FAq

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frequently asked questions

Below are answers to some of your possible questions, but if you need additional clarification or have other queries, we’re glad to help!

How do you measure and control translation quality?

Protranslating has a highly experienced and skilled in-house team exclusively dedicated to quality assurance. Over more than four decades, our specialists have perfected a tried and tested Quality Assurance (QA) process which begins with the hiring process for our linguistic team, which passes roughly 6% of applicants. Subsequently we focus on the preparation of glossaries and style guides, developed in collaboration with our clients. Once translation has begun, our approach to editing and proofreading is structured so as to place the maximum level of accountability on our translators via constant feedback from senior linguists.

We conduct on-going sample audits during the course of a project to confirm compliance with error frequency thresholds. Quality is reported through the use of internal score cards, which are run for glossaries, translation samples, and translation audits. The results of the score cards and the details of the translation audits are used to measure the linguist’s individual performance as well as the overall quality of each project. Additionally, the enrichment of our guidelines and glossary as we receive client feedback also ensures continuous improvement over the life cycle of the project.

How do you ensure on-time delivery and what is your average delivery rate?

At Protranslating, we pride ourselves with strictly adhering to deadlines, a significant part of our service promise. However, average delivery times vary according to the type of service, the complexity of your source files, and the content being translated. Rest assured that all of our cost estimates will include a target due date for project completion.

Depending on the type of service provided, a translator will average 2,000 English words per day, and our project managers will build additional time into the schedule for desktop publishing and quality assurance, as needed. If you have very large documents with short deadlines, we will use a team of translators to multiply the daily translation output to meet your objectives.

Additionally, there are projects where the source content can impact timelines. Highly technical content, for example, may require additional expertise and the incorporation of QA steps into the workflow, which can potentially extend the translation process. Similarly, marketing content requiring transcreation or in-language copywriting, even if not excessively lengthy, may necessitate special finessing which should not be rushed. Regardless of your project type or requirements, all these variables will be carefully reviewed and discussed with you up front.

What technologies do you offer clients?

Access to Protranslating’s simple and efficient technology platform is complimentary for our clients. Client Portal comprises multiple modules that help streamline the translation process, drive down costs, and increase efficiencies for our clients:

• Client Portal
• Translation Memory Management
• Online Glossary Manager
• Machine Translation
• API Integration Platform
• Content Review Portal
• Payment Center

What is your global footprint?

Our main office is located in Coral Gables, Florida, and we have a second office in Los Angeles, California. We also have strategically located production centers in numerous countries including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Russia, Canada, Argentina, China, Japan, and Korea, to name a few.

What differentiates you from your competition?

The Protranslating difference is our client experience, the caliber of our people, and a relentless focus on translation quality. We deliver old-school service and take pride in being the most flexible of partners, providing our clients with a red carpet treatment that ensures high-touch project management, on-time delivery, transparent pricing, and careful preflight and job-set up. When you call our office a real person will speak to you because human connection is of the utmost importance to us.

We hire less than 6% of the individuals we interview for full time and contract positions, choosing the most highly qualified professionals who also fit our culture and share our passion for language. The individuals working on your project are empowered to make decisions and provide solutions. We believe in the value of long-term relationships with our clients, employees and vendors. Long-time clients are surprised to find the same linguists working on their projects over and over again, it reflects our whole-hearted commitment to people and quality.

Just as our largest competitors, Protranslating delivers high volumes of words in hundreds of languages using the latest technology – what distinguishes us is our service mindset, partnership approach, and mastery of language.

How do I know which services are right for me?

Give us a call! We would love to hear your needs and guide you to the best solution. You can also browse through our extensive list of services to get an idea of what we do.

What is your linguist recruiting process?

Before being considered for a position, all of our linguists must pass a linguistic proficiency test that is graded by our senior in-house staff. Less than 6% of candidates pass this initial stage. Those who do pass must go through additional testing and interviews specific to their educational background, language and translation proficiency, and area of industry expertise.

At a minimum, any linguist that works with us, either as an in-house employee or a contractor, must have a translation certificate or degree at the time of hire. As linguists get on-boarded, they need to go through our vetting process, which includes testing, training, and ongoing auditing. Our quality control system includes three steps (translation, editing and proofing), and to be considered for the positions of editor or proofreader, an individual must have started with us as a translator regardless of previous experience. Of course, any linguist that we bring on board must share our core values, customer-first approach, and passion for language.

How do you assign the linguists that will work on my project?

Project managers are trained to strategically profile and assign content to linguists with the appropriate areas of specialization. Profiling the project is key to ensuring that select areas of the source material are processed by the right linguists. For instance, source contents are typically broken down by industry type as follows: legal, financial, technical, marketing, general, etc. As needed, we may also assemble transcreation teams specifically for creative contents.

Some of our linguists can handle content from various industries, while others bring professional backgrounds that make them natural experts in particular areas. The testing process captures this information and ensures that we match the right linguists to the right projects. Once a linguist is brought on board, they are matched with an editor/mentor who can integrate them into a particular account and give constructive feedback that aids with professional development.

What reporting do you offer your clients?

We offer our clients customized reports on an as-needed basis. Additionally, we offer out-of-the box reports that can be accessed by customers, such as overall translation spend, translation spend by language, translation memory savings, number of projects submitted/processes, and more.

Through Client Portal, our clients have access to advanced search features that allow them to perform searches using dozens of filters, and drill down into the content which they are seeking. These searches can include quotes, jobs in progress, completed jobs, invoices, and many things.

What languages do you work in?

We work in 200+ languages including the most common ones such as Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Arabic. And of course, even the most uncommon ones, such as Tongan, Marshallese, and Urdu. For a full list of languages see below: 

• Afghani
• Afrikaans
• Akan
• Albanian
• Algerian
• Amharic
• Amoy
• Arabic
• Armenian
• Asante
• Assyrian
• Azerbaidjani
• Badini
• Bahasa
• Bajuni
• Bamanankan
• Bambara
• Bangla
• Basque
• Belarusian
• Bengali
• Berber
• Bosnian
• Bravanese
• Bulgarian
• Burmese
• Cambodian
• Canadian French
• Cantonese
• Cape Verdian
• Catalán
• Cebuano
• Chaldean
• Chin
• Chuukese
• Czech
• Danish
• Dari
• Darija
• Diejiu
• Dinka
• Dioula
• Djerma
• Dutch
• Estonian
• Ewe
• Falam
• Fante
• Farsi
• Fijian
• Filipino
• Finnish
• Flemish
• French
• Fukienese
• Fulani
• Fuzhou
• Ga
• Galician
• Garre
• Georgian
• German
• Gourmancema
• Greek
• Guarani
• Gujarati
• Haitian Creole
• Hakka
• Hassaniya Arabic
• Hausa
• Hebrew
• Hindi
• Hindko
• Hmong
• Hunan
• Hungarian
• Ibo
• Igbo
• Ilocano
• Ilongot
• Indonesian
• Italian
• Japanese
• Jarai
• Javanese
• Jula
• Kachin
• Kanjobal
• Kannada
• Kaqchikel
• Karen
• Karreni
• Kazakh
• Khmer
• Kibajuni
• Kikongo
• Kikuyu
• Kinyarwanda
• Kirgiz
• Kirundi
• Kiswahili
• Konkani
• Korean
• Krio
• Kurdish
• Kurdish Badini
• Kurdish Kurmanji
• Kurdish Sorani
• Lao
• Laotian
• Latvian
• Leta
• Lingala
• Lithuanian
• Luganda
• Luhya
• Luo
• Macedonian
• Mai Mai
• Malay
• Malayalam
• Malinke
• Maltese
• Mam
• Mandarin
• Mandingo
• Mandinka
• Marathi
• Marshalese
• Masbatenyo
• Mien
• Mina
• Minangkabau
• Mirpuri
• Mixteco Alto
• Mixteco Bajo
• Moldovian
• Mongolian
• Montenegro
• Moore
• Mossi
• Norwegian
• Nuer
• Oriya
• Oromo
• Pahari
• Papiamento
• Pashto
• Persian (Farsi)
• Pidgin
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Portuguese Creole
• Potohari
• Pulaar
• Punjabi
• Putian
• Quechua
• Romanian
• Russian
• Salish
• Samoan
• Sarikoli
• Serbo-Croatian
• Shanghainese
• Shona
• Sicilian
• Sinhala
• Sinhalese
• Slovak
• Slovenian
• Somali
• Soninke
• Soso
• Spanish
• Sudanese
• Swahili
• Swedish
• Sylheti
• Syriac
• Tachew
• Tagalog
• Taiwanese
• Tajik
• Tamashek
• Tamil
• Tatar
• Tedim
• Telugu
• Tetum
• Thado-Kuki
• Th­ai
• Tibetan
• Tigre
• Tigrinya
• Tohono Tohono
• Toisan
• Tokelauan
• Tongan
• Tshiluba
• Turkish
• Twi
• Ukranian
• Urdu
• Uyghur
• Uzbek
• Vietnamese
• Visayan
• Walloon
• Wenzhou
• Wolof/ Ouoloff
• Yiddish
• Yoruba
• Yupik
• Zarma-Songhay

Can I see a sample translation?

Yes, we offer our clients sample translations on an as needed basis and are happy to showcase the quality of our work.

Key facts

Since 1973, we’ve been connecting businesses and individuals around the world with speedy, accurate interpretation and translation services. Here are some milestones we’ve reached along the way.