What affects the cost of translation? 7 factors explained
Clients often ask why translation quotes differ. Price is shaped by the work involved, not just the number of pages.
The seven factors
- Volume: the number of words, not pages. Scanned pages must be estimated.
- Language pair: common pairs have more linguists available than rare ones.
- Subject and difficulty: legal, medical and technical texts need specialists.
- Deadline: urgent delivery needs more resources.
- File format: scans, PDFs with images and design files need extra work such as typing and layout.
- Extra services: certification, review by a second linguist, subtitling or desktop publishing.
- Repetition: repeated sentences can reduce effort when a translation memory is used.
How to get an accurate quote fast
- Send the actual file, not a description
- State source and target languages and the deadline
- Tell us how it will be used and who will read it
- Mention any required stamp or format
Cheapest is not always cheapest
A mistake in a contract or a rejected official file costs far more than the difference in price. Ask what review steps are included in any quote you compare.
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