Interpreting

AaGlobal secures major public sector framework and is now recruiting linguists across East Sussex We're excited to announce that AaGlobal have been awarded preferred supplier status for interpreting services across a major public sector framework serving East Sussex and the wider region. A Significant Partnership This framework represents a substantial commitment to language access across East Sussex, partnering with: Local Authorities: NHS Trusts: Where You're Needed Most Our data shows strong demand for interpreters across diverse languages: Top 10 Most Requested Languages: Additionally, across our wider service area, we're seeing significant demand for Polish, Urdu, Chinese, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Malayalam, Punjabi and Ukrainian interpreters. Join Our Team Are you a linguist in East Sussex or the surrounding areas? We're actively recruiting interpreters and translators to support these essential public services. We're particularly interested in hearing from speakers of: Arabic, Kurdish Sorani, Pashto, Farsi, Tigrinya, Vietnamese, Albanian, Polish, Urdu, Romanian. Ready to apply? Visit our Careers page.

Chloe Hollands recalled how she became really worried as a lack of confidence resulting from her natural shyness was compounded by fears of getting things wrong on her first day at work. Ten years on, Chloe has risen through the ranks at AaGlobal Language Services, playing her part in the significant expansion of the business and along the way passing the benefit of her experience to other young recruits.  Kirk Akdemir, CEO of AaGlobal, said Chloe’s success demonstrates the value of apprentices to businesses.  Chloe said: “I was worried because this was my first job. I’d never had a Saturday job or anything like that. It was all completely new to me and I didn’t  know whether I would be able to do it, how I would cope and what was going to happen. “My message now to anybody considering an apprenticeship would be to go for it. My big concern was that I wouldn’t know how to do certain things and the company would want someone with experience but it’s not like that at all. “It’s about going there and getting the experience then training up while you do the job. I’m still using the skills I learned 10 years ago.” Chloe was 18 when she joined AaGlobal in summer 2015 after leaving Wyke College. She said at the time that she didn’t want to commit to three years of university study so instead decided to look for a business admin apprenticeship. Chloe recalled: “I hadn’t heard of AaGlobal at the time but I did some research after I was told I had an interview and soon after that I started working as a business admin apprentice within the interpreting department.” Tasks included assigning interpreters, speaking to them and to clients, and handling the bookings. The work involved regular communication by phone and email and, with the ongoing support of the management team, Chloe’s success provided a platform for her to progress to more senior roles. She worked on service delivery, looking more at how the company can enhance its services for clients, and then on improving the overall quality of the business. In 2024 Chloe moved into compliance, dealing with such matters as accreditations and ISO. Her current role is Quality & Compliance Manager. Over the years Chloe has witnessed first-hand the growth of a company which has nearly doubled its head count and its footprint, while the number of linguists has increased from 6,000 to more than 15,000 covering over 500 languages and dialects. Chloe said: “When I started we had about 25 people and we were in an office next to the marina with our head office in Worcester. Now the head office is in Hull and we have more than 40 people in the heart of the city centre. “It has been really interesting to see how the business has grown, working with more clients in a wider range of sectors. We have really increased our public sector work over the years and we are still strong in the private sector. At the same time, AaGlobal still has the same heart, supporting, building up and taking opportunities, which is what they did with me. “The job is really satisfying and the company has given me the opportunity to explore a lot of areas across our business, identify what I enjoy doing and how I can get to know my strengths. We have a good track record for developing apprentices.” Chloe’s experience and the support of colleagues at AaGlobal has also helped in her life away from the office. She said: “I’m 28 now and in the process of buying my first home. From being very shy I’ve definitely come out of my shell. Coming here as an apprentice has helped me to do that and I’d recommend it to others even if they don’t know which sector they want to work in.” Kirk Akdemir, who founded AaGlobal more than 30 years ago, marked the anniversary with a special presentation at the company’s office in King Edward Street, Hull. He said: “We opened our first office in Hull in 2012 after expanding here from Worcester and Chloe was appointed three years later as one of our first apprentices as we strengthened our presence on our way to establishing Hull as our head office. “As we have secured more private sector clients, in addition to our extensive public sector work, our team has continued to grow, apprentices have played an important part in that and we have been very pleased with them. The government’s commitment to invest in apprenticeships is good news for young people exploring their options, and for businesses. “Chloe’s experience shows that the apprenticeship route is a good opportunity for young people from the local area and they can make a big contribution. The last 10 years have absolutely flown and Chloe’s memories of those first-day fears are a big help when it comes to supporting other young recruits.”

  AaGlobal initially promoted its professional translation and interpreting services on digital billboards in Hull. Now the company is targeting international business travellers directly by using the airport’s screens in a 12-month deal which will run until summer 2026 – marking the 15th anniversary of AaGlobal’s arrival in Hull. Kirk Akdemir, CEO of AaGlobal, said: “Having established ourselves as the market leader in our region we feel now is the right time to reach out to a wider business audience with our services. “The initial digital campaign reflects how we have grown and developed as a business since expanding to Hull in 2011, investing in technology and taking a more innovative approach. “The partnership with Humberside Airport takes that further and as we enter 2026 will mark an important milestone for AaGlobal. It also enables us to work closely with another key player in the region’s international business community.” AaGlobal is the major partner of the International Trade Centre within Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce. Humberside Airport’s services include three flights a day to Schiphol, with connections worldwide. AaGlobal was a private sector specialist when the company was launched by Kirk in Worcester more than 30 years ago. Since then the expansion to Hull has driven significant growth in public sector work.  Hull is now AaGlobal’s head office and the workforce has grown from the two people who opened the Hull office to a team of more than 40, with the number of linguists operating worldwide having increased from 6,000 to more than 15,000, covering over 500 languages and dialects. Kirk said: “The public sector is still the biggest part of our client base but our private sector track record remains strong. We have worked at a very high level with many global brands in the past and this will help us build on that by connecting with a wider audience of international business travellers and particularly those flying between Humberside and Schiphol and onwards to more than 150 destinations. “We want to make more businesses aware of what we do by highlighting the importance to businesses of using professional language services when they are working to deliver their own high calibre services to international clients.  “Our approach is always to support the highest level of communications in international languages and in the often detailed, technical and specific languages of business.” Chantelle Akdemir, AaGlobal’s Business Development Manager, said: “We are aware there are so many businesses in the Humber region operating internationally and travelling through Humberside Airport and we want to let them know there is a translation company in Hull which works to the level of professionalism which matches their own. “The campaign in July was the first time we had used digital media to promote the company. We will monitor the impact as we progress and we may look at extending the campaign to other airports in the UK and across other forms of media. It’s important to consider adopting different media for different audiences – the whole process started with the launch of our print brochure at the Chamber Expo.” Tracey Frankish-Creed, Business Partners & Marketing Executive at Humberside Airport, said: “We are pleased to welcome AaGlobal, a local business with global reach, on board at Humberside Airport.  Together we are helping connect the Humber region to the world”.