Fast-growing language services provider DA Languages has reported its best-ever year after a rapid response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic saw it invest significantly in technology and IT infrastructure to support clients, including a number of NHS trusts.
The Manchester-based company, backed since 2018 by leading investment company Foresight Group’s maiden North West Regional Investment Fund, said revenues in the year to the end of June had surged 28% to £9.6m.
Prospects for the current financial year are strong, with a number of new business wins and framework appointments set to boost revenues a further 35%.
Managing Director Matthew Taylor said: “2020 has clearly been an incredibly challenging year for everyone and our first priority after ensuring the well-being of our people, was to support our clients by enabling them to switch quickly from a face-to-face appointment system to video and telephone based.
“Recognising the importance of continued service delivery to the NHS, our teams worked incredibly hard to transfer thousands of important interpreting sessions to a remote service, which was under-pinned by a significant investment in our technology and infrastructure.
“This led to a 400% growth in telephone Interpreting and 900% growth in video interpreting, as we enabled the NHS, local authorities and many other public sector bodies to continue to operate many of their services.”
During the Spring lockdown the DA Languages team offered free telephone interpreting services to the Nightingale Hospitals in Bristol and Manchester and is now helping to deliver the NHS Track and Trace system.
Every month the company’s technology is enabling vulnerable people with limited or no English access over 50,000 public service interpreting sessions.
Mr Taylor added: “Considering the business was severely impacted by the cancellation of face-to-face appointments, which hit our revenues in April and May, we have had a strong year, retaining all existing customers and securing 27 new strategic clients, including Yorkshire Ambulance Service, The Office for National Statistics, the DVLA and the DVSA.”
The company has also been awarded full status on two new Public Sector frameworks, the NOECPC (North of England commercial procurement collaborative) and the National Police Dynamic Purchasing system. This police framework is the first time all forces have joined together to create a consistent, high specification and bespoke procurement route, covering 38 police forces.
Claire Alvarez, Investment Director at Foresight’s Manchester office said: “Businesses like DA Languages are the lifeblood of the regional economy as it looks to recover from the challenges 2020 has brought.
“The team has been energetic, flexible and above all customer-focused in the way it has pivoted its operations in difficult circumstances.
“DAL is a true success story – its growth has enabled it to expand its workforce from 20 to around 100 in less than three years, and with the recent framework wins, the prospects for further success are very promising.”
Separately DAL’s non-executive Chair, Diane Cheesebrough, was named Non-Executive Director of the Year by the Institute of Directors for the Yorkshire and North East region.
