It has time and again been said that effective communication is the key to many achievements, but in the case of Mayflower Language Services (P) Ltd., effective communication opens the doors to success in global markets.

Floated in 2003 as a private limited company, the founding force behind Mayflower Languages, Madhuri Hegde, is a young entrepreneur who sought to convert her passion for languages and diverse cultures into a full-time occupation, not merely employing her own skills but also the talents of like-minded and talented persons.

Every entrepreneur sets out with a firm conviction of his/her chosen path. For Madhuri, the courage to take this bold step, at a young age, came from her astute observation of the enormous potential of the language sector stemming from the existing and growing demand-supply gap of its related services. In many ways, she had identified what forms the basis of every successful entrepreneurial venture - an opportunity - and set about translating it (quite literally!) into practice.

An opportune move

So what exactly does the language sector offer? When Madhuri stepped into the languages service industry in Bangalore (India) it was not organized and as she says, "existed in the form of translation agencies comprising individuals working as intermediaries between corporates and freelancers. There was no domain specialization or use of any technology or processes. Moreover, no company could offer the entire gamut of services from software localization to customized language services."

Madhuri envisaged establishing a company that would offer an array of language services under one roof. Mayflower Languages was thus born to provide software and web localization services implying the adaptation and translation of a software or web site's user interface and content to suit a target market, testing of these localization services, the localization and translation of documents, language and culture sensitization lessons to corporates seeking to tread into new, alien markets and the provision of full or part-time language resources. This range of services ensured that Madhuri's outfit covered the entire life cycle of typical localization services.       

Interestingly, the Mayflower was the ship that successfully transported, after two previous failed attempts on another ship called Speedwell, pilgrims from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, in what would become the United States in 1620.  In this sense, Mayflower represents a one-way trip to a new life.

Since in India, the Mayflower blooms in the month of May, when most trees are devoid of greenery, Madhuri says her chosen name spells a solution when other resources fail to deliver.

Results follow clear intentions

In order to stay ahead of the competition, Mayflower Languages ensures it operates within a well-defined organization employing native in-house translators and applies distinct processes for production, delivery, quality control and post-sales services. Technology is never far behind a successful business and in this respect too, Mayflower Languages applies every tool and technology associated with the industry, such as Alchemy Catalyst, Multilizer, SDLX, TRADOS, Framemaker, Robohelp, Crystal Reports, Indesign etc. which are user-friendly, ensure consistent quality and help reduce cost and turnaround time. The team also works on different platforms/technologies like Microsoft.Net, Palm OS, Mac OS and Win CE, to name a few.

Every entrepreneur brings a certain set of skills to their endeavor. The quality and relevance of these talents to the chosen line of work has a far-reaching effect on the success of the venture.

In Madhuri's case, a working stint at Netkraft Private Limited's (an IT company) Paris branch led her to realize that if more and more Indian companies were to offer IT product development as opposed to IT services to global clients, a huge demand for software localization and corporate services would emerge. Also, if more foreign companies were to setup base in India, interactions across language and cultural diversities would have to be steered so as to ensure the right outcome. Madhuri's entrepreneurship idea thus grew partly from her previous work experience and her passion. Financial support came from a person who had observed her in Netkraft and was convinced of her ability to head and guide Mayflower Languages.

A robust service industry model

Once Mayflower Languages identified the IT and automation industries as its prime domains, it geared up to offer these a specialist - that is, cost-effective and customized - service in a manner they would feel comfortable with. Hence, Madhuri modeled Mayflower Languages' organizational structure on the same lines as IT companies, that is, across independent business units, each taking care of their own sales, production, QA and delivery activities while following well-defined standard processes. Being able to offer a flexible operational solution, with the functional ability and financial backing to step up operations in tune with the client's pace of growth was also a service facet to put in place.

Evidently, the approach has paid off. Working with the client, instead of for the client, has led Mayflower Languages to grow from two to twenty-five full-time employees and forty full-time consultants. While its turnover has more than doubled, its clientele has grown from a mere three in 2003 to a staggering three hundred in 2006.

Being a woman entrepreneur

Madhuri believes that catering to the IT and other predominantly service sector industries where global attitudes prevail helped her launch Mayflower Languages as a young, female entrepreneur. Companies in this segment focus immensely on professionalism and to this end are only interested in "the value you have to offer." Once they are satisfied of the quality of your deliverables, "whether a man or woman delivers that value is of no issue to them."

What about facing difficulties? "The thought that I'm doing something I like and not many people in this world are as lucky as that keeps me going."

Clearly, this language and culture aficionado and inter-cultural trainer for French-Indian cultures, has made the most of her passion, by making it work for herself as well as the many people she employs and serves. 

Charu Bahri is a freelance writer and author of two books. She also writes funding grants and software for a charity working in the health sector.

Issue BG68 Nov06

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