Linguistic Systems
Linguistic Systems is a Boston-based language translation and interpretation company serving medical, legal, government, and life sciences enterprises via its proprietary Ai Translate platform and a 7,500-translator network spanning 200+ languages.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1967
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Linguistic Systems does
Linguistic Systems, Inc. (LSI), founded in 1967 and headquartered at 260 Franklin Street in Boston, Massachusetts, is a language translation and interpretation services provider focused on regulated industries. The company serves medical, healthcare, medical-device, life-sciences, pharmaceutical, legal, and government buyers through a combination of expert human translation, machine translation, post-editing, and interpreting services delivered in 200+ languages. Its named enterprise roster includes the U.S. Department of Justice, Abbott, Harvard University, Raytheon, Saudi Aramco, General Electric, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, MIT Press, Consilio, Epiq, Leidos, Federal Express, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, indicating deep penetration into Fortune-grade accounts alongside government and defense work. The wholly-owned nonprofit subsidiary LSI Foundation operates a parallel pro bono channel for approved law-firm clients, capped at $24,000 in annual services.
LSI's core technology asset is its proprietary Ai Translate by LSI™ platform, launched in 2012 and offered both as a standalone web-portal product and as an embedded capability within the Relativity eDiscovery platform. Ai Translate aggregates 100+ third-party machine translation engines, supports up to 120 language pairs across six quality tiers (raw machine output through full human translation with post-editing), and adds AI-driven modules including AI Summarization, AI Interpreting for live interview translation, and cross-lingual FCPA Compliance Analytics. Translation work is executed through a contracted network of 7,500 certified translators, of whom 70% hold advanced degrees and all of whom carry at least three years of professional experience with native fluency and in-country cultural immersion.
The commercial model is hybrid. Enterprise accounts are managed through field sales with account-management support on multi-year managed-service contracts; mid-market clients access the Ai Translate web portal in a usage-based configuration; and smaller organizations submit requests through website quote forms. The company maintains four ISO certifications—ISO 9001, ISO 17100 (one of the first certified when the standard was introduced in 2015), ISO 18587, and ISO 27001—which function as the primary procurement gating credential for regulated buyers. Revenue, ownership structure, and detailed headcount figures beyond the stated 11–50 employee range are not publicly disclosed.
Linguistic Systems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Linguistic Systems
- Legal name
- Linguistic Systems, Inc.
- Website
- https://linguist.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1967
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Linguistic Systems is a Boston-based language translation and interpretation company serving medical, legal, government, and life sciences enterprises via its proprietary Ai Translate platform and a 7,500-translator network spanning 200+ languages.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Linguistic Systems industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Language Translation and Interpreting Services
- NAICS
- Translation and Interpretation Services (541930), Software Publishers (513210), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Translation & Transcreation Services (Script/Dialogue Adaptation) (MPAHAFAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Machine Translation & Multilingual NLP (HDAAADAD), Localization Technology & Automation (TMS, Subtitle Tools, MT/AI, Speech-to-Text) (MPAHAFAH), Speech Translation & Multilingual Speech Tech (HDAAAFAE), Multilingual/Translation Communication Apps (BPAMACAJ)
Keywords
Where Linguistic Systems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Linguistic Systems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Translation Services: Project-based translation services ranging from pure machine translation to expert human translation with post-editing. Services are priced based on quality level, language pair complexity, and volume. Ai Translate platform enables processing of thousands or millions of files for large enterprise clients.
- Interpreting Services: Remote telephone interpreting, video interpreting, in-person interpreting, and AI-powered interpreting services. Offered as a managed service or software solution across 200+ languages.
- Ai Translate Software Subscription: Ai Translate available as a standalone software solution via web portal or integrated within Relativity. LSI Foundation offers subscription-based pro bono services with automatic renewal upon depletion of provisioned units.
- Managed Translation Services: End-to-end managed translation services where LSI team handles the entire process, suitable for organizations preferring outsourced language services management.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Machine Translation Only - Statistical or Neural MT for high-volume, cost-sensitive projects |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Machine Translation + Light Human Post-Editing |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Machine Translation + Full Human Post-Editing |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Full Human Translation |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Human Translation + Post-Editing |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Ai Translate Managed Service |
| Subscription | Annual | LSI Foundation Pro Bono Services |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Linguistic Systems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Linguistic Systems provides expert human translation and post-editing, machine translation, and interpreting services across 200+ languages through a network of 7,500 certified translators, serving medical, legal, government, life sciences, technology, and publishing organizations. Its proprietary Ai Translate by LSI™ platform combines 100+ machine translation engines, GenAI, and analytics across up to 120 language pairs and 6 quality levels, available as standalone SaaS, embedded within Relativity, or as a managed service.
Product overview
Linguistic Systems operates as a language translation services company with two main offerings: (1) its core Linguistic Systems brand providing expert human translation and post-editing services, machine translation, and interpreting across 200+ languages via 7,500 certified translators, and (2) the Ai Translate by LSI™ platform—a technology-driven translation solution featuring machine translation via 100+ engines, GenAi capabilities, analytics, and 6 quality levels supporting up to 120 language pairs. The platform is accessible as standalone web software or as an integrated solution within Relativity for legal eDiscovery. Industry-specific translation services (medical, legal, government, life sciences, technology, publishing) are offered both as standalone service lines and as specialized modules within the Ai Translate platform. A nonprofit subsidiary, LSI Foundation, provides pro bono services to approved legal clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Ai Translate by LSI™: Translation solution offering machine translation via 100+ translation engines, expert human translation and post-editing from 7,500 certified translators, and ISO quality and security. Includes eDiscovery Translation, Relativity Translation, Legal Translation, AI Summarization, Legal Interpreting, AI Interpreting, FCPA Compliance Analytics, and Government Translation & Analytics.
Products and services
- Ai Translate by LSI™ Proprietary translation platform that combines machine translation across 100+ engines, expert human translation and post-editing from 7,500 certified translators, GenAI capabilities, and analytics. Supports up to 120 language pairs across 6 quality levels, available as a standalone SaaS via web portal, embedded inside Relativity, or as a managed service.
- Linguistic Systems Translation & Interpreting Services Core expert human translation and post-editing, machine translation, and interpreting services (remote telephone, video, in-person) delivered through a network of 7,500 certified translators covering 200+ languages for medical, legal, government, life sciences, technology, and publishing clients, including custom bilingual glossary development.
- Medical Translation Services Specialized translation for healthcare, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences, covering medical records, patient instructions, clinical protocols, device manuals and UI, packaging inserts, and EU MDR-related regulatory submissions, delivered by domain-specialist translators.
- Legal Translation Services Translation services for legal and eDiscovery use cases including litigation support, M&A, intellectual property, international litigation, antitrust investigations, and regulatory compliance, with Ai Translate embedded directly inside the Relativity eDiscovery platform.
- Medical Interpreting Services Remote telephone, video, and in-person interpreting for medical appointments and healthcare settings across 200+ languages, supporting patient-provider communication for hospitals, clinics, and healthcare organizations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Ai Translate can process thousands or millions of files quickly and affordably for enterprise clients
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Linguistic Systems
Customer profileNamed customers26 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Linguistic Systems technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability6 records
Feature5 records
Linguistic Systems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- RelativitycoreAi Translate by LSI integrates directly within the Relativity eDiscovery platform, enabling legal professionals to access translation capabilities within their existing litigation workflow. This allows processing of thousands of foreign language documents for eDiscovery, litigation support, and investigations.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Linguistic Systems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- RWS Group: RWS Group (now including SDL, Moravia, and Trados) offers enterprise translation, localization technology (Trados TMS), and regulated-industry services — directly comparable to LSI's language services plus Ai Translate platform model.
- Lionbridge: Lionbridge is a global LSP providing human translation, MT, and AI-enabled localization across regulated industries (life sciences, legal, gaming), competing head-to-head with LSI's Ai Translate on enterprise translation and interpreting.
- Welocalize: Welocalize is a mid-to-large LSP delivering translation, localization, and interpreting for legal, life sciences, and technology clients, with proprietary platforms — directly mirroring LSI's hybrid services-plus-tech model.
- LanguageLine Solutions: LanguageLine Solutions is the largest provider of telephone, video, and in-person interpreting in 200+ languages, serving healthcare, government, and legal — a direct head-to-head competitor in LSI's medical interpreting business.
- TransPerfect: TransPerfect is the world's largest language services provider, offering translation, interpreting, and localization for legal, life sciences, and government clients — directly overlapping with LSI's core verticals and enterprise translation/interpreting model.
- CyraCom: CyraCom provides phone and video interpreting focused on healthcare and government, overlapping with LSI's Medical Interpreting Services and regulated-industry interpreting offering.
Emerging players
- Smartling: Smartling is a translation management and AI-enabled localization platform serving enterprise digital content; competes with LSI's Ai Translate on the software/platform layer rather than the human-services layer.
- DeepL: DeepL is a leading AI-native machine translation provider competing on raw MT quality; an emerging disruptor to the MT engine component of LSI's Ai Translate stack and a potential channel alternative for LSI's clients.
- TerraTranslate / Lingostar: AI-native and on-demand interpreting startups targeting live interpretation with AI; emerging competitive threat and adjacent comparable to LSI's new AI Interpreting product offering.
Broad incumbents
- SDL (now part of RWS): SDL (Trados) was the legacy leader in translation memory and TMS software for enterprise localization, providing the underlying technology many LSPs still use; comparable broad-incumbent footprint to LSI's Ai Translate platform ambitions.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Linguistic Systems social profiles
Digital presenceLinguistic Systems compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Linguistic Systems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Linguistic Systems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Linguistic Systems subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Linguistic Systems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Linguistic Systems 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 Linguistic Systems
What does Linguistic Systems do?
Linguistic Systems provides expert human translation and post-editing, machine translation, and interpreting services across 200+ languages through a network of 7,500 certified translators, serving medical, legal, government, life sciences, technology, and publishing organizations. Its proprietary Ai Translate by LSI™ platform combines 100+ machine translation engines, GenAI, and analytics across up to 120 language pairs and 6 quality levels, available as standalone SaaS, embedded within Relativity, or as a managed service.
Is Linguistic Systems a public or private company?
Linguistic Systems is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Linguistic Systems founded?
Linguistic Systems was founded in 1967. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Linguistic Systems based?
Linguistic Systems is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Linguistic Systems make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Translation Services are the primary driver. The others are interpreting Services, ai Translate Software Subscription and managed Translation Services.
Who are Linguistic Systems's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are RWS Group, Lionbridge, Welocalize, LanguageLine Solutions, TransPerfect and CyraCom. Emerging players are Smartling, DeepL and TerraTranslate / Lingostar. SDL (now part of RWS) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Linguistic Systems have an API?
No public API is recorded for Linguistic Systems.
What industry is Linguistic Systems in?
Linguistic Systems's product category is Language Translation and Interpreting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHAFAD, Translation & Transcreation Services (Script/Dialogue Adaptation), with a secondary code of HDAAADAD, Machine Translation & Multilingual NLP. Its NAICS code is 541930 and its SIC code is 7370.