How Much Does Spanish Translation Cost?

Spanish translation cost is a big concern for companies that are looking for translation services in Spanish.

With around 580 million native speakers worldwide, Spanish is the second most widely spoken language after English. Due to the widespread use of this language over the globe, there is a bigger demand than ever for qualified Spanish translation services to tighten existing business relationships and establish new ones.

To know the average cost for Spanish translations, you need to beware of the primary factors driving the Spanish translation cost. This post will dig into these factors, from which you can estimate how much you should spend on your Spanish translation project.  

1. How Is The Spanish Translation Cost Calculated?

There are two common pricing strategies applied for Spanish translation services: per-word rate and per-page rate. 

• Per-word rate

This way of pricing is used by the majority of translators, who charge their services on a per-word basis. The translation cost will be calculated based on the number of words in your source document or after the work is done, on the translated text. 

The average cost for a Spanish translation will be between $0.09/word and $0.30/word.

• Per-page rate

When searching for Spanish translation costs, you could also find translators who charge by the pages. This pricing approach appears to be unpopular due to the possibility of projects having numerous page sizes, photos, huge fonts, tables, and other elements. While it rewards the translators, this way may increase your costs as the client.

However, PDF materials like translations of legal, medical, and scientific journals work well with the pay-per-page method.

The Spanish translation cost of a standard page is $25 on average, considering an average of 250 words per page, or 1,500 characters including spaces.

2. Factors Of Spanish Translation Services Cost

#2.1. Language pairs

Language pairings determine the cost of Spanish translation and will vary based on the source and target languages. The translation process could go more quickly and cost less if the sentence structure, alphabet, or place of origin of the source and target languages are the same.

For example, translating into common language pairings – such as Spanish to English, Spanish to French, Polish to Spanish, etc. – will be less expensive than translating into uncommon language pairs.

Sometimes English will act as an intermediate between two less common language pairings, raising the project’s costs. For instance, it might be challenging to find a qualified translator for the unusual language pair of Albanian and Spanish. In this case, translation companies typically translate the source text from Albanian into English before translating it into Spanish. This results in greater costs and occasionally less accurate target translations.

#2.2. Project capacity

Another factor that significantly affects Spanish translation rates is the project capacity. In general, the more words in your document, the more money you will have to pay. For this reason, before sending your document to the translator, polish the text first. This step can save you a lot of time and money afterward.

However, in some specific circumstances, such as when translating technical information, you will need subject-matter translators to do the job. Hence, although the project volume is the same or lower, you still need to pay higher fees for translation.

When your project reaches a certain volume, many Language Service Providers may provide discounts in order to strike a deal and encourage more purchases. As your volume increases, the Spanish translation price per word will be reduced. 

#2.3. Translation service plan

The service plan affects the Spanish translation cost as well. Currently, Language Service Providers offer three main types of translation services, which are Translation Only (TO), Translation + Editing (TE), and Translation + Editing + Proofreading (TEP).

If your content is used for external purposes, TE and TEP services are strongly advised. Meanwhile, TO is an excellent alternative for internal content or low-budget projects. The more linguists are required and the higher the level of translation, the more you will have to pay.

You may need to add Desktop Publish (DTP) as an extra service if your document comprises texts with engaging visuals in order to ensure that the final products are well-presented and easy to read. There is also an additional charge for this step.

#2.4. Expertise

The Spanish translation fee also greatly depends on how challenging your content is to translate. If your documents include a lot of technical or scientific terms, you should work with highly skilled translators, who will also charge more for their services. The same goes for creative content like marketing campaigns, slogans, or poetry when you need very creative translators to translate your documents.  

Normally, you should expect the rate to be 20–30% higher for sophisticated content than for common one.

#2.5. Deadline

The Spanish translation cost increases corresponding to how fast you need the translated copy. If you need the information translated quickly, more translators will be assigned to it or each translator will have to put in more effort to meet the deadline. More linguists and more workloads result in higher costs. According to a Common Sense Advisory (CSA) survey, 88% of Language Service Providers charge an extra fee for urgent projects, ranging from 10% to 200% depending on how short the turnaround time is. 

3. How Much Does A 1000-Word Spanish Translation Cost?

The translation rates will obviously vary depending on the translator. The majority of Spanish translation costs fall between $0.09 and $0.30 per word. This means that the cost of a 1000-word document might range from $90 to $300. Of course, you may find lower rates, special offers, or higher prices for specialized translators or for urgent translations.

4. Do Agencies and Freelancers Have Different Amounts For Spanish Translation Costs?

You will see that freelancers and translation companies charge different rates. Each kind of translation partner has its own pros and cons, so you should consider other factors besides pricing when deciding who you will work with. A freelancer may be better suited if you need a standard type of translation, but agencies frequently have experts in a wider range of fields, increasing the likelihood that you will receive the translation result you need.

5. Do All Professional Translators Offer The Same Spanish Translation Cost?

Spanish translation services are often priced differently by each translator. The pricing will be dependent upon their qualifications, experience, and the cost of living in each country. To know their pricing, you just need to look up their website/blog or contact them directly to get the translation quote.  

6. Is It Cheaper To Have An In-House Spanish Translator?

It could be less expensive to have an in-house translation team if your work involves a lot of translated text, but this is uncommon. If not, it is more saving if you engage a freelancer or translation agency for each project you have. Although an in-house translator may have a lower document translation cost per page, hiring an in-house translator comes at a high cost.

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7. Get the Best Spanish Translation Cost from GTE Localize

The Spanish translation cost is calculated depending on many factors, so there is no fixed cost at all.  

Identifying the primary factors driving the cost is the first step in cutting it down. To reduce costs overall, you should first optimize your resource before partnering with a reliable translation agency. See our handy guide here on how to minimize translation costs from your side.

If you need a trustworthy translation service provider for your upcoming projects, look no further than GTE Localize. With our Spanish translation services cost starting at $0.07 per word, let us help you with an optimal translation solution.

Recommended by GoodFirms as a professional translation agency, GTE Localize is committed to giving you a reasonable pricing policy with the highest quality of translation possible. We have a wide network of native Spanish-speaking professional translators, interpreters, and localization specialists to ensure our competence in managing large projects.

To lower the cost for our clients, we also update the latest translation technologies, such as CAT Tools, Localization Management Platforms, QA Tools, Self-built ERP, etc. When providing value to the clients becomes our objective, we have had the opportunity to work with a range of customers, including well-known companies like Facebook, Tiktok, Google, Abbott, and many more Fortune 500 companies.

Drop us a line now to get a free consultancy, a 300-word-long test, and a Spanish translation cost for your projects. 

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