Hello. I am Abe, CEO of Gentsu Inc., a certificate translation company.
After working in engineering roles, I spent about ten years as a practicing translator. In March 2024, by combining those two experiences, I founded this company.
In a translation industry crowded with more than 3,000 companies, the reason a later entrant like us has been able to grow rapidly in its second year is that we have focused on solving long-standing structural issues in the industry through "technology-driven systems."
In this article, I will share how we have designed our operations and how we deliver value.
Industry Assumptions and the Particular Nature of Certificate Translation
In the translation industry, quality and speed are constantly in tension.
However, the area we specialize in—"certificate translation"—is a field where balancing the two is more strictly demanded than anywhere else.
Three Characteristics of Certificate Translation
- Low unit price: Many requests are for a single page, and high costs cannot be allocated.
- High urgency: Many customers face tight deadlines, such as visa applications or school enrollment procedures.
- Regular repeat needs: Customers often want the same format applied repeatedly—for bankbook copies (every three months), report cards (each term), withholding tax slips (annually), and so on.
The Industry's Challenge: No Translation Company Could Fully Meet Customer Needs
For large companies, low-priced, labor-intensive jobs are inefficient and tend to be avoided.
On the other hand, individual translators and small operators can be overwhelmed when urgent jobs pile up, and providing organized repeat support is also difficult.
We broke through this "gap that no one could fill" by thoroughly redesigning operations with technology.
"Technology-Driven DX" Pursued From the Beginning
We do not rely on individual effort alone; we prioritize guaranteeing quality through systems.
1. Improving Accuracy and Speed with OCR Systems
In certificate translation, transcription errors in names, addresses, numbers, amounts, or dates can be fatal.
By integrating OCR, we shift the extraction and transcription work that machines are good at to machines, increasing speed while suppressing human error.
2. Eliminating Clerical Work with "Automated Environment Setup"
With a single click of the order button, project folders are created, translation source documents are stored, email summaries are produced, invoices are generated, and translation sheets are set up—all automatically.
By bringing clerical routine work close to zero, we achieve some of the fastest response times anywhere.
3. Optimal Assignment Based on Data
Based on accumulated internal evaluation data, we have built a structure that immediately assigns each job to the most suitable translator for the country and document type.
Specialization in "Certificates" Generates Overwhelming Know-How
By narrowing our scope, we have accumulated the know-how to respond immediately even to niche documents.
- Glossary and terminology management: The phrasings unique to each country's official documents are turned into data.
- Requirements organized by receiving organization: We thoroughly understand what each country and institution requires.
- Faithful reproduction of original layouts: The "close-to-original layout" that certificate translation demands is produced efficiently through our proprietary format library.
Some certificate translations can be standardized—like family register transcripts—but many are "long-tail" documents that appear infrequently.
Even for a rare document that appears in only 0.1% of cases, once the data is accumulated, the scope and productivity for the next request improve reliably.
This accumulation is the strength that other companies cannot easily replicate.
"Choose and Concentrate" to Deliver Even More Value
At Gentsu, we deliberately limit our intake channels to email and LINE and do not maintain a physical office, thoroughly reducing costs.
We return those savings to our customers in the form of "overwhelmingly low prices" and "delivery in as little as 30 minutes."
To resolve customers' concerns in a one-stop manner, we also partner with administrative scriveners (gyoseishoshi) for procedures that translation companies legally cannot perform, building a smooth end-to-end support system.
The Future We Aim For: Supporting More People's "Next Step" Through Technology
Our goal is to use technology appropriately to pick up the small concerns the industry has not been able to address, and to support as many customers as possible.
Each piece of certificate translation may be a small document. But behind it lies an important milestone in a customer's life—studying abroad, getting married, working overseas.
We want to be the team that supports those important steps faster and more sincerely than anyone else.
If you are facing certificate translation needs, please feel free to contact us.
