Translation Pricing Explained: Rates, Surcharges and RFP Tips
Understand per-word vs per-page pricing, rush fees, DTP, certified surcharges and volume discounts—so you can compare vendor quotes fairly.
Pricing models
- Per word — standard for general documentation
- Per page — common for certified translation
- Hourly / day rates — interpretation and consulting
- Project bundles — localization programs with LQA and engineering
What moves the rate
Language pair rarity, subject difficulty (legal, medical, engineering), formatting/DTP, certification level, volume and turnaround all affect unit cost.
Compare quotes apples-to-apples
Check whether review, PM and QA are included. Ask for TM match rates on updates. Clarify minimum fees on small jobs.
Long-term value
Retainers, dedicated linguist teams and TM leverage reduce unit cost over multi-year programs while improving consistency.
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