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Professional services

Translation services financial model, built free.

A three-statement Excel model for a translation, interpreting and localisation provider, built from your own figures and checked to balance.

  • Free account
  • No card
  • Usually ready within the hour

We use generative AI in parts of our process, so mistakes can occur. Every model should be checked by a person before it is relied on. Read more

The business

Translates documents, software and media and supplies interpreters, charging per word, page, minute or hour, delivered largely by freelance linguists with machine translation raising productivity.

See the sampleHow the model works

In short

  • 01

    Three linked statements

    Income statement, balance sheet and cash flow, linked in every period.

  • 02

    Valued two ways

    Discounted cash flow and trading multiples, side by side.

  • 03

    Monthly to annual

    Monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or annual periods, for up to 30 years.

  • 04

    Checked every period

    A Checks sheet shows the balance sheet balances and the cash reconciles.

The sample

The sample, as Excel draws it.

Built by the same system and checks as yours, on illustrative figures: every sheet as Excel draws it, or live.

Annual · 10 years · Low detail
Translation services sample model.xlsx
The Summary sheet of the sample translation services model

Illustrative figures: the sample describes no real business. The live preview shows values; your model’s Excel file has every formula.

How it works

How the model works for a translation services.

  1. How it earns revenue3 formulas
    Fee revenue and realisation · All practice groups
    Total weightPartnersDirectorsManagersSeniorsGraduates
    Fee revenue and realisation · All practice groups
    Fee revenueChargeable time at standard ratesTime written off (below standard rates)
    Fee revenue and realisation · All practice groups
    Chargeable time at standard ratesChargeable hoursfrom chargeable hours and utilisationBlended standard charge-out rate
  2. What drives its costs3 formulas
    Fee-earner headcount and staff cost · All practice groups
    Fee-earner salaries and on-costsAnnual salary bill at current ratesOn-costs (superannuation, payroll tax, leave)share of the year
    Fee-earner headcount and staff cost · All practice groups
    Directors and senior managersPartners and principalsDirectors per partner
    Fee-earner headcount and staff cost · All practice groups
    ManagersPartners and principalsManagers per partner
  3. What it invests in3 formulas
    Leases
    Principal elements of lease paymentsLease payments (cash)from cashInterest on lease liabilities
    Leases
    Closing lease liabilitiesLease 1Lease 2Lease 3Lease 4Lease 5Lease 6
    Leases
    Lease payments (cash)Lease 1Lease 2Lease 3Lease 4Lease 5Lease 6
  4. How it is funded3 formulas
    Debt
    RepaymentsScheduled repaymentsPrepayments from an equity raise and the cash sweep
    Debt
    Closing balanceOpening balanceDrawdownsRepayments
    Debt
    Interest expenseOpening balanceAll-in interest rateshare of the year
  5. How profit becomes cash3 formulas
    Work in progress (unbilled) · All practice groups
    Work in progress (unbilled fees)Fee revenuefrom fee revenue and realisationWIP daysDays in period (on a 365-day year)
    Work in progress (unbilled) · All practice groups
    Fee debtors (billed and unpaid)Fee revenuefrom fee revenue and realisationDebtor daysDays in period (on a 365-day year)
    Working capital
    Trade receivablesRevenuefrom statementsDebtor daysDays in period
What it covers

19 parts, each one tested.

Every part is a tested building block with its own checks: yours is put together from the ones your business needs.

  • CPI forecastConsensus curve with long-run anchor
  • Exchange rate (US dollar)Exchange rate by financial year
  • Operating expensesHeadcount build by function
  • Corporate costsFixed cost base indexed to CPI
  • Working capitalFull working capital
  • Income taxCorporate rate with tax losses
  • DebtAmortising term loan
  • Dividends and distributionsPayout of net profit
  • Discounted cash flow valuationDCF on free cash flow to the firm
  • Multiples valuationEV / EBITDA multiple
  • LeasesLease register
  • Key-metric summaryLast-twelve-month and run-rate metrics
  • Discount rate (WACC)CAPM at target gearing
  • Terminal valuePerpetuity growth on normalised cash flow
  • Intangible assets and softwareRegister of acquired intangibles
  • Fee-earner headcount and staff costLeverage pyramidFee earners by grade (the headcount pyramid) and their salary cost.
  • Chargeable hours and utilisationStandard hours × utilisationChargeable hours from available hours × utilisation.
  • Fee revenue and realisationHours × rate × realisationFees earned by a practice, after realisation (the share of standard value actually billed and collected).
  • Work in progress (unbilled)Lock-up target split into WIP and debtorsUnbilled work in progress; together with debtors from working capital it forms lock-up.
Key numbers

The numbers it tracks.

  1. 01words or hours delivered
  2. 02revenue per word
  3. 03freelance cost ratio
  4. 04gross margin
  5. 05EBITDA margin
Used for

What it is used for.

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Every business and professional services model

Looking for a translation services financial model template? Ours arrives built for your business, with your figures in it.

Running a small business? Read what goes into a small business financial model.

See a finished model, sheet by sheet

The sample is built on illustrative figures and describes no real business. Models are calculations prepared from the information you provide. They are not financial advice and must be independently verified. See our terms.