Rate per word and project value for a working translator

3 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Introduction

Per-word pricing is the convention in translation and it consistently understates what a job costs to deliver. The words are the visible part. They are rarely the majority of the effort. The unpaid part is the file preparation, the terminology research, the formatting, the query list, the revisions and the administration of quoting and invoicing.

A translator earning a respectable per-word rate can therefore be earning a poor hourly one, and the difference is invisible unless somebody measures it. Two jobs at identical word counts and identical rates can differ by a factor of two in the time they consume.

The fix is partly a higher rate and mostly a different unit.

1. Rate per word and project value diverge once you count everything

The word count is not the work.

Measure your effective hourly rate

Total fee divided by all hours spent, including admin and correspondence. Do it for ten jobs and the variation will be instructive. Keep a simple time log for a fortnight.

Identify which job types pay worst

Usually heavily formatted documents, poor source files, or clients who query extensively. Those are the ones to reprice or decline. Two or three job types usually account for most of the loss.

2. Set a minimum charge for small jobs

A hundred-word job carries the same overhead as a thousand-word one.

Price a minimum that covers the whole transaction

Quoting, file handling, delivery and invoicing take the same time regardless of length. State the minimum publicly. It saves negotiating it every time.

Batch small work where a client sends it regularly

A weekly or monthly bundle from a repeat client is far more efficient than handling each item separately. Offer it as an arrangement. It also secures recurring work.

3. Charge separately for what is not translation

These are distinct services routinely absorbed for free.

Price formatting, DTP and file conversion

Recreating layout is production work, not linguistic work. It should carry its own line. Quote it in hours rather than words.

Charge for certification, revision rounds and rush delivery

Each has a real cost. A stated surcharge for urgent turnaround is standard and expected. Decide the percentage in advance.

4. Move suitable work to project or day rates

The unit should reflect where the effort sits.

Quote a project fee for complex jobs

Where research, terminology and consultation dominate, a project price is more honest than a word count. Clients often prefer a single figure. It removes their uncertainty as well as yours.

Use day rates for on-site and interpreting work

Time-based pricing is correct when time is genuinely the constraint. Do not carry it across into document work. The two units suit different jobs.

5. Build the direct client base

Agency work is volume; direct clients are value.

Direct clients pay materially more

The agency margin is the difference. Winning three direct clients can replace a great deal of agency volume. Direct relationships also give you the context that makes the translation better. Better context means fewer queries.

Specialise deliberately

Legal, medical, technical and financial specialisms command higher rates and face less competition. General translation is where rates are lowest. Pick a field you can genuinely learn and stay in it.

Conclusion

Calculate your effective hourly rate across ten jobs — total fee against every hour including admin and correspondence — and you will find which job types are quietly paying badly.

Set a published minimum that covers the whole transaction, batch small work from repeat clients into a regular arrangement, charge separately for formatting, certification, extra revision rounds and rush delivery, quote project fees where research and terminology dominate rather than counting words, keep day rates for genuinely time-based work, and build direct client relationships and a specialism, because that is where the rates and the context both improve.