January 2013, Magda announced the launch of AYUK TRANSLATIONS and invited us at one of Montreal’s trendiest lounges Phillips Lounge. We met again to find out more about her exciting new journey.
Hi Magda, thanks for having us. So can you describe the AYUK project ?
Ayuk Translations is a translation firm that offers various linguistic solutions in English, French and Spanish. At Ayuk Translations, we make sure that the translated text reads idiomatically in the target language. In other words, we maintain and/or enhance the style of the original text, hence our tagline “Never out of style”.
How did you get the idea?
I’ve been a writer all my life. I started freelancing at the age of 18, and a year ago I took the decision to turn my passion into a full-on career. I therefore enlisted the assistance of professionals, such as Noëlly Sam, Branding Strategist and Founder of Fashion and Opinion site miss SLY!, to take my business idea to the next level. On January 29, 2013, I launched the company officially.
Did you have any experiences in translation before ? What is your background?
I studied English literature and Spanish at the undergraduate level, and I completed a Graduate Diploma in Translation.
I freelanced my way through my cegep and undergraduate degrees. After finishing my undergrad, I landed a job at a magazine and served as both journalist and translator. That experience gave me the desire to build something of my own. Once I rebranded myself as Ayuk Translations, changed my company structure and integrated other skilled linguists into the mix, my business reached new heights.
About your funding, which funds and support do you get to start your own business?
Up to this point, I have funded my company’s marketing initiatives through my work as a translator.
You actually held a 5-7 to present your business back in January, what was the results of this effort ?
The event boosted the image of my company. If you search “AYUK TRANSLATIONS” on Google, you are bound to find links to the event page, the Web site and the mini promo we shot for the event. This, I believe, has helped me land some pretty interesting contracts.
So what next ?
In terms of advertising, I will continue to market my services creatively, and the plan is to land more clients and keep exceeding the expectations of the ones we already serve.
Do not be afraid of not having enough. Building something from the ground up without a “job” to fall back on can seem scary because you do have responsibilities. I left the magazine knowing there was no possible way I wouldn’t make it. Keep planting those seeds and you will reap rewards. Have a plan and work smart.
If I say Afro Inspiration you say ?
To me, it means seeing people who look like you succeed, and this success catapults you toward your own.
Thank you for the interview, any last words for AfrokanLife?
Thank you for interviewing me! I would like to invite your readers to take a look at the new AYUK TRANSLATIONS Web site! We are celebrating the end of our first quarter, and, as such, we would like to offer them 10% off our translation services! This offer is valid through May 2013.
Email : info@ayuktranslations.com
Website : http://www.ayuktranslations.com
Twitter : @ayuktranslation
Facebook : AYUKTRANSLATIONS
