Translations

Why do I need a translation agency?

Professional translators aren’t just translators, they’re writers too. Translation agencies such as ZippyLingo contain a bank of highly-skilled translators, all thoroughly vetted, qualified and with ample experience. Each of our translators has impeccable writing skills, with expertise in the nuances of their native language and they all work tirelessly to provide natural-reading text that shines diamond-bright on any platform, for any sector. Choosing an agency gives you assurance, peace of mind and that quality that you just can’t find anywhere else.

Why should I use ZippyLingo?

Okay, so you could ask your mate Steve who speaks a few languages (or at least says he does, how would you know?), but we guarantee the quality won’t be up to scratch. Professional translators are experts in their field, and highly skilled writers, we’re willing to bet that Steve probably isn’t. ZippyLingo offers incredible service quality, excellent translations and a team of translators who translate your text into their native language, including all the linguistic grace of a multilingual gazelle performing Swan Lake. ZippyLingo are professionals, with a history of excelling expectations and serving customers all around the world.

What makes ZippyLingo better than the other translation services?

Yes, we know there are other translation services out there, but we have something they don’t, we have personality. Our inclusive environment brings you into the fold as we build relationships with you and your team, allowing our translators to better understand your business and translation needs while making you feel at home. We bring the high quality standards we place on our native-speaking translators, as well as our affordable prices and kick-ass customer service to the table. You know that cosy feeling on a cold winter’s night, when you’re in front of the fire, slippers on and a hot chocolate in hand? That’s ZippyLingo.

What languages do you cover?

You’ll find an overview of the languages that we cover listed below. Please note, this is not an exhaustive list, and we do cover other languages that are not listed.

Afrikaans, Albanian, Arabic, Armenian, Basque, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cambodian, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dari, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish Gaelic, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Kazakh, Korean, Latvian, Lingala, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Malayalam, Maltese, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Norwegian, Panjabi, Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Shona, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Welsh, and Yoruba.

If your source or target language is not listed – do not fear. ZippyLingo can likely help you with your translation project. If you want to check a source or target language with the ZippyLingo team, please contact us, and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

When will I receive my translation?

Translation times can vary depending on the niche, complexity, length and a bunch of other boring factors. As a (very) rough guide, text can be translated at around 200 words per hour, but this can vary greatly so don’t quote us on it! We know it’s frustrating to hear, but it really is impossible to give accurate turnaround times without seeing your project first. You can contact us or if you’d like something a bit more concrete.

How do I know the quality is good?

With the services of a translation agency, you get guaranteed quality assurance on each and every order, because we only work with the best translators around. Each translator performs translations into their native language, so it’ll be picture perfect every time. If you really want to know how good we are, take your translated text for a test drive and see how well received it is!

What are the differences between globalisation, internationalisation and localisation?

Globalisation (also referred to as g11n in the tech industry) is the general term used to define the process of getting your website ready for a global market. It covers all of the linguistic, business and technical stuff that’s involved as a whole.

Internationalisation (i18n; again, this is shorthand dictating how many letters are between the first and last letter) is the design and development level of getting your website ready to handle the global market. It’s in the name really, it’s the term for making a website or software internationally-capable, so it can be run in different countries and in different languages.

Localisation (l10n – I think you probably get it by now…) is the final part of adapting websites or software to a specific country or region. Again, it’s really in the name, this process involves making the language appropriate for the target location.

Translators

Who are the ZippyLingo translators?

Our translators are a large team of highly-skilled, professional freelancers with expertise in language and a specialised field, such as law. All of our friendly translators are native speakers in the target language and have ample experience.

How are your translators vetted?

All of ZippyLingo’s expert translators go through a vigorous vetting process to ensure our quality standards remain in tip-top condition. Every potential new team member must provide original certificates of degrees or academic certifications in translation studies, as well as evidence of academic qualifications within a specialist subject and their identity documents. After the application is submitted, we send them a little test to make sure they’re up-to-scratch before we give them orders.

What qualifications do your translators have?

All of our translators have academic degrees or certifications in a specialist subject, such as law, medicine, science, etc. as well as a degree or degree-equivalent qualification in translation studies. We only hire the best of the best, and all documents are checked by experts, and those guys and gals don’t miss a trick.

How do you choose which translator to work on my text?

Translators are matched to your project based on a number of factors. We don’t just see who’s available and throw them in at the deep end. We take their past performance, area of expertise, native language and language pairings into consideration when we match your project with the perfect translation partner.

Can anyone be a translator?

The short answer? No. Just like how not everyone can be a writer, not everyone can be a translator. It’s not enough to simply be able to speak the language, you need to know the subtle complexities, cultural nuances and how to best retain the message of the text after it’s been translated. Translators are artists working across languages to bring people together through the art of specialised linguistics, they’re special.

What makes a good translator?

Good translators aren’t just people who can translate individual words from one language to another. They’re masters of the written word. They’re writers. They have excellent command of the grammar, syntax and nuances of writing for a specific industry in a specific language. They’re experts. Translating text into their native language is a breeze for our specialist translators, and they always translate into their native language. With up-to-date language skills on current norms, cultural-specific concerns and a dedication to detail, our meticulous and hand-picked translators are the best of the best. Good translators produce good translations, translations which read as though they were originally penned in the target language, and we have a plethora of good translators who are here to help you today.

How do I become a ZippyLingo translator?

We’re always looking for new blood at ZippyLingo. We love making new friends who can help us help our clients reach their goals, so we’ve made it easy for you to join in the fun. If you’re an experienced translator and you’d like to work for us, please get in touch!

Proofreading

Do I need a proofreader?

We hear this question a lot, and it’s a good question. You’d be forgiven for thinking that it was unnecessary, especially given our claims of impeccable translation quality, but hear us out. Proofreading serves as a separate service within the world of translation, just like it does within the writing community. A fresh pair of eyes on any text, even that written by an expert wordsmith, is never a bad thing. Small errors can slip through the net, and a second native-speaking linguist working on the same translation can ensure all errors are eliminated and the text ebbs and flows perfectly.

How does proofreading work?

Well, once your assigned translator has finished the task, he or she will send the finished text to the assigned proofreader. The translator and proofreader will collaborate on various nuances in the text, with the proofreader bringing up any suggestions or concerns while amending any small errors. Your proofreader and translator work in tandem to create a flawless piece of content, making it an invaluable service.

How long will proofreading take?

As with translations, there’s no one-size-fits-all estimate with proofreading. It depends on the language pairing, complexity, length and the subject matter. We know you’d love a clear-cut answer, but it really is best to contact us so we can discuss you’re individual requirements further. Our best guesstimates put our average proofreaders at completing around 1,000 words per hour, but it can take longer than this for more specialised subjects or complex texts.

Does it cost extra?

Proofreading? Indeed it does. As a separate service from translation, although working in tandem with it, proofreading incurs a small additional charge per word on top of your translation costs. It’s worth it though, trust us.

Pricing

Isn’t it expensive to use an agency?

Not with ZippyLingo. We keep our prices low so you get the quality you deserve without the high price tag. Besides, the cost of our services are far outweighed by the benefits and long-term ROI. Upfront costs can be gained back through valuable business in new demographics thanks to our expertly-written translations. Using cheap, low-quality translations, or not exploring new demographics at all, can be far more costly to your business.

How much does ZippyLingo cost?

Our prices start at just £0.07 per word which gets you expert-level translations you can trust, and starting from an extra £0.03 per word, you can take advantage of our professional proofreading service. Our rates per word increase or decrease depending on the quantity of text to be translated - the more words you have, the cheaper the cost per word! To know exactly how much your project will cost, get in touch today, and we'll give you a firm cost. We're dedicated to providing you with the best possible quality at the lowest possible prices, and we will never knowingly be beaten on price. If you receive a cheaper quote - let us know!

The above basic fees provided as guidance apply to a single-process translation from the source language to the target language. Additional costs will be incurred if you request a language pairing that isn't covered by our translators. In such cases, we'll need to conduct two separate translations – the source language to English, and then English to the target language. This is rare, but if this applies to your project, we'll inform you in advance before your project is released to our translators.

Do your prices include VAT?

They don’t. All prices displayed on our website are excluding VAT (unless indicated otherwise). Where appropriate, VAT will be added to your order at the rate of 20%.

Dedicated Client Pages

What is a Dedicated Client Page?

We know that existing translation solutions don't cater to teams or multiple users, and that's why we introduced Dedicated Client Pages.

When you partner with ZippyLingo, we provide you with a holistic translation and proofreading solution for your business. We'll set you up with a dedicated, password-protected web page (e.g. www.zippylingo.com/yourcompanyname), where you and your colleagues can access a bespoke form to request translation and proofreading services for your company – no credit or debit card details required, and no money to send via bank transfer.

Once ZippyLingo is set up in your invoicing system, we'll invoice your company at the end of each month, so you can focus on getting perfectly translated text, and we'll take care of the rest.

What does a Dedicated Client Page look like?

A Dedicated Client Page looks very similar to our Get a Free Quote page. It is a password-protected web page, accessible only by you and those you invite, containing a simple form to request translation services. We'll work with you to tailor the form to your specific needs, so there are no unnecessary fields to complete.

Do I need to pay through the Dedicated Client Page?

No! That's the beauty of having a Dedicated Client Page. Your bespoke page will display a simple form, customised to your requirements, and a simple button to submit your translation request.

To have a Dedicated Client Page, we'll need to be set up in your invoicing system. This means we can invoice your company at the end of each month. You don't need to worry about anything relating to payment – you can leave that to Tom and Karen in Finance. You just hit in that submit button, sit back and relax, and we'll get back to you with your perfectly translated text in next to no time.

How secure is a Dedicated Client Page?

Extremely. Only you and whoever you share the URL and password with will be able to access your Dedicated Client Page. Once your page is ready, we’ll protect it with a secure password. You can change this password if you wish, just get in touch, and we’ll work our magic. For your information, passwords are case-sensitive and must be 30 characters or fewer. Your page is not accessible or indexed by search engines, so it will never show in search results. The only people that access it will be those that you share the URL and password with.

How much does it cost?

To have a Dedicated Client Page? Nothing. It’s a complimentary service provided by ZippyLingo to take the pain out of existing translation processes. Having a Dedicated Client Page doesn’t cost you anything and doesn’t tie you to anything contractually – it’s a definite win-win situation for you!

How do I get a Dedicated Client Page?

We’ll ask you if you’re interested – but feel free to get in touch and ask us first. If you're going to be a regular customer, or you want to make ordering translation and proofreading services easily accessible to the rest of your team and company, then let us know. We'll set you up with a unique ZippyLingo page in next to no time.

Placing an Order

How do I place an order?

We’re always happy to receive new orders, so we’ve made it super simple. Just fill out our Get a Free Quote form or contact us and we’ll get in touch with you ASAP! Don’t worry if you’re not quite sure about word count – we’ll do the counting for you.

If you, or your company, has been set up with a dedicated client page, head over to your unique ZippyLingo page and complete the bespoke form to request translation and proofreading services. Don't worry about payment – that is all taken care of in the background. Just submit the form, sit back and relax, and your expertly translated text will be with you before you know it.

Which format should I send files in?

We can accept files in any format, as long as they’re editable. Examples of file formats we can work with include: .docx, .txt, .cvs, .xls.

I have a large project, what should I do?

We never shy away from a challenge at ZippyLingo, so we’re happy to help no matter how much text you need. It’s best to contact us or use the Get a Free Quote form so we can give you the best service possible.

I’ve left out some information, how do I get in touch?

Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. If there’s anything you’d like to add to your order or quote, you can contact us or give us a call on +44 20 8144 0066.

Billing

How does ZippyLingo billing work?

We’re glad you asked. We don’t usually like to talk numbers, but we know it’s important, so we’ll break it down for you.

New customers are asked to pay the full value of the order upfront on receipt of invoice via credit or debit card, or via bank transfer. Stripe, a payment processing platform, handles all payments made via credit or debit card. You will be asked to indicate your payment method preference in advance, either via phone or email. For new customers, your project will not be released to our translators until full payment is made.

If you have a dedicated client page, ZippyLingo is already setup in your company's invoicing system. So, we will invoice your company at the end of each month.

If you don't have a dedicated client page, and you're a regular customer, you’re invited to contact us to discuss invoicing options.

I think there’s a mistake on my bill, what should I do?

We take great care to ensure everything is in order with our invoices, but if you think there’s a mistake on yours, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, and we’ll be happy to get it sorted.

Refunds

What is your refund policy?

We always aim to go above and beyond your quality expectations, but we understand that sometimes things can go wrong, so we have a simple and effective complaints and refunds procedure. If you have any issues regarding your translation, please notify us as soon as reasonably possible and we’ll do our best to remedy the situation. When presented no later than five days after delivery, the quality of the text will be validated by a separate translator and revised if necessary. Any refunds are at the discretion of ZippyLingo and will be made if no reasonable remedy can be found.

Are revisions free if I’m not satisfied?

If you’re not satisfied with your translated text, and have notified us within five days of receiving your completed order, we’ll check the quality for you and do any amendments free of charge if deemed necessary.

Referrals

What are referrals and how do they work?

The ZippyLingo referral scheme rewards you for referring your friends, colleagues or just Dave down the pub. When you refer someone to us and they place an order, you get 10% of the value of their first order. Pretty great, right? You should see if Dave needs any translations, every little helps.

Charitable Donations

What type of charities does your donation go to?

Below you’ll find a list of the areas we’re focusing on for now although this list will continue to evolve throughout time:

• We want to make a special effort to help those supporting others with mental health issues, ensuring that no-one has to face a mental health problem alone. Mental health services are the poor relation when it comes to funding, and one in four people (children included) will experience a mental health problem each year (source).

• We want to help save our rapidly declining wildlife by protecting wild species and their habitats to prevent any wildlife breed from becoming extinct. Major threats to wildlife include habitat destruction, overexploitation, poaching, hunting, pollution and climate change. More than 150 acres of rainforest are lost every minute of every day, with tragic consequences to local wildlife (source).

We make sure any donations go directly where they are needed, ensuring that any charities we donate to don’t dilute donations because of internal politics and bureaucracy. We want to help to make a difference.

Can I stipulate which charity I wish you to donate to?

Unfortunately not. This is not because we're mean, but because we want to keep things clean and straightforward when it comes to managing the funds that we donate to charity. If you want to find out more about where we have donated, please get in touch.

How much of my order total do you donate?

We donate a percentage of your order total (excluding VAT). This amount is currently 3.5% although this may change from time to time. The donation percentage may fluctuate between 0.5% and 10%. Fluctuations in the donation amount are rare, and we strive to keep the donation amount constant – it hasn't changed yet! However, we've made this note to be transparent, so you know it may go up, or down, in the future.