Ask five vendors for a "translation" and you may receive five different things: a literal document swap, a rebuilt website, a live interpreter, or a fully reimagined ad campaign. Each of these is a distinct service with its own skills, pricing and turnaround. Choosing the wrong one wastes money — or worse, embarrasses your brand.
Translation: the faithful core
Translation converts written content from one language to another while preserving meaning, tone and intent. It is the right choice for documents, books, manuals and anything where accuracy is the priority. Professional translation always includes editing by a second linguist — that two-step process is what separates studio work from a machine-drafted shortcut.
Localization: translation plus context
Localization adapts a whole product experience: currencies, date formats, images, colors, payment methods and cultural references. A localized website feels as if it were built in the target country. If you are launching in a new market rather than converting a single file, you need localization, not translation alone.
Interpretation and transcreation
- Interpretation is spoken and live — meetings, conferences, medical appointments. It demands split-second thinking and specialist training.
- Transcreation rebuilds creative content (slogans, campaigns, taglines) so it triggers the same emotion abroad, even if the words change completely.
- Subtitling and voice-over bring audio and video across languages with timing and performance in mind.
Still unsure which fits? Send us the file or link and describe your goal — we will recommend the lightest service that does the job, even if that means a smaller quote for us. That honesty is why clients come back.