Why does a translated page cost so much? That is the question that many people who need translations ask translators when they have documents that need translating. Even if the job of a translator seems pretty straightforward, they invest a lot of energy and time in translating any text. Even if the translation rates seem high for some, consider what such a process implies and why you didn't translate the document you need. Besides the actual translation process, there are other aspects that you should consider.

So, how is the price for a page determined? In short: expenses + taxes and other giving + profit. First, many need to understand that the cost of a product or service is also determined according to the market, that is, according to demand and supply + according to purchasing power. The market dictates the prices! Some people need help understanding this because it involves minimal knowledge of economics. First, licensed translators generally work freelance from home. Thus, many projects come through intermediaries with physical offices in the city, usually near places where people must deal with documents.

What Are the Factors that Influence the Translation Rates?

Many factors influence the translation rates, including eventhe office where you do the translations. That means that for the price you pay to an intermediary who has an office in the center, where it is convenient for you to walk in from the street almost anytime and find someone there to serve you (sometimes the same day), there are a lot of costs. The rent of the office, the costs of electricity, telephones, internet, etc., and everything invested in that office: furniture, computers, printers, fax, copier, software licenses, all these are paid for.

Each printed document also means paper and toner, foils in which you deliver the translation, staples for the stapler with which you fasten the translation, ink for the stamp with which you stamp a bunch of pages daily, etc. A company must also pay an accountant, and then, to keep the document archive, for which it needs, again, sheets, toner, and metal furniture to keep the archive. Not to mention taxes and fees, advertising, and website costs (domain, maintenance, etc.) that you need to pay. Plus, you also have to profit from it, right?

And where are the salaries of any employees (secretary, one or two hired translators for languages ​​with more excellent circulation), plus the taxes you pay to the state for their wages? It's hard, but if you can't understand these things, you can search for other offices until you know the market. You can be sure that no one who works with a price far above average will survive very long in the market. And if you think it's a field where money comes in very quickly, you're free to start translating, too.

That Is a Job for Freelancers, too

This job also allows you to work from home as a freelancer. Although you don't have a rented office in the center, you will also have a lot of costs, which are reflected in your translation rates. All pricing also demonstrates your expertise and experience and aligns with market prices. If someone works `from home, he does not have the same expenses as someone from a translating office. Still, freelancers also need electricity, internet subscriptions, and internet because they need a lot of data.

Big companies offer a delivery service for sending documents, but a freelancer will deliver the translated documents, which means frequent trips by car. That means other costs, because you can spend even hours in traffic, you can pay for a parching place, for example. There are many things to consider. The documents a client needs to be translated means paper, foil, stamp (which breaks once every few years), ink in the stamp, staples, and a business card. Business cards need printing, which is not accessible, nor is designing them. As you can see, these are only some things translators must pay for.

Translators Also Pay Taxes

A translator pays taxes as much as any other employee. Many believe that people have a translation rate that is too high, but people need to think about how much they have left after paying all these taxes and consumables. A translation does not have a standard price because there are different rates for different clients and types of collaboration and text (difficulty of translation, urgency of the work, etc.). The rate is usually further negotiated for a larger volume of work from the same client. For all the translations, you must also provide an invoice.

Billing can also cost money, and invoicing programs are not free. Those who do not have accounting knowledge also pay an accountant. Some can do their accounting, but others often pay for consulting because they need it.  Did you know many offices even tax the time they spend with clients? Which also usually means a lot of time and energy is consumed. Some clients call you 2-3 times - even before the document to be translated reaches you. Sometimes, the scan is not visible; you come back with a phone, he resends it, calls you again to ask if you received it, etc.

Then, after handing over the translation, it may come back after a while because it still needs some changes. Which means you have to redo the document. You print and meet again, which means some lost time when you could've had another client pay for your services. Others come back only because they need one more copy (this service is free of charge with some; however, if there are many more copies the client needs, that will be charged, as expected). These things are somewhat normal and sometimes inherent, but you must consider them initially.

Many little things add up when discussing translation rates that should be mentioned in this article. As you can see, there are many factors to consider; therefore, keep that in mind the next time you ask yourself why translating your document costs so much. No one wants to cheat you. There are many expenses, and everything these days is expensive; therefore, all translators, whether they are freelancers or work for a company, need to make sure that after paying all the fees and expenses, they are left with some profit, too.