The Cost of Translation

As with any product or service, there is a range in quality when it comes to translation that generally corresponds to its price. This is largely because translation is a skill that takes years to master, and translators need to be compensated fairly for their expertise. In the age of artificial intelligence and machine translation, fair compensation is even necessary so that translators can continue to provide added value. On the client side, companies and organizations who care about their brand image and want to use translation to expand their reach know the value of a good translation. Here is everything that needs to be taken into account when considering how much translation services cost.

Translators are knowledge workers

In his 1959 book, The Landmarks of Tomorrow, Peter Drucker was the first to use the term “knowledge worker,” defining it as a person who is “employed because they possess and can apply significant amounts of knowledge.” When it comes to translation, it takes years to become bilingual, not to mention gain a mastery of translation skills. Translation is more than changing words from one language to another: it requires excellent writing skills, specialization in specific fields and knowledge of translation techniques. As a rule, professionals are compensated based on their skill level and education, and translators are no exception.

Translators are not machines

The fact is that there is always a human behind a quality translation. Machine translation has its place: it facilitates communication between speakers of foreign languages and can be used to get the general gist of a text. But machines cannot take context and culture into account. It is simply not possible to rely on machine translation unless you are a professional translator, who is in the best position to decide whether to tweak a machine translation or to completely scrap it. In the age of artificial intelligence, this means that machine translation is a tool at anyone’s disposal, but translators are essential to maintaining quality in the final translation, which means their skills are no less valuable.

Translators are running a business

Translators do not spend all of their time translating. While employers are used to paying their employees an hourly rate, translators are paid for the time they spend translating, which they can do faster and better than someone who is not a trained professional. On top of that, as you become a better translator, you learn to work faster and can therefore demand higher rates for your time. Your rates must also take into account all of the time that you spend working on other aspects of your business. This includes managing billing, quoting on projects, communicating with clients, and maintaining client termbases and translation memories. In addition, to succeed in the long run, translators must spend time networking and pursuing professional development, which comes at a cost.

In addition to training, translators must be able to afford a website, translation tools (software and hardware) and memberships to professional associations. And, just like an employee, translators expect to be compensated sufficiently so that they can save for retirement, take vacations, and not take a hit when they must take a sick day.

Not all translators are created equal

Service quality depends on how a company understands its clients’ needs and meets their expectations. Many translators enjoy translating because it is solitary work, but not all translators have the business acumen to see the role of a translated document in the bigger picture when it comes to a business’s needs. Providing quality service also means being available when a client needs you and some translators will turn down projects if they are at their capacity and cannot meet their client’s deadline. Subcontracting, however, is a way to add value for your clients in that they know that you will be able to help them no matter the circumstances and will ensure consistency from one project to the next. Some freelancers simply do not want to be responsible for someone else’s work, but it makes business sense to have colleagues around you who you trust and are ready to help.

To conclude, translation services not only vary in quality, but also in the different ways that a translator meets their clients’ needs. Being available, having a solid understanding of a client’s product or service and whether or not a translator is an expert in their field all come into play when considering translation costs. Instead of lowering their rates in the age of machine translation, translators are even justified in raising them since they are the only ones with the expertise needed to ensure that the final translation is high quality. Most importantly, when you do not invest in quality services, a poor translation can be even more costly, in the end.

For more guidance on how to ensure that you are getting quality translation services, see this article.