Navigating the Cost of Document Translation Services

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The Internet has made it very easy to check translation prices online. There are at least 10 companies that offer online translation price quotes and you can usually get several price offers for your translation project within minutes.

What’s the Price? A Look at Document Translation Rates

In the translation industry, prices are usually quoted on a per-word basis. So if you can get a word count of the material you need to translate and know the translation price per word, you can estimate the cost of translation yourself. Translation prices per word vary depending on the language pair, the subject matter and the service level required.

Budgeting for Translation: A Handy Price Guide

If you don’t yet have the documents you want to translate and just want to get some rough price estimates, here is some information that may help (all prices on this page are in US Dollars).

How much does it cost to translate a technical manual?

Technical manuals usually have drawings, illustrations and screenshots which occupy considerable page space. This results in a lower word count per page. Some of the text in a manual, like table of content and warnings, are generated or are repetitive which means that you may be able to get a discount for these texts.

Average price per page to translate a technical manual into French and German: $30.
Average price per page to translate a technical manual into Spanish and Portuguese: $20.
Average price per page to translate a technical manual into Italian and Arabic: $25.

At GTS, this price includes professional technical manual translation by a certified translator, review and page layout in MS Word file format. Includes delivery of a print-ready PDF as well.

How much does it cost to translate an SDS?

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS or SDS) for chemical products have an average word count of 2,500 words. Some run higher, some run lower. But 2,500 words per SDS is typical.

Average price to translate an SDS into Spanish and Chinese: $250.
Average price to translate an SDS into French and German: $350.
Average price to translate an SDS into Swedish: $475.

At GTS, the price includes professional SDS translation by a certified translator with expertise in chemistry, review and page layout in MS Word file format. If you provide the MSDS in PDF file format we will convert it into a Word file.

How much does it cost to translate an Informed Consent Form?

Informed Consent Forms start from 2,000 words and can run up to about 7,000 words. All depending on the nature of the new drug and the clinical trial associated with it.

Average price per page to translate an ICF into Spanish: $25.

At GTS, this price includes professional translation by a certified medical translator, review and page layout in MS Word file format. Also includes a Statement of Accuracy certificate.

Average price per page to translate an ICF into Spanish with back translation validation: $60.

How much does it cost to translate a product catalog?

Product catalogs usually have part or product photos and may also feature spec tables which occupy considerable page space. This results in a lower word count per page. On the other hand, product catalogs are usually created in a high-end DTP application like InDesign which adds to the overall production costs.

Average price per page to translate a product catalog into French Canadian: $40.

At GTS this includes professional translation by a certified translator, review and page layout in InDesign file format.

How much does it cost to translate a product brochure or datasheet?

Product brochures and marketing datasheets are created in a high-end DTP application like InDesign which adds to the overall production costs.

Average price per page to translate a product brochure into Chinese: $40.

At GTS this includes professional translation by a certified translator, review and page layout in InDesign file format.

How much does it cost to translate a patent application?

PCT and WIPO patent applications usually have multiple line spacing between 1.5 to 2. Average word count of single page of a patent application in English is 300 words. Average word count per page in other languages, especially in German, may be lower as German words tend to be longer than English words.

Average price per page to translate a patent application from English into German: $50.
Average price per page to translate a patent application from German into English: $45.

Price includes professional translation by a certified patent translator with subject-matter expertise. Also includes a Statement of Accuracy certificate and a signed translator affidavit if required.