When he graduated from Notre Dame University in 2003, Phil Wittliff knew he wanted to parlay two of his biggest academic interests -- accounting and Spanish -- into a career.
Wittliff, 26, whose father, Phil, is known throughout Wisconsin as a former player, coach and general manager of the Admirals, landed his “dream job” as an auditor for Johnson Controls. He traveled to distant lands. He met many interesting people. And then, something interesting happened.
The dream changed.
"I loved the travel and the sexier part of the job, but I discovered I didn't like the accounting," Wittliff said. "I just wasn't very good at it."
Sparked by his love of the Spanish language and culture, which began at Homestead High School and flourished during time spent in Spain during his undergraduate days, Wittliff decided to start his own business.
And that’s how Precise Translation Services was born.
"I saw a need to be filled," Wittliff said. "I saw the need for translation with a global country. There was some being done, but it wasn't that good.
"I wanted to take a new, fresh approach to the translation industry. I didn't want to be just another guy out there doing translation. I wanted to find a way to improve the product and make it affordable and accurate for clients."
The company, currently headquartered in the basement of Wittliff’s home in Wauwatosa, employs an internal network of translators who put documents through a thorough screening process similar to what Wittliff encountered during his stint as an auditor.
"The two things that make our company different are our approach to translation and our translators," Wittliff said.
"If you think about it, most people who do translation don't have focused skills in things like accounting, medicine or law. They work so hard to get the skill to translate that they don't know what a business ledger is. Words are different in all contexts. I realized that you need people doing translation who not only have language skills, but know-how in the industry.
"That’s where I came up with the idea of multiple layers of independent translator review. In accounting, you audit some papers and you have given steps to go through. When you're done, you submit the work to your manager. She might send it back and say "Fix this up." Eventually, she submits it to her supervisor. By the time it gets to the top and is approved for the client, there usually aren't very many problems. It might not be perfect, but it will be very close. I wanted to employ an approach like that to translation.
"We want a fresh set of eyes over every document. The first person translates it, then a second person and sometimes a third. The skill set of each translator will change, depending on the specs of the document. You can't really proof-read your own stories. We want a fresh set of eyes over every document. The first person in our operation translates it, the second person looks at it and sometimes a third person will view it as well.
"The skill set of each translator will change depending on the specs of the document. If we have Spanish to English medical document, we're going to have the first two translators be native in Spanish and fluent in English. The first translator will get the source document and translate it and submit to me. I then give it to the second person, who looks at the source and the original translation and makes any changes deemed necessary and makes sure that all the content transfers from the source to the target.
"The third person is someone who might not even have skills in the source language, but that is OK because at this point the translation has already been done. But, the third translator would have a very focused skill in whatever the subject matter is. He may be a doctor or a medical student, somebody who is a native Spanish speaker. he'll go through it and make sure everything jibes. If he has comments, I'll pass them back to the first or second people and we'll make the changes.
"It’s similar to what happens with accounting or even editing a story, but I've never seen it done in translation. Most companies will use certified translators and they'll use one per job. That’s OK, but they can't really be up to speed on changes in specialized fields unless they are in those industries on a full-time basis. My translators are doctors and lawyers and business people. When we get a document, we see who in our network is the best fit for that document."
Wittliff has a network of about 250 translators worldwide that he will call on to help. "It’s an exponential thing," he said. "If somebody calls me with a language that I don't have, I'll send out an email to everyone in the network and within a few hours I'll usually have at least two or three or four people who can help out."
In an industry where turnaround time is crucial, Wittliff’s process can take from one to three weeks, depending on the size of the document. Early clients have included Rockwell International, two local school districts and a local restaurant chain.
"What I'm trying to do now is identify the market," he said. "Translation is a costly obstacle for companies to overcome. To do it in-house is very costly. Some businesses do it, especially hospitals. But, it can be expensive to pay salaries and fringe benefits. That can end up costing them about 50 cents per word. What we can do is quote them a price per word, usually about 12 to 18 cents per word, and they can have the benefits of an in-house translator on an as-needed basis."
While making sales calls on a recent morning, Wittliff was joined by his father, a fellow Notre Dame alum, who resigned last summer after spending three decades with the Admirals.
"It’s been great working with him," the younger Wittliff said. "He comes from an athletic background and athletic guys make great salespeople because they're internally competitive."
Asked if having a recognizable father (and name) was an advantage, Wittliff didn't hesitate. "Absolutely," he said. "Before I came into this, I was looking at all my assets to start a company and one of the things I felt confident in was my ability to use my name as an ice-breaker, especially on cold calls. In Wisconsin, I'll say 'Phil Wittliff' and they'll say 'Hey, are you any relation to that hockey guy?' It happens three or four times a day.
"It’s an asset, but it’s only as strong as I make it. I want to be careful that I don't get a reputation as 'Phil Wittliff’s son.' I want to establish my own reputation."
When he’s not working to drum up sales or get documents translated, Wittliff, who is single, fronts "The P.J. Whitehorse Band," a country-rock trio that takes its name from a nickname that Wittliff earned while attending a "Cowboys and Indians" party in South Bend. The basement office features a keyboard and the living room is stocked with guitar equipment.
"Working out of the house is good," Wittliff said. "I can come downstairs any time. If I need to do a few hours of work on a Saturday, I don't have to drive to the office. I love it, but I think there is a sense of being in an office that makes you perform better."
Wittliff, 26, whose father, Phil, is known throughout Wisconsin as a former player, coach and general manager of the Admirals, landed his “dream job” as an auditor for Johnson Controls. He traveled to distant lands. He met many interesting people. And then, something interesting happened.
The dream changed.
"I loved the travel and the sexier part of the job, but I discovered I didn't like the accounting," Wittliff said. "I just wasn't very good at it."
Sparked by his love of the Spanish language and culture, which began at Homestead High School and flourished during time spent in Spain during his undergraduate days, Wittliff decided to start his own business.
And that’s how Precise Translation Services was born.
"I saw a need to be filled," Wittliff said. "I saw the need for translation with a global country. There was some being done, but it wasn't that good.
"I wanted to take a new, fresh approach to the translation industry. I didn't want to be just another guy out there doing translation. I wanted to find a way to improve the product and make it affordable and accurate for clients."
The company, currently headquartered in the basement of Wittliff’s home in Wauwatosa, employs an internal network of translators who put documents through a thorough screening process similar to what Wittliff encountered during his stint as an auditor.
"The two things that make our company different are our approach to translation and our translators," Wittliff said.
"If you think about it, most people who do translation don't have focused skills in things like accounting, medicine or law. They work so hard to get the skill to translate that they don't know what a business ledger is. Words are different in all contexts. I realized that you need people doing translation who not only have language skills, but know-how in the industry.
"That’s where I came up with the idea of multiple layers of independent translator review. In accounting, you audit some papers and you have given steps to go through. When you're done, you submit the work to your manager. She might send it back and say "Fix this up." Eventually, she submits it to her supervisor. By the time it gets to the top and is approved for the client, there usually aren't very many problems. It might not be perfect, but it will be very close. I wanted to employ an approach like that to translation.
"We want a fresh set of eyes over every document. The first person translates it, then a second person and sometimes a third. The skill set of each translator will change, depending on the specs of the document. You can't really proof-read your own stories. We want a fresh set of eyes over every document. The first person in our operation translates it, the second person looks at it and sometimes a third person will view it as well.
"The skill set of each translator will change depending on the specs of the document. If we have Spanish to English medical document, we're going to have the first two translators be native in Spanish and fluent in English. The first translator will get the source document and translate it and submit to me. I then give it to the second person, who looks at the source and the original translation and makes any changes deemed necessary and makes sure that all the content transfers from the source to the target.
"The third person is someone who might not even have skills in the source language, but that is OK because at this point the translation has already been done. But, the third translator would have a very focused skill in whatever the subject matter is. He may be a doctor or a medical student, somebody who is a native Spanish speaker. he'll go through it and make sure everything jibes. If he has comments, I'll pass them back to the first or second people and we'll make the changes.
"It’s similar to what happens with accounting or even editing a story, but I've never seen it done in translation. Most companies will use certified translators and they'll use one per job. That’s OK, but they can't really be up to speed on changes in specialized fields unless they are in those industries on a full-time basis. My translators are doctors and lawyers and business people. When we get a document, we see who in our network is the best fit for that document."
In an industry where turnaround time is crucial, Wittliff’s process can take from one to three weeks, depending on the size of the document. Early clients have included Rockwell International, two local school districts and a local restaurant chain.
"What I'm trying to do now is identify the market," he said. "Translation is a costly obstacle for companies to overcome. To do it in-house is very costly. Some businesses do it, especially hospitals. But, it can be expensive to pay salaries and fringe benefits. That can end up costing them about 50 cents per word. What we can do is quote them a price per word, usually about 12 to 18 cents per word, and they can have the benefits of an in-house translator on an as-needed basis."
While making sales calls on a recent morning, Wittliff was joined by his father, a fellow Notre Dame alum, who resigned last summer after spending three decades with the Admirals.
"It’s been great working with him," the younger Wittliff said. "He comes from an athletic background and athletic guys make great salespeople because they're internally competitive."
Asked if having a recognizable father (and name) was an advantage, Wittliff didn't hesitate. "Absolutely," he said. "Before I came into this, I was looking at all my assets to start a company and one of the things I felt confident in was my ability to use my name as an ice-breaker, especially on cold calls. In Wisconsin, I'll say 'Phil Wittliff' and they'll say 'Hey, are you any relation to that hockey guy?' It happens three or four times a day.
"It’s an asset, but it’s only as strong as I make it. I want to be careful that I don't get a reputation as 'Phil Wittliff’s son.' I want to establish my own reputation."
When he’s not working to drum up sales or get documents translated, Wittliff, who is single, fronts "The P.J. Whitehorse Band," a country-rock trio that takes its name from a nickname that Wittliff earned while attending a "Cowboys and Indians" party in South Bend. The basement office features a keyboard and the living room is stocked with guitar equipment.
"Working out of the house is good," Wittliff said. "I can come downstairs any time. If I need to do a few hours of work on a Saturday, I don't have to drive to the office. I love it, but I think there is a sense of being in an office that makes you perform better."
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
