Japan Translation Center, Ltd.

Challenge: managing and sharing contracts

Japan Translation Center (JTC) was founded in 1962 as a pioneer in foreign language translation. Based near Tokyo Tower in the Higashi-Azabu district of Tokyo’s Minato ward, JTC provide multilingual translation and interpreting services based on the principle of “human translation.”

“In recent years, we’re seeing more and more AI-based machine translation, but we still believe  human translation has real value. We aim to provide high-quality translation services that take into account the context of the text, the author’s thoughts and feelings, the intended use of the translated document, and its persuasiveness in the eyes of the target audience,” explains Risa Takabatake, JTC’s President.

One of the company’s assets is its team of experienced translators. JTC works with several freelance translators via outsourcing contracts, but the company faced challenges regarding contracting workflows.

Once an applicant sends the necessary documents and passes the translation test, terms are agreed upon and a contract must be signed before they can start receiving translation work. In the past, JTC would send application documents as password-protected encrypted ZIP files, with the password being sent later in a process called “PPAP” (Password Protected Attachment Protocol). However, when applicant numbers are high, this soon becomes a laborious task. The process also brings with it data security risks.

“The contracts were more analog, with everything being sent, sealed and returned by mail in hard copy. This meant that, alongside the administrative burden, the cost of revenue stamps and postage stamps was also a problem,” recalls Takabatake.

JTC also faced challenges when it came to managing their documents. Contracts for each translator were filed and stored in a filing cabinet, which over time became a real hassle to manage. 

“Needless to say, if we wanted to view the documents, we had to be in the office. We could see that in order to eliminate all these inefficiencies, we had to digitise our documents and go paperless,” adds Yukiko Masuda from JTC’s General Affairs department.   

Solution: Dropbox with Dropbox Sign to digitise contractor onboarding process

“In the process, we learned we could connect Dropbox to the Dropbox Sign eSignature platform,” explains Masuda.

Also, by combining it with Dropbox, you can make your workflows seamless—from creating and storing documents to requesting and verifying signatures.

The process is simple. You just have to upload the documents to be signed, enter the email address of the person you want to sign them to, and click “Request Signature.” Once the document is signed, it gets stored in your Dropbox Sign account. You can track progress, send reminders and manage access rights according to member permissions. Used in tandem, the two services were able to meet the company’s needs exactly.

“At first, we were looking to Dropbox as a way of moving our file server to the cloud, but we soon realised that if we also introduced Dropbox Sign, we could also digitise our contracting process. We knew we would eventually need to digitise our contracts, so this seemed like a great opportunity,” says Masuda.

JTC was impressed by other Dropbox features too. They quickly adapted to its simple user interface ‌and appreciated its rapid file syncing. Another key point was security—a non-negotiable when you need to store sensitive documents.

Along with its file request feature, which allows you to securely receive documents uploaded by others, Dropbox also boasts extensive platform security. To prevent unauthorised access, Dropbox uses 256-bit individual encryption for each server block where data is stored, and multi-factor authentication is also available. This gave JTC peace of mind since they knew they had a safe space to store their data.

Result: centralised file management and increased security

JTC has already seen many benefits since introducing Dropbox and Dropbox Sign.

They began by using Dropbox to communicate with translators during the contracting process and beyond. Now, they use file requests to receive documents from applicants. During onboarding, they consolidate and manage all documents, including applications, test results, registration documents and contract files, in Dropbox folders that are unique to each translator.

“We communicate with the translators by sending them a shared link to the documents we’ve put in their folder. We used to store our documents in a mix of data and hard copy in different locations, but now they’re all in one location, reducing the time and effort it takes to manage them by about 25%. This also means we can access everything when working from home,” says Takabatake.

JTC also manages its contracting process through Dropbox and Dropbox Sign. Since its staff no longer need to come into the office to apply their official seals, the company can now separate office work and remote work more effectively. Staff also spend less time mailing documents and correcting errors, meaning contracts can be finalised in about half the time. The translators who onboard with JTC also benefit from this.

Additionally, JTC saw significant cost savings after they made the switch. This is because, in Japan, companies need to purchase a revenue stamp at 4,000 yen to finalise paper contracts, but this isn’t needed for electronic contracts. They have also been able to reduce other costs for things like postage stamps and paper, and physical storage space for document hard copies.

“Soon after rollout, we had a large translation project that meant we needed to quickly sign contracts with translators in all kinds of specialised fields. Managing this process from recruitment all the way to finalising the contracts would have been impossible without Dropbox and Dropbox Sign. We’ve been able to create a system that can respond immediately to sudden changes in our business,” says Takabatake.

The company now plans to gradually migrate ‌documents and content stored on its on-premises file server to Dropbox. Once this is done, they’ll no longer need to worry about maintaining their on-premises file servers or losing data to outages. Moving to the cloud is a logical next step since it protects the valuable data assets that the company has accumulated throughout its 60+ year history. 

JTC has been awarded a PrivacyMark, which recognises that it takes appropriate measures to protect personal information. This means Dropbox is a great fit thanks to its considerable number of security measures—even when compared to other cloud storage services. Moving to the cloud also allows employees to view the various types of files they need when working from home.

JTC is also looking into ‌Dropbox Transfer. This makes it possible to share files even when the person you’re sharing with doesn’t have a Dropbox account. Since JTC often translates large video, audio and other files, the company believes that Dropbox Transfer will be useful when sharing these with translators.

From digitising the contract process and consolidating translator data through to managing and sharing documents within the company, Dropbox and Dropbox Sign will doubtless continue to bring more and more value to the company.