Frequently Asked Questions

 

How much are your language classes and which payment gateway do you offer? 

Our classes for young learners are for students under the age of 18.  They are available in blocks of 10, 20 and 40 at a cost of £100.00, £200.00 and £400.00 respectively.  As each class lasts for 30 minutes, many students opt to have more than one class at a time.

Our adult classes are available in blocks of 4, 8 and 12 at a cost of £120.00, £240.00 and £360.00 respectively.  Each class lasts for 60 minutes but you may choose to split your lessons into 30 minute sessions. 

Classes will be followed up with a concise report containing observations and suggestions for improvement. We accept most major debit/credit cards.  Payments are processed by our secure checkout partner PayPal. We will not see your card details and there are no account registration requirements. 

If you cancel your entire block of classes before the first of your sessions begins, you will receive a full refund.  You must give written notice of your wish to cancel at least 24 hours before you start your first class. 

We acknowledge that the need to reschedule lessons will arise.  Written notification must be given at least 24 hours before your next lesson is due to start.  A no-show or late notification will be charged at the full price of a lesson.  If we need to cancel at short notice or an error in our schedule causes you to miss a lesson, we will compensate you with a free 30/60 minute session.  We will aim to be as flexible as possible and to accommodate your needs.

In cases of illness or emergency, classes may be cancelled at short notice without penalty.  This applies to both teachers and students.

What happens if I start having lessons then I change my mind?  Will I get a refund?

A refund or 50% of unused classes is available to students who wish to stop having lessons.  This is only available up to 3 months after the purchase date of your block of classes.  After this point, you will not be eligible for a refund.

 

How can I secure my class time on my teacher's schedule?

When you have 2 lessons remaining in your block of lessons, you will be asked if you’d like to keep your space in your teacher’s schedule.  In order to secure your space, you will need to purchase another block of lessons.  For example, imagine you have purchased a block of 10 lessons.  When you have had 8 lessons, you will be reminded to purchase a new block.  Your space will become available to other students if you decide not to do so. 

 

Why use a proofreader?  

Nowadays, with the advent of text-speak and other abbreviated forms of writing, excellent grammar, accurate spelling and effective punctuation are not always a must.  However, as acceptable as this might be for personal communications, there are times when a more professional approach is in order.  Having your documents proofread eliminates mistakes, typos and misunderstandings.  Our proofreading service includes light editing and a degree of copy-editing so the final draft of your document will be clear, concise and well structured.

 

What are the advantages of using a translator instead of translation software?

Translation software can be a useful tool but it is no substitute for the human aspect that comes with effective translation.  When we translate a document, we make sure the writing style is consistent and suitable for the occasion.  We pay attention to the format and the readability so that the recipient receives a well-written document that is easy to read.  Translation software can also lack what is called Plain English or Plain Language - a clear and straight forward way of expression, free of unnecessary jargon and wordiness.  We will make sure your target audience is taken into consideration and balance using a wide and expressive vocabulary with being clear and articulate.

 

What about the risk of plagiarism and other potential problems?

We leave it to our clients to check that any document they submit is not subject to any restrictions - regarding privacy, translation or professional proofreading.  If you ask us to create content for you, we do so under the assumption that, by doing so, you are not violating any codes of practice, rules or laws. 

 

How does it all work?

Send us a sample of the document you need proofread or translated.  If at all possible, let us know how long the document is (preferably using a word count feature).  Let us know what sort of timeframe we have to work in - particularly if there's a tight deadline.  We will read, assess and price your document free of charge.  We prefer to receive documents created in or converted to Microsoft Word.  If you would like us to track the changes we make, we can do so upon request.  You will then receive one document showing the changes and one final draft.

 

How much do you charge?

Our prices vary - depending on how much work we will need to do in order to proofread or translate a document.  Our proofreading service starts at a flat rate of £60 plus 1p per original word; so a 1,000 word document, at the starting rate, would cost £70.00.  Please note that we charge a minimum of £65 for any proofreading work undertaken - including documents under 500 words.

The cost of translation starts at a flat rate of £80 plus 2p per original word; so a 1,000 word document, at the starting rate, would cost £100.  The price per word is determined by the ease or difficulty of completing the document.  You will be given a fixed quote and a start date. 

You can pay upfront or request a sample of the completed document before settling your bill.  In either case, once you have emailed us - instructing us to proceed, your payment is non-refundable.  If you change your mind up to 48 hours before we begin working on your document (start date), we will issue you with a full refund.  Rephrase that will schedule a time for work to begin on your document.  This may mean that we have to refuse other projects in order to complete yours.  Therefore, if you need to cancel at short notice (less than 48 hours before the start date), we will subtract the flat fee from your refund.  We accept payment through PayPal and bank transfer.  Once your payment has been received and the funds have been cleared we will send you your document.

 

What kind of documents do you accept? 

We are fairly open minded about the sort of work we will undertake.  However, we do not accept obscene, explicit or lewd content of any kind.  Similarly, we do not accept documents containing offensive or profane language.

 

Other Services

We consider virtual assistance tasks (online only - no telephone assistance). Content creation is one of our specialities but we also consider tasks like transcription and formatting on a case by case basis.  We price each job individually - depending on what is required and how quickly it needs to be completed.  For more information or to submit a pitch, please click on the Contact Us tab at the top of the page or email us at [email protected] .