Pictured above: (l-r) Sophie Howe, director of Comtec Translations, with Adrian Morgan, sales director at Hydrajaws

A leading West Midlands translation firm is helping UK businesses to break down international barriers and access global markets thanks to a new service.

Comtec Translations, based in Leamington, Warwickshire, has launched a free Language Guide which explains to businesses how to take some simple steps that will increase their company's ability to communicate in other languages and access export markets worth millions of pounds.

Sophie Howe, director of Comtec Translations, has urged businesses to make 2010 the year to access at least one export market and to help these firms Comtec is providing a free one-hour review of their language communication requirements alongside the launch of the Language Guide.

Howe said: "Exporting firms can reap real rewards from actively using foreign language skills and research has shown businesses which are proactive in their use of foreign languages achieve, on average, 45 per cent more export sales.

"When the British Chambers of Commerce asked almost 3,500 of its members why they did not export to Europe 11 per cent cited language barriers and five per cent cultural barriers.

"The same BCC research has shown small businesses were losing up to £250,000 per year in orders due to a lack of language skills.

"The expert advice offered in our Language Guide and the free one hour review will help businesses to get over initial language barriers and access new markets."

One company to have already benefitted from the service is Coleshill-based Hydrajaws.

The firm, which employs eight people, produces testing equipment for the construction industry, including devices used to test the holding power of anchors and fixings in most construction materials.

Following success in the UK market, and having already begun to break into export markets in Europe, the USA, Australia and the Middle East, the company enlisted the help of Comtec to help it expand its client base even further.

Comtec has worked to produce six different language versions of Hydrajaws' website, www.hydrajaws.co.uk, and providing product information in Russian, French, Italian, Polish, German and Spanish.

Adrian Morgan, sales director at Hydrajaws, said: "We already exported to countries across the globe but we mainly picked up clients through word of mouth and we wanted a way of expanding our customer base further.

"We already had a good UK website and Comtec helped us to make it even better by converting pages into half a dozen languages which will hopefully help us pick up more export business.

"We were very pleased with the work that they carried out and they have been fantastic from start to finish."

Companies can download the guide to using language in international business at www.comtectranslations.com.

For further information about the free one-hour review of language requirements offered by Comtec call Sophie Howe on 01926 335681 or email showe@comtectranslations.com.