Frequently asked questions.

Most quote requests are reviewed by a Premium Lingua project manager within two business hours, Monday to Friday, South African time.

For the most accurate quotation, send the complete document or file together with the source language, target language, intended use and required deadline.

Request a translation quote.

Translation pricing depends on the project.

Depending on the service, pricing may be based on:

• source word count;
• number of pages;
• language pair;
• document complexity;
• specialist subject matter;
• formatting requirements;
• certification requirements;
• turnaround time; or
• interpreting session requirements.

For example, standard document translation is commonly quoted per source word, certificates may be quoted per page, and interpreting is normally priced according to the session or booking requirements.

Premium Lingua provides the price in writing before work begins.

The quoted price is fixed for the scope, files and requirements described in the accepted quotation.

If you later add documents, change the target language, shorten the deadline, request additional certification or materially change the project, Premium Lingua will explain any effect on price or timing before carrying out additional chargeable work.

You can review the full Terms and Conditions.

Ideally provide:

• the complete source file;
• source language;
• target language;
• intended country of use;
• purpose of the translation;
• required deadline;
• certification or sworn-translation requirements;
• any instructions from the receiving institution; and
• previous translations, glossaries or terminology where relevant.

For interpreting, include the language pair, date, start and end time, location or online platform, subject matter and preferred interpreting mode.

Not always.

Documents are optional at the initial quotation stage unless Premium Lingua needs to inspect them to determine the volume, complexity, formatting, certification requirements or other aspects of the work.

However, uploading the complete file usually allows a more accurate quotation.

Yes.

Premium Lingua works with scanned originals and photographed documents.

The image should be as clear and complete as possible. If parts of the document are blurred, cropped, handwritten or illegible, the project manager may ask for a clearer copy before translation begins.

Poor-quality source material may also require additional transcription or manual processing.

Learn more about document translation services.

Urgent projects may be possible depending on the language pair, document length, complexity, specialist requirements and translator availability.

Send the complete file and your required delivery time when requesting the quote so the project manager can confirm whether the deadline is realistic.

Send your urgent project for assessment.

Premium Lingua works across South African and international languages, including commonly requested languages such as English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Chinese, Arabic, Dutch, Afrikaans, isiZulu and isiXhosa.

You can browse the full language directory.

If your language is not immediately visible, send the language pair with your enquiry and the project team can confirm availability.

Yes.

Many projects involve English and another South African or international language, but multilingual projects may also involve language pairs that do not include English.

The exact availability depends on the language pair, specialist subject matter and project requirements.

Yes.

Multilingual documents can be assessed and assigned to the appropriate linguists.

When requesting a quote, mention all languages you know are present. If you are unsure, upload the complete document so the project team can identify the relevant languages.

Yes.

Premium Lingua works with individuals as well as law firms, businesses, medical providers, academic institutions, government-related organisations and other professional clients.

Personal projects commonly include certificates, academic records, immigration documents and other official paperwork.

Business projects may include contracts, reports, technical documentation, websites, marketing content and multilingual communications.

Projects are assigned according to the required language pair and subject matter.

A legal contract, medical document, technical manual and marketing campaign do not require exactly the same type of language expertise.

Premium Lingua therefore matches projects with appropriately selected language professionals and manages the work through a project manager.

Premium Lingua may offer different review levels depending on the project:

1. translation by an appropriately selected linguist;
2. translation followed by editing by a second linguist; or
3. translation followed by a more extensive proofreading or review process.

The quotation should identify the quality or review level included in your project.

A second-linguist edit or full proofreading stage is not automatically included unless it is stated in the quotation.

Your primary point of contact is normally the project manager.

The project manager coordinates the translator, editor and any additional specialists, manages questions and keeps the project aligned with the agreed scope and deadline.

Premium Lingua's model is designed to give clients a named person responsible for the project rather than sending them through an anonymous marketplace.

Yes, and you should whenever relevant.

Previous translations, company terminology, product names, style guides, glossaries and approved wording can help maintain consistency across projects.

Provide these before translation begins where possible.

Formatting requirements depend on the source file and the service ordered.

Premium Lingua can work with files including PDFs, Word documents, scanned originals, bilingual tables and designed documents.

Where extensive layout recreation, desktop publishing or special formatting is required, it should be identified during quotation so that it can be included in the project scope.

Premium Lingua's ordinary service is a human language service.

Professional tools such as computer-assisted translation software, translation memories, terminology databases and quality-assurance tools may be used to help translators maintain consistency and manage larger projects.

These tools assist the translator; they do not replace the agreed human language service.

Premium Lingua does not submit client documents to a publicly accessible generative-AI engine as part of the ordinary translation service.

If a project would involve a machine-translation or artificial-intelligence workflow beyond the normal translation-memory and terminology tools, that workflow must be disclosed and agreed before it is used.

More information is available in the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice.

Translation memory is technology that stores previously translated segments so approved wording can be reused consistently in future projects.

It is particularly helpful for recurring contracts, manuals, product descriptions, policies and other content containing repeated terminology.

Translation memory is different from an automated public translation tool because it primarily helps professional translators reuse and manage previously approved translations.

They are not necessarily the same service.

A certified translation is accompanied by a signed statement or certificate of accuracy in the form specified for the project.

A sworn translation is prepared and signed by an appropriately admitted or enrolled sworn translator and is commonly required for certain court, government or official purposes.

The correct option depends on the institution receiving your documents.

Ask the receiving institution.

Requirements can differ between:

• courts;
• government departments;
• embassies;
• consulates;
• universities;
• immigration authorities;
• professional bodies;
• banks;
• employers; and
• foreign institutions.

If possible, obtain the institution's current written requirements and send them with your quote request.

Premium Lingua can help you understand the translation requirement, but the receiving institution ultimately determines what it will accept.

Premium Lingua prepares certified and sworn translations for official and institutional use.

However, each court, embassy, university, immigration authority or other institution may apply its own rules.

For that reason, tell Premium Lingua where the document will be submitted before work begins and provide any written instructions from the receiving authority.

Unless specifically confirmed for a particular recipient, no translation company can control an independent institution's final acceptance decision.

Typical documents include:

• birth certificates;
• marriage certificates;
• academic transcripts;
• diplomas;
• court judgments;
• affidavits;
• powers of attorney;
• reference letters;
• bank statements;
• medical records;
• company documents; and
• immigration-related records.

The required certification level depends on the receiving institution.

No.

Translation, certification, sworn translation, notarisation, legalisation and apostille are separate processes.

A project may require one or more of them depending on where the document will be used.

Notarisation, legalisation or apostille services are included only when specifically stated in the quotation.

Apostille coordination may be available where required.

Because apostille authorities and other third parties have their own procedures, processing times and charges, these should be discussed before accepting the translation quote.

If you have been instructed to obtain an apostille, include that instruction when requesting your quote.

Yes, where the service requires it.

Sworn and certain certified translation projects may be supplied as signed or sealed hard copies and can be couriered where agreed.

Tell the project manager if an original physical copy is required so that delivery and courier requirements can be included in the quotation.

Translation deals with written content.

Interpreting deals with spoken communication.

If you have a contract, certificate, manual or written report, you need translation.

If people need to communicate across languages during a meeting, hearing, conference, consultation or call, you need interpreting.

Premium Lingua offers professional interpreting services.

Available interpreting modes include:

• simultaneous interpreting;
• consecutive interpreting;
• whispered interpreting;
• remote interpreting;
• telephone interpreting; and
• interpreting for meetings, conferences and other professional settings.

The best mode depends on the event format, number of participants and type of communication.

Yes.

Remote interpreting can be arranged using platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Webex, depending on the project.

When requesting a quote, provide the platform, languages, date, times, subject matter and approximate number of participants.

Please provide:

• source and target languages;
• date;
• start and finish times;
• physical venue or online platform;
• interpreting mode;
• number of participants;
• event type;
• subject matter;
• any travel requirements; and
• relevant preparation material.

Agendas, presentations and terminology supplied in advance can help the interpreter prepare for specialist subject matter.

Yes.

For websites, apps and software, simple translation may not always be enough.

Software and website localisation adapts written content together with elements such as interface terminology, regional formats, dates, currency, addresses and other market-specific conventions.

Premium Lingua works with website and localisation formats including HTML, WordPress content, CMS exports, JSON, XLIFF, PO, RESX and application resource files.

Translation focuses primarily on transferring meaning from one language into another.

Localisation goes further by adapting content for a particular country, market or audience.

This can include:

• terminology;
• date and currency formats;
• addresses;
• user-interface text;
• cultural conventions;
• layouts; and
• market-specific language choices.

For example, a website targeting Mainland China may require different localisation from one targeting Taiwan or Hong Kong even though all three markets use Chinese.

Yes.

Premium Lingua provides transcription services for audio and video recordings used in legal, research, corporate and media contexts.

Depending on the project, transcripts can be verbatim, edited for readability or supplied with timecodes.

Yes.

Premium Lingua provides multilingual media services including subtitling and voice-over translation.

Subtitling can include timed subtitle files for corporate video, e-learning, broadcast, online video and other media.

View the full range of language services.

Yes.

Client materials are handled under confidentiality requirements and access is restricted to the people who reasonably need the information to perform or administer the service.

Premium Lingua's translators, interpreters, project managers and other professionals handling client materials are required to observe confidentiality obligations.

Read the full Privacy Notice.

Premium Lingua's privacy framework is designed around the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

Language projects may contain sensitive information such as identity documents, medical records, legal files, academic information and financial documents.

The Privacy Notice explains what information is collected, why it is processed, who may access it and how international processing may occur.

If your project has additional confidentiality or contractual requirements, discuss them with the project manager before work begins.

Client-specific security, confidentiality or data-processing requirements should be agreed as part of the project scope.

Contact the project manager and identify the relevant passage, source text and concern.

Premium Lingua will investigate a properly supported quality complaint.

If the delivered work does not meet the agreed service standard because of an objective error for which Premium Lingua is responsible, the affected work can be corrected without an additional translation fee.

An objective translation error and a stylistic preference are not always the same thing.

Additional charges may apply if a requested change:

• introduces new content;
• changes the original source;
• changes previously approved terminology;
• changes the target audience or purpose; or
• represents a stylistic preference rather than a translation error.

Where a specific tone, terminology or house style is important, provide those instructions before translation begins.

Once the quotation is accepted and any required payment, complete source material and instructions have been received, the project can be scheduled.

Your quote should identify the agreed:

• service;
• language pair;
• scope;
• quality level;
• deliverables;
• delivery method;
• deadline;
• price; and
• any special requirements.

The project manager coordinates the work and communicates with you if clarification is required.