Help / F.A.Q.

General

What is Interpreters’ Help?

Interpreters' Help is a web application that has been specifically designed to allow conference interpreters to manage their glossaries.
Members can use the web app to create, import, edit, search and save their glossaries in the cloud.
They also have the option of sharing glossaries with colleagues and viewing public glossaries on Interpreters' Help.

Who can use Interpreters’ Help?

Interpreters' Help has been designed specifically for the needs of conference interpreters.
That said, many translators also find it useful for managing their glossaries. The application is also suited to the needs of linguists and terminologists.
The best way to find out if it's the right tool for you is to register for free and test using the free glossary.

Can I import existing glossaries?

Yes, we have a built-in importation tool that allows you to import Word, Excel, LibreOffice, OpenOffice, Google Drive (after downloading the files). Note that there are certain format restrictions in order for importation to be successful.

Will other people see my glossaries?

When you create a glossary, you choose who can view and edit it. You can make the glossary “Private,” which means that only you can view and edit it. You can also allow other users of Interpreters’ Help to view or edit your private glossaries.

Alternately, you can make a glossary “Public,” which means that anyone can view it, even people who don’t use Interpreters’ Help. You can give other users of Interpreters’ Help editing rights to your public glossaries. Public glossaries can be found in the Glossary Farm.

Why share glossaries?

You can share glossaries with one or more people and make them readable or writable by the people with whom you have chosen to share them. This is all done using a very easy and straightforward interface.
Why do we offer this sharing option?
Because colleagues tend to send their glossaries to one another before a conference.
The problem is that sometimes they forget to attach the glossary to the e-mail, or you can't read the format because you don't have the same version of Word or are using a Mac.

We want to make it easy to collaborate with your colleagues, so a simple button allows you to share a glossary with them: the recipient will be able to consult, copy or modify it as he sees fit and to sync it directly with BoothMate. No "unknown format" hassles, no sharing via Dropbox when not everybody has it, etc.

Another sharing option is making your glossary "public". This allows all members of Interpreters’ Help to consult and copy the glossary.
The idea behind this option is to create a community of open glossaries that you can browse while preparing a conference on a specific subject.
This can help you save precious time by sparing you the need to do research that someone else has already done.

What is Glossary Farm?

The "Glossary Farm" is a database of free public glossaries. The glossaries are shared by Interpreters' Help members.

Where is Interpreters’ Help hosted? Is my data safe?

Learn all about it on this page: https://www.interpretershelp.com/help/secure_hosting.

Subscription & billing

Is there a trial period?

There is no trial period on Interpreters’ Help because the default plan that you get when you sign up is free. It lets you try out Interpreters’ Help and see what it’s all about.
Note that you do not need to provide any credit card information when you sign up for Interpreters’ Help.

Is there a minimum commitment period for your subscription plans?

There's no minimum commitment period, but keep in mind that your subscription automatically renews at the end of each billing period.
You can cancel your subscription at any time, in which case it will expire at the end of the current billing period.
A billing period is one month or one year, depending on the type of plan you chose.

While there is no minimum commitment period, we don't refund part of a billing period. So if you cancel your account before the end of the current billing period, you won't get a refund for the remaining time.

If I cancel my subscription, do I lose all my glossaries?

When you cancel your subscription, all your glossaries are saved; you are now under the Free plan.
You can still view any private glossaries you created during your paying subscription, but you can’t edit them any longer. This also applies to those colleagues with whom you shared the glossaries: anyone who had editing rights will now lose them.
Any files you uploaded will also remain in your account.
You can still export your glossaries to Excel (xlsx), so you always stay in control of your data.

Do I get a refund if I cancel my subscription?

We don't refund part of a billing period. A billing period is one month or one year, depending on the type of plan you chose.
When you cancel your subscription, it expires at the end of the current billing period.

Can I reactivate my subscription once it has been canceled?

If your subscription is still active – for example, if your subscription has not yet reached the end of the billing period – you can reactive it on the billing page. Otherwise, you need to re-subscribe.
If you deleted your Interpreters’ Help account, there is no way to reactivate your subscription.

What happens with my bill if I upgrade?

We will prorate your subscription costs.
Let’s assume that you have a plan for which you pay $10 a month and you want to switch to a plan that cost $25 a month. You are billed on the 1st of each month and decide to upgrade halfway through the plan’s billing cycle (i.e. on March 15th). In this case, you already paid $10 and used up half of the current billing cycle. When you switch to the new plan, which costs $25, the unused portion of the previous plan results in a credit of $5. The cost of the new plan for the rest of the billing cycle (i.e. the rest of March) will be $12.50. Therefore, the total prorated cost of switching from the cheaper plan to the most expensive plan is $7.50. This amount will be added to the next invoice, on April 1st, which will also reflect the payment required according to the new plan for that month: $25. As a result, the April 1st invoice would be for a total of $32.50.

Note that, in this example, changing the plan would not change the billing cycle. The customer would not be billed the $32.50 at the time the plans are switched. The plan change would only be reflected in the next invoice, which remains on the same billing cycle (since both plans have the same billing frequency).
If the new plan has a different billing frequency from the old plan (for example: monthly to yearly), the first full period of the new plan begins immediately and you are charged for the first the year, minus the unused portion of your previous plan.

If I choose a yearly plan, will I be charged for a whole year?

Yes. Yearly plans are 10% cheaper, but you are charged right away for the whole year and won’t get a refund for your subscription if you cancel early.

What if I need a larger plan?

If you need a larger plan than the Professional plan, please contact us for details.

Do you store my credit card information?

While we don't store your credit card information on Interpreters' Help servers, it is stored securely on the Stripe’s servers, which handles our payments.
Stripe is a globally respected payment gateway.
Interpreters' Help complies 100% with all PCI regulations, rules and recommendations. All sensitive data transmitted to Interpreters' Help servers is encrypted, and our servers are protected by industry-standard measures.

Why do you charge a recurring fee instead of a fixed price?

We charge on a recurring basis because we store your glossaries and files securely in a cloud server, which means we also have monthly fees to pay...
Moreover, we're committed to constantly improving our product and have a lot of great ideas for new features.

Do I have to pay for all the private glossaries I created during Interpreters’ Help beta period?

It’s possible that you created hundreds of private glossaries and uploaded many gigabytes of files during the Interpreters’ Help beta period, so we understand your concern with the launch of the paying plans!
Here’s what happens:
You are now automatically using the free plan. You can still read all your glossaries and files, but if you want to upload new files and edit your existing private glossaries or create new ones you need to sign up for a paying plan.
However, all glossaries and files created during the beta period are exempted from your glossaries and files quota.

Do you offer education discounts?

Yes, students and teachers can request a free plan on the following page:
Interpreters' Help Education

Schools can also get a free Interpreters' Help license, which gives students and teachers access to an even better Education plan.

Once students graduate they can choose to continue with the service, all their glossaries created during their studies are exempted from the quota. They can also choose to stop using the service and export all their glossaries to Excel files.

There are no strings attached.

Feel free to reach out to us at any time if you have specific educational needs – we’re here to help!
Also, if you are a school, contact us to get an Interpreters' Help academic license – it's free and there are no obligations.