Trini translates for the world

HE is a Trinidadian who’s company has been very successful working with many international companies, providing foreign translations for worldwide use.

He is Bill Labbon, who during his 30-year journey, went from playing football and cricket on the streets in Dinsley Village, Tacarigua, to entrepreneur, technologist and experienced management professional, and now runs a successful translations company in the United States.

Labbon’s company, Foreign Translations (FT), is based out of Charlotte, North Carolina (NC).

After graduating from St Mary’s College in 1986, Labbon left to further his education in the US.

His academic achievements began with the securing of his AS - Electronic Engineering degree from Columbus State in Ohio, then he moved to Florida and completed a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Computer Information Systems (CIS) at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida, after which in the summer of 1996, he graduated summa cum laude from the College of Engineering at USF.

From there Labbon joined corporate America, working his way up in various supervisory and managerial positions in information technology, working in telecom, retail, software, and the financial industries.

Labbon worked at several major corporations including Fortune 100 companies like Accenture and Bank of America, completed manager training workshops over the years, and holds a Six Sigma Green Belt Certification. He is also a 2017 graduate of the SBA Small Business Leaders Programme.

Given his decades of management and leadership experience, Labbon made a decision in 2015 that it was time to work on his own company.

His search took him to foreign translations, a B2B (business-to-business) provider of translation services based out of the Carolinas since 1998.

Labbon bought the company in 2015 and has since been owner and president of FT (https://FT98.us).

He said: “Growing up in Trinidad I was fortunate to see first-hand global diversity at its best.

“I lived in a traditional East Indian home, attended a Presbyterian primary school and the Catholic high school. My closest friends and neighbours were from diverse backgrounds, and my experience at universities in the US was very much the same.

“People and their culture have always been fascinating to me and whenever possible, I enjoy travelling to other places and countries to experience this first-hand.”

At FT Labbon said clients are offered a range of translation services allowing them to communicate to their own customers or employees in their target or desired language.

He also said a core staff is employed and works with over 100 seasoned linguists all over the world, utilising native speakers to deliver solutions for clients from any language, to any language.

“I feel excited and privileged to be part of the translations industry, a truly complex, multi-cultural, multilingual and globally-focused field of work,” said Labbon. He realises that quality and customer focus are the top priorities in delivering to clients, words that his team at FT live by daily, he said.

This philosophy has earned FT recognition as one of the Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America by Entrepreneur magazine’s Entrepreneur 360 list for two consecutive years, 2016 and 2017.

Labbon resides in Huntersville, NC with his wife and children and returns to Trinidad as often as he can.

When not at work, he enjoys spending time with his family, nature and the outdoors, biking, golfing and still follows the world of football and cricket.