You send the same brochure to two translation companies. Both quote for the same languages and deadline, yet the prices are different.
It is tempting to compare the totals and choose from there. Before you do, look at what each company will deliver.
Does the quote include a separate linguistic review? Will the translated text be placed back into the brochure? Who handles questions about terminology?
These details help explain what you are buying—and how much work your own team will need to do afterwards.
What the word count cannot tell you
Translation is often priced by the word. That gives you a useful measure of volume, but it cannot capture every part of the job.
A five-word headline may need several versions before it sounds right for its audience. A short product description may contain technical terms that need checking. A longer internal update might use familiar language and terminology agreed on previous projects.
The amount of text matters. So does the thinking needed to translate it well.
Expertise that saves you explaining everything
A translator with experience in your field brings more than vocabulary to the project. They understand how the subject works and where a detail needs checking.
In a technical brochure, for example, they may need to establish which term matches a particular component. A product drawing or specification can help them resolve it. If a question remains, they can explain precisely what needs confirming.
That makes the process easier for your team. A focused question is quicker to answer than a request to explain an entire paragraph.
You are paying for someone who can make informed decisions and recognise when they need your input.
Preparation you can use again
Much of the useful work happens before the first sentence is translated.
The provider may review your files, check previous translations and establish which product names or technical terms to use. Your organisation may already have preferences that need to carry through into another language.
Consider a website translated now and a sales brochure commissioned six months later. Recording the terminology decisions from the website gives the brochure team a useful starting point. Your colleagues spend less time correcting names or explaining preferences they have already agreed.
Ask how your provider will use existing translations and record new decisions. It helps you understand whether the work you commission today will also support the next project.
A review with a clear purpose
A translation can read smoothly and still miss an important detail.
“Delivery within five working days” and “delivery within five days” sound similar. They make different promises.
Checking a translation against the original can catch this kind of omission. Reading it for tone and clarity serves another purpose. Checking figures, terminology and formatting adds further layers.
The phrase “quality checked” does not tell you which of these activities is included, or who carries them out.
A translator checking their own work, a second linguist reviewing it and a subject specialist approving it are different steps. Ask which your project needs and which the quote covers.
Files your team can actually use
Sometimes a document containing the translated text is exactly what you need. Sometimes you need a finished brochure, presentation or set of website files.
A translated heading may run onto an extra line. A table may need adjusting. Website text may need to arrive in a format your team can import.
If this work is outside the quote, someone will still need to do it. Knowing that upfront helps you compare the full cost and plan the handover.
Project coordination matters, too. When a product detail changes halfway through, someone needs to track the amendment across languages and make sure everyone works from the correct version.
Ask what you will receive and what remains for your team to finish.
Where AI changes the calculation
With AI able to produce a draft quickly, it is reasonable to ask how that affects the price.
For suitable content, machine translation followed by human editing may be a practical option. The work required depends on the quality of the draft and what the finished content needs to achieve.
Some drafts need limited correction. Others need substantial rewriting or careful checking against the original. The speed of the first stage does not establish the effort needed for the whole project.
A useful quote explains the proposed approach: how the translation will be produced, what human review is included and what you will receive at the end.
That gives you something concrete to compare.
Five questions to ask before you choose
You do not need to become a translation expert to make an informed decision. Start with these questions:
What relevant subject experience will the translator bring?
What checks and reviews are included, and who carries them out?
How will you use our existing terminology and previous translations?
What files will we receive, and will they be ready for their intended use?
How are queries, corrections and later changes handled?
Share your budget and priorities as well as your files. An internal update with a short shelf life may need a different approach from a brochure you will use for the next two years.
The right service fits the purpose of the content. Once the scope is clear, it becomes easier to judge the price—and choose with confidence.
Planning a translation project? Talk to Simpson Soft UK about what you need, and we can help you work out the right approach.