How Much Does Professional Translation Cost?
Indicative pricing guide by document type, language pair and service level.
Get a Free QuotePricing transparency is one of the pillars of any solid professional relationship. At M21Global, we believe clients should know exactly what they are paying for, why, and what result to expect. All our quotes are free, detailed and delivered within a maximum of 3 hours.
The cost of a professional translation depends on several objective factors: the language pair, the subject-matter specialism, the volume, the deadline and the service level required. On this page, we present indicative ranges to help you plan your investment. For a specific figure, request a free quote.
Explore our translation services and learn how our fast and fair quoting delivers competitive prices without compromising ISO 17100 certified quality.
Indicative pricing table
The figures below are reference ranges for common European language pairs (EN-FR, EN-DE, EN-ES, EN-PT, among others). Less common languages (Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Korean) carry higher rates due to the smaller pool of qualified linguists.
- General translation (correspondence, internal communications, informational content): from EUR 0.08/word
- Technical translation (manuals, product sheets, specifications): EUR 0.10 to EUR 0.18/word
- Legal translation (contracts, articles of association, regulations): EUR 0.10 to EUR 0.20/word
- Medical and scientific translation (clinical trials, SmPCs, journal articles): EUR 0.12 to EUR 0.20/word
- Financial translation (reports, financial statements, audits): EUR 0.10 to EUR 0.20/word
These are indicative figures that vary according to volume, content complexity, deadline and the specific language pair. The best way to get a concrete price is to request a free quote.
Factors that influence the price
The final price of a professional translation results from a combination of several factors:
- Content complexity: texts with specialised terminology (legal, medical, financial) require linguists with proven translation experience in the relevant field, which is reflected in the cost.
- Language pair: less common pairs (for example, EN-Japanese or EN-Korean) carry higher rates. Frequently requested European pairs benefit from a larger pool of professionals.
- Deadline: rush jobs (delivery within 24 hours or at weekends) carry a supplement of 30% to 50%, as they require additional resources working in parallel.
- Volume: larger projects (from 10,000 words) benefit from progressive discounts. The greater the volume, the lower the unit cost.
- Certification and special requirements: certified translations, apostilled documents or translations for legal purposes may carry additional costs associated with the validation process.
How translation memories reduce costs
A translation memory (TM) is a database that stores every sentence translated and approved by the client. When the same segment, or a similar one, appears again in a future project, the TM automatically suggests the previous translation.
100% matches (segments identical to previous translations) are reused at no additional cost. Fuzzy matches (partial matches) receive a discount proportional to the degree of similarity, as the translator only adapts rather than translating from scratch.
In recurring projects, such as technical manuals updated quarterly, periodic financial reports or websites with frequent updates, the accumulated savings can reach 30% to 60% of the original cost. The TM belongs to the client and grows with every delivery, making each subsequent project faster and more cost-effective.
Price versus value
Choosing the cheapest translation may seem like a sound financial decision, but the hidden costs of a poor translation quickly outweigh the initial saving:
- Invalidated contracts: a translation error in a contractual clause can compromise the legal validity of the document, leading to disputes and legal costs far exceeding the price of the translation.
- Delayed regulatory approvals: medical or technical documentation with incorrect terminology can delay marketing authorisations or product certifications.
- Lost business: a poorly translated commercial proposal conveys a lack of professionalism. First impressions count.
Our Zero Errors, Total Satisfaction commitment exists to eliminate this risk. Investing in quality translation means investing in the credibility and effectiveness of your organisation's communication.
Discounts and special conditions
At M21Global, the price of the first translation is rarely the price of subsequent ones. We offer several ways to optimise your translation investment:
- Volume discounts: projects from 10,000 words benefit from progressively more favourable per-word rates.
- Packages for recurring clients: organisations with regular needs gain access to preferential conditions negotiated annually, with fixed rates by language pair and service level.
- Annual contracts: ideal for procurement departments that need budget predictability. Fixed rate, defined SLA, dedicated project management.
- Multi-language discounts: multilingual projects (the same content in 3 or more languages) benefit from process efficiencies reflected in the price.
To find out which conditions apply to your situation, request a personalised quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
The price per word varies according to the specialism and the language pair. For common European pairs, typical ranges are: general translation from EUR 0.08/word, technical translation between EUR 0.10 and EUR 0.18/word, and legal or medical translation between EUR 0.10 and EUR 0.20/word. For a specific figure, request a free quote.
Yes. There is a minimum charge equivalent to approximately 300 words, regardless of the actual document volume. This minimum covers the fixed costs of project management, resource allocation and quality control that apply to every order.
Yes. Rush deliveries (within 24 hours or outside working hours) carry a supplement of 30% to 50%, depending on the requested deadline and volume. This supplement is always communicated in advance in the quote. To avoid rush charges, we recommend planning translations as far ahead as possible.
Yes. From 10,000 words, we apply progressive discounts on the base rate. In addition, translation memories reduce the billable volume by reusing previously translated segments. Clients with regular needs gain access to annual preferential conditions with fixed rates.
Yes, always. Simply send your files through the quote form and you will receive a detailed proposal within a maximum of 3 hours, with no obligation. The quote includes the final price, delivery date and recommended service level.
The price includes the full TEP process (Translation + Editing + Proofreading), dedicated project management, terminological consistency through glossaries and translation memories, and preservation of the original document formatting. There are no hidden costs: the quote you receive is the final amount.