Life & Language: Partnership Over Parade

“I can show you the world—shining, shimmering, splendid.”

If you think that quote sounds familiar, you’re right. You also might be having a hard time figuring out where you’ve heard it before. That will come later, I promise.

During a recent vision meeting, the TLC staff realized something. With heads together and creative energy flowing, the in-house staff stepped back and pondered what it is doing well and what it could do better.

Over the course of the meeting, staff found opportunities to give each other high fives, but also opportunities to offer a helping hand. It was also a chance to reflect realistically on what TLC is (mission) and what it hopes to be (vision).

Which brings us back to the quote. If you haven’t guessed by now, the quote is actually the first line of the iconic (and frustratingly catchy) song, “A Whole New World” from Disney’s Aladdin.

Aladdin and Jasmine sing the song during a ride on Aladdin’s magic carpet. They serenade each other while the carpet transports them from one romantic, starlit scene to the next.

If you’ve seen the film (or if you know of the ancient tale on which it is based), you know that Aladdin is actually a young man living in poverty who is trying to woo Jasmine, a princess (her name is Princess Badroulbadour in the original tale). In order to do so, however, he borrows a genie’s magic in order to disguise himself as a prince—something that he is not.

If TLC were Aladdin, there would be no promise of a magic carpet because, well, magic carpets don’t exist. But TLC is passionate about genuine partnerships with both linguist partners and customers—the company believes in being “who it is.”

Despite translating into more than 60 languages this year alone, TLC’s website, unlike other translation companies, does not include exhaustive lists of language offerings. TLC doesn’t boast about how many linguists work for the company—linguists are people, not numbers. You won’t see extensive lists of jargon-laced, industry-specific services, either.

Quality service speaks for itself. And services seem to best serve when they are articulated in an accessible, relatable manner.

Say you’re a linguist who’s taking a trip to Texas for a vacation and you want to swing by the TLC office in Fort Worth. Maybe you’re an out-of-town client who wants to schedule a face-to-face follow-up meeting. You won’t have to schedule an appointment with anyone’s assistant or secretary—none of TLC’s staff has one.

Through it all, TLC envisions a partnership-centered culture. Sometimes that means avoiding the “I can show you the world” promise and instead asking, “How can I best serve you?” or “What are your needs and how can we work toward them collectively?”

After all, it would be fun to fly on a magic carpet, but what happens if the “magic” wears off?