Tolingo is a comparatively new entrant to the online translation services industry. However, they have grown in size and presence rapidly since they were founded in 2008. The German company use human translation methods, offering their services in over 220 languages through a contractor workforce of over 6000 translators. Tolingo offer a smooth and clear online ordering process through their automated website portal, and pricing an order is easy too.

Specialities

Tolingo, like all of their competitors, offer translations in various specialist niches across the business, science, medical and IT spaces. In a marketing twist, Tolingo also define various industries of expertise; agencies, automotive, consumer goods, engineering, tourism, pharmaceuticals and IT & telecommunications.

Agencies
Specifically geared towards marketing and market research agencies, Tolingo offers translation and localization services through translators with marketing or journalism experience. They work on brochures, press releases and advertising materials while also facilitating accurate market research through questionnaire translations and localizations.

Automotive Clients
The automotive industry is clearly a technical area for translators to work in, so the company uses a combination of experienced translators and software to check for and maintain terminological consistency and completeness through their work. Translators can assist with maintenance instructions, handbooks, product information and marketing materials.

Consumer Goods
The fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector is enormous. Tolingo is not alone in providing services to this space, but they do market themselves towards it. It’s a niche industry where bad translations can become visible around the world for all to see. Product labels, package texts, product descriptions and directions for use are the bulk of the jobs in the FMCG sector.

Methods and Pricing

Customers place orders through the automated web portal. There is nothing unique about the interface, it’s a language/document/time frame selection, but users will get an instant price quote. This is an advantage for customers looking for a quick service as some provider provide manual pricing at this point. Their pricing structure is transparent and customers can check it for themselves on their pricing page. 1000 words of English to Italian will cost £102, so they are not the cheapest in the industry. They also offer a ‘price calculator’ but clicking on the link produces the same form found on the homepage.

Tolingo uses a an automated project management system to process the orders through to the translators. The delivery time frame is also confirmed at the same time as the price, which is a impressive.

Tolingo offer a 3 hour turnaround time as a minimum. Although this is fast, what’s less clear is what word count or language pairs this applies to. One Hour Translation still holds the fastest offer in the industry with their one hour option.

Translators

Tolingo employ stringent standard checks with their translators through the hiring process and with ongoing quality control measures. As a German company, their translations conform to the European standard DIN EN 15038:2006, which ensures a translation process involves a minimum of a translation and review by separate individuals.

Conclusion

Tolingo present as a very simple and streamlined online translation services business. There is a minimum of fuss on their website, their processes are clear and transparent, and their online ordering process is very efficient. The company provide the added benefit of automated and instant pricing and time frame quotes, which is great for customers in a hurry — however their price per word rate is higher than several of their main competitors.