Engineering translation rates

Engineering translation rates

Many industries rely on engineering inputs to fuel innovation and progress in their business. From the computers used in chemical and biological research to the machines used in hi-tech manufacturing, engineers and their work product affect every part of modern life. From designing a manufacturing process to building structures that will withstand earthquakes, engineers rely on gathering data to build products that benefit all parts of our life. As the world becomes an increasingly interconnected place, that data will come from all over the world, from different locations and in different languages. This is why engineering translation is needed more and more nowadays.

Engineering translation is a highly technical field that requires specific knowledge. Technical documents must be translated clearly and precisely in order to preserve meanings accurately. In manufacturing, engineering and construction sectors, translation is really important and it is usually necessary for documents such as technical drawings, operating manuals, plans, technical patents, technical reports, engineering specifications, safety manuals, and responses to RFPs. And these are just a few of the documents that might need translation in the engineering field. As you can imagine, a simple mistake in each of these documents could have serious consequences, even on the physical safety of employees, thus the translator must be extremely good at his job and he must understand all the subtleties of this highly technical language that can be confusing sometimes.

If you have a business that needs this type of services, you must be wondering how high the engineering translation rates are at the moment, how they vary and what are the main reasons why some translators may charge you more than others. To begin with, the general price for technical translation is 0.12, but for engineering it is around 0.15 due to the complexity of the field. The engineering translation rates also vary due to other factors such as:

1. The language pair combination

The difficulty of the languages you need will determine the engineering translation rates. Asian languages are very popular due to the innovations in Japan and China particularly, but they will cost more due to their difficulty. Sometimes, the terminology is so different in the target language that the translator must spend a lot of time doing research in order to avoid mistakes. Some engineering concepts have different names in other languages, which makes the job of the translator really difficult. When it comes to European languages, the engineering translation rates are a bit lower, but they vary according to certain factors.

2. The complexity of the text

The price will increase if we are talking about a very complex document that is also very long. For instance, technical reports, drawing or safety manuals can sometimes be really difficult to translate. Even if the technical language seems easier than the literal one that is full of metaphors and ambiguities, it can be extremely difficult to understand sometimes. This is because some countries have different denominations for technical words and the translator might confuse them sometimes. In the case of complex texts, the translator must be able to maintain consistently high quality in translating documents containing complex diagrams or graphs, and to return them formatted identically to the formatting present in the source document. A mistake is unacceptable in this complex field; this is why sometimes engineering translation rates are higher than in other technical fields.

3. The deadline

Engineering translation rates also vary according to the deadline you impose on the translation company that you have hired. In the field of engineering, you need to have realistic deadlines because a job done in the rush can compromise your projects. In the case you need something done very fast; you will need to pay a bit more. In emergency cases, the translators might work during weekends and bank holidays in order to meet your deadline. Obviously, you will need to pay more for their time, but most of the companies offer you this possibility -to obtain a translation faster than usual. In some cases, they create translation teams that work very efficiently to finish your translation as soon as possible.

4. Additional services

When you require extra services, the engineering translation rates will usually increase. It is advisable to specify them from the beginning in your dialogue with the translation company you have chosen in order to assess all the extra costs involved. For engineering translation, probably the most important service besides translation is proofreading. As graphics, technical drawings, numbers and complicated language are involved, it is important to have a group of editors and proof-readers that make sure mistakes are not present in the final text. For localization services, which are needed nowadays even in the engineering field, the price will raise as well. To find out exactly how much money you need to pay, you have to discuss about all extra services with your translation company.

5. The prestige of the translation service

If you choose a famous translation company that worked with big names in the past, the engineering translation rates will increase. It all depends on your budget, but if you want high quality services, you need to be prepared to invest some money. The big names in the industry will probably do a flawless job. But if you choose something cheap, you might be disappointed in the end. The best way is to hire a company with good reviews that has a decent price.

In conclusion, engineering translation rates are determined by a multitude of factors. In order to get an accurate quota, you must discuss all the details with your company from the start. Tell them about the extra services you want, about the deadline and all other particular things that your business might need.

Use the form below to get a quote within 24 hours.