by Michael Bastin | 28 Apr, 2021 | Professional Translation, Business, Outsourcing
As a successful UK company, you will naturally be looking to expand and make inroads in other markets, maybe ones that do not speak English.
Translation is, therefore, the next logical step, but the big question is, how much does it cost to translate a document?
There is no single answer to this as it will vary according to the industry, of course, but the good news is that are always high-quality translation services to meet your business’s budget.
Here are the things to consider.
Factors in the cost to translate a document
Factors affecting the cost to translate a document include:
- translation purpose
- language combinations
- word count
- turnaround time
- technical level
- file format
- frequency
Let’s examine each factor, so you know the translation services you need and where to build it into your budget.
Translation purpose
The questions you should ask yourself are: who is my audience? Is it internal or external? What level of understanding is needed?
The audience for your translation will affect the level of quality required and, consequently, the price.
Documents for public consumption should be very high quality, and the higher cost will include additional editing.
Internal documents, where understanding is more important than sounding perfectly natural, can be more cost-effective as they require less rigorous checking.
Post-edited Machine Translation is another option for keeping costs low. Here, a human translator revises and edits machine translations for texts that are accurate and at a lower price.
Some language combinations are more suited to this than others, but it works very well for Western European languages.
Language combination
You will probably be wondering by now what the cost to translate a document into several languages at once is.
This also can vary, as some language combinations are cheaper than others. For instance, translation into Finnish costs more than into Spanish as, typically, there are more translators working into Spanish.
The price also reflects the expertise that the professional native-language translators in our network offer.
How much do translators charge per word?
Translation services are generally priced based on the number of words in the source text. There can be discounts for repetitions within a text or matches from a previous translation.
BeTranslated can give a breakdown with your quote on request. You can also expect volume discounts for large projects.
If you are on a tighter budget, a better investment is to batch-translate to minimise costs over time.
How long does a translation take?
For quick translations, you can expect to pay more. But bear in mind that while quick translations can be convenient, quality and consistency could be affected.
A fast turnaround is more logistically demanding, so it pays to plan ahead and leave plenty of time for a translation that meets your exacting standards.
Our project managers can guide you through the standard translation process and the kind of time frame we work with.
We can customise the turnaround time in some situations, so please get in touch for more details. In addition, our network of freelance translators is worldwide, meaning one of our BeTranslated translators can meet your deadline, whatever the time zone.
Technical level
The more technical a document, for example, legal or medical texts, the higher the price point.
Here at BeTranslated, we understand that technical translations can be quite specific to the situation, so we work with our linguists to find the right terminology and involve experts from your company in the final word choice.
You can also provide a glossary to ensure consistency across texts.
What file formats can be translated?
Our CAT tools work with Word or Excel files, so any other file types will need to be converted, adding some extra time and cost to the process.
In addition, DTP tools like InDesign and Illustrator will need layout editing after language changes, which BeTranslated offers at an additional cost.
We also offer ICR (in-context review) of translated website content, which is billed by the hour.
How often do you need translations?
If you have frequent needs, BeTranslated can offer you some discounts and assistance with creating a translation memory (TM).
This is a tool that can help for regular projects as it is a database of your previous translations, so you can use the same vocabulary to ensure consistency and reduce costs.
It is particularly useful for content like product catalogues. BeTranslated will create and host your translation memory for you and use it in every new translation.
Your perfect translation
Now that you have a better idea of the costs involved in translations, you can decide what is the right option for your business and your budget.
At BeTranslated, we can help you streamline costs so your translated content is perfectly suited for its purpose and audience.
For your leap into the international marketplace, BeTranslated is there to guide you through the process. For more information or a free, no-obligation quote, contact us today.
by Michael Bastin | 13 Feb, 2020 | Startup Business, Business Tips, Outsourcing
Start-ups, small developing businesses, are continually on the rise and are producing fresh crops of young entrepreneurs.
Thanks to the growth of remote working and the ease of low-cost travel, small businesses are able to cross borders and trade internationally in order to achieve success.
Every business owner’s main aim is to increase their turnover. With a start-up business, there are many recommended ways to go about this.
In this article, we will go through the main components you should focus your resources on.
How to make a start-up business competitive
In our fast-paced modern world, the business market changes rapidly and, as an entrepreneur, it’s crucial that you stay in tune with relevant new trends.
Keeping on top of new tools and methods of reaching your customers admittedly involves a time investment, but the financial return can be significant.
The advent of social media has enabled entrepreneurs to develop business models that are unique to this generation.
Harnessing the possibilities offered by different social media platforms could be key to your company’s success.
The international nature of the internet also allows businesses, with a little help from professional translation services, to connect with global audiences, thus expanding their earning potential.
This can be particularly beneficial to companies offering niche products or services that may struggle to find a sustainable market locally.
Do you know the value of outsourcing?
As small companies grow they inevitably need support in certain areas as the business can become too big for just one person, or even a small team, to manage alone.
One solution to this issue, of course, is to employ more staff, which can be a significant financial commitment. However, there are other, more manageable, ways to outsource work.
Recognising the areas where you need help is the first step.
There will be some tasks that you won’t feel comfortable delegating, but others, perhaps which aren’t your area of expertise, could benefit immensely with some outside support.
Instead of hiring a new member of staff, you can contract external companies or freelancers to work on specific one-off projects or on a regular basis.
Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses
As individuals, we all have strengths and weaknesses, and the same goes for our employees.
Recognising where your start-up business needs a little help allows you to contract the best companies or freelancers for your specific situation.
If you are planning on expanding into the global marketplace, however, there are a few areas we would urge small businesses to focus on.
Three of these that we recommend you focus on are finding a reliable shipping company, a high-quality marketing agency, and, of course, a professional translation service.
Three easy, viable steps
Let’s take a closer look at how you can use these outsourced resources to help your venture flourish. Following this basic strategy can lead to some outstanding results for any start-up business that’s ready to break into the global marketplace and experience major growth.
Expand your network through translation
As your business expands into international markets, it’s inevitable that some translation and/or localisation of your content will be needed. As well as correspondence between you and any overseas clients, you will need to consider translating marketing material, websites and social media, and, potentially, legal or shipping documents.
It is vital that this work is performed by professional translators who are specialists in the relevant field, as well as experts in the language and culture of the corresponding countries.
Poor translations can lead to serious errors such as giving a bad image of your company or even causing legal issues. Find a translation agency you can trust, build up a solid relationship with them, and you won’t regret it.
Reach new clients through strong marketing
Investing in marketing support can really make a difference when it comes to finding new clients. We encourage you to think digitally when it comes to marketing.
Consider using affiliate marketing and teaming up with bloggers and influencers whose brands align with your company’s ethos or target customer. This can be a relatively economical way of reaching large audiences through powerful platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest.
Ensure you can get the product to the customer effectively
For a long time, it was only big brands and large corporations that could afford to ship their products overseas at a reasonable price for the customer, but these days that’s all changed.
By outsourcing your logistics and shipping needs, you can send your products to even the remotest countries around the world with minimum hassle.
Outsourcing your shipping and fulfilment also allows you to avoid many of the complications associated with international customs. For UK-based services, check out Parcel Monkey and Parcelhub.
Get started with your start-up business
Whether you’re preparing to launch your first start-up or expanding an existing business into new global markets, you are now armed with some valuable insights into how to reach your fullest potential without burning out. What are you waiting for? Start-up success awaits!
When you’re ready to hire a professional translation service, BeTranslated and our highly skilled translators could be a perfect choice.
From European languages like German to international languages such as Korean, we have the right translator for you.
et in touch today for more information or a free, no-obligation quote.
