Every translation project has a budget, no matter your business or industry. So, obviously, price is an important consideration when deciding which translation service to use.
But choosing your translation company based on pricing alone may result in you spending further money on superior, additional translation services to fix a poorly executed low-quality job.
Each translation is unique, and while there is no easy answer to the question: ‘How much does translation cost?’, we have outlined the key factors that can impact costs to help you plan your next project.
The key factors that impact translation costs
Text length
When comparing translation services, you will find various pricing methods based on the number of words, pages, and lines. However, we advise comparing word counts since the number of lines and pages is ultimately driven by font sizes, line spacing and margins.
Language combination
The combination of target languages is also a key factor in determining translation fees and typically, a rate is applied to the source text word count depending on the languages involved.
For example, Western European languages with similar Romanised alphabets to English, such as Spanish and French, are more straightforward than other languages, and this is usually reflected in the price.
Compare this to character-based languages like Chinese which use far more characters to convey meaning than English words. We apply a rate per character, not word, resulting in higher costs due to the complexity of these translations.
However, the highest translation costs usually apply to rare languages due to the lack of certified translators available. Read more about the challenges of translating different languages here.
Subject matter complexity
Technical or industry-specific content requires a translator who is a language expert and subject matter specialist, which invariably impacts cost. This could involve jargon-heavy technical translations for engineering, or marketing content requiring creative transcreation to convey your brand correctly.
It is always a good idea to prepare a clear brief and provide as much context as possible. For more tips on preparing your brief, see our recent post: How Long Does Translation Take?
Formatting
- Input
It is always easier to work from editable documents like Word files, which helps streamline the quote and translation process, and inevitably saves you time and money. A PDF or scan can result in an inaccurate word count which could negatively impact the price.
- Output
Reformatting is necessary for some languages, such as Arabic which reads from right to left, so it is worth budgeting for this. Furthermore, if you need the target language provided in a different format than Word, for example, using InDesign for a brochure, additional technical costs may apply to cover the time spent on adapting the output.
Timeframe
As a rule, urgent translations with faster turnaround times will be more expensive. So, planning ahead and allowing time for proofreading can help keep your costs down.
What we do and how we can help…
We have 20 years and 13,000 diverse translation projects behind us, so you can be confident in our fast, accurate and professional translation service.
Reach new markets and grow your business internationally:
- Trusted by more than 1,380 happy translation customers since 2003.
- Over 73 million words translated for the world’s leading companies.
- Rated 8 on Trustpilot (Excellent).
- Dedicated, friendly and efficient project management team.
- Deep experience in all sectors– from manufacturing to medical.
- A real understanding of your translation challenge – technical, marketing, or contractual.
Contact our experienced and efficient project managers today to discuss your translation project and get a quote.