Translation Cost Calculator
Estimate the total cost of a translation project by entering the source word count and your translator's per-word rate. Ideal for freelancers quoting clients or buyers budgeting a multilingual content project.
About this calculator
Professional translation is almost universally priced on a per-word basis applied to the source text word count. The formula is: Cost = wordCount × ratePerWord. Per-word rates vary widely by language pair, subject matter, and translator experience — common rates for major European languages range from $0.08 to $0.20 per word, while rare languages or highly technical fields (legal, medical) can exceed $0.30 per word. Rush fees, Desktop Publishing (DTP) formatting, and Translation Memory (TM) discounts for repeated segments can also adjust the final price. Understanding the base cost formula helps clients compare quotes apples-to-apples and helps freelancers set competitive, sustainable rates. Always clarify whether rates apply to source or target word counts, as target languages like German or Finnish often produce more words than English.
How to use
You need to translate a 3,000-word marketing brochure from English to Spanish. Your translator charges $0.12 per word. Enter 3000 in the Word Count field and 0.12 in the Rate per Word field. The calculator computes: Cost = 3000 × 0.12 = $360.00. If the same translator applies a 10% rush fee, your adjusted rate becomes $0.132 per word: 3000 × 0.132 = $396.00. For a larger project of 20,000 words, the base cost at $0.12/word would be $2,400 — at which point negotiating a volume discount to $0.10/word saves $400.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average cost per word for professional translation services?
Average per-word rates for professional human translation typically fall between $0.08 and $0.25 per source word, depending on the language pair and subject matter. Common European languages like French, Spanish, and German tend to sit at the lower end of that range, while less common language pairs such as English–Swahili or English–Icelandic command higher rates due to fewer available translators. Certified legal or medical translation can run $0.20–$0.40 per word due to liability and specialisation requirements. Machine translation with human post-editing (MTPE) is considerably cheaper, often $0.03–$0.06 per word, but quality may be lower for creative or nuanced content.
How do Translation Memory discounts affect the total translation cost?
Translation Memory (TM) software stores previously translated sentence segments so they can be reused when identical or similar text appears again. Translators and agencies typically pass on discounts for 'fuzzy matches' (75–99% similar segments) and full TM matches (100% identical). A full TM match might attract a 70–100% discount, while a 75–84% fuzzy match might be discounted 25–40%. For documents with repetitive content — legal boilerplate, technical manuals, software UI strings — TM discounts can reduce total cost by 20–50%. Always ask your translation provider for a TM analysis before accepting a quote on large or recurring projects.
Should translation cost be calculated on source words or target words?
Industry standard practice is to quote based on the source text word count, because that figure is known upfront and doesn't change regardless of the target language. Target word counts vary significantly — German text often runs 20–30% longer than its English source, while Chinese or Japanese translations may be shorter. If a provider quotes on target words, you won't know the final cost until the translation is complete, which complicates budgeting. Some specialised markets, particularly in Asia, traditionally quote on target characters rather than words, so it's important to clarify the billing unit before signing a contract.