Heartland Interpretation & Translation Services
“Hola!” “Bonjou!” “Lakwe!”
These are a few words you might hear from Jacob Brown and his crew at Heartland Interpretation and Translation Services, a small business with a growing clientele in the tri-state area. As you might have guessed, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Marshallese are currently the most requested languages in Southwest Indiana.
A lifelong resident of Evansville, Jacob Brown was a full time graduate student while also working full time as a Spanish Interpreter for a number of large language agencies. As one of only a few interpreters working in Evansville at the time, he realized there was an unmet need for language services and launched Heartland in 2021, acquiring a few direct clients right away.
In May of 2023, Jacob was at a professional crossroads. His passion for interpreting work was evident, he saw the potential to grow, and decided to commit to this business full time. Jacob was offering Spanish services to 4-5 clients at the time.
With no formal business training, Jacob was eager to find help. Luckily, he was connected to the Southwest Indiana Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and began meeting with Denise Greenwell, a former business advisor. She was able to review his pricing structure and employee job descriptions and offer referrals for local accounting and insurance services. The SBDC was also able to provide free Quickbooks training through Spot On Solutions.
Here’s what Denise had to say about working with Jacob: “Throughout your career you will meet and work with a wide variety of individuals - if you're fortunate, you'll have the opportunity to work with natural born leaders and entrepreneurs. Jacob Brown was just that individual when we first met. He was not afraid of the hard work and long hours it would take to be successful.”
In just a year, Heartland has grown tremendously. They now contract with 50 translators/interpreters and offer services in 20 languages. Heartland serves businesses throughout the tri-state in a wide range of industries including medical, legal, educational, commercial, agriculture, and manufacturing. They offer in-person interpreting, document translation, and corporate language training classes to partners including Ascension St. Vincent and the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation.
Making connections with local businesses and organizations has been key, says Jacob. Through relationships with the Latino Center, the Haitian Center of Evansville, and the Indiana Evansville Marshallese Community, Jacob has been able to connect with bilingual folks who are eager to work as interpreters.
Heartland prioritizes professionalism and employee development. Each interpreter undergoes rigorous HIPAA-compliant training, with opportunities for further certification based on their interests. Unlike larger agencies, they are able to tailor assignments to match employees' preferences and offer better pay, fostering a fulfilling work environment.
As an entrepreneur, Jacob sets the bar high for service quality, prioritizing client satisfaction above all else. He says being your own boss is the best part of the job, but also the most challenging. The rapid growth of his company has been a challenge, and admittedly has been almost more than he can handle. Jacob says,“I have to shift my mindset. Months ago I was focused solely on the client and doing a good job for them. Now I have to step back and look at the business as a whole. I am not a business person by training, so I have to understand my strengths and weaknesses and find any available resources to help me.”
Jacob gives credit to family and friends for supporting him. He also says that Denise was a great help to him, especially in the early stages. “She helped me understand where I want to be 2, 3, 4 years from now and what I need to do to get there,” he says.
Denise credits Jacob for remaining focused on high quality service and dedication to his staff and clients despite the challenges. “As his business advisor, it was a pleasure to work with Jacob and see the progress he has made in delivering multiple language translation services throughout the tri-state community,” she says.
To learn more about Heartland Interpretation and Translation Services, we invite you to visit their website: https://www.heartlandlanguage.com/.