FAQ by translators


Why were my languages declined?

Some language pairs are closed for applying as we have enough translators already. Therefore, your language request was declined.

The list of closed pairs is below:

From To
English Arabic
English French
English Italian
English Russian
English Spanish
English Portuguese
English Chinese (Simplified)
English Chinese (Traditional)
English Indonesian
English Ukrainian
French Spanish
French English
Spanish French
German English
German Spanish
German Italian
Italian Spanish


Are there any fees?

There is a straightforward commission of 20% for each job done with us. There are no other fees.

How do I get paid?

We pay through PayPal. You need to make a test deposit to validate your PayPal account and link it to your ICanLocalize profile. You can withdraw the money to your PayPal account from My Account > Payments and Withdrawals

How can I change my PayPal account linked to my ICanLocalize profile?

You can simply add a new one by going to Account -> Payments and withdrawals -> Withdraw money from this account -> Do a test deposit and enter your new account. However, your old Paypal account can’t be removed from the system.

I can’t add a PayPal account

There cannot be two ICanLocalize accounts using the same PayPal email. The email that you are trying to add is already associated with a verified account.

There is no PayPal in my country

Create a support ticket and explain your situation. We will find a workaround.

Note that, if a bank transfer is the only option, a $45 USD fee will be deducted from the total amount for each transaction.

How can I set my rate for a project?

For Software projects, it is not possible as the rate is fixed per language.

For Instant translation projects, it is not possible as the rate is fixed at $0.11 USD per word.

For Website projects, you may have the option to apply at your own rate, always provided that the client opens the project for applications.

For Bidding projects, you can set your price for the entire work (not per word).

How does the rating system work?

The rating is calculated based on the number of completed jobs, timely delivery, issues opened, and the number of positive feedbacks.

Why am I not accepted to work on projects?

Post a good message to clients when applying for projects, describe your experience in the related field and offer timely deadlines. Give as much information as you can on your profile and resume. You can check other profiles to get some hints.

You can also set notifications of new projects from your email box to your phone.

All translators start just like you. And hard work brings them to the top.

What’s a warning

A translator can be issued a warning when they submit low-quality work, fail to meet deadlines, fail to respond to clients or support staff and other reasons that go against the services ICanLocalize offers.

How many warnings are there?

There are two warnings allowed. The third warning means termination of the translator’s account.



When can I start working on a bidding project?

When you receive a notification that your bid has been accepted. Not before. If you submit a job without your bid being accepted, you won’t receive payment and ICanLocalize won’t be liable for the payment.

The word count is bigger than the one posted in the project.

You can always ask the client (in the project chat) to grant you access to the file, before applying. Check if the file has repeated sentences.

Note, that after a job has been accepted as complete, we cannot help you update the word count and bid accordingly.

When will I get paid for the Bidding project?

After you declare the translation as Complete, the client has up to 7 days to review the translation and release a payment. If after 7 days the payment hasn’t been released, you can open a support ticket and request your payment.



Received a notification email that my application was accepted but I can’t start translating.

Your application was accepted but the client hasn’t uploaded the translatable file or hasn’t paid for the project yet. You will receive another notification when the project is ready to start.

Where do I find the text to translate?

Go to the project chat, press the button to Start translating.

How do I declare the translation as complete?

Go to the project chat, and press the button “Declare the translation as completed”.

How can I correctly review a software project?

Once you receive a notification to start reviewing, contact the client and ask them for some screenshots of the app with the translations implemented. Some clients even share a code for you to download the app and review it in context.

If you find issues, open an issue for the translator, discuss it and reach an agreement. Involve the client only when absolutely necessary. For instance, when you need more context.

I am the reviewer of a software project, how do I declare the review as completed?

No need, when you mark the last string as reviewed the project status is updated automatically.



I was assigned to a project, how do I translate the jobs?

Go to your Open Work page, click on a job link. Next, click on “Start Translating” button, click on “Translate” button to open the job in WebTA.

To learn more about WebTA, visit the tutorial Getting started with WebTA.

I completed a job but I didn’t receive the payment

The job is under revision by a second translator. The payment will be transferred when the review is declared as completed.

I completed a review but the job is still in progress

In order to fully complete a website job, there shouldn’t be any open issues.

If you finished the review with open issues, the job went back to the translator to check the suggestions and apply them. When the translator has finished, you will need to approve the job and declare as reviewed again. Both the reviewer and the translator can close issues. A job is completed and the payment transferred only when the review is declared as completed with no open issues.

As a reviewer, can I edit the translation?

By default, you cannot make edits to the text. You can open issues to the translator using the “Chat” icon above the translation field.

In some specific (urgent) cases, if the translator isn’t available, we can allow reviewers to edit. If absolutely needed, you can open a support ticket to request editing access to the jobs.

The job contains small segments with weird text

If you have segments with text that doesn’t look like it needs to be translated, most likely those parts are code or formatting information for the visualization of the page on the website.

  1. Check the original page: if the text isn’t visible, most likely it doesn’t need to be translated.
  2. The text between square brackets […] doesn’t need to be translated.
  3. Segments with one word only, often with a non capitalized word, are in some cases the name of page element that doesn’t need to be translated.
  4. Segments with one word with dashes, like “one-image-view” are names of a page element that doesn’t need to be translated.

If you are in doubt, please open a support ticket so we can help you check the page.



How are instant translations assigned?

As the name says, Instant Translations should be quick. This means that the first translator that clicks on the ‘Translate’ button will get it.

Can I communicate with the client while translating an IT?

No. For this kind of project, contacting the client is not possible.

As a reviewer, can I contact the client when reviewing an IT?

Yes, you can contact the client or the translator by creating an issue. However, you should always keep in mind that the job must be complete as soon as possible.

When should I ‘Flag’ an Instant Translation?

When the text is too complex for you or there is not enough context. When you flag an IT, it goes back to the waiting list to be taken by another translator. Please note that you cannot take again an IT if you flagged it as complex. If an IT is flagged 3 times, it goes back to the client asking them to provide more context or moving the IT to a general translation project.