How Much Does Translation Cost?

Once you realize you want a translation by a skilled professional (as opposed to machine-generated translation — which has its place!), be prepared to pay the translator for their work. 

For decades, per-word rates have been the standard throughout the translation industry. The math is simple: Multiply the number of source words (i.e., from the document you want to translate) by the per-word price for the total cost. (Note that for some language pairs, translators are paid per target word count instead of source word count.)

Whether based on the source or target text, per-word rates continue to maintain their hold on translation pricing models. According to Slator’s 2024 Market Report, 91% of language service providers (LSPs) surveyed continue to use per-word rates. 

A 2024 linguist survey similarly found that 77% of linguists were paid by source word; and 13%, by target word. (It’s worth noting that 70.9% of those same linguists said translation is the service they perform most often.)

Per-word rates may be the most common pricing structure, but they aren’t the only game in town. 14% of LSPs said they charge per document, which may include “project minimums” that make tasks with little text worth their while. 

As LSPs incorporate machine translation (MT) into their workflows, some translators have begun to advocate for hourly wages for their work. Indeed, 64% of LSPs said they do charge per hour for certain work.

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The appeal of hourly rates stems from the idea that word counts no longer correspond to the level of effort needed to produce a satisfactory end product. 

Another way of accounting for the extra work translators often face in post-editing is calculating rates based on edit distance, a measure of how many changes must be made to raw MT to make it acceptable. Edit distance is still somewhat controversial and not widely used; only 12% of LSPs told Slator they charge based on edit distance.

Most LSPs said their quotes depend on project volume and complexity. A combination of word count, graphics localization, and estimates on document formatting factor into the equation.