Pricing
Pricing overview
Pricing is agreed with each client individually based on project complexity and factors such as word count, deadline, general volume, ongoing collaboration, and services beyond the standard offering. The following prices are for reference only and can give you an idea of what to expect.
Hourly rates
My hourly rate ranges from £30 to £100 per hour. £30 per hour or £0.08 per word is my minimum and non-negotiable rate for both direct clients and agencies.
Rates are determined prior to starting a project, failing which, the rate charged will be at my discretion.
Standard rates specification
| Service type | Per word | Per minute | Per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| General translation | From £0.08 | From £30 | |
| Specialised translation | From £0.10 | From £35 | |
| Transcreation | From £0.15 | From £40 | |
| Subtitling | From £7 | ||
| Transcription (with translation) | From £6 | ||
| Editing and proofreading* | From £0.03 | From £30 | |
| Bilingual review* | From £0.04 | From £35 | |
| Localisation | From £0.12 | From £40 | |
| Drawing up reference materials | From £40 | ||
| Consulting and other linguistic work | From £50 |
Additional information
All prices per word should roughly match the per hour rate. This means that if my hourly rate for specialised translation is £35 per hour and my rate per word is £0.10, I will aim to complete 350 words in an hour.
This is especially important for editing and review tasks where I have to deal with previously written or translated texts.
*The standard rates apply to texts of already good quality. If the quality is subpar, requiring more time to work on the text, I can either apply a higher rate, perform a spot-check, stop when the time has run out, or cancel the job. This has been explained here.
Rates can also be agreed upon in other currencies (euros or US dollars), and I am flexible with slight differences between currencies.
Are these rates high or low?
In my experience, the rate of £30 per hour is a minimum standard rate for a more senior linguist. You can find even higher standard rates (from $50 to $75) advised by the Editorial Freelancers Association.
In the highly unregulated market of translation and language services, where many agencies and freelancers compete on price, you will surely find rates starting as low as £10 per hour. This is untenable, lower than the minimum wage in many countries, and will likely not provide you with good service.
My rates aim to remain competitive while accounting for over 10 years of experience and linguistic excellence that I bring to my clients.
If you think my offering is sensible, let’s talk!