Translation request — capture the job to be quoted
You answer ten short questions instead of filling in a quote form and waiting, you see the language pair read back to you so a typo does not cost you a day, and a person picks it up with everything they need.
- Industry
- Translation & interpretation
- Shape
- Capture a job to be quoted
- Plan
- Starter and above
The situation it is for
The 'how much?' enquiry that arrives with two words in it and takes four emails to turn into something quotable. This does those four emails in one conversation, while the customer is still there.
Somebody asks what it would cost to translate something. The bot works out which service it is, which two languages, what the material is, roughly how much there is, whether it has to be certified and who asked for the certification, and when it is needed, then takes contact details and hands the whole specification to a person to price.
Who runs it
Translation agencies, localisation companies and freelance language service providers.
It starts when somebody types
- “translation quote”
- “how much to translate”
- “i need something translated”
- “translate a document”
- “localisation quote”
- “subtitle my video”
The conversation
What it asks
10 questions, asked in this order. Every answer is written down for whoever picks the job up.
- 01What you need
“What can we help with — a document translation, website and software localisation, or subtitling and transcription?”
Decides which route the conversation takes and which team is named to the customer.
- Document translation
- Website & software localisation
- Subtitling & transcription
- 02Source language
“Which language is it in at the moment?”
The language the material is in now. The options are the languages you have configured; an answer that is not on your list is kept exactly as the visitor typed it, for a person to read.
- English
- Spanish
- French
- German
- Portuguese
- Italian
- Arabic
- Mandarin Chinese
- Japanese
- Korean
- Russian
- Hindi
- 03Target language
“And which language do you need it in?”
The language it is needed in.
- English
- Spanish
- French
- German
- Portuguese
- Italian
- Arabic
- Mandarin Chinese
- Japanese
- Korean
- Russian
- Hindi
- 04What it is
“What kind of material is it — legal, marketing, technical, academic, or other?”
Decides who in the agency prices it. A fixed choice rather than free text, because a free box here invites the contents of the document.
- Legal
- Marketing
- Technical
- Academic
- Other
- 05Roughly how much
“Roughly how much is there — under a page, a few pages, dozens of pages, hundreds of pages, or not sure yet?”
A rough size for the job. A range on purpose: an exact figure the customer guessed would be treated as a basis for a price.
- Under a page
- A few pages
- Dozens of pages
- Hundreds of pages
- Not sure yet
- 06Certification
“Does it need to be certified — and if so, who is asking for it? (standard / certified for immigration / for a court / for a university / for an employer / certified but not sure who / not sure)”
Two facts in one question, because they are one decision: the certification needed and who is asking for it. Both are captured for the person quoting.
- Standard — nobody has asked for it to be certified
- Certified — for immigration
- Certified — for a court
- Certified — for a university
- Certified — for an employer
- Certified, I'm not sure yet who needs it
- Not sure
- 07Deadline
“When do you need it by: today or tomorrow, within the week, within two weeks, or is there no fixed date yet?”
Written onto the request for whoever picks it up. It is the fact that most changes how the work is planned.
- Today or tomorrow
- Within the week
- Within two weeks
- No fixed date yet
- 08Name
“Who should we address the quote to?”
The name the appointment or enquiry is recorded under.
- 09Phone
“What's the best number to reach you on?”
The only way to reach the customer if anything changes.
- 10Email
“And the best email address for the quote?”
The email address it is recorded against.
Those options are the starting set. The services you configure, and, where a process asks for them, the languages you work in, replace them, and the wording follows.
The rules that run
Checks, not judgement calls. The same answer every time, from your own settings.
- Is this a number that actually dials?
What you need set up
Settings in your own account. Nothing here is guessed on your behalf.
- Your services, their length and their price
- The languages you work in: optional
How it can end
The complete list. There is no other ending it can reach.
- Handed to a person
- Visitor left
More for translation & interpretation
Built on the same engine and the same settings: capture a job to be quoted is one of 6 shapes the whole catalogue is made from.
- TR-02Available
An enquiry about work already with us
Translation & interpretation
You get told who is dealing with it and that they have your details, in one exchange, instead of sending a second email into the same inbox that has not answered the first one.
- TR-03Available
Interpreting assignment — book the session
Translation & interpretation
You leave the chat with a real assignment booked at a real time, for the length that kind of assignment takes, not a form and a wait for somebody to check a diary.
Run this one on your own hours, services and postcodes.
Starter and above. Your settings decide the wording, the durations, the prices and the times it offers: nothing on this page is a template you have to accept as written.