Spotlight Session: Helen Provart, Peak Translations

Helping Businesses Communicate with Confidence Internationally

In this edition of Around the Chair Spotlight Sessions, Jonathan Barnes, Vice Chair of the CORE International Ecosystem, speaks with Helen Provart, Managing Director of Peak Translations.

With more than 20 years in the language industry, Helen helps businesses communicate effectively with overseas markets, combining language expertise with cultural understanding and practical commercial advice.

“It’s all about effective and appropriate communication.”
Helen Provart, Managing Director, Peak Translations

From Languages to Leadership

Jonathan: Helen, tell us a little about your background.

Helen: “I’ve been in the language industry for over 20 years. Spanish and Italian are my two languages.”

Helen studied International Business with Spanish, spending time at Alicante University and working for a pharmaceutical company in Madrid. After working in purchasing within the textiles sector, and experiencing redundancy, she decided to build a career around her language skills.

Helen: “I realised that I didn’t want to work for anybody else. I wanted to be self employed.”

After completing a Master’s degree in translation and interpreting at Salford University, Helen joined Peak Translations as a project manager in 2005. Nine years later, she bought the business from its retiring founder.

Helen: “I worked for them for nine years before taking over the company.”

Communication That Works in Every Market

Jonathan: How would you describe what Peak Translations does?

Helen: “We predominantly help clients communicate effectively with their overseas markets.”

Peak Translations supports businesses with written translation, interpreting, audio, video and multilingual content. Its work is about far more than translating words directly.

Helen: “We’re not just translating word for word. It’s about getting the meaning across.”

The team helps clients make sure their message is appropriate for the culture, audience and expectations of each market.

Helen: “We help them to communicate the right way with their overseas markets.”

Native Expertise and Human Oversight

Jonathan: What are some of the most common challenges businesses face?

Helen: “One of the most common mistakes that I see is where they work with non natives to translate for them.”

Helen believes important translations should always be completed by a native speaker translating into their own language.

Helen: “You should always have a native speaker translate into their native language.”

This matters particularly for content that affects a business’s reputation, brand, legal responsibilities, compliance or health and safety.

Helen also warns against relying entirely on AI generated translation for high stakes content.

Helen: “AI is great for certain things, but when it comes to documents that are going to impact on your brand, your reputation, legal aspects, compliance, health and safety, it needs to have guardrails in place.”

Helen: “It needs to have a human look at the output.”

A Trusted Partner, Not a Transaction

Jonathan: What makes Peak Translations different?

Helen: “We don’t see ourselves as transactional.”

Peak Translations works to understand what each client is trying to achieve, then provides the language support and advice needed to help them communicate successfully.

Helen: “We want to become part of the team for the client in the sense of the communication.”

Much of the team’s expertise is applied behind the scenes. On multilingual projects, linguist project managers consider how choices in one language could affect every other version.

Helen: “We solve so many problems behind the scenes, linguistic problems that clients won’t even see.”

Helen: “There is so much going on in the background.”

The Value of Joined-Up Support

Jonathan: How important is joined up advisory support when businesses are growing?

Helen: “I think it’s critical.”

For international businesses, communication needs to work alongside legal, financial, tax, logistics and market entry advice.

Helen: “It’s so important that all of the aspects of international trade are working in unison together.”

This is one of the reasons Helen values being part of the Director’s Chair.

Helen: “Having the support and knowledge of the other Director’s Chair Partners around me is really useful, to be able to help my clients and refer them into other consultants.”

Advice for International Growth

Jonathan: If you could give one piece of advice to business leaders trying to grow, what would it be?

Helen: “Remember that no two markets are the same.”

Helen encourages business leaders to recognise the differences in language, culture, customer expectations and the way business is conducted in each country.

Helen: “It’s all about learning how to approach each market.”

A Lifelong Passion for Languages

Jonathan: Outside work, what keeps you motivated?

Helen: “It’s still my love for languages. I’m currently learning French to add to my collection.”

Helen is learning French ahead of a trip to Guadeloupe, and also practises Spanish with her son as he prepares for his GCSE.

Helen: “Actually learning another language keeps my passion for languages going.”

Connect with Peak Translations

Peak Translations helps businesses communicate effectively across international markets through professional translation, interpreting and multilingual communication support. With native speaking linguists, cultural understanding and a partnership led approach, Helen and the team help clients protect their message and grow with confidence overseas.

As part of the Director’s Chair, Peak Translations contributes specialist language expertise to a wider ecosystem of trusted advisers, helping businesses access joined up support as they grow internationally.