How Translating Rates Are Calculated in Different Markets

Everything You Need to Know About Translating Rates

One of the most important questions you should ask a language translation service before you send them a project is: what type of translating rates do you use? Here is why this is important. Pricing a translation service is not easy. A text that takes just one page in English will reach about one page and a half in German. On the other hand, two pages in Italian may end up as one page and a half in English.

Thus, translating rates must take into account:

• The translator’s effort
• The actual length of the translated text
• The type of text (regular or technical)

In this article, we will show you how a professional agency calculates its translating rates on the international markets we also cover. We will explain the reason for each type of pricing and why it is also a fair option for the clients.

When It Comes to Translating Rates, You Get What You Pay For

One word of caution before we start discussing the various translating rates agencies use. Never pick the lowest price you can find for your corporate translations. An experienced translator has invested a lot of time, effort, and money in learning at least one foreign language to a near-native level. Thus, the translating rates offered by agencies will reflect these aspects, which you will notice in the accuracy of the translated text and delivery speed.

That being said, these are the types of translating rates used by agencies:

Translation Rates Per Word

This is the most frequently used type of translating rates because it reflects the translator’s time and effort and is fair for both parties. Of course, prices are tailor-made depending on the language pairs, the level of difficulty of the text, and the required deadline.

In the US, the average rate per word is $0.13 for standard texts and $0.20 for technical texts. Due to complex contexts and the need to pay special attention, translating rates per word are a little higher than the average for English to Spanish translations.

The European market is even more expensive - EUR0.15 for standard texts (the equivalent of around $0.19).

Translation Rates Per Line

Translation agencies in Central Europe use this type of translation rate more frequently. The accepted length of a line is 55 characters (including spaces and punctuation markers) in the target language.

These translating rates are actually fairer for the customer for translations from languages with long words (for example Polish, Hungarian and German). As an example, a line of text in German may have 4 to 5 words and reach 8 words when translated into English.

Translation Rates Per Page

What happens when the number of words cannot be calculated? If the source text is a physical document or a scanned PDF document, it is impossible to perform this calculation. In this situation, translation service agencies apply per page translating rates.

This type of rate is also the standard pricing for translation companies in Italy due to the specifics of the vocabulary and spelling. For instance, a text in English will have more characters after it is translated into Italian. Translating rates per line would be extremely high and would probably not be accepted by many clients.

Translation Rates Per Hour

Translation agencies use this type of rate only for very special projects. The reason for this is that it is a subjective method of pricing a translation service. One translator may need a longer time than another for the same text.

However, if a translator needs to copy charts, tables, and graphs into a translated document without having to translate anything (or only a few words), their effort needs to be taken into account. Thus, translating rates per hour are applicable in these cases.

Flat Fee

Flat fees are applicable for translations from or into the following languages:

• Chinese
• Japanese
• Korean
• Vietnamese

These languages use a completely different alphabet, and, in some cases, a single symbol may translate as a phrase containing up to 5 words in English. Thus, per word or per page translating rates do not make economic sense for the translation agency. Plus, translations to and from these languages require supplementary research and planning.

Minimum Price

Minimum prices apply to short translation projects – under 250 words. A per word or per line pricing would be unfavorable to the translation service agency. Thus, a minimum price will be satisfactory for all parties.

Other Aspects You Should Know Concerning Translating Rates

Translating rates are not a one-size-fits-all issue. They are individually calculated for each project and may include discounts for frequent clients. Translating rates also take into account the urgency and the difficulty of the text. Moreover, editing, formatting, and proofreading are priced as separate services.

Choose Professionalism and Fair Translating Rates!

Pronto Translations has 20 years of experience in the field of professional translation and interpretation services. We currently offer over 300 language pairs and fair translating rates for all clients. We guarantee accuracy, confidentiality of your corporate documents, and the ability to deliver the translations when you need them.

Our offices are located in New York, but our extended service area covers:

• Manhattan
• Chelsea
• Midtown
• Soho
• Greenwich Village
• Hoboken, NJ

Call us now at 646-984-4073.