Want to know how to reduce translation costs, but not sure where to start? Translation projects certainly have their way of adding up. Thankfully, with some attention to detail you can reduce translation costs significantly.

At Pairaphrase, we’ve spent a lot of time researching how to optimize the translation process while developing our software. Therefore, we have a few tips to share with you on translation cost reduction.

Here are our top 5 tips for reducing translation costs.

5 Tips for Reducing Translation Costs

1. Create a glossary, and use it consistently.

This tip for reducing translation costs helps you avoid costly double entendres, colloquialisms and industry jargon.

As human beings, it’s natural to want to write interesting content with clever language. However, it’s a lot more expensive to translate (in this case it’s actually referred to as “transcreate”) headlines and taglines with double meanings. The same applies to instances in which your reader needs to read between the lines to truly understand the text. 

Meanwhile, expecting your translator to know the “ins and outs” of your industry like you do will lead to poor translations that will need to be corrected. This can potentially cost you considerable time and money.

Creating a glossary of terms in your common target languages will help you produce more accurate translations in less time and decrease translation costs.

2. Work with the right type of translator for your needs.

This second tip for translation cost reduction will help you immensely.

This is because working with freelance translators for larger, more complex needs can end up costing you more. But if you have small needs, working with translation companies can actually add to your bill. 

So make sure you determine the type of translator you need by project.

For example, if you only have a couple of documents or files to translate into a single language, say Spanish for instance, then working with a freelance translator might be the best choice for you. 

How to Find Freelance Translators for Small Projects

You can find them easily on LinkedIn and other job portals. They eliminate the “middleman” and allow you to build a relationship with the actual person who translates your text. 

Hiring a Translation Company

If you have larger and more complex needs, then you probably want to work with a translation company. They’ll have translators for every language and you’ll only have one person to work with who will manage a team of translators on your behalf. 

These companies can usually scale easily to manage your growing translation needs. They’ll typically have a suite of technologies to help you reduce translation costs at scale. 

3. Translate native application files–not PDF files. 

It’s safe to say that your translator will likely request “native application files” when starting a translation project.

Native application files are the files that were originally created before they were saved as PDF. Unlike PDF files, native application files––such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and InDesign––are easily editable. PDF’s are not.

Translating PDF files can be a nightmare with charts and pages having to be redeveloped by hand to replicate the original file. This can take considerable time at a considerable expense. 

4. Focus on your translation process.

A lot of companies inadvertently drive up the cost of their translations by not creating or following a translation process. Work with your team and your suppliers to develop a repeatable and lean translation process.

Today’s translation technologies can save you a lot of money. Use CAT tools such as machine translation, translation memory and dynamic machine learning. This way, you’ll decrease translation costs and produce more translations faster. 

5. Use powerful-yet-simple translation software.

Are you or your translator using translation software that will significantly reduce translation costs? If not, it’s time to start.

Some translation software systems can actually add time to the translation process due to their confusing interfaces and multiple steps required to complete just one action (such as creating a translation memory). 

Opt for an application that will speed up the process while delivering continuous translation quality improvements.

Reduce Translation Costs with this Software

Now that you know how to reduce translation costs, try Pairaphrase.

Pairaphrase is a web-based translation management system optimized to save you a significant amount of time on translation while delivering continuous translation quality improvements using machine learning and other time-saving features. In effect, it helps you to cut costs associated with human translation.

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