U.S. Translation Co. speaks the language of world business

SOUTH OGDEN — Money is a language every country understands, but 15 years ago David Utrilla saw there was a lot being lost in translation.

The Peruvian immigrant, who was a Weber State University student back in 1995 and living in a small basement apartment here, saw an opportunity to start a translation service that focused on breaking down linguistic barriers in education.

With no more than a desktop computer and the knowledge that he could fill a need, he began U.S. Translation Co.. And while that name might have overstated the single-handed effort then, it's one that his business fully inhabits today. His clients now number 600, speaking 108 languages, and the company is coming off a year in 2009 that saw a doubling of its business.

Most of the U.S. companies that are now his clients signed up, Utrilla said, because they "were struggling in the U.S. market, so they started to see the international market as potential to keep their companies alive and to grow."

That was the case of the company that turned out to be his first big break in 1997, JBT AeroTech, which builds mobile airline passenger exit tunnels used around the world and also provides critical de-icing equipment. Their need was worldwide and year-round as a company that serves both northern and southern hemispheres.

As important as providing the two services is the ability to understand — complete with nuances — the manuals for the exit tunnels and de-icers, Utrilla said.

If that weren't stressful enough, he agreed to be paid only if JBT was happy with his service, which was to be provided on a "we needed it yesterday" deadline.

He met or beat the deadline, and their expectations. As he has for a lot of other companies.

They say everything is about timing, and Utrilla's has been perfect. He was there as the economy went global, and as the global economy cracks, his services are actually helping put many companies back together again.

Utrilla's service is part of an almost inherent capacity for international trade in Utah, and it is now proving to be its ace in the hole, given the high number of people in business who have utilized language skills and cultural familiarity learned on two-year foreign missions for the Mormon Church.

The Brookings Institute last month put Utah in the Top 10 best places in the West to do international business, which the think tank said should figure big in leading the state into a new, post-Great Recession global economy.