Translation Pricing: Per Page or Per Word, and How to Compare Them

Two quotes arrive for the same twelve-page contract. One says 150 per page; the other says 0.45 per word. They look like different markets. In fact they may be the same price — or differ by 60% — and you cannot tell until both are converted to the same unit.

This guide is about doing that conversion, and about building a price list that does not leak money if you are the one quoting.

The units in use

• Per word — the international standard for most commercial translation. Precise, auditable, and the basis of every CAT-tool analysis.
• Per page — the norm in certified and official document work in Arab markets, where the client needs a price immediately for a scan or a certificate.
• Per document — a fixed price for standardised items: a birth certificate, a graduation certificate, a driving licence.
• Per hour — for review, proofreading, terminology work and handling awkward formats.
• Per day or per session — for interpreting; see the interpretation guide.

None of them is "the right one". They answer different questions: per word prices the text, per page prices the artefact, per hour prices the effort.

Read also: Expanding Into Arabic Markets: A Language and Document Checklist

What a "page" actually means

A page is a definition, not a measurement. The common convention is 250 words per page; 200 and 300 are also used. A scanned A4 certificate with a seal might hold 90 words; a dense contract page might hold 500.

So a price list must state:

• the words-per-page assumption;
• whether counting is on the source or the target text;
• how partial pages are handled (rounded up to the next page, or billed pro rata);
• what counts as a page in a scan: the physical page, or 250 words of text.

Without those four lines, a per-page price is an invitation to an argument at invoicing time.

Read also: Certified Translation in Egypt: Documents, Procedures and Choosing an Office

Converting between the units

Divide the per-page price by the words per page:

So "150 per page" is only cheaper than "0.45 per word" if the page is defined generously. Do the division before you compare — and if a quote does not state the page definition, ask. A provider who cannot answer that question quickly is telling you something about how they run their office.

Source or target matters too. Arabic is typically more compact than English: the same content can be 10–20% fewer words in Arabic. A price quoted on the target text can therefore produce a different invoice than the same rate on the source — which is why professional quotes say which side they count, and why clients should ask for the source count whenever the source is countable. It is the only number both sides can verify before work starts.

What drives the price, whatever the unit

• Language pair. Common pairs have deep supply; rare ones do not.
• Specialisation. Legal, medical, pharmaceutical and patent work costs more because the translator pool is smaller and the cost of error is higher.
• Format. An editable Word file is the cheapest input. Scans, photographs of documents, handwriting, drawings and locked PDFs all add preparation.
• Certification. The statement, the stamp, extra copies, courier.
• Urgency. Overnight and same-day work displaces other jobs and is legitimately surcharged.
• Review. A second linguist is a real cost and the main reason two quotes differ.
• Volume and repetition. Large or repetitive projects can carry a discount, especially with translation memory.

Our wider guides on how much translation costs and freelance translator rates cover the market ranges; this one is about the mechanics.

If you are the one quoting: a price list that holds

A translation office needs a written price list, not a negotiating instinct. The minimum structure:

1. Document types — certificate, contract, medical report, financial statement, manual, marketing text.
2. Language pairs — with direction, not just "Arabic/English".
3. Base unit and rate per document type and pair.
4. Urgency levels — normal, next day, same day — with a percentage, not a feeling.
5. Extras — certification, each additional stamped copy, layout work, notarisation handling, courier.
6. Minimum charge per document and per order.
7. Page definition and counting side, written once at the top.

Two tests tell you whether the list works: can a new receptionist quote correctly on day two? And does every invoice match the quote? If either answer is no, the list is incomplete — and that is where margin disappears. Software that applies the list automatically removes the variance; see what office management software should do and running a certified translation office.

Comparing two quotes fairly: a five-line checklist

1. Convert both to the same unit, using each quote's own page definition.
2. Check the counting side — source or target.
3. Add the extras each quote excludes: certification, copies, layout, delivery.
4. Compare review: one pass, or translation plus independent review?
5. Compare the delivery date, as a date.

Only then is the cheaper quote actually cheaper. The guide on requesting quotes includes a brief that makes providers answer all five lines without being asked.

A note on very low prices

A price far below the market usually means a single pass with no review, machine translation with a light edit, or an unspecialised translator working outside their field. Any of those can be the right choice for internal understanding — and the wrong one for a contract, a tender, a medical document or anything published. Decide which you are buying, then pay the price that matches. See machine translation and post-editing for where that line sits today.