Facilitating Seamless Communication for Multinational Corporations

WordFinder Multinational Communication

Effectively collaborating across borders emerges as a pivotal capability in today’s globalized economy. As multinational teams and supply chains expand, precise communication becomes more vital. In our exclusive conversation with WordFinder Founder and CEO Ola Persson, we uncovered an amazing solution enabling communication that bridges the gap between words and cultures around the globe. WordFinder meets this need through instant access to 500+ premium dictionaries spanning 28 languages.

In my conversation with Ola, I was surprised to discover that this person from halfway around the world shares something in common with me. I received my undergraduate degree from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and it turns out that he attended the same College's executive education program.

Integrating directly into native applications, WordFinder empowers users to look up terminology on-screen without disrupting workflow. The approach facilitates seamless communication for major corporations worldwide.

Solving Friction in Cross-Border Collaboration

WordFinder originated from Ola's personal frustration with language barriers. Working abroad in the late 1980s, Persson constantly needed to reference print dictionaries:

I was too lazy to go to the bookshelf five or six meters away… I wanted to have the dictionary on the screen, so instead if there was a word I didn't know I rewrote the sentence with words that I knew…

Recognizing the widespread need for integrated dictionary access, Persson launched WordFinder in 1990. Its initial vision focused on enabling effective communication for multinational corporations.

Early adopters included teams at major companies collaborating globally in English. Persson notes:

Our early adopters were technicians in large multinational corporations. Many of these technicians wrote a lot in English.

By removing the friction of checking print dictionaries, WordFinder empowered accurate cross-cultural communication.

Technical Innovations to Serve Corporate Users

From the beginning, WordFinder prioritized large corporate customers. Tailoring capabilities to their specialized needs has remained an ongoing focus.

Early technical constraints posed obstacles, as Persson details:

Our first dictionary was Swedish to English, only one direction… It was five megabytes on the hard drive. Most people only had a 20 megabyte hard drive. So it was a quarter of the hard drive to just install the software.

To overcome scarce storage space, WordFinder spearheaded creative solutions like separating software from dictionary content. This enabled continuous delivery of updated dictionaries aligned with corporate requirements.

Ongoing innovation has unlocked additional capabilities to serve multinational organizations:

As Persson summarizes:

We had to follow this all the time… It was physical distribution and we had that for a long time and then it came that you sent a download link to the client.

By adapting to emerging technologies, WordFinder provides corporations with seamless access to the latest premium multilingual dictionaries.

Customization for Organization-Specific Needs

Beyond robust multilingual capabilities, WordFinder offers customization to boost value for global corporations.

The platform enables importing company terminologies for integrated lookups using preferred vocabularies. As Persson explains:

You can even import your own glossaries… If you put in your corporate terminology, then the translation engine would look at the corporate terminology and pick those words.

To develop a loyal following, they found that tailoring underlying dictionaries and models to reflect each organization’s unique requirements improved accuracy and created loyal customers.

These customizable capabilities make WordFinder invaluable for sectors like law, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing, where collaborating internationally is needed.

The Future of Global Team Productivity

After 30+ years of pioneering dictionary integration, WordFinder is poised for continued leadership, enabling multinational communication.

Upcoming focuses include penetrating high-potential markets like the United States, Poland, Turkey, and Japan. Partnerships will drive localized outreach and sales.

Ongoing innovation also aims to enhance value for global enterprises through:

• Tighter integration between custom glossaries and translation engines
• Expanded language coverage, especially into Asian and Eastern European tongues

As global collaboration accelerates, WordFinder remains committed to powering seamless communication through instant access to premium multilingual dictionaries.

Conclusion: A Vital Capability for Global Organizations

Effective communication is essential for global business success. As teams and supply chains expand internationally, language barriers present immense friction.

WordFinder eliminates this friction through the following:

• 500+ premium dictionaries across 28 languages
• Instant in-application access enabling accelerated collaboration
• Customization to improve accuracy using company terminologies

Trusted by leading multinational corporations for 30+ years, WordFinder integrates seamlessly into daily workflows to facilitate precise communication.

In an increasingly interconnected global economy, the capability unlocks immense value. By bridging language divides, WordFinder powers productivity for the world’s most dynamic international organizations.

Experience WordFinder’s multilingual capabilities with a free 7-day trial.

Listen to our exclusive Software Spotlight podcast as WordFinder founder Ola Persson joins the Software Spotlight podcast to discuss the origin and growth trajectory of his dictionary software company. Launched in 1990 to enable instant in-text dictionary lookups, WordFinder now provides access to 500+ dictionaries in 28 languages for 25,000+ business users. Persson credits strong user focus for WordFinder's expansion from a Scandinavian tool into a global SaaS leader.

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