PoliLingua

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of the product delivery department at a software development company. My main goals are to launch projects, control the projects, and help our clients achieve their goals.

What challenge were you trying to address with PoliLingua?

One of our clients is doing a mobile app, and they wanted the app to be translated into many languages. We don’t have the in-house services to do that so we reached out.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The solution is a social networking app that allows users to post photos attached to certain locations on a map. The scope of the app included the functionality of buttons, menus, and so on. We also had some marketing tags we used for App Store and Google Play listings. We needed that to be translated into four different languages.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Tatiana (Translation/Localization Consultant).

How did you come to work with PoliLingua?

We did some research on Google and created a shortlist of vendors we wanted to contact. We really liked PoliLingua because they responded the fastest.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested somewhere under $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement was from September–October 2020.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We really appreciate PoliLingua’s fast response and reactions. We never had to follow up or remind them about tasks because their manager was always in touch with me. Their prices are reasonable and well within the market. I was very impressed with them. Our feedback is only positive, and we really liked working with them.

How did  PoliLingua perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great at project management. PoliLingua met deadlines so nothing fell between the cracks. They made sure to clarify things they didn’t understand from the initial task. Their team reached out and asked questions, which was really good.

Their responses were always very fast. That allowed us to move and work faster. From a customer service perspective, they took every request I made into account. They were really receptive and followed everything. PoliLingua provided the results that were requested.

What did you find most impressive about them?

PoliLingua excels in customer service. They have great responsiveness, work ethic, and attitude.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have a minimum word count required for their work. This is sad because we really liked working with them and would prefer to keep all of our translation needs within one vendor. However, it’s their rule that they don’t do small tasks.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re great for big tasks because they’re reliable and provide reasonable prices.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner for an audiovisual communications company.

What challenges were you trying to address with PoliLingua?

We wanted to have our scripts translated for our audiovisual projects. A number of our projects require translations to languages that we can’t support such as French and Italian.

What was the scope of their involvement?

PoliLingua provides translation services for us.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with a project manager although I’m unsure how many team members operate behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with  PoliLingua?

About a year ago, we had the need for a translation agency and did some online research. We found PoliLingua along with a couple of other companies. We contacted them and asked for quotations. Most companies had similar pricing but their proposal and attention was the one we found best. 

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve invested less than €5,000 (approximately $6,100).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with PoliLingua in June 2020 and the collaboration is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve had good results and have never had any complaints from our clients. PoliLingua is also very good at meeting our required deadlines which is very important for us.

How did PoliLingua perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything has worked well in terms of project management. We mostly communicate via email and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have never missed a deadline and that’s the most important for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have changed our project manager often, I am not really sure why. Perhaps they have a high rotation. That’s the only thing I believe they could improve on.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of a writing and editing company. We do subtitling and transcription.

What challenge were you trying to address with PoliLingua?

We brought them on for translation and transcription services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve done a few projects where they translated subtitles for us. Their team does translations for languages we don’t offer ourselves. For example, they do Czech, Lithuanian, and Latvian languages. We send them videos in English, and they send us files containing the subtitles.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Galina (Business Development Manager).

How did you come to work with PoliLingua?

They contacted us and offered their services. It was a straightforward start to the collaboration.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested €200–€300 (approximately $240–$370 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We did two projects from November–December 2020. We work on a project-to-project basis and don’t currently have one.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’re happy with the results. We’re not familiar with those languages so it’s hard to estimate the work. What matters is that our end clients are happy, so we’re happy.

How did PoliLingua perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was great, and they delivered on time for deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

PoliLingua has a wide variety of languages available.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything is working fine.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the manager of Talent Ivy. Our company deals with software solutions and we have a platform that is related to the employability of universities.

What challenge were you trying to address with PoliLingua?

We needed someone to translate our platform from English to French.

What was the scope of their involvement?

PoliLingua was in charge of the transcription and translation of our platform. What they did wasn’t a regular translation as it was related to the IT aspect of the project. They translated the different codes to make sure uploaded files are compatible with the platform.

What is the team composition?

I mainly worked with Beatrice (Localization Manager) who was our main contact for the project. However, I believe two other translators and linguists were also assigned to the project. I also had the chance to work with their team’s project manager.

How did you come to work with PoliLingua?

I found them while searching online. I was actually planning on contacting someone from Lebanon, but since we couldn’t find a suitable company for the IT project locally, we changed our direction and started looking for companies in Europe. I received a message from Beatrice and found out they’re also headquartered in the US and had a pool of translators in different areas.

We had a selection criterion and contacted three companies and based on the evaluation, we decided to go with PoliLingua.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered with PoliLingua in November–December 2020.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We were very satisfied with their services. The project went smoothly even though in the beginning, we faced some issues related to the syntax of the platform. In the end, we were able to finalize it because most of the translations were from a technical perspective. Overall, PoliLingua helped us deliver the project on time to meet the customer’s expectations.

How did PoliLingua perform from a project management standpoint?

Since we’re an overseas company, our communication was mostly done through email or WhatsApp. WhatsApp was used to make sure we were on the right track and communicated through emails to talk about the status and updates of the translations. We got all the information at the beginning of the project to discuss our key deliverables and timetable. 

We also discussed suggestions from customers and questions from the translators related to certain activities within the system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The main thing that led me to choose them was their follow-up and the fact that they were able to answer all my questions about the project at any time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When they were doing translations for the technical code, sometimes we needed the help of someone with a technical background. I’m not a technical person, so I have to refer PoliLingua’s work to someone who is to check if it was correct or not.

Maybe if they had someone who could have helped us, communications would’ve been a lot faster. However, it was actually something that we managed well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I have nothing to recommend. As I mentioned, the process and workload went smoothly, and your experience would likely depend on the type of project you will hire them for.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a creative advertising agency and I’m an associate director at the company. 

What challenge were you trying to address with PoliLingua?

We hired them to provide translation services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed a quick turnaround of translating one script for a video game. They translated it into two different languages, specifically German and French. We told them to finish it within 36 hours. 

What is the team composition?

We just worked with their account director.

How did you come to work with PoliLingua?

They reached out to us earlier in the year and they looked like they had the right services, so I just tried them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We probably spent approximately $150.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement happened in December 2019.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Their translation services were quick and efficient. They did a pretty accurate job, so we were quite happy with them. 

How did PoliLingua perform from a project management standpoint?

PoliLingua provided good communication and they delivered according to the brief. We mainly talked through email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I needed them to turn around the job much faster than they ordinarily would. I think in order to do that, they put more resources into the project. They definitely went the extra mile in order to get our project done in a short space of time. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It was a little bit tricky getting our payment to them ahead of time and it held up the project a little bit.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront with your needs and trust that they’ll do it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of The Wetherall Company Public Service Advertising (TWCPSA). We distribute, analyze, monitor, and report on public service announcement campaigns for nonprofit organizations.

What challenge were you trying to address with PoliLingua?

They record a lot of our PSAs that we need to be produced.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We start with a PSA script that I write; sometimes they’re in English and other times in Spanish. I send it to PoliLingua, and they select the talent for the voice to narrate the PSA. Then, they record it and put background music on it. They follow guidelines such as length, the narrator having a certain tone, and so on. Their team also translates English to Spanish for me.

What is the team composition?

I mostly work with David (Business Development Manager).

How did you come to work with PoliLingua?

I found them on LinkedIn or through a Google search.

How much have you invested with them?

We invest about $2,000–$3,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in April 2018.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Their work is always done quickly and professionally within the time that I need. I’m very happy with them. My clients are very satisfied with the production because they’re happy with the time it takes PoliLingua to do them. A lot of times, we’re working in a short deadline or turnaround and PoliLingua always delivers quickly. Their team is very helpful.

How did PoliLingua perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate over email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

David is always upbeat and accommodating. Often times my clients give us last-minute requests, and both David and I are frustrated. However, a deadline is still a deadline. Whether he has a month or one week to reach a deadline, he always steps up to the plate and gets it done. That’s unheard of because, in his process, David has to find the talent, produce it, and put the music to it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they do everything great, and I’m very appreciative of their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I never have to think about anything. Go ahead and engage with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the production manager at a marketing and production company.

What challenge were you trying to address with PoliLingua?

We do a lot of video work that requires subtitles and closed captioning.  The quality of the final closed caption and subtitles that we got from automated services out there weren’t good. We need a human element and quality control that we can’t get from these online platforms that create subtitles.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We submit our picture locks or the nearly completed video products to PoliLingua. One of our clients is an international organization and they required us to deliver English and French subtitles. PoliLingua handles the transcription and creates subtitles in both languages.

The team does quality control to make sure that everything is accurate and the subtitles come out well. Whenever we have a 2–3 minute video, we send it out to PoliLingua.  

What is the team composition?

An account manager from their end is our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with PoliLingua?

Their account manager contacted me through a cold email. We were initially trying different service providers and they stuck out to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $1,000–$2,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The ongoing engagement started in April 2020. 

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The translations we used to get from AI platforms we’re inconsistent — especially in other languages like French and how phrases should be written. That meant that we had to work and spend a lot of time on our end to manually correct those and go back and forth with the client. PoliLingua saves us the back and forth hours. The accuracy also went up from 50% to 90% so it saves us away from headaches on projects. 

How did PoliLingua perform from a project management standpoint?

We don’t use specific project management tools, but our account manager is responsive. She always communicates deadline expectations; she works to meet those and keep me informed. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The personal touch of having an account manager that I can email directly is impressive. The account manager handles everything there and we don’t have to worry about the tasks. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing that I’ve encountered yet. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Provide as much information as you can in terms of proper naming and other client-industry specific terminologies that can help ensure high-level accuracy from them.  

Please describe your company and your position there.

VIVAT is an international company operating in the area of financial investments and real estate investments. Since the foundation of the company in 2012, we have offered our customers innovative investment concepts and taken care of their financial well-being.

In accordance with our corporate philosophy, we focus on real assets and enable optimum capital gain for investors by investing in real estate and precious metals.

For what projects/services did your company hire PoliLingua?

Translation of business documents, Websites and other.

How did you select PoliLingua?

PoliLingua asked us by email whether we needed professional translations. After a short test, we decided to use the service mainly for our translations. Up to PoliLingua we had already tested a few other providers. These were a little cheaper, but also in terms of the quality of the translations.

Describe the project in detail and what their cost structure looked like.

We work in the international market in the financial sector and therefore often need translations. Sometimes it is also important to pay attention to certain debates in the respective country. PoliLingua was always able to serve us with suitable translators.

It is very positive that we as a company only work with one project coordinator. All inquiries are sent to the coordinator, we quickly receive a price offer and can approve the order.

For the sake of simplicity, we have agreed with PoliLingua that invoices will be issued monthly. That makes working together even more pleasant.

How would you describe/assess the quality of their work?

The quality initially varied a bit, depending on which translator was used. Since our content is often subject-specific, we need translators who are familiar with the subject matter.

The same translators are often used for our projects. They already know our company and can therefore use the appropriate terminology in a targeted manner. This increases the quality of the translations immensely. The delivery time is consistently fast.

What impressed you about their services?

The service is very good throughout. We react promptly to inquiries. You can also talk to the project coordinator in our native language, which of course makes communication much easier.

Are there any areas for improvement?

For us the quality is very important. Especially if you use colloquial idioms in the source document, they have to be translated or paraphrased in the same way in the foreign languages.

Here we would like the translators to make the context and meaning a little more "nicer" when proofreading. Sometimes words are used that are more difficult to understand. However, this only applies to individual languages.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a business development associate for a litigation consulting firm. I wear a few different hats.

What challenge were you trying to address with PoliLingua?

Some of my clients require translation, most of whom require certified translations. Sometimes we have our own translators, but we usually source it to PoliLingua.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Typically, I send a copy of the document we translated to an associate over there, Beatrice (Localization Manager). She gives me a quote and an estimate for turnaround time. I then get approval from the client, and give her the go-ahead. They also do editing and proofreading in addition to certified translations, but I mostly use them for translations. Recently, it’s been Spanish and German translations.

What is the team composition?

Beatrice is my point of contact.

How did you come to work with PoliLingua?

My company has been using them for quite some time, and they introduced me to them.

How much have you invested with them?

I haven’t personally done a large job with them. The biggest job was around $2,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked together since December 2019, and are still working together

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

It’s easy to work with them. They’re delivering quality work as far as I’m concerned.

How did PoliLingua perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re communicative over email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re quick with their delivery. They have good turnaround times.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re a solid service as far as I’m concerned. I’ve occasionally had to remind them to do certain things, but nothing that strained the relationship.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you send over a copy and get a quote. They’re pretty reasonable, they’ll work with you.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Marketing & PR Intern at UGroupMedia, the parent company for Portable North Pole, the #1 Santa App in the world. I primarily worked closely with the management and creative control of our social media accounts, as well as the reach out towards celebrities, media and influencers.

For what projects/services did your company hire PoliLingua?

PoliLingua was mainly called upon for different translation requests from all our departments (Emailing, Survey, Social Media, etc.) as the Christmas season drew closer. We needed them to translate in French and eventually, Italian as well. Our goal was to ensure accurate and speedy translations, given the tight deadlines and high demand for translations.

How did you select PoliLingua?

We found the company through some internet researching, and having seen past works done and seeing great reviews, we decided to give it a shot. This was our first time hiring an agency such as this one, since previously we had worked with freelancers.

Describe the project in detail and what their cost structure looked like.

Essentially, I would send them multiple excel spreadsheet a week in English, to which they had to add the French and Italian translations to the other columns.

We were charged for the translation per word, and the word count was always given on the excel sheet. Everyone on the company had to go through PoliLingua at some point, since during the Christmas rush, we get high demands of texts needing translations from all our departments.

How would you describe/assess the quality of their work?

The Italian translations were sublime. The quality was impressive and the translator was attentive to the smallest details, such as making sure that in the translation, the link to the website was the Italian one and not the English one. We always got a perfect estimation of when it would finish and were often surprised by the quickness of it.

On the other hand, the French translations were a little below our expectations. We switched translations midway through due to less than satisfactory performance, and due to the fact that the French translator had tampered with the original text, causing other translations to lose their sense as well. They would also claim work was done, but then hand back an empty sheet.

The second translator was much better than the first, but still was not as impressive as the Italian translator. In terms of security, I trust the PoliLingua did a wonderful job.

What impressed you about their services?

I sincerely appreciated Galina's patience and willingness to speak with us when we were having issues with the French translator. She had taken the time to show up to a meeting and discuss with us future solutions in order to make sure these issues would not occur again. PoliLingua showed impressive services and was always quick to respond to my emails.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I would simply suggest recognizing right away when a translator is not doing a great job before waiting on the company to realize it on their own. I had to push a little but to have the French improve, but I wish this was taken care of on PoliLingua's side quicker and without me having to push it.