Alboum

What Alboum does

Alboum is a woman-owned translation and interpretation services company founded in 2001 and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. The firm provides written translation, virtual interpretation (simultaneous and consecutive) via phone and video, production and multimedia localization, and bilingual staff support. Its primary customer base consists of K-12 school districts, public health agencies, reproductive health organizations, advocacy groups, human services providers, environmental nonprofits, local government entities, and international NGOs — collectively a mission-driven and public-sector orientation that distinguishes Alboum from generalist language service providers.

The company operates a tech-enabled services model that layers human linguists onto a standard localization technology stack. Core components include SDL Trados for translation memory and terminology management, Boostlingo for interpretation delivery infrastructure, and Plunet for business process and project management. Alboum offers both fully human translation and Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE), maintains a FERPA-compliant translation engine for education-sector content, and has built 200+ specialized Special Education glossaries. The technology stack is composed of third-party, industry-standard platforms rather than proprietary IP, positioning Alboum as a services-led operator using AI as a productivity layer.

Alboum's commercial model is project-based B2B/B2G services delivery, priced per project rather than via subscription, with go-to-market heavily dependent on purchasing cooperatives (BuyBoard, Choice Partners, and similar procurement vehicles) that pre-vet the firm for public-sector and K-12 buyers. Recent product expansion includes an IEP Translation Solution (launched August 2025) targeting Individualized Education Program documentation and ASL Interpretation services (launched December 2025) extending into accessibility services. A sister company, Treehouse Translations, was spun out in February 2025. Leadership transitioned to Hillary Berman as CEO in January 2025.

Name

Alboum

Legal name

Alboum

Website

https://alboum.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alboum is a woman-owned translation and interpretation services firm founded in 2001 and headquartered in Bethesda, MD, serving K-12 schools, public health agencies, NGOs, and government clients with written translation, virtual interpretation, IEP translation, and ASL services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Translation and Interpretation Services

NAICS

Translation and Interpretation Services (541930), Translation and Interpretation Services (54193)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Multilingual/Translation Communication Apps (BPAMACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) Evaluation, Implementation & Training (School-Based) (EDAKAEAI)

Keywords

• Translation services
• Interpretation services
• Language access
• Document translation
• Conference interpretation

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Written Translation Services: Per-word or per-project pricing for translating documents in any language. Services include full-human translation and Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE) options. No rush fees or project management fees.
2. Interpretation Services: Virtual interpretation services including simultaneous and consecutive interpretation. Offered via phone, video (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet), or in-person. Charged hourly with one-hour minimums for Zoom consecutive interpretation, and per-minute rates for on-demand over-the-phone interpretation.
3. Production & Multimedia Services: Transcription, subtitling, voiceover, layout, and content management services. Billed per project based on content type and format requirements.
4. Bilingual Staff Assessments: Assessment services to evaluate bilingual staff language proficiency for organizations needing internal language support evaluation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Alboum is a woman-owned translation and interpretation agency headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland that provides full-human and AI-supported language services in nearly 100 languages to nonprofit organizations, schools, public health organizations, advocacy groups, and local government agencies. Its core offerings include written translation (per-word or per-project pricing with no rush or project management fees), virtual interpretation (simultaneous and consecutive via phone and video, including on-demand with sub-60-second connection), production and multimedia services (transcription, subtitling, voiceover, layout), and bilingual staff assessments, delivered through a distributed global team of freelance linguists and supported by Trados, Boostlingo, and Plunet platforms.

Product overview

Alboum is a language services agency offering a unified portfolio of translation and interpretation services specifically for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations. The core offerings include Written Translation (full-human and AI-supported), Virtual Interpretation (simultaneous and consecutive via phone/video/virtual platforms), Production & Multimedia Services (transcription, subtitling, voiceover, layout), and Support for Bilingual Staff. Specialized solutions include the IEP Translation Solution for special education documents and ASL interpretation services. A sister company, Treehouse Translations, serves commercial clients outside Alboum's nonprofit focus. The company utilizes technology including translation memory tools (Trados), interpretation platforms (Boostlingo), and machine translation post-editing to augment human linguists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Treehouse Translations: Alboum's sister company serving commercial clients for translation and interpretation needs outside the nonprofit sector, including product packaging, real estate, restaurant materials, legal/medical interpretation, and certified translations.

Products and services

• Written Translation Full-human and AI-supported written translation in nearly 100 languages for nonprofits, mission-driven organizations, and local government agencies. Available in any length and any format, with all-inclusive per-word or per-project pricing, no rush fees, and no project management fees. Supports both full-human translation and Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE) options.
• Virtual Interpretation Simultaneous and consecutive interpretation delivered over phone, video (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet), and in-person. Includes on-demand over-the-phone and video interpretation available 24/7 with sub-60-second connection times, plus scheduled Zoom consecutive interpretation with one-hour minimums and one-day cancellation notice.
• Production & Multimedia Services Transcription, subtitling, voiceover, multilingual layout design, and content management services supporting the production of translated materials in any language.
• Support for Bilingual Staff Services and assessments that evaluate bilingual staff language proficiency for organizations needing internal language support and resources.
• IEP Translation Solution Specialized FERPA-compliant translation solution for Individualized Education Program documents, using machine translation post-editing with English-Spanish and English-Arabic Special Education Glossaries (200+ terms) to reduce cost and time by approximately 25% versus standalone MTPE. Targeted at U.S. K-12 schools and districts.
• ASL Interpretation Services Scheduled American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation services connecting organizations with certified ASL interpreters for meetings and events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sub-60-second connection time for on-demand interpretation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Choice PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 June 2026Alboum has been awarded Choice Partners' national purchasing contract (26/019SG-03) for Language Access Products and Services, enabling government and education clients to procurement Alboum services through the cooperative purchasing program.
• BuyBoardcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2026Alboum has been awarded BuyBoard Contract No. 799-26 for Oral Interpretation and Written Translation Services, providing purchasing coop members access to Alboum's language services.
• Treehouse TranslationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 2025Alboum's sister company, Treehouse Translations, serves businesses and individuals outside Alboum's core nonprofit focus. Provides product packaging, real estate, restaurant, legal, medical interpretation, and certified translations for personal documents.
• TIPS Purchasing CooperativecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTIPS (The Interlocal Purchasing System) cooperative purchasing program allows members to access Alboum's pre-negotiated language services pricing.
• Allied States/ESC-19coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAllied States cooperative purchasing program through ESC-19 enabling member organizations to procurement Alboum services through pre-negotiated contracts.
• Region One ESCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegion One Education Service Center cooperative purchasing program providing Alboum language access services to member schools and districts.
• BoostlingocoreTechnology or IntegrationAlboum's interpretation platform is powered by Boostlingo technology, enabling on-demand interpretation services via phone and video with sub-60-second connection times.
• TradoscoreTechnology or IntegrationAlboum uses Trados as their primary translation memory tool to expedite translation processes, provide consistency across documents, and empower translators to work efficiently. Also supports memoQ and OmegaT.
• PlunetsupportingTechnology or IntegrationAlboum uses Plunet for translation project management and linguist invoicing, integrating translation workflows and business processes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• LanguageLine Solutions: Largest US-based interpretation services provider, offering phone, video, and onsite interpretation across dozens of languages with 24/7 coverage. Directly comparable as a core competitor in the on-demand interpretation segment Alboum serves, but operates at significantly larger scale with broader commercial and government reach.
• Lionbridge: One of the world's largest language service providers offering translation, interpretation, localization, and AI data services. Comparable to Alboum at the translation and MTPE level, though Lionbridge operates at enterprise scale across all major verticals.
• TransPerfect: Global LSP offering translation, interpretation, and multilingual business services with strong presence in legal, healthcare, and life sciences. Competes with Alboum for written translation and interpretation contracts across regulated industries, but at much greater scale.

Direct peers

• CyraCom: Interpretation and translation provider specializing in healthcare and government, with strong phone/video interpretation capabilities. Directly comparable to Alboum's healthcare and public health interpretation work, and competes for similar healthcare and education RFPs.
• Sorenson Communications: Provider of interpretation services with particular strength in ASL/video relay and language services for government and healthcare. Directly comparable to Alboum's newly launched Scheduled ASL Interpretation offering and broader interpretation portfolio.
• United Language Group: Mid-sized language services company providing translation, localization, and interpretation for healthcare, government, and life sciences. Directly comparable in scale and vertical focus (especially healthcare and regulated industries), and competes for similar RFPs.
• LanguageBridge: Interpretation and translation services company serving schools, government, and healthcare. Closely comparable to Alboum's K-12 and government focus, with similar cooperative contract exposure and customer segment overlap.
• Rev: On-demand transcription, captioning, and translation services platform serving SMB and enterprise customers with hybrid human-AI delivery. Comparable to Alboum in serving mission-driven and SMB customers with usage-based interpretation/translation, though Rev's brand and customer base are broader and more commercial.

Emerging players

• Boostlingo: Technology platform powering Alboum's interpretation services, also offering its own interpretation platform and marketplace to LSPs and direct clients. Comparable as both a technology partner and an emerging competitive threat — Boostlingo can disintermediate Alboum by selling directly to end customers.
• Smartling: Tech-enabled translation management platform combining AI translation with human linguists for enterprise customers. Comparable to Alboum's MTPE approach but with more sophisticated proprietary technology and a stronger enterprise SaaS orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/alboumsays
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alboum
• Xx.com/AlboumSays

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alboum