Twenty years ago, Oleg Semerikov founded Translators Family, a language service provider (LSP) based in Ukraine and Poland. With two decades of experience managing translators, interpreters, editors, copywriters, and marketing professionals, he’s still passionate about the industry and believes the key to achieving success is loving what you do.
Why do you enjoy reading MultiLingual magazine?
I started reading MultiLingual magazine in 2015, and it’s the only magazine I’ve subscribed to for so many years. It remains my go-to source for news and insights from the translation and localization industry. I was thrilled to have several of my articles published in the magazine a few years ago. I still cherish the MultiLingual mug I received as a Christmas present after my articles were published. It has been my favorite coffee cup for more than nine years.
Setting nostalgia aside, I particularly enjoy the educational articles, industry news, business insights, and event reviews. Staying up to date with industry trends is essential, and there’s no better resource for this than MultiLingual magazine.
How did you get involved in the translation business?
It all started with love. When I was nine years old, I fell in love with the English language (and probably my first English teacher). Back then, I realized I wanted to connect my life with languages, either through translation or teaching. My motivation came from my passion for music; I started learning English by translating song lyrics. From there, I read every book I could find in English and spent hours skimming through dictionaries.
It’s no surprise I chose translation for my education. By my fourth year at university, I already had international clients I found through translation job portals like ProZ.com. Some of them are LSPs that are still my clients to this day. Although I no longer translate myself, I continue to provide services to these clients as a regional language vendor.
In 2007, I started a team of translators, which eventually grew into my company, Translators Family. Since 2015, we’ve been operating successfully as a well-established vendor of translation and interpreting services in Poland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom (UK). I’m still passionate about languages and translation. However, my role today includes managing my team, building strong and trustworthy relationships with vendors and clients, improving strategy, sales and marketing, creating content, and much more.
Since you entered the translation industry, how has the business landscape changed?
Dramatically. It has become a much more competitive industry. Back in 2006, when I started my first projects on ProZ, finding great projects and clients was relatively easy without convincing anyone of the value of human translation. Today, you must educate clients, explaining why human translation is essential for certain types of content while machine translation (MT) may suffice for others.
The competition is no longer just with professional linguists — it’s also with those equipped with technology. That’s why, now more than ever, it’s important to find your niche, focus on the areas you excel in, stand out with quality and expertise, and build your personal brand.
Could you share your experience working with your first client or on your first project?
My first significant project was a book about love and relationships. It was both a personal and professional milestone. I worked on it with my future wife, and this taught me the value of teamwork. This project also inspired the name Translators Family, reflecting my commitment to building strong, collaborative relationships in my business.
The book was my major turning point; it brought me my first $1,000 income, which was quite a sum in Ukraine at the time, especially for a student. That was the moment I realized translation could be a profitable business — especially when you love what you do.
Do you believe it’s a good time to enter the translation business?
There is always a good time to enter the translation business if you’re passionate about linguistics. Many career pathways are still available, though they may differ from those that existed 20 years ago when I started. The demand for professional translators and interpreters continues to grow.
However, don’t aim to be a “universal translator.” Find your area of expertise, discover your passion, and pursue it with dedication. This will bring success and growth. Embracing technology is also essential in today’s world. Make artificial intelligence (AI) and MT your companions, not your competitors.
It’s also important to understand how to market yourself, create a personal brand, and manage your services effectively. In my opinion, there’s still a great opportunity for human expertise in areas like transcreation, translation for regulated industries, conference interpreting, and sworn or certified translation.
Where do you see yourself professionally in the next 10 years?
In recent years, I’ve become passionate about marketing, both for my business and in providing translation services for marketing purposes. I started pursuing a second degree in business and marketing to prepare for this new direction.
In the next 10 years, I see myself as a multilingual marketing expert, helping businesses expand nationally or globally. I want to support them with not only excellent localized content, but also effective localized marketing strategies tailored to each target audience.
What predictions do you have for the future of the translation industry?
The industry will grow alongside the increasing volume of content, driven by the simplicity of generating content with AI tools. Translators will need to focus on creative tasks and providing expert advice as routine tasks become fully automated.
Specialization and soft skills will be even more valuable than they are today. The future looks bright for those who are passionate about their work and willing to adapt and embrace new technologies.
