International charities often run into challenges when they want to reach diverse communities quickly. For example, Girlguiding needed 7,799 words of marketing materials translated into Punjabi, Urdu, Romanian, Portuguese, Arabic, and Polish in under a week.
What NGOs should provide: The full set of campaign files (Word, Excel, PDFs). Share any prior campaigns or glossaries for consistency. If visuals contain embedded text, allow for formatting/DTP support.
Pricing models:
– Per word for core materials.
– AI + Human QA: reduces cost by ~25% and accelerates delivery.
– ISO Human Translation: recommended for public-facing messaging, especially sensitive or culturally nuanced materials.
Timeline: At 2,000 words/day/language, a 7,000–8,000 word set can be turned around in 5 days with a small team of linguists. Urgent jobs may require surcharges (+30–50%).
Best collaboration practices:
– Provide the final version of all files upfront.
– Share audience information (e.g. community groups, youth focus).
– Confirm whether layout adjustments are needed for graphics.
LingvoHouse frequently gets NGOs translation requests, recently from Housing for Women and World Land Trust.
