Interpreters Unlimited Helps Overcome Barriers to International Business

SAN DIEGO – More than five decades in business, Interpreters Unlimited continues to bridge communication gaps successfully while generating tremendous growth.
The 54-year-old B2B company specializes in foreign language interpretation for businesses – including healthcare providers, corporations and government agencies – as well as American Sign Language and document translation.

Now under its third set of owners, Interpreters Unlimited’s revenues, which dipped to just under $12 million during COVID-19 in 2020, saw a healthy uptick to more than $14.5 million in 2023. This year, Interpreters Unlimited is projected to bring in $17 million, says company Vice President and COO Shamus Sayed.

“Our growth is because we stay focused on what we do best, the people we serve and our team, and then everything else just falls into place,” he said.

With communications prowess and continuing success, Interpreters Unlimited was recently named to the United States Chamber of Commerce’s CO – 100: America’s Top 100 Small Businesses list.

The CO – 100 is the U.S. Chamber’s award-winning digital platform for small businesses, recognizing businesses that demonstrate innovation, growth and resilience. This year it included a diverse array of small businesses of all sizes and industries across 31 states and Washington, D.C. Interpreters Unlimited was honored as one of 100 from more than14,000 companies under consideration.

The company has a large footprint, although it has just 15 local employees and 15 that work around the country. Interpreters Unlimited also contracts over 10,000 linguists across 200 languages.

“We have an amazing team,” Shamus Sayed said. “One of our managers has been with us for 25 years and she was actually part of the ownership before us.”

Collection of Companies

Interpreters Unlimited actually comprises a collective group of companies supplying linguistic and cultural interpretation services to clients. The companies under its umbrella also include Accessible Communication for the Deaf, Albors & Alnet, Arkansas Spanish Interpreters and Translators, and IU GlobeLink, LLC.

For the last 18 years, the B2B language services provider has been owned by Sayed Ali, Shamus Sayed’s father, who is the president of Interpreters Unlimited.

He bought the company in 2007 from its second group of owners. Among the moves he’s made was gaining ownership of the domain name interpreters.com, which has helped the company with name recognition and helping its online presence, making it easy to find for people searching for the kind of services the company provides.

Since its founding, Interpreters Unlimited has been at the forefront of delivering high-quality language services to a diverse range of clients, including universities, school districts, medical facilities, insurance companies, legal firms, healthcare providers and businesses across the nation. Under Ali and Sayed’s watch, IU’s revenue has increased by more than 500%.

The company sees to it that language is never a barrier to communication, and plays a pivotal role in supporting the needs of those who are limited in their English proficiency as well as the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.

Ali said that “growth through integrity and customer satisfaction has been at the core of everything we do.”

“Every step of our expansion, whether it’s entering new markets, expanding services or innovating with new technologies, is rooted in our commitment to honesty and transparency with our clients,” Ali said. “We believe that maintaining this level of integrity is the foundation of long-lasting relationships with our clients, ensuring that they know we are a partner they can trust.”

IU’s growth has been driven by a strong focus on customer satisfaction, Ali said. The company takes time to understand unique needs of each client, support them throughout the relationship “and deliver tailored solutions that exceed their expectations.”

Meaningful Work

Helping people overcome language barriers is one of the most meaningful aspects of the company’s work.

“The ability to communicate is fundamental to human connection, and at Interpreters Unlimited, we take pride in breaking down those barriers,” Ali said. “We believe that providing access to language services is more than just a business, it’s a way of empowering individuals and creating inclusive environments where everyone has the opportunity to participate fully. Whether it’s through healthcare, education, or legal services, we take immense pride in knowing that our work helps people navigate critical moments in their lives with greater ease and dignity.”

Sayed said that the company faced some of its most difficult struggles during Covid, starting in March 2020.

“We are an in-person company providing in-person interpreters, and that was 90% of our business,” he said. “Our business nearly shut down. We took a 70% drop in business overnight. And that was just gut wrenching to experience. We had to retool, we had to re-strategize and reorganize what we did.”

Sayed said people who are the beneficiaries of it services – through the businesses that hire Interpreters Unlimited –don’t always know how they received the communications help, but that’s OK with them.

“It’s not about us, it’s about our team and it’s about the people who we serve,” Sayed said.

“The services we provide impact people’s ability to receive the critical care or the critical services that they need. When we win a contract today, tomorrow or yesterday, we don’t talk about how great we are. At the end of the day, it’s about the person that’s going to benefit. They more than likely have no idea that we exist. They are not paying for the services but they are dependent on it – and we don’t lose sight of that.”

Interpreters Unlimited
FOUNDED: 1970
CEO: Sayed Ali
HEADQUARTERS: San Diego
BUSINESS: B2B Language Service Provider
REVENUE: $14.6 million (2023)
EMPLOYEES: 30
CONTRACTORS: 10,000 freelance linguists
WEBSITE: Interpreters.com
CONTACT: 800-726-9891
SOCIAL IMPACT: Philanthropic interests include the Syrian Community Network, the Muslim Community Center, People Assisting The Homeless and San Diego Food Bank
NOTABLE: Company’s paid time off volunteer program offers employees three additional paid days off per year to volunteer for good causes of their choice.