How much does a translation cost?

You’ve asked for several translation quotes. You’ve seen significant differences in the prices of the translations offered by translation agencies and professionals, as well as those who are not professional translators. You’re not very familiar with how translations work and all this variety is confusing. Which option should you choose?

This article analyses how the price of translations is calculated for a better understanding of the differences, so that you can make the best decision for your project.

How are translations charged?

Although there are different standards in different countries, most translation agencies and freelance translators charge for translations by the word in the source text.

In other words, if you have 1000 words to translate and the price per word for a language combination X is 0.10 euros, the translation will cost you 100 euros (+ VAT).

What is the price per word for a translation?

The price per word of a translation depends on many factors that are discussed in the next section. One of the most important is the language combination. In other words: In which language is your text written and into which language do you want it translated?

Don’t forget to provide this information when you ask for a translation quote.

Which factors have an impact on the price of a translation?

There are factors, however, that might have an impact on the end price of a translation, such as the text format, the repetitions, the volume of words, images containing text, the urgency (surcharges may be applied for urgent jobs in some cases), the level of specialisation of the text, etc. We therefore recommend you always ask for a quote instead of doing the calculations yourself.

Furthermore, the following must be considered:

• Every translator/company has a price per word for each language combination.
• The number of words is calculated based on the original document, i.e. the one provided by the client.
• Less usual combinations are normally more expensive. For example, translating from Spanish into Japanese is more expensive that from English into Spanish.

However, don’t get excited by the end price or the price per word, because like in almost everything, the service quality of each company is different, and the price might depend on this.

Simply comparing prices won’t get you anywhere, except sometimes to choosing the wrong provider. Along these lines, it is important to consider certain details when choosing a translation company. If you want more information on this, read this article in our blog on 5 things to consider when choosing a translator.

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Why does the same company offer different translation rates?

As I’ve already said, a translation project can be managed in different ways and might go through one revision process, several, or none at all. And this, of course, affects the price.

So ,when you ask about translation rates, these not only vary from company to company, but the same company might also offer several options on translation prices.

Price of a translation by a professional translator

In this case, the translation is provided by just one translator, and this person might review the text themselves (always recommended) or might deliver it without rereading it. If you need to translate a text for your own personal use, just to understand certain information, this option might be enough.

In all other cases, we recommend choosing the translation rate with revision, as explained in the next section.

What does this mean in practical terms? The price per word of a translation from German to Spanish might be anything above 0.075 euros.

Price of a translation and revision by two professional translators

You know the old saying that four eyes are better than two? This is why it’s best to work with two professionals: the first does the translation and the second revises it, comparing the original text with the translated text.

This means that not only are any spelling or style mistakes in the target text corrected, but also any comprehension mistakes in the original text.

This double translation + revision process carried out by two people means that the price is a little higher than the former (translation only).

Remember that revising the text yourself isn’t the same as it being revised by someone else. The second option always offers better guarantees.

Choose this translation rate to ensure the quality of the translation of texts that are to be published and be read by a lot of people. It’s worth it.

To see it clearly in numbers: the price per word of a translation + revision from German to Spanish might be anything above 0.095 euros.

Price of a translation, revision and quality control by two or more professionals

If you choose the translation and revision service with two professionals, as discussed in the above section, it’s very likely that the reviser will perform a quality control before delivering the project.

However, in some companies this job is also carried out by the project manager, to make some final checks that the reviser might have missed.

The more checks the better.

Price of post-editing (revision of an automatic translation)

Automatic translation has become a buzz-word over the years. Its arrival created the need to offer a new service: post-editing.

Of what does post-editing consist? In short, a human translator revises the automatic translation (done by a machine).

Given that this job involves less time than the human translation but more than a simple correction, the price is normally equivalent to 60% of the price of the translation.

Back to figures: if we said before that the price per word of a translation (without revision) from German to Spanish might be anything over 0.075 euros, the price for post-editing would be 60% this price. Therefore, approximately 0.045 euros per word.

However, the world of post-editing is a complex one, and there are several prices depending on the level of post-editing required: from basic post-editing (only the most important mistakes are corrected) to publishable quality post-editing (the mistakes are corrected and the style of the text is improved so that it is like it has been translated by a human).

Price of transcreation (creative translation)

Transcreation is a type of creative translation in which the translator has greater freedom to adapt the original message to the target language without being too literal. It is used a great deal in marketing contexts and not only requires the language skills that any professional translator should have, but also creativity and ingenuity are valued greatly in this case.

Transcreation takes longer than a non-creative translation. The price is therefore usually higher. It might even be charged per hour.

If this is the type of translation you are looking for, consult your case with a translation provider to receive a bespoke transcreation price.

Remember that you should consider the objective of the text in order to choose the right price. Why do you need it? Is it for personal or internal use? Are you going to publish it? Does it include legal contents? Should you have any doubts, ask your language service provider to advise you on the best option for your project.

How are other language jobs charged?

All other jobs relating to translation or revision are often charged by the hour. For example, the correcting of texts, the creating of terminological glossaries, transcriptions and the subtitling of videos, layouts (DTP) and other special jobs, depending on the preferences of the provider in question. Correcting or proofreading is also very often charged per word.

Interpreting is charged by the hour or by the day (half day or full day). As a guideline, half a day of simultaneous translation might cost over 400 euros, and a full day more than 500 euros (not including VAT)

Copywriting is also charged by the word. You might receive a price per word, or a price per block of words (for example, articles for a blog articles of 500 words, 700 words, or 1000 words, etc.).

However, some writers prefer to charge for copywriting per hour, to adapt the price to the time taken on each project, as the time involved in research and writing might vary quite considerably depending on the subject-matter.

How much does a sworn translation cost?

Sworn translations of official documents (provided by a translator with an official title issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation) might be charged per word or per unit.

In the case of the latter, the sworn translator might offer a set price for the translation of a certain document (e.g. a birth certificate, a university degree, etc.).

To give you an idea, a sworn translation of a university degree can cost you anything upward of 35 euros.

If you need a clear, transparent quote with no surprises, contact us and we’ll analyse your project in less than 24 hours. You’ll receive a quote completely free of charge and with no strings attached.

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