FAQ

 

Who are you?

Common Language is a group of lingo people – translators and editors – who have decided to join forces in order to improve the services they provide and their working conditions. We regard translation and editing as a profession, rather than a hobby or a moonlighting job. We uphold the education and experience threshold requirements we have decided upon.

 

What does it mean to be a co-op?

A co-op is a union of people who come together in order to meet certain economic and social needs through a joint democratically run business venture.

At this stage, we see the co-op as a way for professionals to join forces – in advertising, marketing, professional development, acquiring professional tools and building a community of committed, quality-driven professionals.

The vision of Common Language is to become a cooperative translation agency, one that will be able to work directly with clients and professionals, an agency that will collect a minimal brokerage fee, and will invest this minimal commission in the development of its professionals.

In the future we aspire to be a registered cooperative and obtain authorization by the Authority of Antitrust Law's to set standard rates.

 

Why join forces, aren't you competing with each other?

First of all, each of us has their own advantages and areas of expertise, so that the competition among us is not significant. Furthermore, after years of experience in our profession we understand that even from an economic point of view, cooperation is more important than competition, and that the friendship in Common Language helps each of us on the professional and marketing fronts.

 

What services do you offer?

The list of services is detailed here.

 

How do I get a quote?

To get a quote, send a message to the professional who fits your requirements, or to us.

 

Why should I choose you over others?

For a number of reasons:

1. All Common Language members are qualified and experienced professionals, in accordance with the high education and experience bar we set for ourselves.

2. Furthermore, in Common Language every product is proofed by another professional. In other words, we can correct mistakes better than professionals who work on their own. Does the translation agency you work with proof every document? Better find out!

3. As a rule, our services are cheaper than those offered by translation agencies, because we cut the intermediary fee. We are not always the cheapest, because we take our profession seriously and expect appropriate compensation for our services.

 

You can pay less for translation and editing, you can pay way less, but wouldn't you prefer that the person doing the job earn a decent wage for  work? When you work with Common Language, you pay the professionals rather than the middleman, and promote a fair economy.

 

What kind of quality control does the co-op employ?

Our quality control is based on three procedures:

1. Screening and recruiting professionals – only serious professionals, with appropriate experience and education will be admitted by Common Language.

2. Translation (or editing) and proofreading – following the translating and editing stages,t will be proofed by another party, who will make sure that the document meets the highest standards.

3. Facile peer review – cooperation and proofing process allow us to quickly discover if someone does not meet our standards, and address the problem.

 

Why don't you advertise your fees online?

Every professional prices their work a little differently, and pricing also depends on the specific job – content, scope, urgency, whether the format is a Word document or a scan, elements of style, discounts etc.

 

And if I am not satisfied with the product?

We want to hear about it! You can contact us at any point, and we will take the matter up with the relevant professional, and do our utmost to deal with it to the satisfaction of all parties involved.

 

How do I join the co-op?

We are always happy to add outstanding translators, interpreters and editors to the Co-op. More details here.