• SMARTIDIOM’s Vendor Manager Department receives all applications sent to us by translators and carries out an initial evaluation to assess the suitability of the candidate for the role they’ve applied for.
  We look for the following criteria:
  • Higher Education in Translation (recognised diploma), or any other subject, as long as the course includes modules in Translation; OR
  • A Higher Education qualification in any other subject area, plus at least two years of verifiable experience as a (full time) translator; OR
  • At least five years of verifiable professional experience as a (full time) translator.
  • Passing the translation test provided by SMARTIDIOM;
  • Fluency in the source language (the language the applicant translates from);
  • Being a native speaker of the target language (the language the applicant translates into);
  • Advanced knowledge of and experience in using CAT tools.

By using our ultra-rigorous recruitment process, we have selected the most experienced experts to ensure the most consistent results. We recruit in accordance with ISO 9001: 2015 (Quality Management Systems) and ISO 17100: 2015 (Translation Services) standards.

Feedback is provided and complaints managed throughout a project’s life cycle, which allows:

• Our clients to rate each translation and provide feedback on the quality of the project they received;
• Our dedicated project manager to rate and record our clients’ feedback about the translators / reviewers used in all the projects managed by them;
• Our reviewers to provide feedback on the final quality of the translated text, in the form of a numerical score as well as comments about the review, justifying the final result given (PASS or FAIL) and highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the translation.

When assigning a project to a translator, the project manager selects the best professional we have for that particular project, based on the feedback they have about the translator’s previous work. A translator with a high rating is used very frequently, whereas a translator whose work isn’t consistently good is removed from our database.

SmartQualityManager, our feedback and claims management system, monitors the project life cycle, allowing:

• The customer to classify and register feedback on the quality of the project they received;
• The Project Manager to classify and register their feedback about the translator/proofreader used in a particular project they have managed;
• The reviewer to provide feedback on the final quality of the translated text and justify the end result (PASS or FAIL) along with the translation’s strengths and weaknesses.

When a project is assigned to a translator, the Project Manager chooses the best resources based on feedback from previous work. A translator with a higher score is used more frequently, whereas a translator who does not constantly show positive results is excluded from the database.

Both our in-house and external professionals are evaluated annually by SMARTIDIOM’s Quality Management Department.

By sending feedback once a project has been delivered, we identify areas in which the translator could improve their work, suggesting how they could progress and ensuring that they are able to continue working with us on future projects.

Working with a specialised company offers some advantages, as it has more resources available to it, more working languages, different quality processes, shorter lead times, among other factors.

• We provide all the services you need – from technical translation to website localisation, but also transcreation or copywriting for your marketing campaign, for instance;
• Personalised service with custom solutions – because all our clients work in different sectors, we pride ourselves on providing each one with a solution that’s tailored to their specific needs;
• A team that will stand behind you – tell us what your brand’s challenge is, trust us with your most important project, and we won’t rest until we’ve met your expectations;
• Global networking – thanks to our extensive global network of carefully selected partners, we are actively present in 25 countries;
• Linguistic excellence – we always use professionals who are native speakers of the target language of your project, who are qualified and have a solid knowledge of their specialist area;
• Clients who can put 100% of their trust in us – we have received two very important European standards certifications from Bureau Veritas: ISO 9001: 2015 (Quality Management Systems) and ISO 17100:2015 (Translation Services).

The number of linguists involved in the translation process depends on the service level you choose for your project. Service excellence, which guarantees the total quality of the project, involves three native linguists: a translator who translates the document, a bilingual reviser who checks whether the document has glitches, and a specialised reviewer who reads the final product and confirms if it is appropriate for its target audience. The project also involves a Project Manager, who ensures the final quality control.

All the linguists who work at SMARTIDIOM are native speakers of your target language. Depending on the language, the destination country for the translation and the text’s area of expertise, SMARTIDIOM pledges to hand the project over to the most skilled translator for each context. SMARTIDIOM has a team of native in-house translators for multiple languages. Whenever a customer needs a translation into a language our team cannot handle, we contact our trustworthy external service providers. Usually, out-house translators are located in the destination market.

SMARTIDIOM partners with clients from a wide variety of industries, including Marketing and Advertising, IT and Software, Telecommunications, Construction, Energy and the Environment.

SMARTIDIOM only provides automated translation services at the customer’s request. In every other case, the projects are carried out by specialised native linguists.

The lead time on a translation project always depends on the volume and complexity of the text to be translated, the pairs of languages involved and the number of new or repeated words, for instance. Our quotes always specify the lead time for each project. If our deadline is later than desired, let us know and we will make every effort to meet your requirements.

The value of a translation project depends on several factors. The subject matter, the type of service, the deadline, the input and output formats, the tools used and the total volume are the main specifications considered when quoting for a project.

Most likely, yes. If your translation is urgent, let us know and we will turn it into a priority project. Urgent translations are subject to a rush fee on the project’s total amount.

SMARTIDIOM guarantees the quality of every service we provide. To do that, we follow two important international standards: ISO 9001 (Quality management systems) and ISO 17100, which details the requirements for translation service providers.

• The ISO9001:2015 certification describes rigorous processes to follow to ensure high quality standards. This standard covers recruiting human resources, the procedures for recording information, procedures for carrying out a wide variety of tasks, standardisation of professional practices in line with international quality standards, customer satisfaction management and others.
• ISO17100 covers all aspects of ensuring the quality of translation services. It deals with essential issues such as the appropriate qualifications required by all human resources (in-house and external), codes of conduct and the procedures a project should follow to ensure maximum quality standards.

SMARTIDIOM guarantees total confidentiality of the documents it receives. The customers who require it can request a non-disclosure agreement to be signed, in which the company commits not to reveal any information obtained in the document sent by the customer. All our service providers have a non-disclosure agreement signed with SMARTIDIOM, in which they undertake not to reveal information obtained in the performance of their duties.

After approval, and if the customer cancels, SMARTIDIOM reserves the right to charge the customer for the amount of work already carried out.

All projects carried out by SMARTIDIOM are subject to a minimum rate.

The process of certifying a translation is performed by a notary, lawyer or solicitor, in the presence of the translator in charge of the translation process. Usually, this type of certification is used for birth, marriage and death certificates, notary deeds, criminal records, licenses, contracts, driver’s licenses, divorce agreements, medical leaves or reports, financial information, invoices, among many other documents.

To certify your translations, you will need to send us the original documents, by post or by hand at our offices. SMARTIDIOM is not liable for original documents lost by the postal services and we recommend original documents be sent by registered mail.

Learn about the details of this service on the Certified Translation page.

• The act of legalisation by apostille is necessary when the translation is carried out to be presented in a country that has signed the Hague Convention. If this is your case, the translation is certified by a notary, lawyer or solicitor first, and then it is legalised by apostille at the Attorney General’s Office (Procuradoria-Geral da República), in accordance with Decree-Law No. 48.450 of 24 June 1968.
• For any country that hasn’t signed the Hague Convention, you need to check in the target country which type of legalisation is required.

You can send us your document in any of these formats:

Yes. If you have a hard copy, you can send it by email, by post or deliver it to our offices in person. In this case, your document is analysed and then we send you a detailed quote.

We accept payments in cash, by bank transfer and by PayPal.

You can send your application through our recruitment platform. This is the fastest way for us to analyse your application and to move ahead with the process of you becoming our partner. Nonetheless, if you would prefer to apply by email, you can use the following address: rh@smartidiom.pt.

Making changes to a document SMARTIDIOM has already translated and delivered to the client will be charged as a new service, as it requires additional work from our resources. We charge you our prevailing minimum rate if the changes do not add up to the volume required for that minimum cost.

Yes, SMARTIDIOM is required to keep the projects it carried out for a period of three years. If we are asked for a new copy of a text during that period, we will be happy to oblige.

If SMARTIDIOM was in charge of the translation, we only charge you for the certification service. Otherwise, since by certifying a translation we are liable for the translation, we cannot certify texts we did not translate. The most we can do is to completely review the translation you have and, then, certify it based on any changes we believe are needed.

You can get that information from the entity that receives your document. SMARTIDIOM only includes the certification and/or apostille service at the customer’s request.

You can send them by email, through a cloud platform (Dropbox, Mega, OneDrive, WeTransfer, etc.) or in person at any of our offices. If your documents are larger than the maximum size supported by email servers, SMARTIDIOM can easily set up access to our FTP server.

The list of supported languages in our website may not include all the options we offer since we are always looking for new languages and linguists. This means our website may become outdated. If you cannot find the language you need on our list, send us a message. It may happen that, no matter how exotic your language may seem, we can help you get what you need.

Usually, translation projects are quoted on a per word basis, in order to calculate all the resources and costs required to carry out the project. In order to send you a quote, our project managers need to have access to the documents so they can analyse them.

We work hard every day to ensure we exceed client expectations, including dealing promptly and efficiently with any complaints we may receive.

Any complaints must be sent to our Quality Department, and include the following information:

• Name and contact information of the person filing the complaint;
• Description of the events prompting the complaint, including the location of the event and, if possible, the names of any other people involved.

Your complaint will be refused if it:

• Is a repeat of a complaint previously been made to and dealt with by SMARTIDIOM;
• Is of a legal nature;
• Has not been filed in good faith.

The maximum time limit for replying to the complainant, from the time of receiving the complaint, is ten (10) working days. In cases where the content of the complaint is complex or the reply to it involves outside factors and/or entities, the aforementioned time limit may be extended, and this change will be communicated to the complainant.