CLS Communication
Encyclopedia
CLS Communication is a language translation
, editing
and writing
services company based in Switzerland
. It has 19 offices on three continents, and provides writing, editing and translating services to customers in the financial services, life sciences, telecommunications and legal industries.
The company employs approximately 250 in-house translators and writers and has a network of 2,400 external partners. According to its website, as of 2011 CLS Communication has more than 900 clients.
. In 2002, the company in-sourced the translation teams of Swisscom
and Sunrise, Switzerland's two leading telecommunications companies, and the translation unit of the Raiffeisen banking group in Switzerland. Also in 2002, CLS set up offices in London
and New York
. The acquisition of London-based Richard Gray Financial Translations (RGFT) in 2004 added an office in the UK and the additional offices of RGFT in Paris
and Madrid
.
CLS then set up branches in Copenhagen
and Frankfurt
. Between 2005 to 2007 CLS launched its Asian operation, opening offices in Singapore
, Hong Kong
, Shanghai
and Beijing
. Through further BPOs CLS took over the language services teams of Swiss Re
, Lombard Odier, Danske Bank
and others.
In 2003, CLS became fully independent through a management buyout. In 2009 the company gained a new majority shareholder, the Swiss-based private equity fund Zurmont Madison, through a capital increase and a partial buyout of existing shareholders. CLS followed this move with acquisition of Lexi-tech International, the largest translation firm in Canada (formerly owned by J.D. Irving), and Scandinavian Translators in Denmark
.
According to the report "The Language Services Market:2011" by Nataly Kelly and Robert G. Stewart, published by Common Sense Advisory, CLS Communication is the 13th largest global language service provider.
department that helps clients set up their own corporate dictionaries and organise their linguistic assets. CLS also offers a machine translation
tool.
Another niche area in which CLS Communication operates is the European standard Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities Directives (UCITS IV), which aims to allow collective investment schemes to operate freely throughout the European Union
on the basis of a single authorisation from one member state. CLS also translates annual report
s for companies.
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
, editing
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
and writing
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
services company based in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It has 19 offices on three continents, and provides writing, editing and translating services to customers in the financial services, life sciences, telecommunications and legal industries.
The company employs approximately 250 in-house translators and writers and has a network of 2,400 external partners. According to its website, as of 2011 CLS Communication has more than 900 clients.
History
CLS Communication was created in 1997 as a spin-off from Swiss Bank Corporation (now UBS) and Zurich Financial ServicesZurich Financial Services
Zurich Financial Services AG is a major financial services group based in Zurich, Switzerland.-History:The Company was founded in 1872 as subsidiary of the Schweiz Marine Insurance Company under the name Versicherung Verein...
. In 2002, the company in-sourced the translation teams of Swisscom
Swisscom
Swisscom AG is a major telecommunications provider in Switzerland. Along with Swiss Post, it is a successor company to the former state-owned PTT. Its headquarters are located at Worblaufen near Bern...
and Sunrise, Switzerland's two leading telecommunications companies, and the translation unit of the Raiffeisen banking group in Switzerland. Also in 2002, CLS set up offices in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The acquisition of London-based Richard Gray Financial Translations (RGFT) in 2004 added an office in the UK and the additional offices of RGFT in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
CLS then set up branches in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
. Between 2005 to 2007 CLS launched its Asian operation, opening offices in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. Through further BPOs CLS took over the language services teams of Swiss Re
Swiss Re
Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd , generally known as Swiss Re, is a Swiss reinsurance company. It is the world’s second-largest reinsurer, after having acquired GE Insurance Solutions. The company has its headquarters in Zurich...
, Lombard Odier, Danske Bank
Danske Bank
Danske Bank is a Danish bank. The name literally means "Danish Bank" It was founded 5 October 1871 as Den Danske Landmandsbank, Hypothek- og Vexelbank i Kjøbenhavn ....
and others.
In 2003, CLS became fully independent through a management buyout. In 2009 the company gained a new majority shareholder, the Swiss-based private equity fund Zurmont Madison, through a capital increase and a partial buyout of existing shareholders. CLS followed this move with acquisition of Lexi-tech International, the largest translation firm in Canada (formerly owned by J.D. Irving), and Scandinavian Translators in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
According to the report "The Language Services Market:2011" by Nataly Kelly and Robert G. Stewart, published by Common Sense Advisory, CLS Communication is the 13th largest global language service provider.
Services
CLS Communication's core business is writing, editing and translating. The company also has a terminologyTerminology
Terminology is the study of terms and their use. Terms are words and compound words that in specific contexts are given specific meanings, meanings that may deviate from the meaning the same words have in other contexts and in everyday language. The discipline Terminology studies among other...
department that helps clients set up their own corporate dictionaries and organise their linguistic assets. CLS also offers a machine translation
Machine translation
Machine translation, sometimes referred to by the abbreviation MT is a sub-field of computational linguistics that investigates the use of computer software to translate text or speech from one natural language to another.On a basic...
tool.
Another niche area in which CLS Communication operates is the European standard Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities Directives (UCITS IV), which aims to allow collective investment schemes to operate freely throughout the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
on the basis of a single authorisation from one member state. CLS also translates annual report
Annual report
An annual report is a comprehensive report on a company's activities throughout the preceding year. Annual reports are intended to give shareholders and other interested people information about the company's activities and financial performance...
s for companies.