How Translation Pricing Works

One of the most important matters to discuss when hiring a translator is pricing. While clients often assume that translation is the type of service that would be billed hourly, most translators charge per source word instead. In my experience, this is beneficial to both the translator and the client.

For clients, having a fixed price from the beginning helps to avoid unpleasant surprises at billing time. Translation work requires research and editing, and the amount of time required to provide a quality translation can vary greatly. Hiring a translator at an hourly rate without fully understanding the translation process or the complexity of your text could result in a final bill that is much higher than expected.

As a translator, I also find that working for a fixed price allows me to focus on doing a good job by the deadline without worrying about exactly how many minutes I’m spending on the translation. On the few occasions early in my career when I worked at an hourly rate, I felt pressured to work faster so that the client wouldn’t think I was overcharging them for my services. High-quality writing takes time and thought, and so does a high-quality translation.

When potential clients reach out to me for a price quote, I tell them my standard rate so that they can determine whether my pricing is within their budget range. At the same time, I note that I charge more for complex texts with specialized terminology and ask to review the text that they want to have translated so that I can give them an exact estimate. This transparency allows us to agree on a fair price in advance and start our business relationship with trust.