Pricing for premium translations

Fixed variables for pricing

The number of words 

Translations are priced per word. The wordcount is based on the source text, so the number of words in the translation has no bearing on the price.

Language checking, subtitling, transcreation and various add-on services such as DTP/layout and SEO are priced per hour.

The languages in question

Some languages cost more to translate into than others. This is because there are more translators working with some languages than others, and also because translation rates vary from country to country.

Taking Asia as an example, translations into Japanese are more expensive since Japan is a relatively small country with fewer translators and higher living costs for the people who live and work there.

Translations into Chinese from English are relatively cheap, as there are so many translators working in that combination in China, and the cost of living and working there is low.

Specialisation

If the text requires advanced knowledge of a particular field, such as medicine or law, there will be fewer qualified translators and the translation price will be higher.

Good advance notice 

If you need a translation so fast that the translator has to work during the evening or weekend, or has to delay other work, you will be charged an express premium.

This applies whether you have a short text with an extremely short turnaround, or a large text with a far shorter deadline than usual.

To avoid the express premium, always try to allow as much time as possible for the translation process, and give us as much advance notice as possible. Another way of saving money is to send several short texts together, rather than individually. We charge a minimum fee for every order to cover administration expenses, so ordering several small jobs individually means it’s more expensive.

Make sure all translations are saved 

At Comactiva we create a separate translation memory, or TM, for each of your language combination. This means that the TMs contain all the translations that we do for you. The more jobs you order from us, the greater the chance that we can re-use text from previous translations, and this will save you money.

Always send editable files 

If you send us source files that can be edited without any file adaptation on our part, you avoid having to pay for add-on services. For example, we can send a Word file straight to the translator, whereas a text in PDF needs conversion or extraction into another format, which takes time and leads to higher costs.

Please also consider the format when sending texts for a price quote. It is virtually impossible to determine what it would cost to translate a website just by looking at the website. The text must be exported into a manageable format, so that we can reliably count the number of words and give you a fair quote.

Become a contract client 

If you need a lot of translation and would like to keep all your jobs with Comactiva, you can become a contract client. You agree to place a certain number of orders with Comactiva, and in return you enjoy a discount on your translations.