As Managing Director of a Translation business I rely on clients who operate in export markets, so I was naturally interested in the outcome of the recent referendum, but despite what many might think, Brexit is not bad news, in fact I’m not seeing evidence that our export opportunities will be hurt by Brexit, quite the reverse in fact.
I’ve been active in global business since 1993 and a leader in the Translation business since 2001 and in that time I’ve seen at first hand the huge range of export opportunities which UK firms are exploiting, both in Europe and further afield. Our clients export products ranging from electronics to pharmaceuticals, specialist raw materials to industrial lasers and it’s clear from my experience that the UK remains a global powerhouse of innovation, quality and entrepreneurial acumen, the choice to leave the EU doesn’t change any of that.
At Technical Translations not only is our range of clients extremely diverse, so too are the markets into which they are successfully selling their goods and services. For example we translate for a designer of children’s games who are successfully selling not only throughout Europe, but into the USA, Japan, China and Australia. The markets of the Middle Eastern and China between them account for more than 50% of our business, and we can safely assume the business of our clients.
Over the next two years there will be changes to our trading position within Europe and naturally some of these changes are going to have an impact, but in reality every successful business knows that change is the only constant we can expect, and our ability to respond to change and seek out the opportunities which change creates remains one of our greatest strengths as an exporting nation.
So how can we make the most of the opportunities which might result from Brexit? It’s been interesting over the last three weeks to see a marked increase in translations for countries outside Europe, or on the fringes of Europe, the Nordic region has been a particular hotspot along with the Middle East and also the USA and Canada. The fall in the value of the pound against the dollar has suddenly made those regions who trade in the Dollar really sit up and take notice, and we’ve seen translation requirements for new orders from those regions ramp up since the Brexit vote.
