Indigenous Ownership and Advocacy

NATIONS has the distinction of being one of Canada’s largest privately owned language services providers - a role and a responsibility that we take very seriously. This year, NATIONS also had the distinction of making the list of top 100 Global Language Service Providers by size.  

As a wholly Indigenous-owned company we’re committed to doing our part to uplift Canada’s First Nations communities, through language preservation efforts, economic outreach, and sponsorship.

Our clients have an opportunity to share in this mission, getting not just the benefit of our exceptional translation services but also the chance to promote and support Indigenous reconciliation.

Indigenous ownership

NATIONS began life as the Masha Krupp Translation Group which was created in 1992 and acquired by Scott Patles-Richardson in 2019. A leader in corporate banking, Scott brought his considerable business experience and financial acumen to the company, alongside his unique perspective as a committed Indigenous business advocate. After acquiring the company and transitioning to strong financial results, the Little Red River Cree Nation came on as an investor in 2020, buying up the shares of one of the company founders in a private equity placement. 

A Mi’gmaq citizen from Pabineau First Nation in northern New Brunswick, Scott had spent his long career supporting Indigenous enterprises, growing them from dynamic start-ups to thriving companies. With Scott at the helm, NATIONS underwent a significant transition which transformed the brand, grew its service offerings, and propelled NATIONS to the forefront of the Canadian language services industry.  

Today, NATIONS is proud to be led by a strong board of directors, composed of First Nation members Scott, APTN magnate Jean Le Rose, and the Little Red River Cree Nation’s nominee. All board members are united in their vision for NATIONS - positioning the company not just as a leader in language services, but also in promoting and preserving Canada’s endangered Indigenous languages. 

“NATIONS provided a unique opportunity to bring in Indigenous capital wanting to make an impact by participating in investment opportunities to achieve economic reconciliation. So we brought in Little Red River Cree Nation as a co-investor and built out an Indigenous language platform that could be utilized as a tool to attract, retain, and grow Indigenous language speakers and knowledge keepers. We've built a tremendous repository of Indigenous speakers so that they can earn a living, teaching, translating and interpreting in their languages.”  - Scott Patles-Richardson, Chair of NATIONS Board of Directors.

Indigenous team

If you’ve done business with NATIONS, you’ve probably met our dynamic brand ambassador, Waneek Horn-Miller. 

Before joining NATIONS, Waneek was making history as the first Mohawk women from Canada to compete in the Olympics. As Manager of Client Relations and Business Development, she brings that same intrepid spirit and energy to her work at NATIONS and is proud of the company’s focus on Indigenous empowerment.

“When we talk about economic reconciliation, that doesn’t mean lessening your standards, it's about doing business with Indigenous companies like NATIONS who have high standards and can compete. That's why I love working with NATIONS - it is unique in its efforts to uplift the indigenous community.” - Waneek Horn-Miller, NATIONS Manager of Client Relations and Business Development

Indigenous translations

NATIONS offers translations in over 100 languages, 34 of which are Indigenous. These include Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe, Algonquin), Nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree), Mushkegowuk (Swampy Cree), Oji-Cree, Inuktitut and other Inuit languages, and Mi’kmaq, among others.

Our Indigenous translators have worked on many high-level public and private sector projects in recent years, helping these organizations extend their outreach to Indigenous audiences. These include working with the Royal Bank of Canada to translate its annual Indigenous Partnership Report into Algonquin, Blackfoot, and Inuktitut languages.

“We chose to work with NATIONS because we support Indigenous-owned businesses as part of our procurement commitment to reconciliation. But NATIONS is more than a translation company. They are helping to ensure Indigenous languages are living languages that not only belong, but thrive, in the world today.” - Dale Sturges, national director, Indigenous financial services at RBC in Toronto

As members of the Indigenous community themselves, our translators understand these languages in a way that others may not. Indigenous languages are unique in their form, structure, and meaning - making them unsuitable for generic machine translation and requiring a nuanced approach that takes into account every word’s history, context, and cultural significance.

NATIONS prides itself on offering clients the most precise and accurate Indigenous translations in the industry, enhancing their communication to Indigenous communities across Canada and helping to preserve these endangered dialects.

Language preservation

It’s almost impossible to overstate the importance of language. How we communicate is how we grow, develop, and thrive. In Canada, however, many communities are in danger of losing that precious connection and fear that as their languages die, so will their history, heritage, and culture.

NATIONS is working to reverse language loss, not just through impactful translations but also by opening up economic opportunities for Indigenous language speakers.

NATIONS’ policy on contracting services of third parties is always to give priority to Indigenous contractors or organizations. In this way, we share the cultural and economic benefits of language preservation and actively drive change in the private sector.

We also regularly sponsor or donate to Indigenous initiatives and organizations, particularly those involving Indigenous youth. NATIONS sponsors post-secondary scholarships and bursaries for Indigenous young people, as well as providing internship opportunities for those interested in a career in language services.

Empowering Indigenous communities has ripple effects throughout the entire economy. NATIONS hopes to set an example, driving home the message that supporting Indigenous communities doesn’t mean compromising on standards or losing business.  

Partnering with NATIONS doesn’t just help our clients tick a box on their ESG obligations, it demonstrates their commitment to becoming true leaders and innovators. Join us on our journey to bring Indigenous languages alive and drive lasting change. Contact our team today to find out more about how NATIONS can support your ESG goals and/or transform your communications to Indigenous audiences.