing to celebrate 20 years in business, Ivannovation is expert at providing foreign language translations to all businesses, including those in highly technical or difficult fields.
The company specializes in assisting companies and firms in the fields of manufacturing, software, construction and law. “We hire professional translators in these countries who are specialists in the field,” explains Yuri Ivanov, company owner. “For example, if a construction document needs translating, we hire a specialist in construction who knows correct terminology.”
Ivannovation, which started in Greenville in 1998, maintains a roster of 350 translators in 35 languages, Ivanov says.
As an example, if a client needs to have a document translated into Spanish for a job in Mexico, a translator who lives in Mexico will be hired, because the Spanish language appropriate for Mexico is different from that of Spain or another Spanish-speaking country.
The company also offers localization and consulting services. The broad and most accepted meaning of localization is to make sure the product is culturally acceptable in the target market. However, Localization can mean different things depending on the specialization, Ivanov says. For a software company selling in China and Spain, it can mean using different decimal separators and monetary symbols. Tax laws of the target company should be taken into consideration; while the U.S. uses sales tax, the value-added tax (VAT) must be accommodated for Europe.
Consulting services can help a company with a foreign launch of its product. Ivannovation’s experts explain the process and importance of translation and localization to the client. Consulting also helps make the translation needs less expensive, faster and more efficient, Ivanov says. “We will analyze your situation, identify your needs and recommend the best plan of attack.”
Ivannovation — a combination of Ivanov’s name and “innovation” — succeeds by providing quality work and excellent service to clients and maintaining good relationships with translators. The translators are hired through professional organizations and many have worked with Ivannovation for years. They are trained to meet each client’s needs.
Ivannovation maintains a library of documents translated for each client and will readily provide a copy. “We never charge them if something is already translated,” Ivanov says.
The company is poised for growth as more international companies set up business in South Carolina. “We have been a boutique company with all our customers outside the U.S.,” Ivanov says. “Now we are trying to become known to the companies in the Southeast.”
