About how we started
"We aim to disrupt the Language Services Industry.”
What initially started as a horrible experience
I founded Lingo Ledger to revolutionize the language industry and challenge the traditional, exploitative agency model. As a former translating customer and interpreter, I saw firsthand the devastating consequences of high fees, misspelt names, and agency errors. It was a horrible experience.
Customers were being gaslighted into paying sky-high prices for simple tasks, while language professionals were suffering from bad admin errors and low payouts. I tried starting my own agency to fix these issues, but the industry was fundamentally untransparent and it was too difficult to balance the rights of all stakeholders.
As a translating customer, I had to pay $300 to a Translation agency to get my Mongolian Birth Certificate translated for citizenship purposes. Despite this exorbitant fee, they misspelt my name, took no responsibility and forced me to pay. Twice. Immigrants with a poor grasp of English and little understanding of the translating industry are being gaslighted into paying sky-high fees for tasks that take translators minutes.
It’s no better for the other side of the market. After being let go from my role in immigration due to Covid 19, I worked as a Mongolian Interpreter to pay the bills. I quickly noticed that language professionals are highly dependent on the administrative workings of the agency they work under. Mistakes made by the agency spiralled into massive problems for interpreters who received the wrath of desperate customers. An agency told me to come to court at a specific time to interpret a criminal case. I arrived on time, but the agency had stuffed up as the trial was set to occur 4 hours ago. The customer had his case adjourned for 2 years and had to pay for expensive lawyers and a magistrate all because some agency misread the booking. I had to travel 4 hours and only got $40 for my troubles. I saw tens of hundreds of numerous bad admin errors like this disproportionately affect the lives of immigrants.
I initially tried to sort the issues in the market by setting up an agency that would compensate language professionals better and charge fairer prices to customers. But this didn’t change the circumstances of customers. People would call in the middle of 2 am crying and begging us to fix their document translation issue for their visas. They would trust some random stranger on the internet with their passport, birth certificate, and all the important documents that a scammer would dream of.
But getting the translation done for them was the only starting point. Miscommunications between customers lead to translators making errors. This lead to frustration, desperation and chaos. As an agency, it was mind-numbingly difficult to balance the rights of the stakeholders in a manner that could ensure fair and transparent prices. Translators had little security and often had to through multiple channels to get basic information from customers.
I realised that the translating and interpreting industry was fundamentally untransparent. Agencies hide the real cost of their services from customers so they can exploit professionals and maximise their profits. They needed administration to be needlessly difficult so they justify their high fees and low payouts.
The solution was to provide an easy and accessible way for customers could directly interact with language professionals who could set their prices and conditions. Lingo Ledger is such a platform. We ensure verified professionals can get direct access to customers who can provide completely secure payment. We resolve any dispute efficiently and fairly. The result is mutually beneficial- customers get a lower price and professionals get a better payout. They don’t have to needlessly go back and forth with an agency that is only out for themselves. We do the hard work to make your job easy.
Are you an immigration agency or a law firm?
Lingo Ledger offers a platform through which you can reach thousands of NAATI-certified Translators/Interpreters.
Are you an interpreter or translator?
Offering private interpreting and translation services through Lingo Ledger offers you the possibility to grow your customer base and earn some extra income on top of your regular job.