Translation Bureau Benchmarking and Comparative Analysis - Final ...

Translation Bureau Benchmarking and Comparative Analysis4.2 Operating ModelThe organizations also have a similar approach to their operating model, operating in a hybridmodel. All retain an in-house capacity, and maintain a roster of external suppliers that allowthem to increase their contingent capacity to meet additional demand or to respond to specificrequests. The exact blend of in-house vs. outsourced resources does vary betweenorganizations; however they are generally consistent in their overall approach to the use ofexternal resources:• Documents that are classified, or may be considered highly sensitive are usually deliveredthrough the use of in-house capacity.• Whenever possible, the priority is to ensure that in-house resources are engaged intranslation work before using external suppliers to provide capacity on demand.Table 8 provides further detail on the criteria that the organizations use in determining when toengage external resources. Organizations not listed in the table did not provide specific criteriafor using external resources beyond the approach outlined above.Table 8 - Criteria for Use of External ResourcesOrganizationOrganization#1Organization#4Organization#5Organization#6CriteriaExplicitly expressed a preference for outsourcing as much as possible as itprovided significant cost savings.Targets the use of in-house resources for approximately one-third of its workand staffed accordingly.A number of factors are considered including the customer, deadline, andcompetency or special knowledge required for the translation, however thereis no standard policy.A number of factors are considered including the availability of internalcapacity, complexity, length, and deadline.The organization has made an effort to eliminate overtime in order to supportwork/life balance for employees; if a translation order has a short deadlinethat can’t be moved, the organization will rely on freelancers in order to avoidovertime.If a piece of work requires special knowledge or expertise, it is usually donein-house by employees that possess the organizational understanding tocomplete the work.Demand drives usage; external suppliers are used to deal with peak periods.External resources are used to support translation of a specific set of reportswhere cost reduction was explicitly requested.Page 25 of 43