The normal delivery time for your translation depends on how long it will take the translator entrusted with your project to complete it. A single translator can translate between 1,500 and 2,500 words in an 8-hour working day, an approximate average of 2,000 words per day.

For a text of less than 3,000 words, delivery time is 72 hours (not including Sundays and holidays). This time can be reduced with our express option, which means that you can get your translation in under 48 hours, 24 hours, or in just a few hours on the same day. Our express option is subject to a price supplement calculated as a percentage of our standard rates.

To fit in with your real-world needs, we can reduce the standard delivery time for projects over 3,000 words upon request by entrusting your project to several translators working as a team. To guarantee the quality of your translation, it must be coordinated and proofread by another professional, who will also be responsible for managing a glossary of the terminology used by the translators involved.

Yes, you can. Our translators all adhere to a strict ethic of confidentiality.

When you tell us that your information is of a particularly sensitive nature, we apply additional security procedures, such as dividing up your text between several translators, so that none of them is in possession of all the information.

We can also perform a "make-up" job - at management level - on any nominal information in your text to make its contents totally anonymous. This procedure may involve a supplementary charge according to the degree of additional treatment needed before your text is translated.

• According to the language combination you choose.
• According to the technical difficulty of the subject matter.
• According to the word count.

But first, at Xpresstranslations.com we will always give you an overall price for your translation project before we begin work, provided of course that the number of source words of your document for translation can be assessed. This way you can find out the exact cost of your project when you place an order and can easily plan your translation budget.

If the number of source words in your document for translation cannot be evaluated, then the price of your translation is calculated on the basis of the number of target words, i.e. the number of words in the translation of your document.

The word count is calculated on the basis of the relevant tools in Microsoft Word.

Proofreading by a second native professional eliminates the typographical errors and spelling mistakes often found in translations, even when translated by top quality professionals. Proofreading is considerably smoother and faster (and therefore less expensive) when it is performed on a quality translation; in other words, one that is accurate, reliable and well written. The proofreader brings a fresh set of eyes to the translation of a text, and thus can improve on the style, making the text read as if it had been written in the target language.

You'll sometimes hear people talk about both proofreading and revision in the same breath. In fact, revision consists of checking the accuracy of the translation and making sure it has transferred all the contents of the source text. Here, the reviser has to consult the original source text and compare it with the translation. Revision takes a lot longer than proofreading but does not improve much on style, since revisers focus their attention mainly on accuracy and how far the translation conforms to the source text.

At Xpresstranslations.com we do not revise our translations unless the source text is extremely technical, or when a translator is new to our team and is being assessed. Instead we maximize the quality of our translations from the start, by entrusting them to qualified professional translators. This way, our proofreaders can really focus on stylistic quality and spelling for an optimum end product.

Our proofreading option can also be applied to the contents of written documents in your source language, upon request.

To optimize the end quality of your translation, we advise you to choose our proofreading option or, for Internet sites, our online proofreading. Whether you decide to make use of these options is up to you. But we will always send you the estimated cost of your translation with and without any additional proofreading. That way, you can always get the best possible price for your translation. With Xpresstranslations.com you always have the choice.

Translation without proofreading is particularly worthwhile when you do not require optimum quality, either because your translation is for internal company use, or because you already have the resources necessary to proofread your own translation.

By offering you a valuation with and without additional proofreading, we give you the chance to compare our rates with those of our competitors, be they freelance translators working alone and offering no proofreading or agencies which sometimes offer proofreading "at no additional expense."

· Because with Xpresstranslations.com you can be certain that your translation will always be done by a native translator. You will rarely see a freelance translator turn down a job, even if it is into his or her non-native language. Many certified translators will even justify this by explaining that they are qualified "in both directions" - which may be perfectly true! However, at Xpresstranslations.com, it is our conviction that a translator working into his or her own native language brings out the distinct style, shades of meaning and idiomatic turns of phrase unique to that language and cultural background.

· Because with Xpresstranslations.com you can always be certain of getting a quality translation. Not only do we always entrust your translation to professional native translators, but our procedure includes proofreading options that significantly improve the quality of your finished translation. We do not employ salaried translators whose salary must be justified at all costs. So, when we entrust your project to a translator or proofreader, we can always choose the one most qualified to deal exclusively with your project.

· Because with Xpresstranslations.com you can always rely on your translation being delivered before the agreed deadline. We know that time is an important factor in the life of a company. That's why we go to great lengths to honor our delivery times, especially when your translation is urgent. When you choose our express option, you benefit from our express guarantee of punctuality.

· Because at Xpresstranslations.com we offer you guarantees of satisfaction. When you order a proofread translation, you benefit from our exclusive double guarantee, covering the quality of your translation: a guarantee of accuracy and of free error correction. At Xpresstranslations.com we are 100% committed to your satisfaction.

· Because at Xpresstranslations.com we listen carefully and understand your needs.With Xpresstranslations.com you don't have to fit in with our service; it's we who are at your service. Thanks to our proofreading options, you can opt for either maximum quality or lower price. Our express option means that you can synchronize translation and delivery times with your own deadlines, even if your project is large-scale. Your translation will always be returned in the same format, with a presentation identical to your original. We keep in regular touch with you after every order, so you'll have plenty of opportunity to express your opinion on the quality of our services.

· Because at Xpresstranslations.com we get things right. Before any translation project you can ask for a quote. The delivery time will always be clearly indicated, and for urgent translations any additional percentage applied will be clearly shown. That way, you'll never have any unpleasant surprises when it comes to paying your bill.

· Because with Xpresstranslations.com you'll always get the best price. As a network of freelance translators, our structural overheads are low. This means you don't have to pay for downtown office space or computer equipment. Our mark-up is low, being negotiated directly with our contributors, who give us preferential prices. This means that if you dealt directly with the same professionals, the rate they'd offer you would be much the same as ours. We also offer you a markdown according to the volume of your project. This is negotiated directly with the translator or proofreader chosen for the project. Nevertheless, we make no claims to being the cheapest service in the translation market, just the best. But then, our cheapest competitors offer none of the features of quality, delivery time or the guarantees that we offer.

The same format as your original document, so you won't have to reformat your translation. To take advantage of this service, your text must reach us in electronic format which is accessible so that it is technically possible for us to work with it.

Returning your translation to you in its original format involves no price supplement for Word, Rtf or .txt formats. However, in certain cases, a supplement will be charged. This is especially true for texts in HTML, PowerPoint, Excel, or special presentations (Photoshop images, tables and charts, illustrations, graphs, technical drawings, etc).

Yes, indeed we do. Xpresstranslations.com makes a distinction between the French as used in Quebec and in France. It does the same with American and British English; South American, Mexican and Iberian Spanish, and traditional and simplified Chinese. With Xpresstranslations.com you can always choose the regional linguistic variety that best suits your target audience.

Choosing a local linguistic option can be crucial, especially for legal material in Spanish, since legal terminology varies substantially from one country to another. In an international lawsuit, the precision of contract language can cause a contractor company to win or lose.

Our translators specializing in specific technical areas have their own translation tools at hand. These include terminological databases built up and enriched over years of experience, as well as specialist glossaries and technical dictionaries. The Internet can also provide them with valuable resources.

Many of our contributors have Computer Assisted Translation tools at their disposal. The most widespread CAT tool is the TRADOS translation memory program. These tools are especially useful when translating texts with numerous similarities or repeated terms. They enable the translator to be certain that the same word is always translated the same way in all your communications.

Be careful not to confuse CAT tools with the kind of translation software available free on the Internet: these automatic translation tools produce texts of a quality that never comes close to translations by a professional translator. Needless to say, our translators never use automatic translation software.

We have a high capacity server and, like many of our translators, a high-speed Internet connection. This means that we can receive all your files without a hitch, whatever their size. We also use message services such as MSN Messenger for instant network exchanges between translators. These tools are of particular use when several translators are working simultaneously on the same project.