Translation Pricing Guide
First a word about prices for translations: If you feel at a loss for how to determine what an appropriate price for a translation is, rest assured you are not alone. After checking out a few translation websites and seeing the prices listed (or lack thereof), you may feel more confused than when you started. That’s why I have created this guide, which I hope will help you take the guesswork out of finding the right translator for you.
Are translation prices calculated based on words, standard lines or hours?
All of the above, actually. Translators use each of these price calculation methods to help them estimate the amount of time and effort necessary to complete a translation. Whether they base this on the number of words, lines or hours, depends on the type of service the translator is providing and on the nature of the languages he or she is working with.
Some translations are calculated based on the number of words in the source text (the original text). This is especially common if your source text is in English. To check how many words your source text contains, you can use the word count function of your word processing software.
Sometimes a translator will also calculate the price based on the number of standard lines. A standard line consists of 55 characters (including spaces). Standard lines are often used when the source language (the language of the original document) uses long compound words, such as German. For example, take the German word Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung. This word could be translated into English with five words (motor vehicle third party insurance). German texts are often filled with these compound words, which makes calculating the price by the number of words much less useful to estimate the amount of time and effort needed to translate the text. In this case, a standard line is much more helpful. To calculate the number of standard lines in your text, you can use the word count function of your word processing software to determine the number of characters (with spaces). Then divide this number by 55. Example: Your source text contains 4,000 characters (with spaces). 4,000 / 55 = 72. Your text contains 72 standard lines. If your translator charges €1.40 per standard line, your translation will cost €100.80.
Translators charge by the hour when they perform translation or proofreading services, for which the time required is extremely difficult to estimate in advance. Proofreading, for example, is difficult to estimate because the mistakes are often not apparent until you have spent some time with the text. Translations of PowerPoint presentations and marketing materials, such as slogans and advertisements, are also often paid for by the hour. This is because the translator has to deal with many more time-consuming considerations, such as ensuring that the text in the PowerPoint is still pleasing to look at, or considering how to handle a play-on-words in an advertising slogan that does not exist in the language the text is being translated into. As one might expect, these types of problems and translation considerations take much more time than a “normal” translation, which is why they are usually paid by the hour.
Why do the prices I find on the internet vary so much?
If you have tried to figure out what the going rate for translations is by doing a quick internet search, you have probably wondered why one translator charges .03 cents per word and another .30 cents. This immense price variation has a lot to do with the fact that the term “translator” is not a protected title, meaning that anyone with a dictionary can call themselves a translator. This is often the case when a translator only charges .02 or .03 cents a word. The old adage you get what you pay for really has its place when it comes to choosing a translator. On the other end of the spectrum, if a translator charges .30 cents per word, it is likely for a text that is extremely technical and requires very specific knowledge in order to translate (for example a technical manual for an x-ray machine).
Why do some translators choose not to list their prices on their website and why are prices from other translators listed in a range?
Some translators refrain from listing their prices, simply because they would rather not make their prices public. Others list price ranges, so they can evaluate and set a separate price for each translation. Each text to be translated must be evaluated by the translator and there are many factors that can influence the final price: difficulty, text type and format, amount of research necessary, availability of research material, etc. Another factor that can also greatly affect the price is the surcharge for rush translations or for those that need to be completed outside of normal business hours that translators will often add. A surcharge is also usually added if your text is only available in a format that can’t be edited, such as a PDF. This means extra time and effort for the translator and increases the price.
How can I make sure that my document is translated by a qualified translator for a price that I am comfortable with?
This really involves two things: first, understanding how to identify a qualified translator and, second, figuring out what price you are comfortable paying for the translation service.
First comes the question of how to actually find a professional translator. As I stated previously, anyone can call themselves a translator, so it can be difficult to determine whether the translation service you are considering is right for you or not. While the following criteria won’t guarantee that a translator produces high-quality translations (a translator could have all of the following and simply translate poorly, or a translator could lack all of these and yet have years of experience producing quality work), they can serve as a yardstick to judge whether your translator takes his or her work seriously.
1. Higher-Education Degree in Translation
A degree in translation shows that the translator spent a few years learning about translation in an academic setting. Formal training shows that the translator cares enough about quality to have invested years in studying the art of translation.
2. Membership in Translation Associations
Association membership is a sign of professionalism because translators often have to pay an annual fee to be a member and membership is only given to translators meeting certain qualification standards. To be a member of the German BDÜ (Bundesverband der Dolmetscher und Übersetzer e.V = Federal Association of Interpreters & Translators) for example, translators submit an application that proves they either have extensive work experience or a translation degree from a respected university.
3. Specialization
It’s important to look for a translator with a specialization in the type of text you would like translated. If you were to commission a house to be built from the foundation up and you found a contractor that offered every single service needed to complete the house: foundation laying, plumbing, electrical work, painting, tile laying etc., you would be right to be suspicious about the quality of the work. No one person has the expertise to do each of these services well. It’s the same with a translator. Be wary of translators that claim to have specialized in business, law, technology, medicine, finance and engineering. A jack-of-all-trades translator will likely not produce a translation of the same quality as someone who has specialized in that area.
4. Native Speaker of Target Language / Proofreading by a Native Speaker
Native speakers understand the nuances of their language better than those for whom it is a foreign language. They have a feel for the connotations of a specific word and know instinctively which words are often used together (known as a collocation). Some translators that translate into a foreign language will have their translations proofread by a native speaker, but if this is not clearly stated on their website, it is a good idea to ask.
Secondly, to then determine a price you are comfortable with, it’s important to think about what the translation service is worth to you. You will always be able to find a translator out there that will translate your text for less money. But with every low-priced translation comes the danger that the translation will be of poor quality, which could end up costing you or your company a lot of time and money. The tricky thing with translations is also that if you are not a native speaker of the language being translated into, it will be difficult for you to evaluate the quality of it. Even if you have learned French or English and you feel your language skills are acceptable, it doesn’t mean that you will be able to read the translation like a native speaker. There may be grammar mistakes you don’t see or connotations that only a native speaker can know. Thus, it’s especially important to give your translation to a translator you trust.
If the text you need translated is of importance to you or your company, it makes sense to invest in the translation, instead of having to find a new translator and end up paying for it twice, or, worst-case scenario, to deal with communication problems created by a poor translation. If it’s worth something to you, it’s worth paying a professional to do it.