Imagine that after having worked for months on a website you only realize later that potential customers in another country can’t understand what you are providing. Translating your website can help you to enter new markets but it is not always easy to work out the costs. The price of translating a website depends on the amount of content, the languages needed and whether you need a simple translation or a fully localised website.
A small business website will need nothing more than translated text but a large ecommerce site could call for product descriptions, SEO updates, checkout testing and regular content changes. Once you know what is included in the price you will be able to plan your budget before starting the project.
Website Translation Cost at a Glance
The figures given are approximate third party planning estimates in US dollars and are not the official VerboLabs rates; the actual prices will vary according to the provider and the project requirements.
| Service | Indicative cost | What you get |
| Machine translation | Free to under $0.01 per word | Automated translation with little or no human review |
| Machine translation with human post editing | 0.03–0.12 per word | Machine output reviewed and corrected by a linguist |
| Professional human translation | 0.10–0.30 per word | Translation completed by a professional linguist |
| Full website localization | $0.17+ per word, plus applicable technical costs | Translation alongside broader localization work |
The figures given are only approximate and should be checked against the latest quotes from the providers; additional charges may apply for CMS integration, SEO, engineering and testing.
How Is Website Translation Cost Calculated?
Cost Per Word
The calculation of fees by many translation services is based on the number of source words and the number of target languages has an effect as well.
For example, your website has 10,000 words and you want to translate it into three languages. And the rate is $0.12 per word then the cost would be:
10,000 × 3 × $0.12 = $3,600
The amount given here is just for the translation. The cost might go up due to website integration, proofreading, SEO localization and technical testing.
Translation memory may be used to reduce costs by reusing previously approved translations if your website includes repeated product descriptions or similar service pages.
Cost Per Page or Project
A number of providers give a fixed price for the whole project. This can be convenient since you know your budget in advance. The page count doesn’t give the full picture though. A brief contact page is easier to translate than translating a detailed product catalogue.
You should know what exactly is included. Also check if any revisions or technical work will be charged extra.
What Affects Website Translation Cost?
The eventual price is generally determined by a number of practical factors.
The cost of translating a website into a single language is usually lower than that of preparing it for multiple markets.
The level of expertise needed to produce a general company profile is different from that required for medical, legal or technical content.
When it comes to machine translation it may be suitable for some low risk material, but for pages that are aimed at customers it is generally advisable to have the translation professionally reviewed in order to ensure that the correct meaning and tone are retained.
The functionality of websites should be checked in the case of ecommerce sites, booking platforms and websites which have user accounts to make sure that the translated content is suitable for the interface and works properly.
Research specific to each market is needed when translating keywords, page titles, descriptions and URLs to meet the SEO requirements. Simply translating directly will not ensure better search rankings.
Website Translation vs. Website Localization
The two terms are frequently used as if they were the same, but they do not have exactly the same meaning.
While website translation involves altering the language, localization takes into account how the website will function for people in a specific market.
For example, a product page that has been translated might contain the right information but could still show an unfamiliar currency, inappropriate date formats or cultural references which do not resonate with local customers; it is precisely this kind of detail that localization takes into account.
If all you need is the text translated, then a translation only package might be adequate. However, if you are entering a new country, a more practical choice would be a comprehensive localization service.
How Can You Keep Translation Costs Under Control?
It is not compulsory to translate all the pages at the same time. Instead you must begin with the pages that are most important to your customers—such as your homepage, the key services page, the product pages and the contact information.
A few other steps can help:
- Make sure that the original copy of your website is finalized before sending it for translation.
- Wherever it is fine to do so you should reuse the approved translations if the context is the same.
- You can prepare a glossary of brand names and technical terms.
- For content that requires a high volume of output use machine translation that has been reviewed by humans.
- It’s better to make one update to the group website rather than sending a number of small ones repeatedly.
The objective is to carry out no more work than is necessary without sacrificing the pages that affect the customer’s impression of your business.
Why Consider VerboLabs for Website Translation?
It’s not enough just to look at the lowest price per word when choosing a provider since a translation that sounds unnatural or alters the original meaning can still leave visitors confused, even if the website appears professional.
For businesses which need multilingual content and a translation process appropriate to their website, VerboLabs should be considered. The company offers website translation and localization in a number of languages, providing businesses with a choice when preparing their content for an international audience. The compare content localization services helps buyers compare provider coverage and expertise for content localization.
The reason why VerboLabs is a practical option is that it allows you to talk over the project as a whole instead of concentrating solely on the word count. Before deciding which services they require, businesses can specify their target languages, the types of content they need, their quality expectations and the technical requirements. The how to plan saas localization explains the steps teams can use to plan this work.
For a company which is entering several markets, this discussion is important. In some cases it will be necessary to have the pages carefully translated by humans, while in other instances the content can be handled through a machine translation process that is then reviewed by humans. Selecting the appropriate method for each kind of content can aid in balancing quality, time needed to complete the work and cost.
To find out more about the translation services offered by VerboLabs, you can take a look at their website and ask for a quote according to your needs. The ecommerce website providers helps buyers compare provider coverage and expertise for ecommerce website.
What Should You Check Before Accepting a Quote?
Request from the provider details regarding the word count, the target languages, the translation method, the editing and quality checks, the SEO requirements, CMS integration, the delivery timeline and the revision policy. If your website is likely to change frequently, find out how future updates will be charged.
A clearly defined scope in a written quote makes it simpler to compare different providers and prevents unexpected costs.
Final Thoughts
There is no single fixed price for website translation. It will differ as per whether you need the text translated, the content professionally reviewed or the website adapted to a new market.
Find out exactly what your website needs before selecting a package; VerboLabs is one possibility to look at if your requirement is multilingual website translation with a project scope customized to your business. Get a quote stating your priorities and then compare the suggested services with your budget before deciding. The guide to localization explains the steps teams can use to plan this work.
Expand your global reach with VerboLabs! Get accurate, culturally adapted localization services to connect with new markets. Contact us today for expert solutions! The ip translation services page describes VerboLabs’ service scope for this requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cost totally depends on the number of words, languages involved and amount of human review needed. Additional expenses can increase due to technical integration and testing.
It depends on how many words each page has and how many languages are required.A quote should be based on total number of words and not number of pages.
The prices depend on the company and the kind of translation used. Machine translation is usually cheaper than translation carried out by professionals and full localization may also include extra costs relating to technical work and SEO.
Although machine translation is generally cheaper at first, it may be necessary to have human review carried out in order to correct any errors and make sure that the content sounds natural, particularly on important pages that are facing customers.
It isn’t the case in all instances; some providers do offer translated SEO metadata and CMS support, whereas others charge extra for it. Make sure to check with them about these services in your quote. You can look into the website translation services that VerboLabs provides according to your project requirements.
Every site needs a different amount of time like a small site will need a few days and a large, multilingual site can take many days.
