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COVID-19 Information Page
After the announcement, on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organization (WHO), that the COVID-19 outbreak can be characterized as a pandemic, and subsequent restrictions imposed worldwide and nationwide, it is important to ensure our community of linguists, vendors, and customers, that our agency will continue to pursue its business as normally as possible while keeping updated on the newest developments.
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Considering our platform and services are essentially cloud-based and our resources work mainly from remote locations, the risk of spreading is minimal; however, in observance of the WHO's advice on SARS-Cov 2 virus and COVID-19, the Portuguese National Health Authority guideline on prevention, control and monitoring procedures for business companies No. 006/1 (26/02/2020), and the Declaration of the State of Emergency by the Portuguese Government, on March 19, we have adopted the following safety measures:
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Our physical office shall be temporarily closed, we will be pursuing our activity using digital means only.
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All delivery packages, and documents required for certified translation, must be sent, and will be delivered, by courier/postal mail only.
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For the time being, and until further notice, there will be no assignment of interpreters to physical locations - i.e. ceremony venues, conference rooms, business offices, etc. All interpreting assignments will be performed remotely - via Skype, telephone, or similar.
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We will continue to monitor the developments, updating our activities accordingly and keeping you informed on such updates.
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Internal contingency measures regarding the COVID-19 outbreak
COVID-19 Basic Preventive Measures
Wash your hands regularly
Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
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Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.
Practice respiratory hygiene
Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.
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Why? Droplets spread virus. By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.
Maintain social distancing
Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
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Why? When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.
In case of fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early
Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.
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Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.
Avoid touching your face
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.
Stay informed and follow the advice of your healthcare provider
Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19. Follow advice given by your healthcare provider, your national and local public health authority or your employer on how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.
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Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on whether COVID-19 is spreading in your area. They are best placed to advise on what people in your area should be doing to protect themselves.
If you currently reside in Portugal and have recently (14 days) visited areas where COVID-19 is spreading, or if you have have been in contact with an infected person, and develop any flu-like symptoms,
do not go to the hospital, remain at home, and please call:
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SNS 24 hotline - 808 24 24 24
Useful links
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How does it work?The proofreading and/or editing process is quite simple: You send us your document in one of the accepted formats, via e-mail, using our submission form or via a shared dropbox/google drive folder. We will analise it, perform a word/page count (using a word count tool like Anycount, CountAnything, etc.), and then send you an estimation of price, time required and negotiate the terms of work (i.e. deadline, payment conditions) with you. After accepting our quote, and pay the negotiated initial amount (full or partial), your document will be delivered to the appropriate linguist(s) who will perform the task(s) necessary. Following completion, you will receive: The edited file - with track changes, edits, comments, suggestions, etc. The clean file - a file ready for print, publishing, posting (only if no issues have arised during the proofreading stage). The linguist checklist - stating their name, your file information, the tasks performed, and any comments they may deem necessary. You then have 7 business days to submit any queries to the linguist (should, for instance, your counsellor raise any questions) or clarify our linguist's concerns. This clarification stage is rendered to you free of charge and is part of our quality assurance process.
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What are the accepted file formats?We accept the following editable file formats: Word document (.doc, .docx) Excel document (. xls, .xlsx) Powerpoint presentation (.ppt, .pptx) Publisher documents/presentations (.pub) PDF Open Document files (.odt) Rich Text Format (.rtf) For proofreading translations, in addition to the above we also accept: SDL Trados bilingual files (.xliff, .sdlxliff) SDL Trados packages (.sdlppx) Trados TagEditor (.ttx) MemoQ bilingual files (.mqxliff) Wordfast bilingual files (.txml) STAR Transit packages (.pxf, .ppf)
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Where and how do I send my files?There are many available ways to send us your file(s) in a proper and secure way. Please follow the instructions below: Name your file according to the format: Your Name_Type of Document (thesis, dissertation, paper, translation, etc.)_date. (e.g. LuÃs Fontoura_Tese_22.04.19) Create a .rar or .zip file. If you don't have a RAR or ZIP tool, you can find one here [link]. Add your file to the .rar/.zip, together with any reference materials you deem necessary (your counsellor comments, your university style guide, etc.) Encrypt your file with a password. Submit your file via our online form[link] or our e-mail [link] or create a Dropbox/Google Drive folder and share the link with us. Don't forget to send us a message with the password as soon as you get confirmation that we have safely received your file/link.
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How do you calculate the price?Once we receive your document, we will perfom a wordcount. The price rate will be applied on a per word basis, i.e., a document with 1500 words at a rate of 0.02USD per word, will cost you 30 USD. We also apply a discount percentage according to the work volume: For < 10.000 words documents - full rate For 10.001 > x > 25.000 words documents - 20% discount rate For 25.001 > X > 50.000 words documents - 30% discount rate For > 50.000 words documents - 50% discount rate Please note that the rate may increase due to urgency.
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How and when should I make the payment?We accept the following payment methods: Paypal SEPA bank tranfer Debit/Credit card Usually, unless otherwise agreed directly with us, payment is made following your acceptance of our quote, where the payment information will be stated.