A2MS

What A2MS does

A2MS is a Lyon-based professional translation services agency founded in 1993 by Martine Filiptchenko, a Russian-to-French translator, and has operated continuously for over 30 years. The company serves business clients in France and internationally, ranging from small and medium-sized enterprises (TPE/PME) to large French and international groups, with a stated active client base of 300+ organizations handling approximately 3,000 translation projects per year across 100+ language combinations. Its core differentiator is specialization in Eastern European languages — Russian, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, Czech, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, and others — a niche where Russian alone accounts for approximately 30% of revenue. Named enterprise customers span cosmetics (L'Oréal, Clarins, L'Occitane, Sephora), luxury watches and fashion (Hermès, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Breitling, Roger Dubuis), technical and industrial (Airbus, Alstom, Schneider Electric, Adéo, Dekra), medical and pharmaceutical (Allergan, Thuasne, Vanderbilt International), tourism (Paris Airports, Courchevel Ski Resort), and sports federations (European Judo Federation, French Ski Federation).

A2MS's delivery model is built on a curated network of 500-1,000+ freelance professional translators coordinated by an internal team of approximately 1-10 staff (founder, Managing Director, and project managers), with technology infrastructure comprising SDL Studio and Memsource (Phrase) for translation memory and terminology consistency, and a secure, login-protected client project management platform. The company has integrated third-party machine translation engines (DeepL, Google Translate, Microsoft Translator) into a post-editing workflow to accelerate translator productivity on common language pairs, while keeping human translation as the core product. Its services are organized both by industry vertical (Technical, Legal, Financial, Medical, Cosmetic, Luxury, Gastronomy, Tourism, Sports/Leisure) and by specific language pair, with a stated seven-step quality control process anchored by project-manager proofreading.

A2MS generates revenue through custom-quoted, per-word pricing on professional translation, revision, and desktop publishing (PAO) engagements, with rates varying by language pair, domain complexity, urgency, and translation memory repetition. The go-to-market is sales-led: prospective clients request quotes via website forms, email, phone, WhatsApp, or free Calendly consultations, with quotes typically returned within one hour. The company is privately held and founder-owned, with no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or external funding rounds. A2MS is a member of CNET France, the French professional association for translation and localization companies.

Name

A2MS

Website

https://a2ms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

A2MS is a Lyon-based professional translation agency founded in 1993 that serves 300+ business clients across 100+ language combinations, specializing in Eastern European languages and serving enterprise customers in cosmetics, luxury, technical, medical, and tourism sectors through a curated network of 500-1,000+ freelance translators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Translation Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Translation & Transcreation Services (Script/Dialogue Adaptation) (MPAHAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Machine Translation & Multilingual NLP (HDAAADAD)

Keywords

• Professional translation services
• Multilingual localization
• Specialized language translation
• Technical document translation
• Eastern european languages

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Translation Services: Core revenue from providing professional translation services to businesses. Services include translation, revision, and DTP (desktop publishing). Pricing is typically per word and varies based on language pair, domain complexity, and deadline. Long-term collaborative relationships emphasized.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

A2MS is a professional translation agency providing specialized multilingual translation services to businesses across 100+ language combinations. Its core offering centers on the human translation and post-editing of technical, legal, financial, medical, cosmetic, luxury, gastronomy, tourism, and sports/leisure content, supported by translation memory technology (SDL Studio, Memsource/Phrase), a seven-step quality control process, and a network of 500–1,000+ freelance native translators.

Product overview

A2MS is a professional translation services company established in Lyon since 1993, offering a comprehensive portfolio of translation services organized by industry domain (Technical, Legal, Financial, Medical, Cosmetic, Luxury, Gastronomy, Tourism, Sports/Leisure) and by language pair (specializing in Eastern European languages such as Russian, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, Czech, Croatian, as well as Scandinavian, Asian, and Western European languages). The company operates a network of over 500-1000 native expert translators and provides supporting services including Translation Memory (using SDL Studio and Memsource), secure project management platform access, and post-editing workflows. Services range from specialized domain translations to general business translation, with quality control processes including professional proofreading and revision.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Translation Services Core professional translation offering for businesses covering translation, post-editing, and desktop publishing (PAO) across 100+ language combinations and multiple subject areas. Targeted at TPE/PME and large French and international groups seeking multilingual content for international expansion.
• Technical Translation Specialized translation of technical documents including manuals, technical specifications, patents, and engineering documentation with consistent terminology, targeted at industrial and manufacturing companies.
• Legal Translation Translation of legal documents with high technical accuracy and comparative law research to ensure proper transposition of legal terms across different legal systems, targeted at law firms and corporate legal departments.
• Financial Translation Translation of financial documents including annual reports, balance sheets, audit reports, financial analyses, and investor information documents with a zero-error policy, targeted at financial institutions and listed corporations.
• Medical Translation Translation of medical and pharmaceutical documents including patents, clinical protocols, pharmaceutical packaging labels, patient care records, and medical equipment documentation under strict confidentiality, targeted at pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers.
• Cosmetic Translation Translation services for the cosmetics industry including product launches, marketing materials, and dermatological content adapted for healthcare professionals, targeted at beauty and cosmetics brands.
• Luxury Translation Premium translation services for luxury brands including fashion, haute couture, footwear, leather goods, watches, perfumery, and high-end marketing materials, targeted at premium and luxury maisons requiring meticulous terminological accuracy.
• Gastronomy Translation Specialized culinary translation including restaurant menus, wine labels, technical sheets, and tasting notes drawing on deep understanding of source and target food cultures, targeted at restaurants, food brands, and wine producers.
• Tourism Translation Translation services for the tourism industry including website localization, brochures, travel guides, and tourism-related materials, targeted at airports, ski resorts, and travel agencies.
• Sports and Leisure Translation Translation of sports documents including regulations, club presentations, press releases, websites, and technical clothing catalogs with sport-specific terminology, targeted at sports federations, clubs, and athletic apparel brands.
• Russian Translation Specialized Russian translation services performed by native Russian speakers, covering cosmetics, luxury, Swiss watches, nuclear, and electromechanical sectors, targeted at businesses needing high-quality Russian-language content.
• Polish Translation Professional Polish translation services performed by native Polish-speaking project managers with a dense translator network covering all domains, targeted at businesses requiring Polish-language content.
• Hungarian Translation Specialized Hungarian translation services delivered by numerous experienced translators across various industry sectors, targeted at businesses needing Hungarian-language content.
• Romanian Translation Romanian translation services for businesses, including clients such as Louis Vuitton, focused on EU-relevant content and targeting companies needing Romanian-language communication.
• Czech Translation Professional Czech translation services delivered as one of A2MS's main working languages, leveraging an extensive Slavic language translator network, targeted at businesses requiring Czech-language content.
• Croatian Translation Professional Croatian translation services covering the South Slavic language group with particular service to tourism-sector clients, targeted at businesses needing Croatian-language content.
• Translation Memory Services Translation memory services using SDL Studio or Memsource (Phrase) to ensure terminology consistency within and across documents, enabling cost-effective updates to previously translated materials, targeted at clients with ongoing or recurring translation needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Quote provided within 1 hour
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CNET FranceminorOthersA2MS is a member of CNET France, a professional association for translation and localization companies in France, providing industry networking and credibility.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Welocalize: Global LSP with strong localization and MT post-editing offerings. Competes with A2MS for mid-market and enterprise translation work, particularly where AI-augmented workflows are in play.
• Lionbridge: One of the world's largest language service providers offering translation, localization, and interpreting across virtually all language pairs and verticals. Comparable as a direct enterprise translation vendor, but operating at vastly greater scale and breadth than A2MS.
• LanguageLine Solutions: Largest interpretation and translation services provider in the world, focused on enterprise and government. Competes with A2MS for enterprise language services budgets.
• TransPerfect: Privately held global LSP offering translation, interpretation, and localization across hundreds of language pairs. Direct competitor for the same large French and international enterprise accounts as A2MS.
• RWS Group: Global LSP (parent of SDL Trados, the CAT platform A2MS uses) offering translation, localization, and IP services. Competes for the same enterprise RFPs as A2MS and supplies the underlying translation-memory technology A2MS depends on.

Direct peers

• Acolad: European-headquartered translation and localization company with strong presence in France. Most directly comparable to A2MS in terms of European SMB and enterprise translation services.
• Morningside Translations: Boutique LSP serving legal, financial, and life-sciences clients globally. Comparable to A2MS in domain-specialized enterprise translation with a focus on regulated industries.
• spe-agence: French translation agency offering multilingual translation services to enterprises. Comparable niche-specialist LSP competing with A2MS in the French SMB/enterprise translation segment.
• Translated.net: Translation services company combining human linguists with proprietary MT (ModernMT). Comparable to A2MS as an LSP integrating AI/machine translation with human review.

Emerging players

• DeepL: Neural machine translation provider widely used by professional translators, including A2MS. Not a direct LSP competitor today, but represents the technology trend that could commoditize A2MS's lower-end work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInfr.linkedin.com/company/a2ms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 A2MS