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As the world grows more connected through various channels, accurate translations and other language services are essential. However, translation costs can be a challenge for many, as translators need to be paid for their time and expertise. To help you understand and compare translation prices, we offer a free and easy-to-use translation cost calculator.

How do You Calculate Translation Cost? 

Before using the calculator, knowing how translation costs are calculated is important. That way, you’ll know exactly what you’re paying for and why. 

Translation Rate per Word 

The most common way translators charge for their services is per word. Translation rates per word will vary from translator to translator and translation agency to translation agency. If you have a translation project, specifying the source material’s word count can help you (and your translator) estimate a rough cost for the finished product. 

Translation Rate per Page 

How much do translation services cost per page? The short answer: it varies. You can’t use a single page to estimate the cost per word of an entire document. However, a translator sometimes charges per page instead of per word. This usually happens when a translator must reformat the translation to fit within a source document’s formatting guidelines. Due to their unique formatting, translating IDs, passports, licenses, and birth certificates may face a per-page charge. Materials like brochures and posters may also be charged per page for the same reason. 

Translation Rate per Minute 

Per-minute rates usually occur when working with interpreters or transcriptionists since their jobs tend to be time-sensitive. For example, an ASL interpreter at a school may charge per minute to compensate for different class lengths—some 50 minutes some 80 minutes. Similarly, an audio transcriptionist might charge per minute for audio recordings, especially ones that feature heavy accents, poor audio quality, or multiple speakers talking over each other.  

Translation Rate per Hour 

So, how much do translation services cost per hour? Typically, you won’t see translation rates per hour for most projects. However, there are a few cases where you might encounter hourly rates.  

For example, transcreators spend extra time adapting material to fit the target language’s cultural preferences and norms. They may end up changing names, phrases, and locations to do so, which involves extra time in finding appropriate ways to adapt the source material. 

Another situation where you might encounter hourly rates for translation services is when working with subtitles. Subtitling experts need to translate dialogue and format it into the video frame appropriately, which takes extra time on top of translating.  

How is Translation Cost Calculated? 

What else do linguists need to factor in translation costs? Overall, there are a few things you’ll need to consider that will affect the price of your translation: 

Time Needed to Translate 

Bigger projects take more time to translate, so they usually cost more. However, projects that take exceptionally long to finish for one reason or another may also incur extra charges to compensate for the extra time a translator spends working on the project.  

Project Due Date 

Your project’s due date will also significantly affect the cost of your service. Last-minute projects need prioritization over other, already existing ones. Like expedited shipping, rush fees for translations are a bit higher than traditional fees. 

Language Pair 

Your desired language pair also plays a role in translation rates. For example, high-demand language pairs tend to have lower translation rates, while more niche languages tend to cost more. That’s why English-to-Spanish translation rates per word tend to cost less than English-to-Urdu translation rates or Korean-to-English translation rates. 

Type of Translation 

The cost of document translation services tends to vary depending on the type of translation required. While there isn’t a specific list of translation “types,” many documents require a particular specialization to translate. For example, legal translators must be familiar with legal codices in multiple countries to translate legal documents correctly. This need for specialized translators is why projects requiring medical or certified translation cost more.  

Machine translation or translation through large language models (LLMs) will also affect translation costs. Typically, the cost of machine translation services is far lower than that of human translation services, including machine translation with human post-editing. Since machine translations are incredibly fast and cannot guarantee a 100% accurate translation, they are usually cheaper options. 

Additional Services 

If your translation project requires additional services alongside the translation, there’s a high chance you’ll have extra fees. 

Transcreation

As mentioned before, transcreation takes the source material and adapts it to fit a target audience’s cultural norms and preferences while retaining the source material’s emotional message and tone. Transcreation includes changing phrases and idioms, character names, locations, and even story beats to make sense within the target culture, so transcreators will charge more for the time it takes to translate, adapt, and recreate your content accordingly.  

Localization

You’ll likely encounter similar fees if you’re working with a software product or something needing localization. For example, if you want to translate an app from European Spanish to American English, you’ll have to change the time and date formats accordingly. This extra time to localize a product will come alongside your translation fee.  

Translation marketplaces like Traduality offer users the option to add multiple jobs to a single project to keep track of their budget piece-by-piece. 

Specialized Tools or Programs 

Suppose your translation project requires knowledge of a specific translation tool or computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools. In that case, you might pay extra for someone well-versed in your required project management or delivery tool. On the other hand, a translator may charge less for a translation if they’re using CAT tools; for example, if you’ve worked with this translator before or have a translation memory to give them, they can input it into the CAT tool of their choice and have an easier time keeping track of preferred terms while translating.  

How Much Does it Cost to Translate 1000 Words? 

So, ultimately, how much does a 1000-word translation cost?  

Translation costs will always vary depending on project length, delivery date, translator experience, specialization, and the use of translation tools to complete the project. On top of that, translation rates per 1000 words may vary depending on how the linguist charges for the translation (either per word or per minute/hour). 

Translation Rate per 1000 Words 

If your translator charges a project on a per-word basis, you’ll need to multiply the translator’s cost per word by 1000. You’ll end up with a formula like this:  

[translator’s cost per word] × 1000 = [total translation cost] 

Let’s say our translator charges $0.07 USD per word. In that case, your cost would be: 

$0.07 × 1000 = $70.00 

How Much Does a 1000-word Translation Cost per Hour? 

If your translator charges an hourly rate, your invoice will look similar to other hourly service invoices, and use this formula: 

[hourly rate] × [number of hours worked] = [total translation cost] 

So if our translator charges $20.00 USD per hour and spends four hours and 30 minutes translating 1000 words, your total translation cost would be: 

$20.00 × 4.5 = $90.00 

How Much do Translators Charge per 1000 Words?  

Typically, translators do not charge on a 1000-word basis. They’ll charge per word, which makes the total cost of a translation much more straightforward to calculate. After all, not every document has a nice, clean word count of 500 or 2,000 words. Your stuff is most likely 1,340 words or 12,729 words. Charging translation services per word allows translators and clients to simply plug their rates and word count into a translation calculator to find the expected cost. Of course, there will always be room for error, depending on the additional factors listed above. 

What is a Fair Price for Translation? 

So, what would we consider a fair price for translation? It comes down to several factors, including the ones mentioned above. However, we’ve failed to mention that for a freelance translator, a fair price for translations will include additional tasks like communicating with clients and managing project tasks, as well as extra, sometimes necessary expenses like required software programs. Ultimately, a fair price for freelance translation services would account for everything mentioned previously and compensate for the translator’s experience level and specialization. 

How Much Do You Charge for Translation Work? 

So, translators, when determining how much you charge for translation services, what do you do? Here are some tips for establishing your rates: 

How Much do Translators Charge in 2024? 

To start, see what translators in the past have charged—in 2023, how did translators with your level of experience, particular skillset, and known languages charge for their projects? What tools did they use, how much did they cost, and how have they helped make the translation process easier? Did they charge extra for certain services or translations requiring highly specific knowledge and terminology? Did they have additional certifications that would make their services more desirable to a particular clientele? These questions play a role in how a translator would price their services.  

Online communities are a great way to find other translators and mentors to work with when deciding your rates. For example, r/translators has a fantastic group of users who are more than willing to help you find the right price for your services. If you’d like in-person and offline advice, your college or university is another great place to look—professors are always ready to help students and alumni get started in their field and build connections. 

How do You Charge Translation Services? 

When it comes to charging for translation services, there are several variables that you’ll need to account for when deciding your rates. These might incur additional charges on a project, so when you ultimately send out a price quote, keep the following in mind: 

Specialized Translation Services

For starters, specialized services like legal or medical translation require extra, in-depth knowledge of a particular subject. Medical translators must be familiar with HIPAA guidelines, other privacy guidelines, and medical terminology. Legal translators must have complete knowledge of a specific country’s legal codices to translate material accurately. This expertise is hard to come by and should be charged as such. 

Translation and Transcreation 

The level of translation will also play a role in how you charge your services. Are you translating the source material word-for-word in a literal translation, or do you have a bit more creative liberty when working with the target language, like in a free translation? Does the client expect you to transcreate content so that it resonates with the new target audience? If so, you’ll likely spend extra time on a project and will need to charge accordingly. 

Subtitling and Transcription

If you specialize in subtitling or transcription, knowing your rates for translation and transcription projects is always a good idea. Typically, transcribers don’t calculate transcription rates per word; they calculate transcription rates per minute or hour. That way, they’ll be adequately compensated when they spend extra time working on transcription projects with messy audio. If you offer transcription or subtitling services alongside translation, consider developing separate rates for transcription and subtitling.  

Affordable, Vetted Translators at Your Service 

Of course, finding affordable translation services requires a thorough translation budget. Check out our blog on creating a suitable budget for translation services to learn the ins and outs of building a language operations budget before you begin your search. 

At Traduality, you’ll find hundreds of translators ready and able to get started on your next big translation project. Post jobs, browse price quotes, and find the perfect translator for your budget today! To learn more, sign up or contact us!