In this month’s Ask Albion blog, we speak to CFO/CEO Peter Marton about his role within the company, what he values most about working at Albion Languages and the current challenges the industry faces.
Explain to us how you came to work at Albion Languages
Alistair Binks and I started the company some 20 years ago. We sought to build a people-centered business and workplace. Being part of an organisation is about so much more than salary and growth opportunities. It hinges upon the support, empathy, and safety each employee is offered. At Albion Languages, we pride ourselves on seeing the importance of offering a positive employee experience. We strive to achieve an organisation-wide approach in which leaders and employees are equals and treat each other – first and foremost – as people, rather than just skilled co-workers.
The years spent working closely together have ensured that Alistair and I have developed a strong, time – and crisis-proof – friendship. Our alliance has provided firm foundations that have helped us weather many changes and new developments.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
The industry is always changing and offers a constant challenge. Recent years have shown how resilient we need to be, the importance of keeping up business and industry awareness and the patience we need to show our colleagues, clients and vendors.
The company has taught me a lot about myself, about who I was, who I am and who I aim to be. I enjoy the sense of community – both internally and externally – and simply cannot see myself doing anything that I would enjoy more.
What challenges does the industry face at the moment?
There are a number of challenges the industry is currently facing, most of which are widely spoken about in the translation industry, although the effect of these challenges differs depending on how each business is placed within the supply chain.
- Machine translation
This is a contradictory area, with an inevitable impact on the industry. However, with translation demand rising, it is forcing a shift in practices. - Financial and medical shocks
Covid-19 forced the global workforce to embrace new ways of working. It was an unprecedented and unparalleled challenge, sadly followed hot on its heels by a time of financial uncertainty and instability. - Working practices
The unforeseen shocks mentioned above turned the spotlight on a number of things. One of these is reorganising workflows and resources to best maintain healthy business operations in the face of swiftly changing circumstances.
How does Albion Languages support its clients during these unpredictable times?
Our clients understandably find themselves affected by supply chain disruption, surging inflation, M&A activity, technological developments, and unexpected economic shocks. However, they benefit greatly from our innovations, for example our restructured workflows and custom-designed processes which have been designed to make their experience as seamless and straightforward as possible.
Albion Languages is obviously a passion, but what do you enjoy outside of work.
I also run a small independent publishing house with my wife in Hungary, where we mostly publish the works of Henri Michaux, a Belgian-French thinker, poet, writer and painter. Thus, the written word is certainly a huge, intrinsic part of my life.
However, I have recently started experimenting with coffee, and am a great fan of specialty coffee, mostly light-roasted arabica. So outside of business hours, I can often be found exploring new ways of making coffee and enjoying new flavours.
Contact a member of our team to discuss how Albion Languages can help your business succeed.