ATC Commercial Collaborations Lead
Supporting ATC members’ business
The ATC has appointed Sarah Bawa Mason as its first Commercial Collaborations Lead (CCL).
As CCL, Sarah will be working to forge stronger links between the ATC, its members, and business organisations in the UK, positioning ATC members as the ‘go to experts’ for SMEs expanding into overseas markets.
“This is an exciting and timely development,” said Sarah. “The new CCL role will help ATC members connect with business organisations in a meaningful way, as UK businesses continue to develop new and extended export networks. Language capabilities are clearly a key element in the equation.”
The new role of Commercial Collaborations Lead will be used to forge and foster strategic connections between the ATC and business organisations both locally and nationally, with initial plans in place to work with several local Chambers of Commerce and the Department of International Trade. A longer-term strategic plan will be developed with ATC leaders to ensure the CCL role delivers on targets and goals designed to help member companies to thrive in the current landscape.
ATC Chair Ruth Partington said: “The CCL role is a significant investment from the ATC. It signals us taking the driving seat on telling the business community how language services can impact positively on their bottom line. This new role will place ATC at the forefront of messaging on this issue with the obvious benefit to ATC members.”
Supporting ATC members’ business
Sarah kicked off her activity as CCL with a visit to the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce (HCC) as a guest of Marsolutions, a language service company owned by ATC Vice-Chair Phil Tennent, speaking to more than 30 exhibitors about their plans for export and needs for language services. An initial agreement was made with HCC leaders to work on the creation of materials advising their members on how to find the language services they need to guarantee export success.
“I see the main thrust of my role as identifying and building business and collaboration opportunities between our member companies and business organisations and communities. Language capacity is vital to the internationalisation journey of UK exporters. The CCL role will position the ATC as an authority on language services, establishing ATC members as credible, quality and solutions-driven partners,” Sarah said.
This fact-finding mission will be used to expand and improve ATC argumentation and communications on the value of translation, interpreting and language services to UK business, building on the findings of the ground-breaking . This research into the language capabilities of SMEs in the UK convincingly demonstrates that companies investing in languages are 30% more successful in exporting than those who do not. This obvious gap in the market is ready to be filled with language advisement from ATC members willing to take up the challenge.
In the coming weeks, Sarah will be in contact with ATC member companies to gain a deeper understanding of the commercial collaborations they believe will most benefit them, before actively working to leverage the expertise of ATC members in reaching out to local and national media on the value of language services to business.
Sarah’s background in the sector includes 30 years running a freelance language service business, plus more than 10 years as a Senior Lecturer of translation at the University of Portsmouth (UOP) and a term as Chair of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting. She trained in journalism with the InterPress Service, in media presentation with the UoP, and she also speaks several languages.
Contact Sarah at ccl@atc.org.uk and via LinkedIn.
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