Price Calculation

The fixed price quoted for your translation job is based on a standard line rate or word rate, which depends on the difficulty of the text and the complexity of the overall job requirements. The quotation will allow you to see how the fixed price for your translation is calculated.

Fixed price = source text volume x line/word rate

The volume of the source text is given in standard lines (1 standard line = 55 keystrokes including blank spaces) or words.

This figure is usually determined using the Character Count tool in Microsoft Word or equivalent functions in the case of different file formats. If this is not possible, a representative part of the text is counted and extrapolated to the total volume.

The line or word rate takes everything into account that has an impact on the workload and the technical as well as linguistic complexity of the job. This comprises in particular:

  • complexity of the text with regard to content, level of technical expertise required,
  • the use of specialised technical vocabulary and terminology corresponding to the respective technical field
  • workload for the creation of the target text associated with the source file format (e.g. Word file as opposed to scanned PDF file),
  • workload arising from the text layout (e.g. text within graphic files),
  • deadline constraints (since urgent deadline requests are taken into consideration when determining the line or word rate, this means there are no express fees or weekend surcharges added to the fixed price),
  • if requested by the client: proofreading of the translation by a second translator,
  • requests beyond the scope of translation (reworking of the layout, etc.).

I normally use standard lines to determine the text volume, but you can decide yourself whether the fixed price is to be based on the number of lines or words of your text(s).

You can request a quotation for your texts by either sending me your files by Mail – ideally together with the filled-in quotation form or by uploading your files via a safe SSL connection.