5 Language Translation App Business Success Stories [2024]

Updated: November 19th, 2023
Start A Language Translation App Business

Here are some real life success stories of starting a language translation app business:

1. Lotuly Ltd ($480K/year)

Robert and Mariona Bolohan, a married couple with a passion for languages, started their own translation business, Lotuly. They began as freelance translators and gradually expanded their team to handle more languages. With a focus on human translation and a commitment to quality, they have grown their business to over 500 translators and offer services in over 90 languages. They are now experiencing monthly revenues of $40k and are looking to expand further with a subscription version of their services.

How much they make: $480K/year
Current team size: 2

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From Working As Freelance Translators To Starting A $480K/Year Translation Agency

Lotuly is a remote translation agency with over 500 translators across the globe, offering translation & localization services in over 90 languages and 40 subjects for e-commerce, e-learning, software & marketing companies, universities, and legal firms.

About
Robert started Lotuly Ltd about 5 years ago
Revenue
Robert grew the business to $40K/month
Read by 3,082 founders

2. Gritty Spanish ($60K/year)

Eldon Mirjah, the founder of Gritty Spanish, came up with the idea for his business after a trip to the Dominican Republic where he realized he needed to improve his Spanish skills. Frustrated with existing language-learning products, he decided to create his own program with entertaining audio stories and dramatic readings, launching the website in November 2014. However, gaining customers proved to be a challenge, requiring him to experiment with digital marketing platforms and invest $20k in advertising.

How much they make: $60K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 0

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My Desire To Learn Spanish Led Me To Build A $70K/Year Language Learning App

Gritty Spanish, a Spanish-language learning program created by Eldon Mirjah, has grown steadily since launching in 2014, with over 1,560 new customers and more than $70k in sales in 2021, largely due to investing in a high-quality blog, iOS/Android app, and web app.

About
Eldon started Gritty Spanish about 10 years ago
Revenue
Eldon grew the business to $5K/month
Costs
It cost Eldon $5000 to start the business
Read by 1,985 founders

So... can you actually make money with a language translation app business?

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3. Duolingo ($162M/year)

How much they make: $162M/year
Current team size:

reCAPTCHA and Duolingo: Luis von Ahn: How I Built This with Guy Raz

Discover how a PhD student's creation of CAPTCHA has evolved into the language-learning app Duolingo, valued at $1.5 billion today and experiencing a surge of growth during the pandemic.

Revenue
Luis grew the business to $13.5M/month
Read by 874 founders