History and SWOT Analysis of Curaçao International’s Telephone Interpretation Services

This resulted in Telephone Interpretation being offered since that year. This service connects trained interpreters via telephone to Limited English Proficient (LEAP) Individuals. Curaçao International is one of those companies that provide critical translation and interpretation services. I worked full time there as an interpreter, which is a chance to gain some insight about the company's workplace as well as into the language service. Let's have a look back at history of the company and perform a SWOT analysis.

History

According to the company's homepage, Kevin J. Carrey and Mark Myers patented the first dual-handset phone and founded the company in Tucson, Arizona since 1995, which they named Keepers. Three years later, the company's name was changed into Curaçao International with Jeremy Woman being Chairman and CEO. It created a subsidiary, Viviane, In 2009, there were 2 big events to the company. It first announced the acquisition of Language Learning Enterprises, Inc. (OLE) and second, opened the Tucson Contact Center. Its Phoenix contact center was next, in 2012.

Order custom essay History and SWOT Analysis of Curaçao International’s Telephone Interpretation Services with free plagiarism report

450+ experts on 30 subjects Starting from 3 hours delivery

Get Essay Help

Like its competitors in the industry, Curaçao International Inc. (mentioned here as "Curaçao" or the "company'), is a diversified language services company, operates wrought its two sections: Curaçao is for clients in the field of healthcare: healthcare plans, clinics and hospitals, and Viviane is for biz and governments: insurance, financial services, education, 911, utilities, telecommunications.

The products include: Over-the-Phone Interpretation (POP), Video Remote Interpretation (IVR), On-site Interpretation, Document Translation, and Training and Assessment. According to New York Times, the Crayoned has two handsets connected to a base; a client calls a toll-free number and punches in a code for one of the 150 languages for which Curaçao offers translations. Calls are available 2417, routed and to an interpreter through a Curaçao call center (DUNN, 2013)

SWOT Analysis

The company is proud of "Curaçao named the 2nd largest provider of interpreter services in the world, winning awards for its Video-Remote Interpretation service, operational excellence, and Job creation. This is the 5th consecutive year Curaçao has been named to the Inc. 000 list of fastest growing private companies. " (From and promise, as well as potential pitfalls stemming from its optimistic inflation assumptions. Strengths Admittedly, the company does a good Job taking advantage of information technology. From the time Kevin and Mark invented and patented the first dual- handset phone to the introducing of video remote interpreting (IVR) recently, Curaçao has increasingly used technology to provide better language services. "Thanks to technology, each interpreter can function as a one-person call center" (Boone).

IT really plays a critical role in Curaçao growth and competitiveness. The most attractive feature in Carom's operation, however, is a high profitability and revenue. Jeremy Woman, chairman and CEO of Curaçao said in ad section of Fortune Magazine that the company has "more than $60 million in 2013 revenues and an annual growth rate of better than 25%" (wry. Fortune. Com/addictions). According to New York Times, while rental of the Crayoned unit averages $5 a month, and the client pays about $2 a minute for an interpreter's time (DUNN, 2013).

This information is not quite accurate, at least at present. While working there in 2013 1 saw that clients had to pay $4 per minute and interpreters' received approximately $1 5 an hour ($10 for Spanish interpreters). No wonder Curaçao is placed within the Top 15 companies reporting an average rate of growth of 72. 75 percent growth in 2008. ("Second annual ranking," 2011) Weaknesses Firstly, at Curaçao there is hardly a strong organization culture. It seems that the company chooses to focus on the call center side of things rather than create one.

Many interpreters are misled in thinking of a company that values intelligence and language skills, when it turns out later that they hire bilingual persons to apply their protocols only. Consequently, interpreters should be content with low salaries; this bob does not require a degree. And that is at the time of interviews. Next, there are distinct departments and lines of authority, work activities are designed around individuals. In this call center, 100% of calls are recorded and monitored and employees are required to follow extensive rules and regulations and to minimize formal contact with other employees if not functionally necessary.

One supervisor sits at higher booth keeping an eye on 10 Interpreters. A manager of each department (that handles one language) walks around examining closely to ensure there are no deviations. Indeed, this is management in the survival mode and there is no workplace spirituality. And that leads the second weakness of Curaçao, High Employee Turnover compared to industry averages. Current HCI recruiter, Richard Arena, is a forever busy person. During the 2 years I knew him he was present at almost every Job fair in the Valley.

Not only offering both part and full time Jobs, he made recruiters of other company in the fair to point any ethnic minority Jobsharers to his booth. Not only have Richard and his HRS team worked really hard, but the company has had a long time policy that any employee gets a $200 reward after successfully bringing in a new interpreter to work for Curaçao. Apparently, something underlies the fact that the company is "Arizona fastest-growing Job creator in 2013 and second fastest in 2012 for creating over 800 Jobs in the state" as it claims in its homepage.

Opportunities Executive Order 13166 are two out of many opportunities that the language service industry in general, and Curaçao in particular have encountered. Fortune Magazine views the approximately "9% of people in the U. S. Who don't speak English a sizable market waiting to be tapped" . They are right, as according to the U. S. Census, a foreign migrant enters the United States every 22 seconds. These people need insurance, healthcare as well as other products and services. Hill the agents and insurance carriers need the means to explain and sell them. This partly accounts for the phenomenon that language services industry having the growth and revenue numbers that resist recession. On August 1 1, 2000, then-president Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13166 which "requires that the Federal agencies work to ensure that recipients of Federal financial assistance revive meaningful access to their LEAP applicants and beneficiaries" (n. D. ).

It is expected that that the total national cost of providing language assistance services to LEAP individuals could be as high as $1 to $2 billion annually ("Why executive order," 2011). This resulted in the domestic market alone being surprisingly robust-and growing for Curaçao as well as other language service companies. Threats At Curaçao, it's hardly spoken within the call centers, but we employees all know that Languages Solutions is our long-term and strong competitor who may represent a wreath to future market growth of Curaçao.

Languages "employs approximately 5,000 interpreters" (in compare with 1200 of Curaçao) ("Second annual ranking," 2011). It provides the same products but much bigger quantities nationwide, for example, about 90 percent of the over-the-phone interpretations for 911 emergency calls. In fact, most important governments are clients of Languages. Just go to such offices as social security, CUSCUS, DES and you'll see the logo of Languages in a poster showing that free interpretation is available. Curaçao has to face this to say it hoses to focus on healthcare instead.

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Run a free check or have your essay done for you

Check my essay Hire Writer