From Spanish Interpreter to Translation Industry Leader: The 20 Year INGCO International Story
The Sound of a Revolution
In 2006, the world sounded a lot smaller. For many corporate giants, language was seen as a barrier, a wall to be managed through cheap, robotic translations. But for Ingrid Christensen, a fierce, determined woman with a newborn baby on her hip and a deep mastery of Spanish, it sounded like an opportunity: a $14-billion industry waiting for a human touch.
The story of INGCO International doesn’t start in a sterile corporate boardroom; it starts with a local newspaper ad, a Spanish dictionary balanced next to a crib, and an unshakeable belief that every person deserves to be understood. Ingrid launched what would become a global translation and interpreting business from her mobile office aka her car. And her mission was simple: provide equal access to information, regardless of the language spoken, and do it with more grit and gusto than anyone else.
Twenty Years of Refusing to Be Quiet
In the early days, INGCO focused on the front lines of medical interpreting and translation for the Spanish-speaking community. It was “challenging, difficult, and sometimes heartbreaking work,” as our core values state, but it was work that laid the foundation for our audacious spirit. We saw the profound difference between a literal word-swap and a life-saving cultural adaptation.
As the years ticked by, the world took notice. By 2012, we signed our first major corporate client. By 2013, Ingrid was a “40 Under 40” honoree, the cheeky disruptor from Minnesota making noise on the global stage. By 2020, the Small Business Association (SBA) officially recognized what we already knew: INGCO was the Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year. We continued to earn accolades and notes of distinction because the world was noticing the good work we were doing.
Through every milestone, we’ve lived by a singular truth: Our lips haven’t been sealed since 2006. While others in the industry stayed tucked away behind automated scripts and literal translations, we were loud. We were bold. We were cheeky. We weren’t just translating words; we were demanding respect for the language itself. We insisted that translation isn’t just about swapping words, it’s about preserving the living, breathing entity that is language. It’s about driving revenue, giving a voice to the voiceless, speaking to the hearts and minds of customers.
The Rise of the Wordologist™
What transformed us from a local service into an industry leader? It’s our people, our word nerds, the ones who dared to be more than just linguists. We cultivate Wordologists™. These are the language experts who understand that a high-stakes marketing campaign in Minneapolis requires a completely different “soul,” a different emotional cadence, than one in Madrid or Mumbai.
Today, we speak over 200 languages—from Aleut to Zapotecco. We’ve delivered over 150,000 projects, helping companies connect with consumers through flawless websites, hyper-localized digital marketing, and professional voiceover services that sound like they were recorded next door. We’ve paired sophisticated technology with human empathy, ensuring that even in an age of AI, the human connection remains “loud and clear.” We use the machine to be fast, but we use the human to be brilliant.
The Countdown Is On
As we begin our countdown to twenty years, we aren’t just looking back; we’re gearing up for a global encore. Twenty years is a long time to keep your lips unsealed, but we’re just getting warmed up. We’ve spent two decades breaking down language barriers, and we’re ready to spend the next twenty making sure the world never stops talking. The noise you hear? That’s the sound of us getting ready to make history again.
Are you ready to make some noise in the global market?
Don’t let your message get lost in the shuffle. Connect with a Wordologist™ today and let’s start a conversation that the whole world can understand.