Welsh Entrepreneurs Crowned No.1 International Business Stars

Online, November 18, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Two mums who started a translation business immediately after leaving university have been named winners of this year's prestigious HSBC Start-Up Stars International Award.

Sharon Stephens (39) and Rachel Bryan (24) started Veritas Language Solutions working from a dining room table after meeting on the same translation course at Swansea University.

Armed with first class honours, the two graduates shared a passion to start their own business and saw a market for a translation service that would go beyond mere words.

For this reason, Veritas Language Solutions make sure that cultural and academic aspects never get 'lost in translation'.

This even includes advising clients when brand names or advertising campaigns can assume different meanings in different countries.

Head of Business Banking for HSBC, Huw Morgan, presented the pair with a cheque for £10,000 and said: "Sharon and Rachel have created an extremely impressive venture by understanding their market.

"As business becomes more international, it's vital that they understand their markets and deliver their messages to local audiences using the right tone and meaning. Getting it wrong could be both expensive and embarrassing. That's where Veritas Language Solutions is able to offer an advantage"

Today Sharon and Rachel preside over a business with 1,500 translators from around the world. No longer working from the dining room table, they now have smart new premises in Swansea and employ a team of 10 with a further 40 employees overseas.

The two mums have also recently established an in-house call centre service offering 11 different languages - the only one of its kind in the UK.

Over the next five years the pair plan to develop Veritas Language Solutions to deliver a range of services, from handling basic translations to receiving international calls and boosting marketing strategies. They will introduce cultural training for exporters and offer language skills to support business travellers overseas while also developing a multilingual search engine optimisation service.

The HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards, now in their 10th year, recognise the UK's most promising young businesses less than four years old, with more than £50,000 presented to the winners.

There was also a special Green category, which recognised businesses with a specific focus on environmental issues.

Secretary of State for Business, Vince Cable, said: "Celebrating our enterprising and innovative business culture is a wonderful way to highlight the essential role of entrepreneurship and commerce in Britain today.

"These companies demonstrate how British entrepreneurship is driving the small and medium sized enterprise sector forward. They have achieved this despite some of the toughest economic conditions for decades, and are succeeding in sectors across our economy and markets across the world."