Whenever the opportunity comes, there´s always time to analyze and evaluate all that is offered in today´s globalized world. The Toptal platform offers freelancers everywhere this opportunity to put themselves out there.
But make no mistake, Toptal cherry picks the top of the crop. That is why they put their candidates through an interesting process, very different from the traditional approach of other platforms.
Their Enterprise Coaching consultants have amazing resumes. It´s people who already proved themselves in the corporate world and offer specific results bases on their previous performance records.
I already have a consulting practice and noticed that, interestingly enough, there seems to be an area not covered by the Toptal specialists. I´m talking about the Spanish speaking market. The stats are overwhelming and there´s no need to go through them for space´s sake. Just look at the infographic on the cover of this post.
Toptal needs to implement a strategy to translate and offer their service to all the companies who are looking to enter that growing market. I´m sure there will be several candidates among us who can help the company to extend their reach and help a lot of people who are going to the same old consulting platforms elsewhere.
That «future» is already here and Toptal should be positioned to help it thrive. But no only for the traditional reasons. It should be noted that the consultants who help this paradigm shift have to be completely «bi cultural» and not only translators of a language pair.
To say it clearly, people who really are going to be key ar the ones who know that the cheese goes over the burger patty and that real tacos are made of soft tortillas and not hard shells.
I have translated from audio, video, written and in-person. It´s very easy to identify a «robotic» translation from someone who is not aware of the slang or the meaning of things. Background is crucial and also experience. People who live in the US-Mexico border are at a great advantage.
Border people are part of another whole spectrum. They have learned to live and coexist and their reality is very different from all the noise commonly heard from politicians. Most of them are immigrants from other parts of their countries and have a hard working culture. This is true for all the spectrum, from field workers to engineers and doctors.
And real bi cultural consultants.
We are out here and the market is there. Who´s going to take the next step?
Rafa Elorduy.
Rafa Elorduy 