Lingua-World

What Lingua-World does

Lingua-World GmbH is a Cologne-headquartered translation and interpretation service provider founded in 1997 by Nelly Kostadinova, operating as a brand under ELAN Languages GmbH with Tom Jordi Ruesch as CEO. The company delivers professional language services in 180+ languages through 14 offices across Germany (Köln HQ plus Aachen, Berlin, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Hamburg, Heidelberg, München, Nürnberg, Regensburg, Stuttgart) and one office in Vienna, Austria. Its service portfolio spans translation (general and specialized across eight domains: Medicine & Pharmaceutics, Business/Economics, Law, Technology & Science, Arts & Culture, IT & Software, Chemistry, and Industry), interpreting (simultaneous, liaison/negotiation, court-certified sworn, and remote video/telephone), website and software localization, certified/sworn document translations, terminology and project management, multilingual revision, and since 2010, international marketing services. Operations are supported by a curated network of 10,000+ freelance native-speaker translators and interpreters and process 100,000+ translations per year.

The business operates on a professional-services revenue model. Published per-word pricing ranges from €0.12 (German–Russian) to €0.20 (German–Japanese), with all prices excluding VAT and double revision included. Interpreting, certified translations, and project-management engagements are quoted separately. Customer segments are horizontally distributed across legal/government, technical/industrial, medical/pharmaceutical, business/finance, international marketing, and events. Visible reference customers include REWE Group, Lufthansa Group, Deutsche Telekom, SWR, and WDR, alongside mid-market clients in energy, chemicals, IT, security, and legal services. The underlying technology stack is conventional: Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools, Translation Memory systems that auto-match repeated segments, customer-specific Terminology Databases, SSL 128-bit encrypted file transfer, and a four-eyes review by a second qualified translator on every translation. The company is certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 by TÜV NORD CERT GmbH.

Go-to-market is sales-led and consultation-driven, conducted through the 14 physical offices, a centralized hotline (+49 221 941030), and online inquiry forms. The company maintains a multilingual website in six languages (German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch). Distribution is concentrated in the DACH region with a global reach claim via the freelance translator network. No software-as-a-service platform, API, or self-service portal is offered; all engagements are quote-based and human-coordinated.

Name

Lingua-World

Legal name

Lingua-World GmbH

Website

https://lingua-world.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Lingua-World GmbH is a Cologne-based translation and interpretation agency founded in 1997, operating 14 offices in Germany and one in Austria, delivering certified language services in 180+ languages to enterprises, law firms, courts, and government bodies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Translation Services: Professional translations by native speakers across 180+ languages in multiple subject areas including legal, medical, technical, and marketing. Revenue based on per-word pricing.
2. Interpreting Services: Simultaneous, consecutive, liaison, and court-certified interpreting services. Covers conferences, negotiations, court proceedings, and video/telephone interpreting.
3. Localization Services: Website and software localization with SEO optimization for international markets.
4. Certified/Notarized Translations: Official certified translations for submission to authorities and courts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lingua-World provides professional translation and interpreting services in over 180 languages through a network of 10,000+ native-speaker translators and interpreters. The offering spans specialized translations across legal, medical, technical, IT, business, and industrial domains, alongside simultaneous, liaison, sworn/court-certified, and remote video/telephone interpreting. Localization of websites and software with SEO adaptation, certified document translation for authorities and courts, and supporting project management, terminology management, and international marketing services complete the portfolio.

Product overview

Lingua-World is a translation and interpreting service provider operating a franchise network of 16 offices (14 in Germany, 1 in Austria, and 1 international). The company's core offering consists of professional translation services in 180+ languages and interpreting services across all modalities (simultaneous, liaison, certified court, and remote video/telephone). Their service portfolio centers on specialized translations across eight domains (Medicine & Pharmaceutics, Business, Law, Technology, Arts & Culture, IT & Software, Chemistry, Industry), complemented by localization services for websites and software, document certification, project management, terminology management, and multilingual revision. The company employs over 10,000 native-speaker translators and interpreters globally and is certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 standards. Additional services include international marketing consulting and multimedia translation. All services are delivered through physical office locations rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Translation Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Consistent terminology across all translations and future projects through terminology databases
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ELAN Languages GmbHparentOthersLingua-World is a brand of ELAN Languages GmbH. The company is part of the ElaN Languages group. Tom Jordi Ruesch serves as CEO of Lingua-World GmbH.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lionbridge: Large global LSP offering enterprise translation, localization, and interpreting services; comparable in scope, certified quality processes, and blue-chip enterprise customer base.
• TransPerfect: World's largest privately held LSP, providing translation, interpreting, and localization across virtually every industry; directly comparable business model and enterprise go-to-market.
• Semantix: Nordic and European LSP providing enterprise translation, interpretation, and localization with ISO certification; comparable in scope, customer mix, and geographic orientation within Northern Europe.
• Welocalize: Global translation and localization provider offering multilingual content services, content transformation, and AI-enabled workflows to enterprise clients; directly comparable in service mix and target customers.
• Supertext: Swiss translation agency offering professional translation and localization for enterprise clients with a tech-enabled workflow; comparable as a German-speaking-market LSP competing for similar DACH enterprise business.
• RWS Holdings: UK-listed global language services and IP services provider; the most direct enterprise LSP comparable to Lingua-World, with similar translation, localization, and certified translation offerings across hundreds of language pairs.
• LanguageLine Solutions: Largest provider of interpreting services (phone, video, in-person), with strong focus on certified/court and enterprise demand; highly comparable on the interpreting side of Lingua-World's offering.
• Acolad: European-headquartered LSP offering translation, localization, and interpreting with ISO-certified quality processes; closely comparable in language coverage, certifications, and European enterprise focus.

Emerging players

• Pangeanic: European AI-translation and localization provider offering hybrid MT/post-editing workflows; comparable service surface (translation, localization) but with a stronger proprietary technology angle than Lingua-World.
• Lengoo: Berlin-based LSP combining neural MT with human post-editing for enterprise customers; comparable service offering but with a software-first, AI-native operating model that contrasts with Lingua-World's traditional services approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lingua-world

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Lingua-World