Being a translation agency, some clients tell us the translation is rather expensive, while others often say we have an excellent price/quality ratio. Because we, of course, want to deliver quality for a good price, we'd like to explain how we arrive at the price for any translation.

Calculate the price for your translation here

Word count multiplied by rate

A translation agency does not work in units of time, but in word count. The price of a translation is determined based on the number of words in the source document, the text to be translated. This number is multiplied by the applicable rate per word. So, the word count to be translated determines the price of a translation. At least, it is the calculation that is made to come up with a price indication or when putting together a quote.

Lead time

The word count to be translated also determines the lead time of a translation. A translation with an average level of complexity can be translated at a speed of around 2000 words per day. That means that for a text consisting of 4000 words, the minimum lead time is two days, assuming a single translator is working on it. If a lead time of just one day is needed for the same text, we would have to let two translators work on it simultaneously. The result is a higher rate per word, and thus a higher price for the translation.

Rate per word

The rate per word is largely determined by the chosen language pair. This follows the basic principle of supply and demand. There are more English and German translators in the Netherlands than there are Chinese or Japanese translators, so the rates differ too. It's pretty simple, right?

“ A good translation can cost a lot, a bad translation can cost even more. ”

Besides the language pair, the nature of the translation (area of expertise) is also important. If the translation is of a very technical nature, the rate may be higher, because we have to find a specialised translator. Specialised technical translators are scarce, and therefore have a higher rate.

Quantity discount

Finally, we offer quantity discounts for large translations. Translations of 2,000 or more words are already eligible for this discount, which is applied to the rate per word. With particularly large translation assignments, this may result in a discount of up to 20% of the rate per word.

Quality control

In order to be able to deliver qualitative translations, a quality check is needed. We offer two choices, a full quality check (ISO-17100 applies) and a sample quality check (ISO-17100 does not apply). We will always advise you to choose a full quality check, but we do offer a sample quality check with less quality assurance if you would rather have a lower translation rate. To be clear, your translation will still be translated very carefully. However, minor inconsistencies in the final translation may occur, because with the sample quality check the text will only be checked randomly.

Translation too expensive?

A good translation may cost quite a lot, but balance it against the cost of a poor translation first. What is the purpose of the translation? What are the consequences of a poor translation? Before jumping to the conclusion that a translation is too expensive, also consider what a good translation can yield for you. Among translation agencies we are not the cheapest, but not the most expensive either. We focus on the quality of the translation, and quality is worth something.