The True Costs of Professional Translation Services

If you are considering using a translation service one of your primary deliberations is likely to be the cost.

Choosing the right translation company can be a tricky business and when parting with significant amounts of money you’ll want to get it right first time.

Unlike free translation tools such as Google Translate, professional human translation is a paid-for service but there can be vast differences in quality, price and service between companies that offer professional translations.

The following tips will help you understand how translation costs are worked out, offer money saving advice, and ensure you get a fair deal.

Word count cost

Most translation companies offer a price based upon word count. However, this will vary between companies and the languages that are being translated.

To save money it is wise to plan in advance for translation by creating translation friendly content that uses the same terms/phrases or information wherever possible and minimise your wording to essential information only.

This will ensure you only pay for relevant wording and you aren’t paying twice for wording that is similar.

Different language costs

Certain languages are more costly to translate than others.

When you consider that demand for certain languages will inevitably be higher than others (we all know that demand for anything will increase the cost) then this is seen as a typical business strategy.

However, when you combine this with the availability of linguists for a particular language then you can understand the variance that occurs.

For example, translating from English to Arabic is common, however, if you are translating a medical document there are likely to be limited numbers of translators who have knowledge of both the languages and the medical terminology required for a first-rate translation. This will cause price and quality fluctuations that you must factor into your translations costings.

It is worth paying for a quality translation service that offers specialist subject knowledge combined with the translation as this will avoid any costly errors.

Economic translation costs

Local economies influence retail, service and production industries, so it should come as no surprise that the translation industry does not escape this either.

The affluence of a region can lower or raise the costs involved in translation as linguists will have higher or lower living costs and wage expectations depending upon their place of residence.

The location of the translation company’s headquarters, or where they primarily operate from, will also determine pricing due to issues such as hourly pay scales, tax benefits and business infrastructures.

Likewise, currency values will increase or decrease depending upon the strength of one currency compared to another, although while this change may take some time to alter pricing, and may at times be minimal, it is also worth considering when choosing a translation provider.

Added Value of Translation Services

To ensure you are getting the best translation service for your money it is worth following the above advice, but also remember the support you will receive from the translation company aside from the basic translation service.

Support from professionals will ensure you are targeting consumers correctly and is always more personalised than a basic translation. It may cost more initially but it can save expensive errors that can often be lost in translation alone.

Remember, cheaper isn’t always better as cutting costs can mean cutting corners, and through comprehensive preparation in advance you will save any rush fees being charged alongside the translation costs.

Looking to save on translation costs? Speak to one of our team.

Latest Post

© Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved