Frequent asked questions

FAQ

Do you use machine translation software at TradOnline?

By default, we privilege 100% human translation.
However, we may use post-edited machine translation when agreed upon with the client upstream, for certain situations.
For example: you’re looking simply to understand the major strokes of a document that isn’t in your native language, and you don’t have the budget for a 100% human translation and/or you don’t need a high-quality translation. In this case, post-edited machine translation may be the option with the best return on your investment.

Who translates my content?

Our translators are veritable partners and they commit to adhering to our values by signing a strict charter that guides our mutual conduct.
Their open-mindedness and rigour guarantee the delivery of high-quality translations. We only work with translators who are completely committed to their work and are willing to offer solutions.
TradOnline adheres to the criteria set out in European Standard EN 15038: our translators only translate into their native language.
We select the translator for your project based on your documents’ content and your business sector.

A full-time position at our offices is dedicated solely to recruiting translators in order to guarantee we possess the best resources on the market.

How do you manage repetitions?

We are equipped with the best computer-assisted translation tool on the market, memoQ server.
This CAT tool allows us to build memory translations over time to support translation consistency and quality.
Advantages of MemoQ:

  • Allows multiple translators to work simultaneously on a single project or file.
  • Each segment translated and verified by a translator is immediately available to the other translators.

This leads to saving time and money, as well as improved terminological consistency.
Note: memoQ is not a machine translation engine.

How do you guarantee the quality of my translation?

Depending on your project, we know which translator will provide you with the best result. Sourcing translators is our core business. All of our clients attest to the fact that TradOnline has always been able to find the best solutions to their needs, including the most complex.
To prove our commitment to the quality of our sourcing, we undertake to replace your project translator at the beginning of the project if the sample the tranlsator submits doesn’t meet your expectations for any reason whatsoever. If you aren’t satisfied, we’ll find you another resource!

Moreover, our service includes a post-delivery feedback process with our clients. More generally, TradOnline always remains available to it’s clients in case they have any questions.

Can TradOnline provide me with my translation memory?

Yes! No problem!
Each translation agency has its own policies regarding Translation Memories (TM). Some believe that the TM should belong to the client, others, the agency.
Therefore, some translation agencies systematically deliver the translation memory, a TMX file, to their clients upon completion of the project. Others will provide it to the client, but only upon request. Some will charge the client a service fee to deliver it, and the most extreme won’t deliver it at all, under any condition!
At TradOnline, we believe your translation memory should belong to you, so we’ll happily deliver it upon your request. Because we build veritable partnerships with our clients on a daily basis, built upon mutual trust and total transparency, we aren’t worried we’ll “lose” a client who requests a copy of their TM. Generally speaking, we don’t lose many clients for any reason!

What are your rates?

TradOnline bills based on the number of words in the source content. In order to create a quote, we multiply the number of words by the price per word in the target language.
The price differs per language pair, as well as depending on the technicity of the document.
If you’d like to know more about our rates and how they work, head over to our page dedicated to translation rates!

See also:

Can you manage small, daily requests, or only large projects?

We’re happy to translate both types of content. .
Our core clientele are often centred on the web, and are no strangers to agile development. They often have numerous small and urgent requests in order to upload their international content in real time.

In order to respond to this type of request, we aim to automate the process to the greatest possible extent, all the while maintaining the professional human relations that we feel are so enriching, and sadly, often lacking in our digital era. At TradOnline, we’ve built a bespoke tool that allows our teams and clients to optimize their productivity on their translation projects in the medium and long term.

Can you integrate the target language translation into my PDF document?

You need to launch the translation of a PDF, but no longer have access to the original? No worries, we will convert your document into Word format in order to work on a version we can edit. We can’t guarantee the page layout will be completely identical to the source, but we undertake to deliver a project that is as clean as possible.

In some instances, we can offer the services of our graphic designer as a supplementary service, for example, if you’d like to create a sign-up form or add hyperlinks to you PDF file.

Can you create an SRT file from a Word transcript?

This is, indeed, a service we offer at TradOnline. Depending on your specific requirements, we can create the SRT files in-house or outsource their creation to one of our service providers. It all depends on your expectations in terms of quality, and therefore on the end goal of the video. We don’t treat videos with short expected lifespans, say for a Facebook video, the same way we treat institutional videos that will be used for years to come.

Generally speaking, we can handle all types of audio and video files. Feel free to contact one of our project managers for more information on this subject!

Can you translate .po files?

Of course! If you’re .po files are properly formatted, we can even import them directly into memoQ in order to create a translation memory, which will save you time and money if you make any changes to your file down the road.

We treat a wide range of files, including some that are rather out of the ordinary: Json, xml, html, idml, psd, dita, svg, yaml, etc.

I urgently need a translation, can you help?

You can, but we can’t guarantee we’ll be able to help! TradOnline works first and foremost with a regular base of long-term clients, and if you have a big project with a very short deadline, it may not fall at the right time. However, we’ll inform you quickly if we have the time and necessary resources or not.

How long does a translation take?

A translator can translate between 2,000 and 4,000 words per day (depending on the experience of the translator and, above all, on the technicity of the content and the file format). We generally also request an extra day to ensure your translator will be available. This will give you an idea of the time necessary for a “classic” translation project.

For urgent requests, we can implement a team of translators who will work simultaneously on your project in order to reduce the lead time.
But be aware, if your deadline is too short, you’ll often risk a poor quality translation!

Can you translate my website directly online?

Whatever CMS you use, TradOnline will undertake to treat your request for web translation. However, the cost won’t be the same depending on the amount of work your website requires for the project manager to organize the content.

For example: if your website is built in WordPress and you use the WPML plugin, and depending on the template (a template using a lot of shortcode may run into serious problems exporting), we can export and import your content in just a few quick clicks.
However, if you use Joomla and a more tailor made plugin, we likely will not be ablt to automate the process. In such instances, we may ask our translators to work directly on your CMS, but this will certainly be a longer, and more expensive, process.

How much does an interpreter cost?

For starters, you have to know that an interpreter rarely works alone, as simultaneous translating over an entire day would be far too mentally taxing for one person alone. If you’ve planned for a full-day conference, we must send two interpreters so that they can relay each other every 20 minutes.
Depending on the languages, you’ll have to plan for €750-€900 excl. VAT per interpreter per day. On top of the base rate, there are additional fees for travel, food and housing.

If your conference has a lot of participants, your translators will need an area to isolate themselves. You’ll therefore need a interpreter’s cabin as well as headsets for the participants.

Note: if this represents too significant of a budgetary expense, there are now remote interpreting solutions. Contact us if you want more information.

Do you apply a minimum rate?

Generally, we have a minimum fee of €60 excl. VAT.

If I request a quote online, who is going to respond?

All of your queries and requests go to our contact e-mail address. From there, they will be forwarded to a member of our team, and you’ll receive a message from Aline, Alice, Laureline, Florie, or Charline, directly!