Fareham: Intonation acquires Polish company to get ahead of Brexit

A forward-looking Hampshire company has future-proofed its business and secured a foothold in Europe with the acquisition of a Polish translation firm.

Fareham-based Intonation, a language service provider with more than 30 years’ industry experience, has acquired Lacrosse Language Consultancy in Warsaw. The deal represents a move by many in the industry to future proof their business beyond March 29, 2019.

The acquisition brings together two leading language providers in the legal and financial sectors; Intonation through its existing City Legal Translations arm and Lacrosse with its established client base in Poland, Germany and the wider EU.

Dan Peachey, managing director of Intonation, said: “We’ve been looking for a foothold in Continental Europe for some time and with Brexit on the horizon it makes good business sense to future proof for a world we don’t yet know.

“Lacrosse’s portfolio of clients fits well with our own and we intend to merge our processes and technologies to ensure clients old and new benefit from the new company structure as soon as possible.”

Award-winning Intonation is a member of the Association of Translation Companies (ATC). Raisa McNab, recently appointed CEO of the ATC, acknowledged that some translation companies were considering establishing a base outside of the UK in order to stay relevant to both the domestic and European markets, post Britain’s departure from the EU.

McNab added: “Work undertaken by UK translation companies is regularly international, often global and, therefore, some of our membership is choosing to have a physical presence in an EU country to support their future growth plans.”

The ATC hosted a recent webinar for members during which immigration lawyer Louis MacWilliam, of Blacks Solicitors addressed how to secure the future of EU and non-EU LSP staff. At last month’s annual Language Industry Summit, the association presented a programme of Brexit-focused seminars and workshops.

Lacrosse will continue to operate from its Warsaw offices but under the new name Lacrosse Language Solutions Sp Zoo (LLS). Its Managing director Lawrence Fahrenholz will remain on the board and continue to oversee day to day operations, ensuring continuity for existing clients and staff.