Delivering value for money
The cost of a translation depends on the nature of the source text. In any case, my rates are competitive; contact me for a free, no-obligation quote. Unlike some language service providers, I won’t draw you in by publishing a headline price that bears little relation to the final charge. Good translations pay for themselves many times over. Consider a simple example to which most people can relate: your CV. Just a page or two, but the translation could be worth thousands of pounds to you in the long run. Or perhaps you run a company and you'd like more international customers. A bad translation of your website will drive people away. One that is merely adequate might keep them, but it won't encourage them to buy anything. A good translation will lead to extra sales. The more there is riding on whatever is being translated, the more important the translation. The question, then, is often not 'Can we afford to use a professional translator?', but 'Can we afford not to?’ Yes, it can be tempting to cut costs on translation. Even if you agree that free online services are inappropriate for serious translation work, you might still decide to 'save' money by getting a secretary to do it, or a student, or perhaps even doing it yourself. Occasionally, there may be some justification for this. But in many cases this is a classic example of being penny wise and pound foolish. You may be thinking that your customers would be impressed that you'd 'had a go' at doing the translation in-house, and sometimes they might be. However, they'd be much more impressed if you showed that you cared enough about quality to use someone who translates for a living. In short, if you want your translations to project a professional image of your company, you need to use a professional translator.