Translation Service Business

4 Translation Service Business Success Stories [2024]

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Updated: July 23rd, 2024

Transition your multilingual skills into a lucrative business by starting a translation service. In simple terms, a translation service business involves converting written text from one language to another for clients ranging from individuals to large corporations.

You would begin by offering your services on popular freelancing platforms like Upwork or Flexjobs, gradually building a portfolio and reputation. Over time, you could expand by hiring additional translators specializing in various languages, allowing you to manage more clients and projects.

Marketing through social media can significantly broaden your reach and attract more clients. Additionally, it's flexible, making it an excellent side hustle with the potential to become a full-time endeavor. If you have a knack for languages and a drive to help bridge communication gaps, this could be a rewarding and sustainable business for you.

In this list, you'll find real-world translation service business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a translation service business that makes money.

1. DEMAN Übersetzungen ($6.6M/year)

Cédric Sigoire, the owner of DEMAN Translations, had always wanted to have his own company and create value. After searching for 8 years, he acquired DEMAN Translations in 2015 and used his own financing to grow the business from 6 employees and a turnover of 1.5 million euros to 17 team members and 3.5 million euros in sales in 2020. With a target of reaching 6 million euros in 2021 and 10 million euros in 2022, Sigoire plans to expand into France and the United Kingdom.

How much money it makes: $6.6M/year
How much did it cost to start: $1.25M
How many people on the team: 35

Buying A Translation Company And Growing It To $4M/Year

DEMAN Translations grew from 6 employees and 1.5 million euros in turnover in 2015 to 17 team members and 3.5 million euros in sales in 2020 after acquiring 12 other translation agencies, with a goal to reach 6 million euros this year and 10 million euros in 2022.

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2. vidby ($996K/year)

After founding a pioneering video call translation startup in 2013, Alexander Konovalov identified a lucrative niche in real-time translation technology, which led to the creation of vidby. Today, vidby is valued at $73 million, offering AI-powered translation and voiceover services in 75 languages.

How much money it makes: $996K/year
How many people on the team: 87

How a YT’s Recommended Vendor Makes $1M/Year Developing Emotional Speech Synthesis

Vidby: A Swiss-based startup offering AI-powered translation and voiceover services for businesses, with reported accuracy levels ranging from up to 99% to 100%, currently valued at an impressive $73 million and recognized as one of the top five products in the automated video translation and dubbing market.

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3. The Happy Beavers ($480K/year)

The founder of The Happy Beavers initially started as a freelance translator, but after experiencing success with SEO-focused content creation, they transitioned into building a company. They utilized platforms like Upwork to gain clients and focused on personalizing their sales approach to stand out from the competition. They are now scaling their business growth and working on developing an AI that can analyze the quality of written content.

How much money it makes: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 10

From Upwork Freelancer To Building $40K/Month Content Business

The Happy Beavers is a content creation company specialized in SEO investments through content creation, with a team of 10 full-time employees and around 150 freelancers, boasting an excellent track record, which they build up through Upwork.

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4. Lotuly Ltd ($480K/year)

Robert and Mariona Bolohan, a married couple with a passion for languages, started their own translation business, Lotuly. They began as freelance translators and gradually expanded their team to handle more languages. With a focus on human translation and a commitment to quality, they have grown their business to over 500 translators and offer services in over 90 languages. They are now experiencing monthly revenues of $40k and are looking to expand further with a subscription version of their services.

How much money it makes: $480K/year
How many people on the team: 2

From Working As Freelance Translators To Starting A $480K/Year Translation Agency

Lotuly is a remote translation agency with over 500 translators across the globe, offering translation & localization services in over 90 languages and 40 subjects for e-commerce, e-learning, software & marketing companies, universities, and legal firms.

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