Our own building

Why would a business born and bred on the Internet suddenly need a real building in the heart of Amsterdam? Where did this transformation come from?

Face-to-face

The desire to have our own space – although it is modest – has existed for a while, and after testing the idea in a temporary rented building, we decided to purchase our own building. This is because we found it really positive to be physically accessible in addition to the existing online channels. Once renovations are complete, we will be able to welcome (potential) clients into our new building and discuss orders face-to-face in an open and accessible work environment. It also allows people to experience the Translation Kings atmosphere and take a look behind the scenes of the modern world of translation. This expansion of our service package is intended to raise our quality and service to an even higher level.

Small but perfectly formed

Admittedly, a 90 square metre office is a bit on the small side, to say the least, for a business where over 1,100 translators translate every day. However, accommodating 1,100 translators is not necessary; just a few is enough. Even with its own building, 99% of Translation Kings continues to owe its existence to the Internet.

In addition to the account managers, who we absolutely wanted to put together in one room, a number of ‘translators in residence’ will be working in the building; translators who temporarily exchange their own workspace for a place with us, translators who come along on request to discuss an order with a client in detail, or translators who simply enjoy working in a fixed place away from home. In this new contemporary translation environment, not everything is state of the art, and you will always find one very old-fashioned Dutch custom here: a fresh cup of coffee.

Super-fast

Another plus point is that we have a high-speed fibre optic connection in our new building; not unimportant for a company that operates mostly on the Internet. Therefore, with the opening of our physical office, our digital service level will also receive a boost.

Our own building and yet low overheads

By now, those who know our business strategy will be wondering how buying our own property – in the heart of Amsterdam, of all places – fits into avoiding as many overheads as possible. That is a matter of cold calculation. A pied-a-terre in the physical world was necessary, we were all agreed on that. A quick sum showed that we could buy our new building for approximately 10 times the annual rent. How much we paid exactly, we’ll keep under wraps, but it was blatantly obvious that buying was a far better option than renting. What it comes down to is that we’ll be paying the normal rent for 10 years, but in the form of a mortgage. And after that, nothing!

The renovation of our building should be completed in April 2016, and then you are more than welcome to visit us at Binnengasthuisstraat 150 in Amsterdam. Of course, we’ll throw a party when we move into our building, and when the mortgage is repaid and our overheads drop even further, we’ll throw another one. Note down April 2016 and April 2026 on your calendar and be surprised.