How to Calculate the Cost of Russian Translation

Factors and conditions that affect the cost of Russian translation services. What are they and what you should know to find the professional Russian translation agency providing high-quality translations at best prices
1
Location
Depending on the location of translation agency the cost of Russian translation services may differ. E.g. the cost in the UK will be higher than in Russia.
2
Availability
The more translators available for your sector and industry the cheaper the cost of translation will be.
3
Urgency
Urgency is one of the major factors affecting the price which can be doubled in case of urgent projects.
4
Formatting
In case your files are in PDF, InDesign, or AutoCAD, it will require specific knowledge of the software, respective skills and experience that will add to the price.

How to find the Best Price for Russian Translation

Factors Affecting the Cost of Translation
When you are looking for a translator or a translation agency what you are primarily concerned about is cost of translation services provided by the contacted translation provider. The range of prices can vary depending on location (country or city), language combination (e.g. English to Russian), company size (large companies may charge higher due to VAT and management fees), availability of professional translators (companies that cannot afford to hire an industrial expert usually charge high for highly technical translations as it will take time before they test and contract the right translator fit for the project), urgency (the price can be doubled in case of urgent translation), and formatting requirements (files could be in PDF, InDesign, or AutoCAD or any other specific formats that require additional or special knowledge and work capacity).

Standard Rate – Basic Package

Of course, there are standard rates that serve as a jump-start for any other variations. This could be a minimum or basic package of service that includes standard human translation by a Russian linguist, proofreading by the same translator or a second translator who acts as a proofreader, and/or any formatting in an editable format like MS Word, Excel, or Power Point. If the file is in PDF format it will be converted into one of the editable formats and translated in it. Most of the files are converted into Word format for convenience and easy work.

Advanced Options Have a Higher Cost
Normally, any Russian translation agency would have a number of options with expanded and advanced services implying the professional translation by an industry specific linguist with an expert knowledge of the subject, and formatting or translation in the original format, like InDesign or AutoCAD. The cost of Russian translation with advanced options will be slightly higher than the standard or basic rate but you will be 100% sure you will get a high-quality product without errors.

Major Factor Affecting Russian Translation Cost - Location
When you search for a translation agency on your own you have to know that the major factor affecting the price quote is the location of the company – legal registration of the company and physical presence of offices in the country. For online companies it is a different matter. They do not pay for keeping the office nor for any utilities associated with that office. They may just have an address for postal mails but not for in-house translators. It could be a virtual or personal address of the owner or manager of the company.

The country of registration of the company matters much. Why it matters so much? Because of the VAT in that particular country. The higher the tax deduction the higher the cost of Russian translation will be. So, the final price will be in direct ratio to how much the concerned agency pays in taxes. You can easily check if you will overpay for translation services by asking where the company is registered. If, for example, the company is registered in the UK and you request for translation from the UK you will pay up to 20% VAT on top of the amount charged by the company for Russian translation services. The UK companies have an in-country taxation which obliges translation agencies to pay tax for all transactions made within the country. So, it would be worthwhile to think about using the respectful and creditable company but registered outside of the UK. Russia is an option, but you can find Russian translation companies in any other European country as well as in the USA.

Availability of Professional Translators
The company you apply to must have available professional translators in place who could be majored in your field of expertise and qualified to translate your documents, whatever sector or industry. And if the project is urgent the company should be able to respond respectively, within the time frame ad tight deadline set for translation of your documents. You can also easily check the availability of experts in that company by asking if they could provide you a test translation of let's say 150 words within the same day. If it takes time for the company to look for the right translator then most probably they wouldn't be able to do it urgently.

Places Where You Can Find Translation Agencies
There a number of resources or websites where you will be able to find Russian translation agencies at the best price for high quality. Among other websites there are two old and prominent ones: Proz and Translatorscafe. The rest are less popular but not less contacted for translation services. These are: Translatorsbase, Translationdirectory, Translatorswithoutborders, Multilingual.

Formatting Can Affect Translation Cost
Formatting is another factor that may affect the cost of Russian translation. If your file is in a fancy format like InDesign or in a specialized format like AutoCAD the agency you apply to should have qualified and skillful and trained translators able to work and translate in those formats. Again, to check the availability of in-house translators for urgent work you can ask them to translate something short in those formats. If they don't do it quick or within the same day it means they would outsource your project to subcontractor (it is actually normal if the company has permanent subcontractors but if the company rushes to desperately look for subcontractors whom they never knew not tested it may affect quality) who has never been tested before. So, the company you apply to should have the professional translator working with the requested format on a permanent basis for that company, who would be available on the day unless he is busy with other projects.

Translation Rates for Russian to English Translation
The figures of Russian translation cost vary from country to country and from company to company. Different countries charge in different currencies – in USD, Euros, and Great Britain Pounds, as well as in local currencies (if any). The average rate for Russian translation on the world market is 0.10 USD per source word. Russian translation companies may charge less due to the low cost of translation services in the country. But if the service is provided in the European Union or in the United States the price will go up. Besides, it should also be noted that the translation from English to Russian is much less costly because of the target language. If the translation is performed into Russian the cost will be less than the same translation from Russian to English. It is because the Russian translation is done by a Russian translator in the country where translation services are not expensive. But if you translate form Russian to English the price will be slightly different as the translation could be performed (not always but can be) by an English native speaker with fluent Russian. So, the rate for Russian to English translation in the UK will be around 0.08 GBP per source word.

Have a nice business day!
Easy tips on how to find a professional translation company with best prices for English to Russian translation