Frequently Asked Questions

How can I be sure that your work is of highest quality?
GLS is committed to providing its clients with the highest quality translation services by assigning a project manager and a team of language professionals to each client's project. To learn more about our typical translation process, click here.

How do you price your work?
Written translation projects are based on the document word count, subject matter complexity, and requested turnaround of the translation; so you can expect different rates for European and Asian languages, standard and rush jobs, small and volume assignments, simple and complex formatting and typesetting requirements. We will give you a fixed quote upon learning the details about your project. To obtain a quote within 24 hours, please fill out our Free Quote form.

If you wish to translate your website, send us your website address (URL). We will review your site, request additional information and then provide you with a complete estimate. To get a quote on your website translation, please fill out our Free Quote form.

Interpretation projects have separate requirements. You need to tell us what type of interpreter you will require - simultaneous or consecutive, when and where your assignment will take place, and whether you need special interpretation equipment. We will send you a customized proposal along with references on our previous interpretation projects within 24 hours. To get started right away, please fill out our Free Quote form.

How do you ensure confidentiality of my information?
All GLS translators and interpreters abide by the Translators' Professional Code of Ethics set by professional translators associations around the world. This implies full confidentiality and non-disclosure of clients' information. For projects involving sensitive information and documents, GLS practices signing confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements with both translators and clients. We can work with your standard agreement or offer our own template.

Do you have references from recent clients?
We would be glad to provide references from some of the companies we have worked with in the past 12 months. To obtain specific industry or client references, please contact us or call our office at +1-949-798-1400 or toll-free at +1-888-766-6454.



Who will manage my project at GLS?
We will assign a project manager to you once we start working on your project. This person will be in contact with you regarding your project requirements, expected turnaround time and other issues. You will be able to contact the project manager with any questions that you may have during the course of your project.

How do you select the team for my project?
Our talent pool of more than 2,500 language professionals hold linguistic degrees and in most cases certification and accreditation from the U.S. State Department, American Translators Association, or foreign translators associations.

When selecting a team for your project, we make sure that our translators have the language and industry expertise as well as the in-depth technical experience to handle your unique subject matter.

What are the steps of the translation process?
A typical translation process involves several steps: translation, editing, proofreading, and desktop publishing.

Our expert linguists translate into their native language only and all of them have a degree and/or extensive experience in the subject matter of the material they translate. For the majority of projects GLS utilizes services of in-country translators. After the translation is completed, an equally qualified professional, also a native speaker of the target language, independently checks the work for accuracy, grammar, and culturally appropriate style. Finally, the project is reviewed by a proofreader and typeset by a desktop publisher.

What turnaround time can I expect?
We will estimate the timeframe and cost of your project at the same time - before we begin our work. Our record for meeting deadlines is excellent - even when the deadline is a tight one!

How will you deliver the finished project to me?
There are various ways that a translation can be delivered to you: electronic copy via e-mail or FTP that you will then desktop publish and/or print, hard copy via mail, fax, or overnight carrier. We will deliver the documents to you according to your requirements.



I have a translation project
To get a quote for your project, please fill out our Free Quote form or call us at +1-949-798-1400 or toll-free at +1-888-766-6454.

How can I send my documents to you?

You can send the documents to us by email, fax, or regular mail. If you have the document available in electronic format, we would prefer that you e-mail it to us. If, however, you only have a hard copy of the original document, please fax it to us to (949) 798-1410. For large documents, you will need to fax us just a few representative pages. We will provide you with an approximate quote based on those sample pages. You can always mail the document to us if you have it only in hard copy and need to get a fixed quote for its translation for budgeting purposes.

In what formats do you work?

We work in most PC- and Macintosh-based applications. Please see the partial list of these software programs.

How much will my translation project cost?

You will need to send the document(s) to us along with your project requirements. The documents can be sent to us via e-mail, FTP, fax, or mail. We will review your documents and provide you with a quote within 24-48 hours. If you have an urgent project, please call us at +1-949-798-1400 or toll-free at 888-766-6454.

With whom at GLS will I work?

We will assign a project manager to you once we start working on your project. This person will be in contact with you regarding your project requirements, expected turnaround time and other issues. You will be able to contact the project manager with any questions that you may have during the course of your project.

What turnaround time can I expect?

This will depend on the size of your project and the number of languages into which the documents need to be translated. Keep in mind that a typical translation process involves several steps: translation, editing, desktop publishing, and proofreading. We will estimate the turnaround time for your project based on your documents and project requirements. And our record for meeting deadlines is excellent - even when the deadline is a tight one!

I would like to translate my website

Do you use machine translation software to localize
my website?

Many people ask us this question. They assume that using translation software vs. human translators produces the same quality and is far less expensive. Unfortunately, we have to discourage you. There is no translation software on the market today that can be used to produce publication quality foreign language documents and web sites. Translations should always make sense and sound perfect to the native speakers of the target language, and it just cannot be achieved with translation software.

How much will it cost to translate my website?

If you have an existing website, you will need to give us its Internet address (URL) in order for us to review it. We will then ask you to provide us with the latest archive of your site or its specific portion that you want translated. We will estimate the cost of translating the text, localizing graphics, and testing the translated site on a virtual server. Finally, we will produce a comprehensive proposal that will specify website translation stages, turnaround time, and costs.

How exactly do you translate websites?

We take your existing web site and localize it into any of 100+ foreign languages. We translate and culturally adapt the text, verify all hypertext links, localize graphics and make your Web site fully interactive. Specifically, if you have online inquiry forms and order forms, we make them accessible in the appropriate foreign language(s). Once the translation / localization stage is completed, we test the new website on our virtual server . Finally, we send all the files to you or your webmaster to be placed on your server.

Do you provide virtual server testing for my
translated website?

Yes, this is an important part of the website localization. After the translation stage is completed, we test your site on our virtual server to make sure that all hypertext links and graphics work correctly, the translated site appears properly in different browser environments, and the site architecture has been done according to your specifications.

I need interpreter(s) for a meeting / conference / trade show

How much will the interpreter(s) cost?

Before we give you a quote, we will ask you where, when, and for what kind of event you need interpreter(s). Since we provide both simultaneous and consecutive interpreters for conferences, trade shows and meetings, it is important for us to know the details about your project. Once we get this information from you, we will send you a quote within 24-48 hours.

Do you provide local interpreters?

Most clients prefer to work with local interpreters because they want to save money on the interpreters' travel, accommodations, and per diem. With our database of over 2,500 professional interpreters, we provide local interpreters in all major U.S. and world cities. Depending on the language combination and the number of interpreters that you require, we can tell you whether local interpreters will be available for your event. We bring in out-of-town interpreters only if we cannot find local interpreters or if our clients insist on using the interpreters they liked during previous assignments.

Do you have simultaneous interpretation equipment
available?

We will help you select the right equipment for your next international meeting and offer a wide variety of simultaneous interpretation equipment packages. Depending on the type of events, we suggest different options to our clients. International conferences, conventions, or educational meetings require full-size or tabletop booths for interpreters and headsets for the audience. For seminars, smaller meetings, or breakout sessions we recommend a less expensive solution - portable (tour guide) interpretation system consisting of a small transmitter and receivers for the listeners. We also provide on-site technical support for the duration of the meeting making it absolutely worry-free for our clients.