Languages Help

Issue

The client, a UK individual, wanted an online platform for bringing together translators from all over the world with people in need of help. The project was called www.languageshelp.com and it was decided that for specific countries there will be country websites too, like www.bulgariahelp.com

One unique database should be accessed for all websites, so that the client would manage the entire project and all its branches from one place.

Besides the connection that the sites are building, the portal also wants to be a general information tool.

Solution

For bringing together translators and people in need of help, the portal was built with a backend and a front-end, with different features for the 5 different types of users, and with absolute control for the administrator so that he can manage the business efficiently and smoothly.

The 6 services sold on the website are available for a list of over 40 languages, with translators from all over the world. A challenge was to synchronize the schedule of the translators with the deadline of the tasks, with timezones and Daylight Saving Time all over the world. The degree of detail and strictness for respecting all the rules of timezones and DST achieved by the programmers for this project is unique and hard to be topped.

A short list of features per type of user is available below.

In the front-end the visitors can:

• create an account with the website
• purchase membership points to be spent on services available on the portal
• customize the website for having access only to the desired information (local time, local news, currency, local weather, currency converter)
• purchase services online, from the list of 6 services available (Quick Translation, Phone Interpreting, Language Practice, Homework Help, Research, Business Translation). 
• view their points purchase history and the acquired services history
  

The translators can:

• view their assigned jobs
• select new jobs to work on
• submit for their clients jobs to be completed
• search within all clients, and view details about their history
• have access to the help files
• change his/her schedule and calendar (changes that are available for users, in such that they can not book a specific translator during his/her vacation, etc)
• view the history of the jobs resolved by them
  

Besides the functions of a translator, the administrator  also can:

• view all available jobs not assigned to a translator
• view all jobs assigned but not resolved
• create and delete users
• per each translator, can view all jobs history, pending jobs, calendar
  
• has access to the general settings of the system, being able to add points packages, point value, languages, timeslots, non-working days…etc
  

Result

The project is still in development; as the business grows new country websites are being launched and new services and features for the users are being developed. Retina is working on maintaining and developing these websites while keeping an eye on new technologies available for optimizing the system.

Services:

• logo design
• web design
• HTML, CSS, PHP, MySql, Javascript
• software testing