How to Determine Translation Rates
Translation rates can indeed be difficult to understand, but it is also true that translation prices are not set in stone.
If you want to know how translation rates are determined and what factors go into them, then this article should help!
We here at translation service Australia will discuss the logic behind translation pricing and provide tips for influencing your rate so you can find a better deal.
How Much Does A Translation Project Cost?
Four different factors determine the price of a translation project. The translation rate will vary with each project, but here’s an overview.
Language Combination.
The translation’s language pair, or the source and target languages, is an essential indicator of pricing but in no way provides a definitive estimate.
The rarer the language combination, e.g., English-to-Japanese, Japanese-to-Spanish, will earn higher rates than those with more common combinations such as French-to-English or Spanish to English.
For example, The average translation rates for translating from English to Japanese may cost more because Japan has an increased cost of living. Few translators are available for that language combination, whereas Spain does not.
One of the most important factors in determining a NAATI translation‘s price is which languages are being included. Translations rates per word involving two European languages, for example, tend to carry a higher price than chinese to english translation rates.
Word Count
One of the main ingredients that determine the cost of translation is the word count. Generally, it’s calculated based on source-language text rather than target-language text. Australia is a country with people of diverse cultures. Thus, language can be a barrier for them. The translation service is mandatory which goes hand in hand. Check out more on diversity in Australia.
It is because usually, it’s too difficult to count how long a translated document will be until after you’ve finished translating it.
The price can also depend upon other factors such as what kind of translation you need and any rush services available.
Subject Specialization.
The third element that necessarily reflect the cost of a translation is the translator’s specialization.
Not all translations require specialized knowledge, but some types do.
One of the key findings of NAATI translators about international migration indicates that within particular fields like medical, engineering manuals, or legal texts, the translator needs to have expertise in those fields and understand local law and regulation.
Deadlines.
The last and crucial element influencing the price of a translation is urgency. As a rule, translations can be performed very flexibly through an extensive network of translators.
Often, articles delivered in the morning can be returned translated by 3 p.m., but this all depends on how urgent it is- faster service and relatively higher prices are offered to those who need their material translated urgently.
In some situations, a rush translation may be required as quickly as possible and must be completed over the weekend. In this case, an express delivery surcharge may apply to the cost of the project.
Most of the time, determining the price of a translation has very little to do with how quickly it will be delivered.
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How Much Do Translation Services Cost In Australia?
You can also calculate the price based on a combination of these factors or an integration thereof.
In addition to the cost for translation itself, there are often additional fees related to post-editing (proofreading) or transcription (the audio-based equivalent).
As such, when considering how much translation services cost, there are two different calculation methods to choose from:
Translation Rates: Pricing on a Per Word Basis
Most translation requests in Australia, such as business and legal documents, are priced by the number of words.
In Australia, the ‘per word rate’ has been falling for many years. Ten years ago, it was quote-common to pay over 50c per word (i.e.. $50 per 100 words).
Due to Economic Diversity in Australia and competition in the global translation industry has increased and efficiency improvements have been made by utilizing technology, prices have fallen.
Within Australia, the average cost of a translation per word is 20-40c.
Translation Rates: Standard Documents
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Standard documents include personal documents such as a birth certificate, driver’s license, marriage certificate, Police Verification, etc.
Like many countries in recent years, the prices of translations in Australia are going down.
The estimate for most standard document translation charges is $69.00 per document, and other agencies tend to price them at about $77-$99.
There is also an urgency surcharge that varies depending on each agency they can apply during emergencies or concerns such as potential timing issues.
What Is The Rate Of Translation Per Word?
The rates vary depending on several factors. Most Translation agencies have two types: per word and hourly. For projects under 10,000 words, you will be quoted based on the number of words, but for those over 10,000 words, they will provide both prices (per word and hourly) to determine which rate is most beneficial to your project. The project based on Swedish translator have some queries. If you too have some questions, you can get expert help.
Translation Rates Per Word For Each Language Pair.
The below prices are indicative of what you can expect to pay for the translation of the following pairs of languages
Language Pair | Standard Content | Technical Content |
---|---|---|
Arabic | 22 cents per word | 26 cents per word |
Bosnian | 30 cents per word | 36 cents per word |
Croatian | 27 cents per word | 33 cents per word |
Danish | 24 cents per word | 30 cents per word |
Dari | 27 cents per word | 33 cents per word |
Dutch | 27 cents per word | 33 cents per word |
French | 22 cents per word | 26 cents per word |
German | 24 cents per word | 30 cents per word |
Greek | 24 cents per word | 30 cents per word |
Indonesian | 22 cents per word | 26 cents per word |
Italian | 24 cents per word | 30 cents per word |
Japanese | 27 cents per word | 33 cents per word |
Korean | 27 cents per word | 33 cents per word |
Malay | 34 cents per word | 41 cents per word |
Polish | 22 cents per word | 26 cents per word |
Portuguese | 22 cents per word | 26 cents per word |
Russian | 22 cents per word | 26 cents per word |
Serbian | 22 cents per word | 26 cents per word |
Thai | 30 cents per word | 36 cents per word |
Turkish | 24 cents per word | 30 cents per word |
Ukrainian | 24 cents per word | 30 cents per word |
Urdu | 30 cents per word | 36 cents per word |
Vietnamese | 22 cents per word | 26 cents per word |
Translation Price Per Page.
One of the initial things you’ll want is to find out how many words are in your document. To do this, multiply the number of pages by 400 or 500 because each page has a certain number of words depending on its language.
For example, if you have a ten-page document in English, you would be looking at 4,000 words (400 x 10= 4000), which means that the translator should charge $920 (4000 x .23= $920) since the cost per word is 23 cents.
It is essential to know that this article describes the general principles of translation pricing. The calculation may have become more complex as we transition into a major CAT tools era, but some things to consider. Reports on repetition and fuzziness will impact the price of your projects, and they should be considered when making changes to your math!
Want To Find Your Translation Rates?
The credible way to do this is to contact us directly using the free quote form on our website. We will get you an actual quote within a few minutes. We can consider any specific factors that affect pricing, such as timing, translator availability, content type, and file formats.
How Much Does A Translation Cost Per Hour?
When Hiring a translation agency, the translation agency often determines the translation prices.
If they have different rates depending on whether it’s an oral or written translation and differing translation standards, some agencies will charge more than others at similar levels of quality.
However, In Australia, most translators charge around $27.50 depending on the following factors: language combination, volume, turnaround time, and subject matter. The Translator cost in Australia is low relative to what its European counterparts are offering.
How Can The Price Of Translation Be Affected?
The language translation cost is determined by the complexity of the text and by how many words it contains, and these elements can, in turn, be reduced through the use of technology.
Translation Memories
Translation memories are a very effective way to reduce translation costs per word as they help absorb some of the time and effort needed for translations. The advantages of a translation memory go beyond saving both time and money. They also provide consistency from one translated unit to the next, which, in turn, expedites projects more quickly.
Concentration
Companies that order translations from a particular supplier will often find better prices for the agreed language pairs. Minimum charges may also be an option if you are ordering shorter documents of 250 words or fewer.
Machine Translation
Machine translation software may not be the most appropriate solution for an important translation project. It is best to use machine translation for internal documents, to save NAATI certified translations services costs, and tasks when a company needs continuous translations, or language accuracy is not essential.
What Are The Current Translation Rates?
Within Australia, the average cost of a translation per word is 20-40c. The number of words, type of language pair, and other things will affect how much it costs to complete a translation.
However, nobody can tell you exactly what that final price will be without analyzing the document first. Based on these factors’ uncertainty, clients are provided with the lowest possible quote.
How Do Professional Translators Translate A Document?
The translation process is not a simple one, and it isn’t about turning words from one language to another. When translating, translators will take into account the nuances of each word to correctly convey the meaning. They are also careful with syntax which can make or break how well they do their job.
The following infographic will outline the process to give you a more accurate description of how the translation process works.
How Much Should I Charge For My Service?
Three significant variables affect your translation fees:
Your language combination(s)
The primary step you should take when determining the worth of your translation service rates is to list what languages you translate into and from, such as Japan translation, Thai Translation etc. Currently, some languages are more expensive than others – because they are in high demand.
To help you understand how translation prices are calculated, most freelance translators and interpreters, in the last few years, have divided them into groups according to their average market rates (approximating a range, as there may be exceptions to the rule.)
Market Rates | Language Pairs |
---|---|
Tier 1 (Average Rates) | Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Bulgarian, Hungarian. |
Tier 2 (Above Average Rates) | French, English, Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish, Greek, Vietnamese. |
Tier 3 (Costly Rates) | Simplified Chinese, German, Dutch, Arabic, Hebrew. |
Tier 4 (Very Costly Rates) | Japanese, Korean, Finnish, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian. |
Your specialism(s)
The estimate of translation is determined by the difficulty and specialization level of the data. A translator specializing in a particular content area and providing more information can charge more for their interpreting services than those with general expertise.
Your level of experience.
Experienced linguists tend to charge higher rates for the same service than newbies: their perceived value and several years of expertise make it easier for a client to accept their rates.
Conclusion
The translation service is a competitive industry, with competing firms setting their rates and practices. The standard nowadays is to charge per word, although some exceptions may be in place.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the average rate of translation?
Professional translators charge between $0.10 and $0.30 per word. The charges depend on the language pair, translation quality and turnaround time.
2. What is the hourly rate for a freelance translator in Australia?
An average translator in Australia charges around $46.25 per hour, and their annual salary is around $90,000.
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