FAQ

Translation can be easily ordered in one of two ways. Traditionally, you can do it by sending a message to our e-mail address listed in the Contact tab, or using the order form. The order form allows you to provide additional information, e.g., the intended use of the text and comments. When sending an e-mail directly, you are kindly requested to include all relevant information about the text. This is important because it allows you to provide us the details of your potential order instantly.

The delivery time for an order depends on a number of factors. First of all, it is very important for us to fully respond to the requirements and expectations of our customers. We are open to your suggestions and offer several possible options in carrying out your order. In our standard translation service, we will supply an accurate translation of 5 pages of your text per day, 10 with our expedited service, and at least 15 pages with our express service. Thanks to our tools and a large database of translators, we have the ability to translate very large volumes of text in a short amount of time.

In our office, you can have literally all language combinations translated. We are constantly recruiting new experienced professionals, thanks to which our translation database is steadily expanding. We translate not only in language pairs with Polish, but also in many foreign language combinations, e.g., English-Swedish, Thai-English, German-French, etc. We are open to all language inquiries and we are happy to take on any challenge, even the most unusual ones.

The price of translation depends on a variety of factors. First, it varies according to the volume of the text. The price is calculated on the basis of a standard page: 1800 characters, including spaces. The higher the page count, the more you will have to pay for the translation. Secondly, the language combination – not every language pair is priced in exactly the same way. Popular languages, such as English, German, or Russian are offered at the lowest rates. We will charge a higher price for rare languages or foreign-language combinations. Thirdly, text specialisation is an extremely important factor which influences the price. General, everyday texts will be charged at a lower rate than, for example, a doctoral dissertation on the use of nuclear energy in industry. After receiving the text to estimate, we prepare a price quote that includes all the required criteria and expectations.

We cooperate with many specialists with comprehensive knowledge in various industries. Thanks to this, we provide translations in all areas: from simple, everyday texts, through business contracts, to patent applications. When preparing the estimate, we analyze the text in terms of the industry specialisation and the need to use appropriate vocabulary. Every month, we translate hundreds of pages of texts on various subjects and help our clients achieve their business goals.

We make every effort to ensure that our translations are of the highest quality. At the same time, it may be worth ordering an additional proofreading service. Proofreading is very valuable for the general impression of the text because it is done by another person who is fluent in the target language of the translation. The objective of proofreading is to eliminate all typos that may have escaped the translator. A proofreader also checks the consistency of the terminology in the text and verifies the correctness of numerical data. We recommend this service for a wide range of texts, including contracts, instructions and texts intended for a wider audience.

Text localization is the process of adapting a product to a specific recipient by adjusting the translation to the needs of a country or region. The localization process can include the adaptation of the visuals, the local currency, names, the format of dates, times, addresses and phone numbers, as well as the choice of colours and many other details.

The translators that we work with are competent native speakers and linguists, and also very good specialists in their fields. They are doctors, marketing experts, economists, lawyers, and many other specialists. We select our staff so as to meet the highest standards and expectations of our clients. Our ISO standards mean that we recruit new translators with particular care. They must not only be fluent in a given foreign language, but also have competences that ensure the efficient and effective implementation of our goals.

The choice of the translator depends on the preferences of the client and other factors. If you wish to have a native user of a given language work on the text, we will only employ such contractors. We work with hundreds of native speakers from around the world. Because we work with them on a long-term basis, we are able to perform translations even in the most unusual language combinations.

Yes, as a limited liability company and a registered VAT taxpayer, we are obliged to issue invoices. According to the latest legal regulations, customers must inform us of the need to issue an invoice before printing a receipt. An invoice may be issued provided that the client’s taxpayer number (NIP) is included. With the first order, we issue a pro forma invoice for advance payment collection. When the payment is received, we issue the actual invoice. If you are a regular customer, the invoice is issued with deferred payment.

The first step after accepting an order is forwarding it to the Project Managers’ department. This department deals with file preparation, and then passes files on to a properly selected translator. The translator’s work is monitored on an ongoing basis, and in case of any doubts or questions, we consult additional specialists or the client directly. After the translation process is completed, additional services are carried out, if part of the order. These can be, for example, proofreading, editing, or revision. The final text is also subjected to Quality Assurance within the memoQ application.

You can pick up the sworn translations in our office at ul. Szlak 10/5, during business hours (8:00 am – 5:00 pm). If you cannot collect the translation in person, we send a scan of the translation and then send it in a priority registered letter, with the provision that we do not take responsibility for any complications on the part of the postal service. Regular translations are usually sent by email. It is also possible to pick them up in person at our office or send the translation by mail.

In our office you can choose several forms of payment, depending on your preferences. The most convenient payment method is a bank transfer. When you confirm the first order, you will receive an email with Alingua’s bank account number. After transferring payment, please send us confirmation so that we can proceed with the translation. We issue invoices for future orders at the end of the project. If you choose to visit us at our office, only cash payments are possible. We do not have a payment card terminal, so card payments are not possible.

The documents you submit are completely secure, both those sent electronically and those left in our office. The sole administrator of your personal data is Alingua Sp. z o. o., headquartered at ul. Szlak 10/5 in Cracow. As the administrator of your personal data, we attach particular importance to respecting your privacy in accordance with EU Regulation 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 27, 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation). In addition, the documents you leave in our office are stored in a lockable cabinet, to which only a limited number of strictly selected people have access.

It is possible to opt out of the translation after the process has started. Of course, the sooner we receive such information after the order is placed, the higher the chance that the translator has not yet started working on the translation. However, if it turns out that the translator has already begun working on it, it will be necessary to pay for the part of the translation that has been completed. It is not possible to cancel an order on the day named as the deadline: usually, the translation is ready and undergoing final editing touches.

The type of translation depends on the type of document and its purpose. Documents generally referred to as official, e.g., birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, university graduation certificates, and university degrees require certified translation. These are performed by a translator who is on the list of sworn translators of the Ministry of Justice. Certified (sworn) translation has a specific layout and repertory number and is authorized by the translator’s stamp and signature. The translation also contains an annotation noting whether it was done from the original or a copy of the document. In order for the document to be annotated “translated from the original,” it is necessary to present the sworn translator with the original document. One page of certified translation contains 1,125 characters with spaces (in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Justice of January 24, 2005 on the remuneration of sworn translators).

Normal translation consists of 1,800 characters including spaces per page and is performed by a professional linguist translator. This category includes all kinds of practical and everyday texts: letters, instruction manuals, test results, website content, etc. Such translation does not require official stamps. If you wish, we can certify the finished translation with the stamp of our translation agency.

It is possible to do a sworn translation from a scan of a document. In this case, however, an annotation will be added to the document saying that the translation was done from a scan. Unfortunately, not all state institutions accept translations with such an annotation. For certified translations, the best option is to deliver original documents to our office at ul. Szlak 10/5. If you cannot provide documents in person, you can send them by post or courier.

Yes, we also offer expedited and express translations. With constant cooperation, short translations are carried out even within a few hours. Every day we meet the expectations of our clients and cater to their requirements. We have implemented many projects, which seemed like a daunting task at first glance: huge numbers of pages to be done in a very short time. We are happy to accept such demanding orders and we treat each of them as a valuable lesson for our team.

You can send translations to us at any time, but we respond to messages during office hours, i.e., from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. We respond to emails within approximately 15 minutes. In the event of a long delay in response, please contact us. It may happen that for technical reasons your message has not been delivered. For more complex queries, it is necessary to reserve more time for a quote, but you will always be informed about it.

We translate files of the most popular formats, i.e., doc, docx, rtf, txt, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pdf, and odt, jpg, jpeg, gif, tiff, png, mp4, avi as well as those that are slightly less common. These formats include: html, xlz, xlf, mif, idml, xml, resx, dita, vsd, svg, json, and others. We use tools that allow us to easily handle many file formats – even the most unusual ones.

For security reasons, it is possible to submit files in selected formats only (txt, doc, docx, pdf, xls, xlxs, ppt, pptx, rtf, svg, jpg, jpeg, gif, tiff, png, mp4, avi and zip). Other file formats should be compressed (zipped).

Each text is priced individually. The price of a translation depends on many factors, including the amount of text, the language pair, and the subject of the text. For this reason, it is not possible to provide one price list that could be used to estimate all texts. If you are interested in our services, please send your text for translation to biuro@alingua.pl, and we will send you an exact quote taking into account your individual needs.

Discounts are applied individually and depend on a number of factors. First of all, we appreciate loyal customers: if you place regular orders with us, we occasionally give you a discount so you can pay less. This particularly applies to orders with a net value of over 10,000 PLN per month. This price threshold comes with the opportunity to get an attractive discount. Please note that discounts are not granted each time, and the amount depends on the value and frequency of your orders.

The price of a translation depends on many factors. First of all, the volume of the text is important, as well as the area specialisation and the delivery time. Highly specialised translations, for example medical or technical ones, are priced differently than everyday texts. The translator must have the appropriate qualifications, matching the requirements of the text and the customer. Each translation is priced in accordance with the rules established in our office and it covers all the criteria.

We evaluate the translation based on the number of pages in the document. However, these are not A4 pages, but billable pages. Depending on the type of translation we are dealing with, the number of characters with spaces on the page varies. One page of regular (non-certified) translation contains 1,800 characters including spaces, while one page of certified (sworn) translation contains 1,125 characters with spaces (in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Justice of January 24, 2005 on the remuneration of sworn translators).

For our standard translation service, we translate 5 pages per day. 1 page is defined as 1,800 characters including spaces, which comes to 9,000 characters with spaces per day. If the amount of text exceeds this value, and you would like to keep the same delivery time, you can have the order accelerated or even done as an express order. Accelerated translation means delivering up to 10 pages in one business day; express service is over 10 pages. It is even possible for us to deliver up to 100 pages per day. We can also tailor our offer to your expectations every time.

The optimal time to book an interpreter is at least one week before the scheduled date of the meeting. In cases where an interpreter will be needed for more than one day or the event will require transportation, the reservation must be made at least 2 weeks in advance. Please remember that interpreters very often receive offers to travel to conferences, business meetings, training sessions, or events in other cities, so it’s best to make reservations in advance.

Several translators work in our office. At the same time, it is worth remembering that each translation requires an appropriate amount of time, so it is not usually possible to finish the translation immediately. In exceptional cases, such an order may be carried out for an additional fee, on an individual basis.

The graphical layout of the translation depends on the type of translation and the format of the file sent. Documents intended for sworn translations will not be recreated graphically: certified translations are carried out in accordance with pre-established procedures and have a strictly defined form. For regular translations, the documents you send to us can have different formats and the graphical layout of the translation depends on that. If you send an editable file (e.g., with a file extension like docx or xlsx), the translation file will have the same or a very similar layout and alignment. In the case of non-editable files (such as pdf), an editable version of the translation will be sent back in a Word file. The document will therefore not have the same layout, unless you indicate at the time of file transfer that graphic mapping is necessary – then we can price the translation together with the graphical editing.

There are several ways to check the translation’s quality. The easiest way is to order additional proofreading of the translated text. The proofreading is done by another person who is fluent in the translation’s target language. The goal of proofreading is to eliminate all typos that may have escaped the translator. The proofreader also checks the consistency of the terminology in the text and verifies the correctness of numerical data.

Another way is to order revision of the translation by a native speaker or, in the case of technical texts, by an independent translator who specialises in the subject. We especially recommend the revision service for translations of all materials intended for publication. The revisor compares the conformity of the translation with the source text, which eliminates all inaccuracies, and with their specialised knowledge the highest quality of the translation can be achieved.

We translate websites based on texts which you provide in any format that allows us to calculate the number of characters with spaces. It is also possible for us to copy texts directly from the website, in which case we will charge an additional fee. The charge for such work will be deducted from the total price for the order if you go ahead with the order. The translation is done in the form of a bilingual table, in which the original language is in the left column and the target language is in the right column. Thanks to this solution, future work on the site will not cause you any trouble.

Before we start translating, we need basic information:

– Do you need a certified (sworn) or non-authenticated (regular) translation? (in the case of certified translation, it is necessary to deliver the original document to our office – unless a translation from the original is not necessary, in which case a scan is sufficient)
– What is your preferred delivery date?
– In what format would you like to receive the translation file?
– Are any reference materials available to the translator?
– Is there any other relevant information that may influence the work of the translator?

Providing all of the above information at the start guarantees that the orders are processed efficiently and that you will receive a text that meets your expectations.