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Editorial services

As well as translation, we can also translate your text into something that’s ready to be published (see what we did there?). We can work on your English text or on any professional translation and polish it to perfection.

Our writers and proofreaders are specialists in specific areas, such as medicine, law, marketing, and IT. We take the time and effort to match your editorial services project with someone who has appropriate and relevant knowledge and skills.

Editorial services

Editing

Don’t let avoidable mistakes ruin your content. Writing is one thing, but achieving the standards of a professional publication is another.

Our expert editors can fine-tune your text to make it clear, free-flowing, and completely free of mistakes − in English or any other language.

Rewriting

If your text needs a major overhaul, our professional writers can revise it from start to finish, improving its structure, narrative flow, and tone of voice.

Our rewriters are all experienced authors in their native languages with proven editorial skills. You can count on them to write accurately and sensitively.

Condensing and summarising

We can shorten (abridge) your text to achieve a particular target length, using features such as Track Changes to show you where we’ve made our cuts.

If you want to give readers a general overview of a long document, either before or instead of reading the entire text, we can also write abstracts or executive summaries.

Fact-checking, research and validation

Are you sure every word in your text is true? If not, take advantage of our fact-checking and research services for peace of mind before you publish. We will validate any kind of content, as well as check bibliographic references and glossary definitions.

Indexing and glossary creation

For longer documents, indexes are great resources for readers. They help readers find the information they want quickly and easily. Glossaries help them understand specialised terms.

We can compile comprehensive, consistent indexes and glossaries that add value and authority to your content. Our expert indexers each specialise in a different area. They understand the relationships between topics, building an index that helps readers get to the heart of your content.

Adapting English

Even if your audience speaks English, you may need your text adapted with specific people in mind.

Americanisation

Americanisation is the task of adapting a text into American English for the American market. 

Americans just speak English, right, with a few funny spellings? Not quite.

We all know the obvious vocabulary differences like pavement versus sidewalk or trousers versus pants, but there are more obscure examples like current account versus checking account. There are also certain grammar and speech patterns that can be changed to make the words flow more naturally in the US and Canada.

We take into account the differences in style, terminology and vocabulary of the original text. This also includes any tables, figures, numbers, names, abbreviations, punctuation, and conversions.

It is worth establishing whether your audience and recipients of your document would prefer British or American terminology. Although many US terms may be understood by a British person and vice versa, others may cause confusion and require further explanations or clarifications. If you’re unsure, give us a call and we can help.

Australianisation

Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom all speak English. But each has its own style and quirks of grammar and vocabulary. Get your message spot on down under with our Australianisation service.

We can adapt your English text for Australian and New Zealand markets. This would include elements such as tables, figures, names, abbreviations, units of measurement and so on. We offer specialists in particular areas, such as education or politics, ensuring your text is adapted with total accuracy.

Plain English

If you’ve ever heard of ‘layman’s terms’, this is what they mean. Plain English uses simple, familiar words and phrases to make absolutely sure everyone can understand your text the first time they read it.

We can turn your existing content into Plain English, rephrasing unfamiliar terms and simplifying structure so that the meaning is 100% clear to readers of all backgrounds.

Easy Read

Easy Read uses a combination of plain language, large print, pictures, and audio to make documents available to a wider audience. This is useful if, for example, your audience includes adults with learning disabilities. We offer Easy Read in English and over 300 other languages.

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Satisfied clients

Holy Lama Naturals

Read the client story

Sector: Food and drink translation services, Marketing, advertising and PR translation services

Service: Translation and localisation

Translations across 28 languages for reading charity BookTrust

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Sector: Translation and interpreting for charities and non-profit organisations

Service: Translation and localisation

Boot Bananas expansion with global translation services

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Sector: Fashion, clothing and retail translation services

Service: Proofreading, Translation and localisation

Frequently asked questions

Costs are normally based on the total source word count, with a rate applied per 1,000 words. For non-editable documents, we use specialist software to calculate the word count. Smaller projects usually have a minimum charge. Your project manager will provide a clear, itemised quote before any work begins. For an exact price for your project, get a quote.

We are confident that we have your needed language covered. From American English to Zulu, we’ve worked on more than 340 languages since 1991, including Latin and Ancient Greek. Read more about the languages we offer.

As a general guide, we work at around 2,000 words per business day, although we can be flexible. If you have an urgent deadline, please let us know and your project manager will do their best to accommodate it. Certification, proofreading and other additional services may increase the turnaround time.

Professional translation is about much more than replacing words. A qualified translator understands context, tone and specialist terminology. At Atlas, we select translators based on their language combination and subject expertise, so your translation is accurate, reads naturally and is suitable for its intended purpose.

Look for an experienced agency with qualified translators, good confidentiality procedures and recognised standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 17100. They should understand what your translation will be used for, provide a clear quote and turnaround time, and explain how your work will be translated and checked.

Please send us your document and we’ll review the word count, language and subject matter before providing a quote and turnaround time. Once confirmed, we select an appropriate translator. The translation is then checked in-house before delivery, with additional proofreading, certification or other services arranged where required.

For official or certified translations, you’ll need a professional service. Machine translation can misunderstand context, terminology and abbreviations, while there can also be confidentiality concerns with sensitive information. If Atlas is certifying a translation, it must be completed by a professional translator who has been approved to work with us.

Not usually. A clear scan or photograph is enough for most translations, including certified translations. Just make sure everything is clearly visible, including stamps, signatures and handwritten notes. Original documents may sometimes be needed for apostille purposes, but we’ll let you know if that applies before asking you to post anything.

No. Our translators work remotely and can be based anywhere in the world, so expertise is more important than location. For face-to-face interpreting, we’ll try to find an interpreter as close to the assignment as possible to keep travel costs down.

Atlas Translations holds two ISO certifications — ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management) and ISO 17100:2017 (Translation Services). If the project is confidential, we can sign NDAs for extra peace of mind.

Are you wondering if we’re up to date on privacy? We registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) over twenty years ago, and we have always prioritised data protection.

Rad more about our commitment to quality.

Atlas Translations are here to support you. Whether you’re an individual, a SME or a multinational corporation, we can help.

Handy checklists

Getting ready to work with us? We’ve got a checklist for that!

Can’t see what you’re looking for? See all our helpful client checklists.

Why trust Atlas Translations?

ISO certified

Member of

35+ years of experience. Specialist expertise. Always human.

Read more about our commitment to quality

Need your text editing or adapting for different English audiences?

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