DA Languages
DA Languages (trading as Dals) is a UK-based language services provider delivering interpreting and translation across 500+ languages and British Sign Language through a 6,000+ interpreter network, serving public sector bodies such as police forces, NHS trusts and local councils alongside private sector clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What DA Languages does
DA Languages Limited, trading as Dals, is a UK-based language services provider headquartered in Stretford, Greater Manchester, founded in 1998. The company delivers professional interpreting and translation services across more than 500 spoken languages plus British Sign Language to UK public sector bodies (police forces, NHS trusts, central government departments such as the DVSA, and local councils including Knowsley) and private sector clients in legal, financial, healthcare and commercial settings. Its service portfolio comprises five core lines: Video Remote Interpreting, Telephone Interpreting, Face-to-Face Interpreting, BSL Interpreting, and Translation, delivered through a network of 6,000+ qualified interpreters. Operational scale is approximately one million interpreting minutes per week, 15,000 bookings per day, and around 30,000 lives touched daily.
Underlying the service is a proprietary technology platform held under 100% IP ownership, governed by a five-year innovation roadmap and supported by multi-million-pound annual software and technology spend. The platform encompasses dedicated VRI, telephone, BSL and translation management infrastructure; while no explicit AI/ML capabilities are disclosed, the scale of operational data generated by hundreds of millions of interactions annually creates latent opportunity for algorithmic matching and quality optimisation. The company is one of a small number of UK language services providers carrying ISO 27001, 22301, 14001, 9001, 45001 and 17100 certifications, Cyber Essentials Plus, ATC 2026 translation membership, and the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award.
The business model is B2B/enterprise-field-sales oriented: revenue is generated through usage-based fees for interpreting (per-minute or per-booking) and transaction fees for translation (per word, page or project), with custom pricing for public sector framework agreements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company employs 101-250 staff and was backed by Foresight Group (approximately £3M in May 2018). Distribution is primarily direct to enterprise and government clients via account teams, a website enquiries portal, and a recruitment pathway for linguists — there is no visible third-party reseller or marketplace channel.
DA Languages firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DA Languages
- Legal name
- DA Languages Limited
- Website
- https://dalanguages.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- DA Languages (trading as Dals) is a UK-based language services provider delivering interpreting and translation across 500+ languages and British Sign Language through a 6,000+ interpreter network, serving public sector bodies such as police forces, NHS trusts and local councils alongside private sector clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DA Languages industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Language Services (Interpreting and Translation)
- NAICS
- Translation and Interpretation Services (541930), Translation and Interpretation Services (54193)
- SIC
- Communications Services, Nec (4899)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Multilingual/Translation Communication Apps (BPAMACAJ)
Keywords
Where DA Languages is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
DA Languages business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Interpreting Services (Video, Telephone, Face-to-Face, BSL): Usage-based charging for interpreting services measured in minutes of interaction. The company delivers approximately 1 million minutes of interactions per week across its interpreter network. Revenue is generated through per-minute or per-booking fees for on-demand and scheduled interpreting sessions across video, telephone, face-to-face, and British Sign Language modalities.
- Translation Services: Translation services billed per word, per page, or per project depending on language pair, complexity, and turnaround time. Services span 500+ languages with culturally accurate, ISO 17100-certified translation delivery.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
DA Languages product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DA Languages (trading as Dals) is a UK interpreting and translation agency delivering multilingual communication services across 500+ languages plus British Sign Language. Its core offerings are five distinct service lines: Video Remote Interpreting, Telephone Interpreting, Face-to-Face Interpreting, BSL Interpreting, and Translation, delivered through a 6,000+ interpreter network and a proprietary technology platform to public sector, central government, and private sector clients.
Product overview
Dals (formerly DA Languages) is a language services provider offering a unified portfolio of interpreting and translation services. The core offerings consist of five distinct service lines: Video Remote Interpreting, Telephone Interpreting, Face to Face Interpreting, BSL Interpreting, and Translation services. These services collectively cover more than 500 languages plus British Sign Language and other non-spoken languages. The company serves public sector, private sector, and central government clients, delivering approximately 1,000,000 minutes of interactions per week across a network of 6,000 interpreters.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Video Remote Interpreting
- Telephone Interpreting
- Face to Face Interpreting
- BSL Interpreting
- Translation Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 1 million minutes of interactions delivered per week, touching approximately 30,000 lives per day
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use DA Languages
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
DA Languages technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
DA Languages partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Association of Translation Companies (ATC)minorDals (DA Languages Limited) holds ATC 2026 certified translation membership (member number: 2026ATCAC1159), indicating adherence to the ATC's professional standards code of conduct for translation service providers. This is an industry membership and certification rather than a commercial partnership.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DA Languages competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LanguageLine Solutions: World's largest interpreting and translation provider with deep UK public sector presence across NHS, police, and local government. Most directly comparable to Dals on modality mix (telephony, VRI, F2F) and customer profile.
- RWS Group: UK-headquartered language, translation, and localisation services group with public sector and enterprise clients. Comparable on translation-led offering, ISO certifications, and regulated customer mix.
- thebigword: UK-based language services provider serving public sector, legal, and corporate clients with interpreting and translation. Direct competitor in UK framework agreements and similar enterprise sales motion.
- Capita Translation and Interpreting: UK public sector-focused interpreting arm of Capita, delivering language services to NHS, local government, and central government. Closest head-to-head competitor on public sector contracts.
- Language Empire: UK-based interpreting and translation agency serving public sector and private clients with face-to-face, telephone, and video interpreting. Direct competitor in UK framework tenders and similar modality mix.
- AA Global: UK language services provider specialising in translation, interpreting, and localisation for public and private sectors. Comparable in scale, certification profile, and customer targeting.
- Word360: UK-based interpreting and translation provider focused on NHS, local authorities, and legal sectors. Direct peer in UK public sector language services with overlapping modality and certification profile.
- United Language Group: Global language services company combining translation, interpreting, and localisation technology for enterprise and government clients. Comparable on multi-modality offering and regulated customer focus.
Broad incumbents
- TransPerfect: World's largest privately held language services and technology company with broad enterprise and government client base. Competes for large UK public sector tenders with global scale advantages.
- Lionbridge: Global language services and AI data annotation provider with extensive enterprise footprint. Comparable translation and interpreting capability at much larger scale, including public sector-adjacent contracts.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
DA Languages social profiles
Digital presenceDA Languages compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance10 records
DA Languages financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DA Languages leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
DA Languages funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DA Languages M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DA Languages
What does DA Languages do?
DA Languages (trading as Dals) is a UK interpreting and translation agency delivering multilingual communication services across 500+ languages plus British Sign Language. Its core offerings are five distinct service lines: Video Remote Interpreting, Telephone Interpreting, Face-to-Face Interpreting, BSL Interpreting, and Translation, delivered through a 6,000+ interpreter network and a proprietary technology platform to public sector, central government, and private sector clients.
Is DA Languages a public or private company?
DA Languages is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was DA Languages founded?
DA Languages was founded in 1998. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is DA Languages based?
DA Languages is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does DA Languages make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Interpreting Services (Video, Telephone, Face-to-Face, BSL) is the primary driver. The others are translation Services.
Who are DA Languages's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LanguageLine Solutions, RWS Group, thebigword, Capita Translation and Interpreting, Language Empire, AA Global, Word360 and United Language Group. Broad incumbents are TransPerfect and Lionbridge.
Does DA Languages have an API?
No public API is recorded for DA Languages.
What industry is DA Languages in?
DA Languages's product category is Language Services (Interpreting and Translation). Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMACAJ, Multilingual/Translation Communication Apps. Its NAICS code is 541930 and its SIC code is 4899.