Free English to Chinese Translation Guide: Compare Typical English to Chinese Translator Rates.This free English to Chinese translation price guide has English to Chinese translator rate information to help you make the right decisions. How Chinese translation is chargedTranslations are most commonly priced based on the number of words in the original document ("source words"). Editing and other services are often charged on an hourly basis. Per word rates vary depending on a wide range of factors, including document difficulty, translator location, and the type of translation provider (e.g., agency versus freelance translator). "If you just need something that doesn't have to be professional-looking and you don't really care much about the quality of the translation, you can go to a friend. That will probably be more economical. But if you want a higher quality translation -- for example, for a website or a proposal -- then you should go to a professional translator." -Siaoning Jhang, Chinese Translator Sample translation rates for Chinese English TranslationTo give you an idea of typical prices for Chinese translations, below are examples of the advertised translation rates of 20 randomly selected freelance Chinese to English and English to Chinese translators, all of them residing in the U.S.. Keep in mind that translators based in other countries are likely to charge different rates. Also keep in mind that the prices below are the standard rates quoted on the translators' résumés, and, in practice, some of these rates may be negotiable. All translation rates below are quoted in U.S. dollars. English to Chinese Translator 1: rate - $0.18-$0.20 English to Chinese Translator 2: rate - $0.08 English to Chinese Translator 3: rate - $0.08-$0.10 English to Chinese Translator 4: rate - $0.18 English to Chinese Translator 5: rate - $0.08-$0.15 English to Chinese Translator 6: rate - $0.08-$0.15 English to Chinese Translator 7: rate - $0.08-$0.12 English to Chinese Translator 8: rate - $0.15 English to Chinese Translator 9: rate - $0.10-$0.14 English to Chinese Translator 10: rate - $0.15 Official rates for ten U.S.-based English to Chinese translators (rates per word, U.S. dollars) Chinese to English Translator 1: rate - $0.16 Chinese to English Translator 2: rate - $0.10 Chinese to English Translator 3: rate - $0.09 Chinese to English Translator 4: rate - $0.12 Chinese to English Translator 5: rate - $0.08 Chinese to English Translator 6: rate - $0.13 Chinese to English Translator 7: rate - $0.08 Chinese to English Translator 8: rate - $0.06 Chinese to English Translator 9: rate - $0.08 Chinese to English Translator 10: rate - Freelance translator rates versus agency rates Translation agencies typically charge more than freelance translators. In general, an agency will subcontract the translation to a freelance Chinese translator, whom they will pay a freelance translation rate, often with an agency discount. Some agencies will also pay for a separate editor to revise the translation. The agency will then set the client price to be higher than their total costs (including overhead), in order to make a profit. We have been told that some agencies set client prices by doubling the rates they pay to their freelance Chinese translators. "If you know someone already who you know does a good and professional job, then you can hire a freelancer. If you don't know anyone, it's best to use a highly established and reputable agency. They'll have quality control procedures." -Siaoning Jhang, Chinese Translator Factors affecting Chinese translation pricingApart from the document word count and the type of translation provider, there are a number of other factors that influence Chinese translation pricing:
Getting a discount on your Chinese translationOften, the price quoted for a translation is not the final one. You can ask your Chinese translator or translation agency about the possibility of a discount for:
SurchargesAdditional charges are sometimes applied for "rush" delivery timing or for any service provided beyond strict translation work. Agencies and some freelancers also often charge a minimum price for small translation projects. What about free English to Chinese translation options?The previous discussion is about professional translation services. Of course, if you search online, you can also easily find a free English to Chinese translation tool. For example, there is a free English to Chinese translation box on this website. However, this type of machine translation should be used with extreme caution and only for certain purposes. It is useful for looking up a specific Chinese word or to find your way around a Chinese website. Basically, we recommend using any free English to Chinese translation tool the way you would use an advanced dictionary. You can use it to help you read, but it will not enable you to write with reliable accuracy in a foreign language. The trouble with free English to Chinese translation For an illustration of what can go wrong with free English to Chinese translation software, here is an excerpt from a Chinese-language Wikipedia article about Britney Spears. We have used a free language translator to translate it automatically to English. An example of what came out: "In this special edition's Shan Qu "Toxic" causes Brittey at "In The Zone" to win the first Grammy Award. after [4], Brittey has distributed an omnibus, enters a section of short leave of absence time because of the marriage. After experiencing a succession of disturbance, Brittey distributed in 2007 kui has disobeyed four year special edition "Blackout"." Click here for advice on lowering your Chinese language translation costs. Click here for advice on choosing an English to Chinese translator. Click here to get a free English to Chinese translation online. Click here to see a list of all Chinese translation topics in our free English to Chinese translation guide.
|
