We used to have a price list for translations, proofreading and interpreting on our homepage, but we took it down because the prices are too individual. What does a translation cost? That depends on the text, the topic, the format, the urgency and the scope. A complex urgent translation of a technical text in pdf format, which has to be done overnight or over the weekend, can cost twice as much per word (per line, per page, etc.) as the translation of a brochure in Word format with a relaxed deadline. Vice versa, it also means that a simple translation is twice as cheap.
The translation of a film is much more time-consuming than the translation of a screenplay or a synopsis. Popular science is usually easier to translate than technical texts. And so on. At the end of the day we want to arrive at a similar fee per hour, so we charge different prices per word, standard page and standard line for different orders.
There are guidelines, of course. The JVEG, for example, writes: “The fee for a translation is 1.55 euros for every 55 keystrokes of the written text”. That’s almost 2 dollars (USD) per line. However, this involves legal translations, and this is one of the most difficult tasks that we take on. And even here, we are flexible in terms of price – some contracts are easier to translate than others.
There are also translators who charge 5 cents per word. So why do more expensive colleagues still have customers? Because the very cheap translations are not worth it. We tried it. Of course, the idea of ordering an extremely cheap translation and then quickly proofreading and reselling it is an attractive one. In these cases, we have always asked the client whether we could forward the translation to a colleague – and yet we are of course the ones who guarantee the quality of the translation. So we tried outsourcing. And decided against it. We translate everything ourselves nowadays. (Unless you need a specialist to translate a text on a particular topic other than our profile. In such a case, we suggest transferring the translation: not for reasons of economy, but to improve the quality.) Why don’t we outsource translation? Because “quickly proofreading it” doesn’t work. In these cases, proofreading becomes full-fledged editing and takes almost as long as a new translation – and the result is still worse. So when you consider the price of a translation, you should always think about the quality.
And that, we can deliver. Have you seen our Google ratings? 5 stars, all of them. Many thanks to our nice customers!
So if you want to know what a translation costs, send us an email and you will receive an offer very quickly. The same goes for interpreting. Here you have to consider the time, too: conference interpreting costs more than consecutive interpreting, but saves the participants almost half of their time. Even though it is usually called “conference interpreting”, simultaneous interpreting is not only useful for conferences, but also for many other events – workshops, presentations, guided tours, speeches at company parties… So when comparing prices, always consider how many hours the event will last – translated in the consecutive or simultaneous fashion respectively.
