How much will your translation cost?

Words have power - Note sticking out of a jeans pocket

What should a customer consider when it comes to the cost of translation? What is actually cheap, and what is expensive? We’re often asked how much a translation will cost, which is naturally an important question, but it’s not always easy to give a straightforward answer.

Every translation is bespoke and produced solely for you upon order. The price depends on a range of factors that we take a closer look at below. We also offer tips on how you can keep costs down.

Examples of factors affecting the price:

  • Word count
  • Language pair
  • Subject area
  • File format
  • Delivery deadlines

How does word count affect price?

Whether a text is 30, 3,000 or 30,000 words long, the translation process involves a certain amount of administration. The file must first be prepared for the translators. It must also be passed between the translator and the proofreader and any issues clarified, and finally the translated file must be made ready for delivery. And because the translators must familiarise themselves with the subject of the text and conduct research to make sure terminology and style match the source text, a short text may seem more expensive than a longer one.

Worth outset: If you have many small texts in the same subject area that need translating, try to consolidate them to achieve more volume per batch, rather than sending each small text individually. If certain texts are more urgent, it’s naturally best not to wait too long to avoid unnecessary stress.

How do languages differ?

For translators to be worth their salt, they must be skilled writers in their native language. They must also have a thorough knowledge of the source language to accurately translate all its nuances. Just because languages are closely related does not mean a translator will grasp every nuance; therefore, not all Swedish translators are willing to translate from Norwegian or Danish, even though the languages are very similar.

And because some language pairs are very unusual, there may be a shortage of translators at the same time as demand for translations is high. This naturally affects the price. Translating a text from Swedish to Japanese is much more expensive than translating it from Swedish to English.

Worth outset: It might seem easy to lower the price by writing the text in English, but that’s not necessarily true. In the case of the major European languages, there’s often no difference in price when the source language is Swedish or English. And If a text written in English by someone other than a native speaker is then translated into another language, there’s a risk of misunderstandings in the translation. This often leads to many time-consuming questions, resulting in a very expensive lesson. In the worst case, it can damage your brand. Thus, it’s always best to translate an original text written by a native speaker of the language concerned.

Every specialist field has its own language

Just because a translator is skilled in the medical field doesn’t mean the same translator can handle an automotive engineering text. And in the case of sales copy, the translator needs to be much freer and think in a completely different way. We should therefore regard each specialist field as having a language of its own, and the translator must feel at ease in that field in both languages. All of our translators have their own specialist areas. If a text requires a translator with specialist knowledge in a narrow field, there will be fewer available translators, resulting in a correspondingly higher price than for a general text in a common language pair.

Worth outset: We have translators across all industries and subject areas. Our medical and legal translators are very much in demand, and these subject areas are generally a little more expensive than others.

I'm sending you a PDF…

PDFs are difficult to work with. We recommend you send us editable formats such as Word, InDesign, PowerPoint or Excel. We can naturally convert PDF texts into Word, but this often results in weird line breaks and hyphenation, making an accurate word count difficult. Sometimes manual text formatting is necessary, and this takes additional time.

If you need to translate your website, we will need the text in an editable format such as HTML, JSON or XML. Sometimes our clients send us a link and ask us to extract the text directly from there, but as this is both time-consuming and unreliable, it’s best to send us a file.

Worth outset: We can handle most things, but you can save both time and money if you can send us the text in an editable format right from the outside.

We want it done yesterday!

Sometimes our customers tell us, tongue in cheek, that they want the translation done yesterday. While we’re not quite that fast, we do everything we can to make sure you get your translation as quickly as possible.

If you’re a regular customer of ours, we’ll do our utmost to assign your usual translator. If the translator is busy with other assignments, you may have to wait a little for your translation. But if you’re unable to wait, we’ll check with one of our other capable translators. However, if you’re in dire straits with a very tight deadline, the translator may take on an assignment subject to an express surcharge.

Worth outset: Make sure your text is completely finished before submitting it for translation. Changes and additions made afterwards will cause delay and increase the cost of the process. Plan well in advance to avoid express surcharges.

Before you say yes

Considering all these variables, it’s not surprising that a quick answer regarding the cost of a translation is so difficult. Språkbolaget always provides an upfront price that includes translation by a native speaker, a proofreading review by an additional qualified translator, project management, and feedback.

Here are a few tips to help you get the best possible results for the lowest possible cost:

  • Translation is craftsmanship, so plan well ahead
  • Make sure the text is finished before submitting it for translation.
  • Send us the texts in an editable format right from the outset.
  • If you have many short texts, consolidate them and send everything all at once.
  • A translation always works best when based on the original text.
  • Be as clear as you can in your request. Multiple emails mean more time before we can start.