The Foreign Friend is not an ordinary translation agency, but your agent for all foreign language communications. Our role is to help you find the communications service that matches your specific needs.
The Foreign Friend benefits from what is probably the most diversified and competent network of mother tongue translators anywhere: every day, we carefully screen professionals in all categories and only choose the most talented students, copywriters, linguistic and technical translators, doctors, lawyers, engineers...
Our registered headquarters are in Italy (specifically in Naples, via B. Corenzio 21, postal code 80217).
We have branch offices around the world, the size of which is measured in MB (megabytes) rather than M2 (square meters) since we opted to operate in a Web-based environment that allows us to offer the best possible rates.
Yes, but we like to think of it as Well Based!
In fact, we have developed a Web 2.0 platform that creates virtual workspaces tailored to each project. Our HR department has carefully selected and recruited the best talents in the market who will be given access to these workspaces (collaborative model).
The Immediate Quote tool, which you can find in every page of our web site, will, at the click of a mouse, provide you with the average price range (minimum/maximum) of the service you are looking for.
It’s a 24x7 service whose purpose is to help you choose the service you may be interested in. But please understand that the instant quote tool, like any automated tool, is not aware of the specific details of your text, so it can only provide a standard price for a standard service. By requesting a custom quote, you will receive a quotation tailored to your specific requirements in a few hours.
Click on the "Customize this instant quote" button, at the bottom of the automated quote tool: you will be taken to a web page where you can enter all your requirements (budget, delivery date, skill level of the professionals, etc.) and send us a request for a custom quote (free of charge, and non-binding).
Alternatively, you can send us an e-mail or book a call back.
In a few hours our customer manager will send you an e-mail with a link that will take you directly into your Private Area, where you will find our quote along with all the additional information you need to make a final decision!
You can send us the materials to translate/review by using the dedicated upload form in the Materials section of the web page in which you request the custom quote.
Alternatively, you can send us the materials by e-mail or fax.
You can use the dedicated Preferences section of the custom quote request form to list your requirements.
After reviewing the quote, you can place your order or decline our offer with a single click on the Order button.
For urgent jobs, you may pay by credit card or with a PayPal account. In all other cases you may use bank transfer.
The delivery date is agreed upon in the quotation, and confirmed by the communication that the job has been started.
In addition, once the job has started, your private area will show a countdown to the deadline for the delivery of the materials.
As soon as the job is completed, you will be immediately notified by a notification e-mail, which will include a link to the Delivery page in your private area; from there you will be able to download the requested materials.
For the first time you log in, you will be provided with a link to a form requesting confirmation of the data entered in the quote, and asking you for your password.
You will then receive an e-mail with a summary of your access data (user ID and password) and a short introduction on how to use your Private Area.
For subsequent logins, simply enter your user ID and password in the Login area of our web site (upper right corner).
Click on "I forgot my login data".
You will be asked to confirm your identity by providing the e-mail address used during the registration process, where you will receive a copy of your access credentials.
If you cannot remember the e-mail address used during the registration process, please contact us, and we will be glad to help you.
Definitely! Choose the level of service that suits your needs and get an immediate quote with a minimum to maximum price range. It’s then up to you - asking for a free, custom and no-binding quote - to tell us how much you wish to spend, and we will choose the professionals and workflow that will work for you.
NOT AVAILABLE (ONLY INTERNAL EMPLOYEES WITH AVERAGE EXPERIENCE) - In order to offset the fixed costs of labor, tasks are assigned only to internal employees regardless of their level of competency for the task, never to external vendors.
NOT AVAILABLE (ONLY EXTERNAL VENDORS WITH AVERAGE EXPERIENCE) - In order to keep rates below the selling price offered by the automated online quote published by the agency, tasks are assigned only to external vendors with average skill levels who reside in their home countries.
SIX OPTIONS (EXTERNAL VENDORS OF EVERY SKILL LEVEL) - In order to find the best match between the quality of the service and vendor experience (from student, for a basic understanding of texts, to specialist with over 20 years of experience for highly technical texts) we recruit external vendors of all skill levels who reside in their home countries.
NOT AVAILABLE – With average quality translators, the agency can offer a single level of service.
SIX STANDARD OPTIONS, PLUS ANY NUMBER OF CUSTOMIZATIONS - Customers can choose the service that best suits their current requirements. And in case of large volumes we set up customized workflows!
NOT AVAILABLE - The customer is not allowed to choose, because the agency will assign the task to the first internal/external translator available.
DIRECT SELECTION - The customer can choose his preferred candidates for the translation as he fills out the quotation request form and, in some cases, may get directly in touch with them.
ON DEMAND - The customer finds out about the price of the service only upon submission of a request that explains the requirements and provides the agency with his company’s background (so the price ends up tailored to the estimated spending capacity of the customer).
INSTANT, BUT STANDARD - The customer queries an instant quote tool and can also place an instant purchase order for a standard service (which by definition cannot cater to the specific needs of the customer and to the availability of translators with the right skills).
INSTANT QUOTE AND CUSTOMIZED PURCHASE ORDER - The customer is presented with a price range (min/max) for the type of service he is looking for, and can then choose to request a purchase order that is tailored to his actual needs (materials, deadlines, budgets, quality, etc.).
SERVICE VALUE - The quality committed to the customer is summarily expressed by terms such as “quality translations”, “top quality”, etc., which promote the value of the service and help sales, but do not provide any concrete evidence of what the service really offers.
USEFULNESS OF THE SERVICE - We believe that the quality of the service lies in its ability to meet the requirements for which it was commissioned. So a “Low Cost” translation is of good quality insofar as it provides a basic understanding for a minimal expenditure, whereas an “Optimized” translation is of good quality if it provides a faithful text that is pleasant to read.
IMPOSSIBLE - “High quality” is not a measurable standard: without specific definitions, customers cannot assess the quality delivered to them in order to hold the supplier to the commitment of “high quality”.
POSSIBLE - Quality can be readily measured by assessing if and how much the usefulness promised (basic understanding, faithful translation, etc.) has indeed been delivered.
LOCAL TRANSLATORS SELECTED BY INTERVIEWS - Since the agency must host staff on its premises, it is limited to recruiting professionals from its local area.
TRANSLATORS (OF AVERAGE SKILL LEVEL) FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD SELECTED BY TESTS - By subcontracting its projects over the Internet, the agency can look for professionals anywhere in the world (as long as their rates do not exceed the agency’s cost thresholds); recruitment takes the form of a translation test which does not necessarily provide a correct assessment of the translator’s “usual” level of quality (especially since these tests are often filled out by the candidates’ more senior colleagues without the agency being aware of it).
TRANSLATORS (OF ALL SKILL LEVELS) FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD SELECTED BY VALIDATING THEIR EXPERIENCE AND COMMERCIAL REPUTATION - We look for professionals from all over the world, reviewing their past translations and interviewing a number of references that is adequate to their experience. We will not reject the best just because they are the most expensive: our customers can rest assured that we are always able to provide the most appropriate resources for their requirements.
PROOFREADING - Translations are performed by internal employees (who are considered reliable by default), so the text usually undergoes just a simple proofreading from another internal resource.
COMPETITIVE REVIEW - Since it is in the reviewer’s best interests to win future deals for himself, he could take advantage of his role to make extensive changes which are often useless, and sometimes even harmful.
COLLABORATIVE REVIEW - Our proprietary platform allows project managers, translators, reviewers, and customers to be online together, creating powerful and productive synergies!
“FULL REFUND ASSURANCE” - The refund is usually guaranteed “up to 100%”, but is granted only if the customer presents a request within the deadlines and through the appropriate channels. It is also quantified at the sole discretion of the agency, according only to objective mistakes (grammar, syntax, spelling) and never to inappropriate style, which is not quantifiable.
WE BELIEVE THAT PROMISING A REFUND WILL DISCOURAGE THOSE LOOKING FOR RELIABILITY - Experience tells us that customers are not interested in getting their money back as much as fulfilling the requirements which led to the investment in the first place without wasting precious time - that they will never get back anyway! This is why we dedicate our resources to the selection and training of reliable translators rather than to the rejection of complaints.
"SECOND VERSION" - Customers are usually entitled to a second edition, which allows the agency to buy the translation from an average/low quality translator, turning to more senior resources only if and when the customer proves to have sufficient language skills and presents a complaint within the deadlines and through the channels mandated by the contract.
"BEST FIRST" - We cannot offer a second edition that is better than the first, because we assign your text to the best available translator from the very first moment. What’s more, the customer can ask for changes to the text delivered as preview by communicating directly with the linguists (see also Deluxe Assurance).
"TRANSLATION IN LINE WITH THE CURRENT QUALITY STANDARD"- Professional translations - even when conforming to the EN 15038:2006 standard - are prepackaged compromises: costs, timelines, skills, and processes are balanced according to an abstract model, which is ideal for some requirements - but is therefore also completely unsuitable for others.
"TRANSLATIONS IN LINE WITH THE DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS, PERFORMED ACCORDING TO STANDARDS OF PROVEN SUCCESS" - We offer our customers six translation models as well a limitless number of customized packages. The absence of objective errors is guaranteed by the skills and processes we put in place, while style is guaranteed - when such assurance is part of the service - by the selection of above average resources as well as by allowing the customer’s foreign correspondent to do a review before final delivery.
EMAIL - Files are delivered to the translators’ PCs as e-mail attachments.
ACCESS TO OUR SECURE CORPORATE SERVERS - The files are usually translated and reviewed directly online, on our servers, without sending copies around.
POSSIBLE - Translators can copy the material and secretly subcontract the job to other colleagues.
IMPOSSIBLE – The material is copy-protected, and translators are identified every time they access it by unique credentials.
POSSIBLE - Once uploaded to an automated translation service, texts become public and available to anyone.
IMPOSSIBLE - The Project Manager can set the translation environment to prevent the use of automated translation services.
SINGLE - A single costs implies the availability of a single class of professionals: once the price is set, the agency cannot recruit - and offer - professionals with experience and rates that are higher than the agency’s reselling thresholds.
MODULAR - We recruit translators of all skill levels. With our automated quote calculator customers have instant access to the minimum and maximum prices for each service, according to the rates of the translators we recommend. The customer can then ask for a custom quote and share his budget: the Project Manager will then optimize the use of the budget, selecting translators whose profiles, skills, and rates are in line with the requirements.
MODULAR, BUT BEWARE OF THE STYLE - Cutting down on timelines requires technologies and knowledge that are not yet commonplace: without the use of web-teamworking platforms the reviewer will be unable to coordinate the style and terms used by the linguists involved in the translation, and will be forced to wait until everyone delivers his part before being able to begin his own task. Unfortunately by that time it may no longer be possible to make the end result consistent, because the effort and time needed would cause the deadline to be missed.
MODULAR - If your deadlines are especially tight, we can assemble a dedicated team who will work non-stop across time zones! Our web-teamworking platform allows the reviewer to receive real time updates from the team members, so he can guarantee that the text will be smooth and consistent from the earliest stages.
