Your Helpful Guide To Book Translation Cost

“Words travel worlds, translators do the driving”- translator Anna Rusconi

There is nothing more important to publishers and authors than marketing their books to the world market. Your words may impact millions of people. Book translation services help you reach those millions of people by providing native language experts with years of experience. But how to determine the book translation cost? 

This article will resort to book translation cost which is also one of the most popular questions. 

Book Translation helps your business open to the globe

If you are an author and it is stressful for you to publish your work in worldwide languages, book translation would be considered as a solution to approach the chosen market effectively.

Bahrison, the owner of Booksellers, revealed the reading habit has increased by around 30 to 35 percent, especially among millennials. Furthermore, 72.4% of consumers prefer to buy products in their language. For instance, manga, a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels, is translated into various languages and spread around the world. In fact, some people didn’t realize their favorite childhood books were originally Japanese.

As these proven above-mentioned statistics, book translation services are increasingly asserting their position in the way of helping businesses globally. People often say: “Translation is an art”. This is because it offers communication in a multilingual and multicultural world. 

Book translation too. We tend to understand and read better in our mother tongue. Translation of a book may allow people who do not know the language except their native but want to find out about other cultures, values, and lifestyles. 

Eliminating the language barrier of communication, book translation plays an important role to help publishers reach more customers to promote wide-ranging and on a large scale. 

Book translation isn’t a new thing, but the book translation cost still is the question of any author and publisher who wants to bring their book to the international market. 

How to determine the book translation cost?

Costs per word

On a stand level, book translation cost normally counts on a price-per-word basis, and most translation companies work at industry-standard rates. 

Generally, book translation cost ranges from $0.08 to $0.18 per word. If you have a 10,000-word, it will cost between $800 and $1,800 for translation. The cost may change depending on various factors that we will deeply express in the next part.

Costs per page

Price-per-page approach is another type of book translation cost. However, it is an uncommon calculated format because the projects may contain multiple page sizes, images, tables, and other elements. Therefore, it will make the cost higher compared to price-per-word.

The variation in book translation cost

Nevertheless, book translation cost depends on various factors such as text complexity, deadlines, etc, we will in-depth expressly focus on explaining in the below paragraphs.

Text Complexity

There are many types of books such as historical fiction, non-fiction, poetry, etc. Not only do language experts have to translate the text into other languages, but also they must retain the rhythm, style, and soul of the writer with as much authenticity as they can. 

Hence, book translation is considered the hardest thing. Of course, it impacts book translation costs. It requires translators to do in-depth research and advanced knowledge about cultures as well as a diversity of writing styles. A translator who has high-quality professional skills will be paid more than a non-specialist translator.  

In the long run, utilizing book translation services will not only help businesses save a lot of time finding translators but also offer a cost-effective strategy with years of translation industry experience.

Language combination

Nowadays, it is possible to translate content into multiple languages. There are some of the most requested languages such as English, Chinese, Spanish or German, meanwhile, some are uncommon like Thai, Tagalog, or Slovenian. The book translation cost will also depend on the language combination, regardless of source and target languages.

A translation with a popular language combination will be more affordable than a translation with a rare combination. This is because fewer linguists can translate it. 

Deadlines

If you allow as much time as possible for a translation project, there is a higher chance they will be willing to offer a quotation with affordable book translation rates. It also means less stress to the translators so they are likely to make fewer mistakes in the quality.

In contrast, an urgent book translation of several thousand words means calling upon translating with a rush time. The translators must be able to focus full-time and pay attention to the project in order to assuredly deliver on time. This may have an impact on the book translation cost too. 

Therefore, asking your translators/project managers how long they think would be suitable for a finished book translation is the way to achieve the best outcome.

Level of book translation services

Translation companies normally offer three levels of book translation cost (Standard, Pro, and Premium) to fulfill the specific needs of each project.

• Standard: Perfect for understanding text or personal use. Light edit by a native language translator to remove serious errors.
• Pro: Book translation carried out by a native professional translator. Revising and editing errors by a second native professional translator. Final quality control by a dedicated project manager. 
• Premium: High-quality translation for publication. The translation is carried out by a native professional translator. Editing and proofreading by two other native professional translators. Final quality control by a dedicated project manager.

The table below illustrates the prices for different types of book translation services in general depending on the level requested. 

How can you be assured of book translation quality?

Translation companies may offer inexpensive, basic book translation services. Of this, they normally use a machine translation service with basic proofreading and editing or hire inexperienced translators. 

If you are a publisher and looking for accurately translated content to promote your book to an international market, you will need high-quality book translation services. You can know better a translation service company or translator by asking the following elements: 

• Testimonials from other clients.
• Examples of work.
• Translation technology applied such as CAT Tools and XBench QA.

At GTE Localize, we are proud to accompany author John Doan in translating a successful memoir book, named Stranger on the Water.

Or, you might also know more about the other solution translation cost with these posts:

• How much do website translation services cost?
• Your basic guide for document translation services costs and rates

GTE Localize provides high-quality and cost-effective book translation services

GTE Localize offers comprehensive and professional book translation services that fulfill the needs of thousands of satisfied clients. We strive to provide on-a-budget book translation cost for each project. 

Our native language expert consistently works at optimum speeds to produce the highest quality outcome. Be a GTE Localize’s partner, we not only translate content but also help your business on the way to expanding operations globally. 

There is no doubt to choose GTE Localize because:

• We are 2nd ranked in the best translation services companies from Goodfirms.
• We work with many professional native linguists with years of experience in many fields: medical, financial, technology, etc.
• GTE Localize utilizes the newest technology to support your business such as CAT Tools, QA Tools, Self-built ERP, etc.

Book a call with our experts right now to get affordable book translation rates and successfully start your business.