User:Sam Sailor/Drafts/Planet Veritas

Planet Veritas (formerly Veritas Language Solutions Limited trading as 'Veritas') is an international translation and language service provider that was founded in 2009. It is a UK-registered limited company.

Company history
Veritas was founded as a translation and interpreting services company on 1 June 2009 by translation graduates Sharon Stephens and Rachel Bryan. Both graduated with First Class Honours from Swansea University in 2009. The company commenced trading from Stephens' home, but is now based in the SA1 Swansea Waterfront development. Within one year of trading, Veritas won a contract worth over 1 million pounds and took on a finance director in 2011. The company now has 12 employees in their UK head office and 5,500 translators and interpreters in 71 countries working in over 2000 language combinations.

In July 2012, Rachel Bryan resigned from the company to return to academia, and Sharon Stephens became the majority shareholder and managing director of Veritas Language Solutions and associated companies.

Veritas Language Solutions was voluntarily wound up on 9 December 2014, but resurfaced as Planet Veritas.

Awards
Veritas was announced as Best International Business in the HSBC Start-up Stars awards 2010, Most Promising New Business in the Swansea Bay Business Awards 2011, and Best Welsh Enterprise in the Lloyds Enterprise Awards 2012. Veritas has been a finalist in many awards, including the Shell LiveWIRE 'Hot 40' 2010, Start-ups Women in Business awards 2010, NatWest Everywoman 2011, Swansea Women in Business 2011, South Wales Business Awards 2011 and Mumpreneur 2011. Veritas's blog was ranked 3rd in a worldwide language competition in 2012, the highest of any UK contender. In September 2012 Sharon Stephens was named International Business Woman of the Year. In March 2012, Sharon Stephens won Best Woman in the Service sector Award for WWMB (Welsh Women Mean Business) in Cardiff, Wales. The WWMB Award recognises women for their efforts within business.

University Challenge translation competition
Veritas launched a pan-European translation competition for university students, called Veritas University Challenge in 2009 where it received 247 entries. In 2010 the competition received numerous entries in numerous languages. In 2011 the competition received far more entries in 8 languages. On the European Day of Languages (26 September 2012), Veritas launched their 2012 competition. The competition was launched in 9 countries.

Community work
Veritas has always worked closely with local schools and universities to encourage entrepreneurship and the careers of future translators. Stephens took up her role as a business dragon to a school in Swansea in July 2012.

Swansea University
Sharon Stephens has become an honorary lecturer in translation and interpreting in Swansea University and is a member of the Translation and Interpreting Steering Group to guide curriculum development at all levels.