Interview : Prashant Marathe

The translation industry is one which encompasses virtually every country, culture, and - of course - language on Earth. At YakuYaku.com, we’ve decided to seek out some of the outstanding members of the industry and hear what they have to say. This time we spoke with Prashant Marathe, a former engineer and current professional translator from India who works in several language pairs. Let’s see what he had to say.

Why did you choose to learn Japanese - a language so different from your own?

Prashant: Basically, I am an electrical engineer by profession. While working with Ispat Profiles (I) Ltd. (a renowned major steel manufacturer in India) I had several opportunities to work with Japanese engineers during machine erection and commissioning. However, we faced a lot of communication problems while working together. I recognized that India is doing more and more technical collaborations with Japanese companies, and most of the Japanese engineers coming from Japan for business meetings or machine installations do not understand English and it is very difficult to work with a Japanese person if you don't know Japanese. My first experience working with Japanese electrical engineers was very interesting. We three Indian engineers and two Japanese engineers from Hitachi worked for 6 months with only hand signs and gestures. We Indian engineers could only understand their explanations because we had knowledge of electrical circuit drawings. After several hurdles in communication, I decided to learn the Japanese language.

How exactly did you become – or decide to become – a translator?
Prashant: While learning Japanese (3 years, part-time evening course), I fell in love with the language and decided to enter into translation and interpretation as a full-time profession. After making this decision, I left my electrical maintenance job and worked as a Japanese translator and interpreter for several Indian companies (automobile manufacturers, software solution provider companies) in India as well as Japan.

How did you establish Anuvad Solutions?

Prashant: I worked with several software companies in various roles such as translator, interpreter, project coordinator, off-shore support, on-site project coordinator, etc. While working with these companies in India and Tokyo, I gained knowledge about the flow of business and know-how of commercial dealings (fixing rates) with Japanese companies. During my stay in Tokyo, the idea of starting my own company came to mind. I worked out an execution plan and founded Anuvad Solutions (Japanese to English, English to Hindi translation company) on 3rd May 2007. Now, we have about 10 regular clients from India and Japan. We have our own translation methodology aiming for zero errors.

Can you please tell us about the domestic Indian translation market?

Prashant: The Indian market is very vast. Nowadays, several Indian companies are doing tie-ups with Japan and other foreign countries. Especially giant automobile manufacturers and software companies have technical collaboration with Japanese and German companies. And this trend is increasing every year. India is a huge market for the translation industry. These companies always need to translate contract papers, requirement analysis documents, design documents, drawings, etc. In the future, the Indian industry could potentially be a huge market for translation agencies. However, the main issue is the cost. Indian companies always want their documents translated at very low cost.

As you may know, some Occidental translators believe that India is a menace to the translation world, as Indian translators translate for very cheap rates. What do you think about this?

Prashant: Yes, I know this factor. Actually, nowadays, most children from India receive their education in English Medium schools, so English language is not a big issue for them. The lifestyle in India is totally different from more advanced countries. The cost of daily consumable commodities in India is not very high. People can afford to take work from foreign outsourcers at a very low price because most of the time it is higher than the monthly salary they could get from an Indian company. Most of the time Indian translators accept jobs at very cheap rates. So maybe that’s why translators from other countries think that Indian translators are a menace to the translation world.

How do you think this will change in the future? Let’s say, in the next 10 years?
Prashant: This scenario will not remain the same. This is because the prices in India are also increasing rapidly due to globalization. I think they may start asking for higher rates.


You also work with other language pairs such as Japanese/English, which is one of the most in-demand language pairs recently. Do you feel that Hindi is more in demand now than it was several years ago?

Prashant: Yes, I think that Hindi is more in demand now than it was several years ago, because nowadays I have been getting a number of inquiry mails from China and the UK for the translation of manuals, booklets, guides etc.

I have started becoming busier with English to Hindi translation than with Japanese to English translation.

Can you tell us about other language-related activities you deal with at Anuvad Solutions?

Prashant: India is a multi-religious, multicultural country. In total, 16 main languages are spoken in India from North to South. Every Indian understands a minimum of two languages: their mother tongue, and either English or Hindi. Since Hindi is the national language of India, and is spoken in Northern and Central India, there is great demand for the printing and publishing of documents in Hindi. Every day I receive at least one inquiry mail or phone call from a client. Hence, looking at the market scenario, we concentrate more on English to Hindi translation after Japanese to English translation.

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