🌐 Smartling for Nonprofits
Running an international nonprofit program that requires translating hundreds of documents monthly into multiple languages while maintaining brand consistency, security compliance, and quality standards? Smartling is an enterprise-grade AI translation management system that combines machine translation with 4,000+ professional linguists to deliver consistent, high-quality translations at scale. Built for organizations managing complex multilingual content workflows—not for small nonprofits translating a few pages occasionally.
What It Does
Struggling to keep translations consistent across your website, donor communications, program materials, and grant reports while working with multiple translators in different time zones? Smartling is a translation management system (TMS) that centralizes all your translation workflows—from initial content upload to final publication—into one platform.
Here's how it works: you connect Smartling to your content sources (WordPress site, Salesforce CRM, Google Drive documents, etc.) through 50+ pre-built integrations. When content needs translation, Smartling's AI analyzes it and routes it to either machine translation (fast and inexpensive) or professional human translators (higher quality, higher cost) based on your rules. The platform maintains a translation memory—a database of previously translated phrases—ensuring that your organization's specific terminology, donor names, and program language stays consistent across all translations, all languages, and all time periods.
Smartling's LanguageAI™ adds quality controls: tone enforcement ensures translations match your brand voice, bias detection flags potentially problematic language, and hallucination mitigation prevents AI from generating inaccurate content. Professional translators use Smartling's CAT (Computer-Assisted Translation) tools, which show visual context from your website or app so they understand how translations will appear to readers.
The result: instead of emailing files to translators, tracking versions in spreadsheets, and manually copying translations back to your website, Smartling automates the entire process with 99% workflow automation. Large nonprofits report 70% cost savings in the first year by reducing administrative overhead and catching errors before publication.
Best For
Organization Size
- Mid-to-large nonprofits (50+ staff)
- International organizations operating in 5+ countries
- Organizations translating 100,000+ words monthly
- Nonprofits with technical staff for integration setup
Best Use Cases
- Multilingual website localization (full site translation)
- Global fundraising campaigns across regions
- Program materials for multilingual beneficiaries
- Organizations with HIPAA, GDPR, or SOC 2 compliance needs
Ideal For Roles
- International Program Directors
- Communications teams managing multilingual content
- IT teams managing localization infrastructure
- Executive Directors of global nonprofits
NOT Recommended For
- •Small nonprofits with occasional translation needs (a few documents per month)
- •Organizations on tight budgets without $500+/month for translation tools
- •Nonprofits wanting quick, one-off translations (use DeepL or Google Translate instead)
- •Teams without technical capacity to set up and manage integrations
Key Features for Nonprofits
LanguageAI™ Quality Assurance
AI-powered quality controls ensure translations maintain your nonprofit's brand voice and values across languages. Tone enforcement catches translations that sound too formal or casual, bias detection flags potentially problematic language before it reaches donors, and hallucination mitigation prevents AI from generating inaccurate information in grant proposals or impact reports.
Real impact: Prevent embarrassing translation mistakes that could damage donor trust or misrepresent your mission to international stakeholders.
4,000+ Professional Linguists
Access to vetted professional translators who specialize in nonprofit, humanitarian, and social sector language. Unlike pure machine translation, Smartling lets you route mission-critical content (grant applications, legal documents, major donor appeals) to human experts who understand nonprofit terminology, cultural sensitivities, and sector-specific conventions.
Real impact: Get culturally appropriate translations for sensitive topics like health, poverty, or conflict—not literal word-for-word translations that could offend or confuse.
Translation Memory & Glossary
Smartling automatically saves every translated phrase in a translation memory database. When similar content appears in the future, the system reuses previous translations, ensuring your organization name, program terminology, donor titles, and brand language stay consistent across every document, every language, every time. Build custom glossaries for nonprofit-specific terms that should never change.
Real impact: Save up to 70% on translation costs by reusing previously translated content, while maintaining perfect consistency in how your nonprofit presents itself globally.
99% Workflow Automation
Set up rules once, then let Smartling handle the logistics: automatically detect when content changes on your website, route urgent content to fast machine translation and less-urgent content to professional translators, send notifications when translations are ready for review, and publish approved translations directly back to your CMS without manual file copying.
Real impact: Eliminate the administrative overhead of emailing files, tracking spreadsheets, and manually updating websites—workflows that typically consume 10+ hours per week for multilingual nonprofits.
50+ Platform Integrations
Connect Smartling directly to tools your nonprofit already uses: WordPress and Drupal for websites, Salesforce and Zendesk for CRM, Marketo and HubSpot for email campaigns, GitHub for software, Google Drive and Dropbox for documents. Content flows automatically between platforms without manual exports or imports. APIs and SDKs available for custom integrations.
Real impact: Translate your entire digital ecosystem from one centralized platform instead of juggling separate translation processes for each tool.
Enterprise Security & Compliance
SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, HITRUST, PCI DSS Level 1, GDPR, ISO 17100, and ISO 9001:2015 certified. Customizable Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) for handling sensitive beneficiary data, health information, or donor records. Dedicated customer success managers and 24/7 technical support for mission-critical translation needs.
Real impact: Meet compliance requirements for health-focused nonprofits, international aid organizations handling sensitive data, or large institutions with strict security policies.
Real-World Nonprofit Use Case
Imagine you're the Communications Director for a global health nonprofit operating programs in 12 countries across Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Your organization publishes a monthly e-newsletter in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Swahili—each version needs to go out simultaneously to 50,000+ subscribers. You also maintain a multilingual website with program descriptions, impact stories, annual reports, and donation pages that must stay synchronized across languages.
Before Smartling, your workflow was a nightmare: export newsletter content from your email platform, email it to five different translators (some freelancers, some volunteers), wait 3-5 days for responses, manually copy translations back into separate email templates, and hope nobody made mistakes. Website updates required even more coordination—WordPress doesn't natively support multilingual content, so you maintained five separate WordPress installations and manually copied content between them. Translations were inconsistent because different translators used different terminology for your program names, and you had no way to maintain brand voice across languages.
With Smartling, you connect your WordPress site and HubSpot email platform directly to the translation system. When you publish a new impact story in English, Smartling automatically detects it, routes non-urgent website content to machine translation for initial draft (saving money), and sends donor-facing email content to professional translators (ensuring quality). Translation memory ensures your program name "Clean Water Initiative" is always translated consistently across every piece of content. The glossary prevents translators from changing your carefully crafted tagline.
Smartling's visual context feature shows translators exactly how the translated text will appear on your website, preventing formatting issues where translated phrases are too long for buttons or navigation menus. Once translations are approved, Smartling automatically publishes them to the correct language version of your WordPress site and the correct HubSpot email template—no manual copying required.
The result: newsletter translation that previously took 5-7 days now happens in 24-48 hours. Website updates that required 10+ hours of administrative work now take 30 minutes. Translation costs decreased by 60% because translation memory reuses content from previous newsletters. Most importantly, your nonprofit's brand voice and mission language now sound consistent and professional across all five languages, strengthening donor trust and program credibility internationally.
Pricing
Core Plan
Starting at $500/month
- Translation management system (TMS)
- AI-powered machine translation
- Translation memory & glossaries
- Pre-built integrations
- Basic workflow automation
- Access to professional linguists (additional cost per word)
Enterprise Plan
Custom pricing
All Core Plan features plus:
- Dedicated Customer Success Manager
- 24/7 technical support
- Advanced security & compliance (HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR)
- Custom SLAs & priority support
- API access for custom integrations
Per-Word Pricing Model
In addition to the monthly platform fee, Smartling charges per-word for translations:
- Machine Translation: Starting at $0.005 per word (~$5 per 1,000 words)
- Professional Human Translation: Varies by language pair and complexity (typically $0.10-0.30 per word)
- Translation Memory Matches: Discounted or free for previously translated content
Example: Translating a 2,000-word newsletter into 4 languages using machine translation would cost approximately $40 in translation fees (2,000 words × 4 languages × $0.005), plus your monthly platform fee.
Important Pricing Notes
- •No free trial is publicly advertised (contact sales for demo/trial options)
- •Pricing structure has been reported as not always transparent—expect to negotiate with sales
- •User reviews mention unexpectedly high bills, especially for website translation (GDN feature)
- •Built-in cost management tools include rate cards and real-time cost estimates
- •Actual total costs depend heavily on translation volume and service level chosen (machine vs. human)
Nonprofit Discount / Special Offers
No Advertised Nonprofit Discount
Smartling does not publicly advertise nonprofit-specific discounts or special pricing programs on their website or through major nonprofit technology platforms.
However, enterprise platforms sometimes offer custom pricing for nonprofit organizations on a case-by-case basis, even if not publicly advertised. We recommend:
- Contact Smartling sales directly and explicitly mention your nonprofit status when requesting pricing
- Check TechSoup to see if Smartling becomes available through nonprofit technology discount programs
- Ask about volume discounts if your organization has significant ongoing translation needs
Given Smartling's enterprise pricing starting at $500+/month, many small-to-mid-sized nonprofits may find better value in more affordable alternatives like Lokalise ($120-825/month) or free/low-cost tools like DeepL.
Learning Curve
Smartling is an enterprise platform that requires technical expertise to set up and manage effectively. Not recommended for nonprofits without dedicated IT staff or technical resources.
Initial Setup
2-4 weeks
Setting up Smartling requires:
- •Configuring integrations with your CMS, CRM, and other platforms (1-2 days per integration)
- •Building translation memory and custom glossaries (1 week)
- •Defining workflow rules and routing logic (2-3 days)
- •Training staff on the platform (1 week)
Day-to-Day Use
1-2 weeks to proficiency
Once configured, routine tasks include:
- •Uploading content for translation (easy, drag-and-drop)
- •Reviewing and approving translations (moderate, requires judgment)
- •Managing translation workflows and deadlines (moderate)
- •Working with professional translators (easy with project managers)
Mastery
2-3 months
Advanced proficiency includes:
- •Optimizing workflow automation rules for efficiency
- •Using analytics to identify cost-saving opportunities
- •Customizing CAT tools for translator productivity
- •Leveraging API for custom integrations
Support & Training Resources
Available Resources:
- Dedicated Customer Success Manager (Enterprise plan)
- 24/7 technical support (Enterprise plan)
- Help documentation and knowledge base
- Responsive project managers for translation coordination
Limitations:
- Smaller community compared to open-source translation tools
- Limited nonprofit-specific training materials or case studies
- Complex features may require technical consulting to implement
Integration & Compatibility
50+ Pre-Built Integrations
Content Management Systems:
- WordPress
- Drupal
- Adobe Experience Manager
- Contentful
- Sitecore
CRM & Support:
- Salesforce
- Zendesk
- No native nonprofit CRM integrations (DonorPerfect, Bloomerang, Neon CRM)
Marketing Automation:
- HubSpot
- Marketo
Development & Cloud Storage:
- GitHub
- Bitbucket
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
Full integration list available on Smartling's website. APIs and SDKs available for custom integrations with tools not on the pre-built list.
Data Portability
Export your translation memory, glossaries, and project data if you decide to switch platforms. Smartling uses industry-standard formats (TMX, XLIFF) for translation memory, making it possible to migrate to other translation management systems without losing years of translation work.
- Translation memory export (TMX format)
- Glossary export
- Project data and reports
Platform & Access
- Platform: Cloud-based (web application)
- Access: Works on any device with a modern web browser
- No software installation required
- Multi-user collaboration: Unlimited team members can access the platform
Honest Pros & Cons
Pros
- User-friendly interface: Easy to navigate for both content managers and translators
- Excellent translation memory: Maintains consistency and reduces costs for repeated content
- Visual context for translators: Shows how translations appear in the final product, preventing formatting issues
- Responsive support: Project managers and customer support are consistently helpful and attentive
- Streamlined workflow: Automates the entire process from content upload to publication
- Flexible translation options: Choose between fast machine translation or high-quality professional linguists
- Enterprise-grade security: SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR compliant for sensitive data
- Robust integration ecosystem: 50+ pre-built connectors plus API access
Cons
- Very expensive: Starting at $500+/month plus per-word costs—prohibitive for most small-to-mid-sized nonprofits
- Pricing not transparent: User reviews report unexpected bills and complex pricing structure
- Machine translation requires heavy editing: AI translations often need significant manual correction
- Performance issues with large projects: Platform can be slow when handling very large translation volumes
- Scrolling experience is clunky: Not real-time, can feel frustrating for editors
- Limited context visibility: Can't always see how translated text appears in final document
- Navigation can be confusing: Some features are difficult to find or access
- No nonprofit discount advertised: Unlike competitors, no public nonprofit pricing program
- Overkill for small nonprofits: Complex features unnecessary for organizations with occasional translation needs
Bottom Line
Smartling is a powerful, enterprise-grade translation management system that genuinely automates complex multilingual workflows and delivers consistent, high-quality translations at scale. The platform excels at what it's designed to do: serve large organizations with significant ongoing translation needs, enterprise security requirements, and technical resources to manage complex integrations.
However, the high cost ($500+/month plus per-word fees), lack of nonprofit discounts, and complexity make it a poor fit for most small-to-mid-sized nonprofits. If you're translating a few documents per month or maintaining a simple bilingual website, you'll get better value from more affordable alternatives like Lokalise ($120-825/month), Weglot (website-focused), or even free tools like DeepL.
Choose Smartling if: You're a large nonprofit or international organization translating 100,000+ words monthly across multiple languages, need enterprise compliance (HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR), and have technical staff to manage implementation. Choose simpler alternatives if: You're a small-to-mid-sized nonprofit with occasional translation needs or limited budget.
Alternatives to Consider
Lokalise
Best overall alternative - more affordable with clear pricing
Lokalise is a comprehensive translation management platform similar to Smartling but with more transparent, affordable pricing ($120-825/month). Offers robust automation, translation memory, integrations with GitHub/Figma/Jira, and a strong developer focus. Better suited for mid-sized nonprofits that need professional features without enterprise costs.
DeepL
Best for occasional translation needs
DeepL offers superior AI translation quality compared to Google Translate with a free tier and affordable paid plans. Perfect for small nonprofits that need to translate a few documents occasionally rather than managing complex multilingual workflows. No enterprise features, but excellent for basic needs.
Weglot
Best for website-only translation
Weglot specializes in website translation with a simpler, more affordable approach than Smartling. Automatically detects and translates your website content, easier to set up than full TMS platforms, and more budget-friendly for nonprofits that primarily need multilingual websites rather than document/email/CRM translation.
Phrase (Phrase Localization Platform)
AI-powered translation with good speed and accuracy
Phrase offers an integrated collection of AI-powered translation and localization products designed for speed, accuracy, and scale. Similar feature set to Smartling with strong automation capabilities. Good middle-ground option for nonprofits that need professional features but want alternatives to Smartling's pricing structure.
Crowdin
Community-focused alternative with collaborative features
Crowdin is a popular translation management platform with strong community features, making it good for nonprofits that want to engage volunteers in translation work. More affordable than Smartling with similar workflow automation and integration capabilities. Works well for open-source projects and community-driven translation efforts.
Choosing the Right Tool for Your Nonprofit
Small nonprofits (1-20 staff): Start with free tools like DeepL or Google Translate. Upgrade to Weglot if you need a multilingual website.
Mid-sized nonprofits (20-100 staff): Consider Lokalise ($120-825/month) for professional features at reasonable cost. Weglot for website-only needs.
Large nonprofits or international organizations (100+ staff): Evaluate Smartling, Phrase, or Lokalise (Enterprise) based on specific requirements. Smartling makes sense if you have enterprise security requirements and high translation volumes.
The right tool depends less on features and more on your translation volume, budget, and technical capacity. Don't pay for enterprise software if you're translating 10 documents per month.
Getting Started with Smartling
1Evaluate If Smartling Is Right for Your Nonprofit
Before contacting sales, honestly assess whether your organization needs enterprise-grade translation management:
- Calculate your monthly translation volume (words, documents, languages)
- Identify integration requirements (WordPress, Salesforce, etc.)
- Assess technical capacity (Do you have IT staff to manage setup?)
- Determine budget ($500+/month realistic for your organization?)
- Review alternatives like Lokalise, Weglot, or DeepL for comparison
If you're translating fewer than 50,000 words per month or lack technical resources, simpler alternatives will likely serve you better.
2Request Demo and Custom Pricing Quote
Contact Smartling's sales team to get a demo and discuss nonprofit pricing:
- Visit smartling.com and request a demo
- Explicitly mention your nonprofit status when requesting pricing (ask about potential discounts)
- Provide translation volume estimates and language pairs
- Ask about trial period or pilot project options
- Request detailed breakdown of costs (platform fee + per-word pricing)
Get quotes from Lokalise and Phrase as well to compare pricing and features before committing.
3Plan Implementation and Integration
Work with Smartling's customer success team to set up your translation management system:
- Configure integrations with your existing platforms (WordPress, Salesforce, etc.)
- Build your translation memory from existing translated content
- Create custom glossaries for nonprofit-specific terminology
- Define workflow rules (which content gets machine translation vs. professional linguists)
- Train team members on platform usage and best practices
Plan for 2-4 weeks implementation time. Enterprise customers get dedicated Customer Success Managers to guide setup.
4Start with a Pilot Project
Test Smartling with a manageable project before committing to full-scale implementation:
- Translate one section of your website or a single email campaign
- Test both machine translation and professional linguist services
- Measure quality, time savings, and actual costs vs. estimates
- Gather feedback from content creators and translators
- Assess if the workflow automation delivers promised efficiency gains
Use pilot results to decide whether to proceed with full implementation or explore alternatives like Lokalise or Weglot.
Need Help with Translation Strategy?
Choosing the right translation management system and implementing it effectively requires understanding your nonprofit's unique needs, workflows, and constraints.
We help nonprofits evaluate translation tools, negotiate pricing, set up integrations, and build sustainable multilingual communication strategies. Whether you need enterprise features like Smartling or simpler alternatives like Lokalise or DeepL, we'll help you make the right choice and implement it successfully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Smartling offer nonprofit discounts?
Smartling does not advertise nonprofit-specific discounts or special pricing programs on their website. However, nonprofits should contact Smartling's sales team directly to inquire about potential discounts, as enterprise platforms sometimes offer custom pricing for nonprofit organizations. You can also check if Smartling is available through nonprofit technology discount programs like TechSoup.
How much does Smartling cost?
Smartling pricing starts at approximately $500/month for the Core plan, with an Enterprise plan available at custom pricing. The platform uses a per-word pricing model starting at $0.005 per word. Actual costs depend on translation volume, language pairs, service level (machine translation vs. professional linguists), and features needed. Smartling is positioned as an enterprise-grade solution, so it's typically more expensive than basic translation tools.
What makes Smartling different from free translation tools like Google Translate?
Smartling is a comprehensive translation management system (TMS) designed for organizations with ongoing, high-volume translation needs, whereas Google Translate is a free tool for one-off translations. Smartling combines AI-powered machine translation with access to 4,000+ professional linguists for quality assurance, translation memory to maintain consistency across projects, workflow automation, brand safety filters, tone enforcement, and enterprise-grade security (SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR compliant). Free tools like Google Translate or DeepL are better for small nonprofits with occasional translation needs, while Smartling is built for organizations translating hundreds of thousands of words monthly across multiple languages.
Is Smartling too complex for small nonprofits?
Yes, Smartling is likely overkill for most small nonprofits. The platform is designed for enterprise teams managing complex, ongoing translation workflows across multiple languages, platforms, and stakeholders. Small nonprofits with occasional translation needs (translating a few documents per month or a single website) would be better served by simpler, more affordable tools like DeepL, Google Translate, Weglot, or Lokalise. Smartling makes sense for mid-to-large nonprofits with significant translation volume, multilingual websites, international programs, or compliance requirements.
Can Smartling integrate with our nonprofit CRM or website?
Smartling offers 50+ pre-built integrations with platforms commonly used by nonprofits, including WordPress, Salesforce, Zendesk, Marketo, HubSpot, Drupal, Contentful, GitHub, Google Drive, and Dropbox. The platform also provides APIs and SDKs for custom integrations. However, Smartling doesn't have direct native integrations with nonprofit-specific CRMs like DonorPerfect, Bloomerang, or Neon CRM—those would require custom API development or workarounds.
How accurate is Smartling's AI translation?
Smartling's LanguageAI™ combines machine translation with AI-powered quality assurance tools including tone enforcement, bias detection, and hallucination mitigation. User reviews indicate that while the AI translation is functional, it typically requires significant manual editing and post-editing by professional linguists to meet quality standards. Smartling advertises a 98+ MQM (Multidimensional Quality Metrics) quality score, but this is achieved through the combination of AI and human professional translators, not AI alone. For mission-critical content like donor communications, grant applications, or legal documents, plan on using Smartling's professional translation services rather than relying solely on machine translation.
What are the main alternatives to Smartling for nonprofits?
Top Smartling alternatives for nonprofits include:
- Lokalise - More affordable at $120-825/month with clear pricing and strong developer tools
- Phrase (Phrase Localization Platform) - AI-powered with good speed and accuracy
- Weglot - Simpler and more affordable for website-only translation
- DeepL - Free tier available with superior AI translation quality for occasional needs
- Crowdin - Popular alternative with community features
For small nonprofits, free tools like Google Translate or DeepL may be sufficient. For mid-sized nonprofits, Lokalise or Weglot offer better value. Smartling is best suited for large nonprofits or international organizations with enterprise requirements.