We’re a team of passionate, fully-vested linguists: great translations and great service define our purpose. From our start, our founder was obsessed with words– DNA inherited from his great-grandfather who established Cuba’s first language school – and in creating Protranslating, he surrounded himself with like-minded thinkers.
Today, we’re a major player in the language space, translating over 150 million words per year, with over 500 people touching product on a daily basis, and state-of-the-art facilities headquartered in Miami. Although Protranslating provides a full spectrum of services in more than 200 languages to organizations across the globe, accessing sophisticated technologies and tight quality procedures, we’ve never lost sight of who we are.
In 1973, when we began knocking on the doors of judges and attorneys while looking for our first interpreting work, we had no idea we were about to build one of the world’s most authentic and impactful language companies. Founded by Dr. Luis A. de la Vega, a linguist fluent in nine languages, we started small, but aimed high. More than 40 years later, the values that earned us our first engagement continue to propel our growth.
Here’s the timeline behind our success:
Sept. 23, 1850
The de la Vega family’s passion for languages came to life in the mid 19th century when Dr. Jose de la Vega established a language school named Santo Tomas de Aquino in Havana, Cuba. He held a doctorate degree and spoke six languages.
Sept. 23, 1850
May 27, 1965
While working at a bank to help pay for college, Dr. Luis de la Vega received a call to provide last-minute interpreting services for a one-week conference for the AFLCIO; he was 19 years old. He quickly realized that he would earn more money as an interpreter than by working at the bank.
May 27, 1965
March 15, 1969
Luis completed both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in modern languages at the University of Miami. In 1969 he moved to Tallahassee where he earned his Ph.D. in Modern Languages and Linguistics from Florida State University.
March 15, 1969
Oct. 11, 1971
After completing classes at Florida State University, Luis moved to Boston to teach French, Spanish and Russian at Lowell University while working on his dissertation.
Oct. 11, 1971
Feb. 23, 1974
Luis and his wife Maria Cristina moved back to Miami, FL to launch Professional Translating Services (PTS). One of the first language companies in the city, the original office space was a two-room suite with a lobby area at 803 Seybold Building. Initially, PTS offered translating services in Spanish, English and Creole, and interpreting services in French, German and Portuguese. Luis was the interpreter for these assignments. Maria Cristina used her background in art to create the first logo.
Feb. 23, 1974
Aug. 30, 1975
The Document Translations Department was created and the company finally hit $5,000 in sales for translations in one month. The first brochure announcing translation services was also created and distributed amongst existing clients.
Aug. 30, 1975
March 15, 1980
Translations were done on a typewriter, then in a display word processor with 12 inch floppy disks. The word processor was the big investment of 1980. Workflows were handwritten for each project.
March 15, 1980
Nov. 12, 1990
The company interpreted for the Noriega Trials and Miss Universe. The first project management system, ALphafour, was also implemented. The company continued to grow, offering translations to multinational companies and handling large scale projects.
Nov. 12, 1990
July 2005
In 2005, we achieved ISO 9001:2015 certification from BSI, signaling our ongoing commitment to bring the highest standards of quality to our customers.
July 2005
March 1, 2010
The company grew from 50 employees in 2000 to over 100 in 2010 with the addition of the website translations department and a state-of-the-art in-house studio. The company moved to its new headquarters in Coral Gables, FL. The company continued to stay ahead of the curve on the technology front, offering its clients translation memory tools and an online project management system.
March 1, 2010
Sept. 20, 2013
Marking 40 years since it all started, we celebrated the growth from a small operation near downtown Miami’s courthouse to the global team we are today.
Sept. 20, 2013
June 5, 2015
Passing the baton, Dr. Luis de la Vega, Chairman of the Board and Founder, appointed Luis R de la Vega as CEO of Protranslating.
June 5, 2015
July 8, 2016
In 2016, we achieved ISO 17100 certification. We also launched our own built in-house client portal, giving our clients secure, streamlined access to their projects and billing info.
July 8, 2016
March 2019
As part of our ongoing commitment to keeping client data secure and safe, we were successfully audited for an AICPA SOC 2 Type II report.
March 2019
June 21, 2019
In July of 2019, we were acquired by BIG Language Solutions, poising us for continued success and expansion into the global marketplace.
June 21, 2019
The numbers and milestones behind our continued success
1
Years in Business
1
+
Language combos
1
k+
clients
1
b+
Words translated
1
k+
Team members
1
+
in-house master linguists
Our family of companies includes BIG IP, ISI Language Solutions, Protranslating, Language Link, DWL, and Lawlinguists, bringing over 160 years of combined expertise with offices in 29 locations worldwide. Through our portfolio, we customize and deliver language services in more than 300 languages and dialects.
