English to German Translator Guide: How to Save on Your TranslationFind out when to ask your English to German translator for a discount, and other cost-cutting tips. (Need a free German to English translation online?) How to save money on your German translationHere are some top tips for reducing your professional translation costs. - Cut out the middle man. If your translation is only to a single language, and especially if you regularly need translations in that language, you can reduce your costs significantly by looking for a freelance translator instead of hiring a translation agency. Read a comparison of translation options in the free German to English Translation Guide Read advice on choosing a freelance English to German translator in the free German to English Translation Guide - Reduce the word count. Translation pricing is mainly on the basis of word count, so by reducing the number of words to be translated, you can reduce your costs. Go through the document and check if all of it really needs to be translated. Is there an introduction or an acknowledgments page that can be cut out? Can some of the material be summarized? Can graphics or diagrams be used in place of descriptions and explanations? If the translation is for a website, do you really need translate all of it, or can you do without the press releases, blog, magazine section, etc.? - Finalize the document. Try to have the final version of the document before you start the translation. If you send the translator updates and modifications after the translation has already started, this can add to your translation costs, as well as causing delays in the project timing. "Prices are negotiable. You need to be prepared to negotiate." - Katharina Wawrzon, English to German Translator More from Katharina in the Free German to English Translation Guide - Ask for discounts. Translation prices are frequently negotiable. Agencies will often offer a discount on very large volume projects, and a freelance translator may as well. Freelance translators will sometimes agree to a discount in exchange for fast payment. It can't hurt to ask. Translators who use CAT [Computer Assisted Translation] software will sometimes give discounts for phrases that are repeated in the text, since the CAT software tracks and suggests translations for these repetitions. "When it comes to repeated words, I personally think it is not fair to ask the translator for a discount. For example, let's say word 'Paris' is repeated in every sentence of the document and that word's easy to translate, so the client doesn't want to count it. Imagine if the translator answered, 'Okay, then I won't type it -- you can type it in yourself.' - Katharina Wawrzon, English to German Translator More from Katharina in the Free German to English Translation Guide - Avoid surprise costs. To avoid unpleasant surprises when the bill comes, try to agree with your translator on a total project price ahead of time, and put that agreement into writing. If your translator quotes you a per word rate rather than a final price, discuss how the word count will be calculated. Will the rate be applied to "source words" (the word count in the original language) or "target words" (the word count in the translated language -- often higher than the source word count)? Also find out if any additional charges will be applied, apart from the translation costs. For example, agencies sometimes charge separately for "project management" and/or "editing." Finally, don't forget to calculate the processing costs of whatever payment method you have agreed upon with the translator. For example, banks sometimes charge considerable fees for international wire payments. Free German to English Translation Guide - More ResourcesCompare English to German translator prices Get advice on choosing an English to German translator Get advice on choosing a translation agency See all topics in the Free German to English Translation Guide
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