The Beelingwa story

A founder with a love for foreign languages and cultures…

The Beelingwa story is intertwined with that of its founder, Raphaël Choppinet, a lover of languages, marketing and communication.

However, it was not exactly written in the stars that the young Belgian would one day open up a multilingual communication agency.

After completing his secondary school education, and still undecided about his professional future, he opted to take a year out to travel, setting a course for Berlin, in Germany, and then Salamanca, in Spain. He didn't know it yet, but the trip would end up changing his life!

Over the course of his discoveries and encounters, he became captivated by the study of cultures and their nuances and histories. He was surprised to see how Germany and Spain, despite being geographically close countries and members of the European Union, were, in fact, underpinned by completely different cultures. And to his increasing surprise, he realised that this diversity of cultures can sometimes even be prevalent within the same country, such as the one that exists between former West Berliners and former East Berliners.

For him, this was the birth of a true passion, one which would never be extinguished and which he chose to pursue by enrolling at the Free University of Brussels' Higher Institute of Translators and Interpreters. 

Determined to transform his love of foreign languages and cultures into a career, he began working for a language service provider upon completion of his master's degree.

…and of marketing and communication

After six years of building up experience within this agency, Raphaël began to feel a bit constricted, and opted to change direction towards marketing and communication. To satisfy his craving for knowledge in these areas, he decided to take evening classes at the ICHEC Brussels Management School, from which he graduated with a master's degree in management.

With these dual qualifications in translation and marketing, he was gradually starting to shape the future of Beelingwa...although he didn't know it yet!

The birth of Beelingwa

In 2015, driven by the desire to challenge himself as an entrepreneur, Raphaël created a platform that would connect translators and clients. This tool, the goal of which was to facilitate access to translation services, would enable anyone and everyone to find the language service provider they required in just a few clicks.

The Beelingwa adventure had begun!

A desire to go further

After three years, Raphaël felt the need to develop his project.

Attaching great value to personal contact and conversation, he realised that there was a limiting aspect to the way in which the platform functioned. This observation was shared by some of its users, who often preferred to get in touch with him directly by phone or e-mail.

In addition, he noticed that his clients' needs generally extended beyond a simple translation service; they were, in fact, looking for professionals to guide and advise them in the development and implementation of their international expansion strategy.

A fresh start

In 2018, therefore, Beelingwa reinvented itself to better meet its clients' expectations, and to realign itself with its founder's values.

Beelingwa became a bona fide multilingual communication and international web marketing agency, with a crystal-clear objective: supporting businesses - SMEs and large companies alike - throughout their process of international expansion.

In 2020, Beelingwa closed its intermediary platform. 

Focused on the future

We are tremendously proud of the progress that Beelingwa has made since its launch, and we are committed to a process of continuing improvement.

Our aim is to go even further in terms of the quality of support that we offer to companies that ask us for assistance with their international expansion strategy. Through, in particular, coaching and training solutions, we plan to offer our clients increasingly comprehensive services.