As the most common question that a person looking for a translation provider has, it sounds deceptively simple. How much a translation costs is the first and sometimes most important piece of information that a potential client wants to know. However, this can only be determined by a translation provider after taking into consideration a few different factors, which we’ll discuss here.
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Perhaps because it sounds like a simple request, clients will often call or send an email asking for a price quote with little or no information on what they need. In these cases, being able to look at the document—or a sample, at a minimum—will usually provide all that a translator needs in order to accurately gauge how much it will cost to complete.
If it is not possible to send the document in question or a sample, here are some things to consider:
Because of globalization, professional translation rates can vary widely, from $0.06 to even $0.25 per word or more. The languages involved affect the rate—as translations dealing with rarer languages will generally have higher rates than those of more widely-known languages. And the complexity of the text and subject affect the rate as well, which is why simply stating the source and target languages is not always enough to provide a rate quote.
The best way to get (or give) an idea of how much a translation will cost, is to evaluate the time required to deliver the translation in addition to the amount of words, the complexity of the subject matter, and of course the target and source languages as well. When counting the words, it is best to go by the number of words in the source text, so that the client has a clear idea of what his or her cost will be prior to submitting the work. The time required to complete the translation should also be taken into account, which the complexity of the text also affects, so that the client knows beforehand whether the translation can be completed by their deadline. And as mentioned above, the source and target languages will also affect the rate.
In addition to the number of words and the source and target languages, a client should also include information regarding the document format and their deadline. Providing this information up front can help a translation service provider answer that common question of how much something will cost in a more timely and accurate way so that everyone can get on with the business at hand.