PRICING
Each translation project is unique. Therefore, a quote can be provided only after your source files have been analysed and the specifics of the project have been discussed.
Translation is charged per word from the source text.
Prices depend on a number of factors:
- Language pair:
The principles of supply and demand apply in the translation industry just like in any other facet of people’s economic lives. For example, finding an English-Bulgarian linguist in Bulgaria is far from difficult. However, if the source language (the language of the original documents) is Azerbaijani and the target language (the language into which we translate) is Khmer, then placing the job with a suitable linguist would be quite a challenge. Understandably, the price is going to be higher.
- Field of expertise:
Some texts are general and it is not necessary for the linguist to have in-depth scientific/technical knowledge of the specific field. Take for example a translation of a cooking recipe. The price of such jobs is considerably lower.
However, when the source text to be translated is in the field of medicine, law, science and technology, then it is imperative that the linguist have strong knowledge and rich experience of the particular field. Should he/she lack the necessary expertise, translation quality might be undermined to an extent which makes the translation incomprehensible to the reader. Furthermore, due to the gravity and importance of such texts bad quality might cause issues or lead to legal disputes, financial losses (take for example an inaccurately translated business contract) and in some cases to serious injuries (think of an inadequately translated medical device user manual). That is the reason why when working on such translation jobs, we often work with linguists who have professional experience as lawyers, doctors, engineers or architects. As you might imagine, this leads to higher prices.
- Deadline and word count:
Another factor that has an impact on prices is the deadline within which you would like a certain number of words to be translated. A standard order includes translation, proofreading and QA of approximately 2,000 words within 48 hours. It is possible to have the same or even larger word count translated in less time. It should be noted that in those cases, however, a rush fee applies and that quality might be affected.
- Source file format:
There are file formats which are handy and easy to use during translation. Word .docx files are one such example. Other files however require special preliminary preparation before the translation phase begins, thus increasing turnaround time. DTP services might be necessary as some file types affect design layout and formatting. An example would be a scanned PDF copy. Therefore, a localisation engineer and/or a DTP specialist will need to lend a helping hand.
- Translation memory, repetitions and matches:
If the format of your file allows for translation in a CAT tool environment (something we strongly recommend for various reasons), a translation memory is used. A translation memory is a repository of all your translations. It not only enhances consistency but can also drive translation costs down. For example, if the sentence “Our cars are the safest” appears several times in your source text, then we have a repetition and repetitions are charged considerably less than new words. If that sentence appeared in previous translations with exactly the same wording, we have an exact match and exact matches are discounted too. So, translation costs are affected by whether a translation memory is used and whether there are repetitions and exact matches.
If you would like to get a quote, e-mail us at enquiries@lynxtranslate.com or call us on +359887378760. You can also find us on Skype: lynx.projects.
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