Affordable translation services: 5 ways Smartling can help

Global expansion presents significant opportunities for businesses, but it also comes with challenges. Translation costs are often near the top of the list.

High-quality translations are essential for maintaining brand consistency and building trust with international audiences. However, companies often struggle to balance affordability and accuracy. Contracting certified translators and linguists through traditional translation agencies is expensive. And machine-generated results aren’t always up to par, especially for complex content that requires certified translation. 

Fortunately, professional translations are now more cost-effective than ever, thanks to online translation companies like Smartling. Smartling supports industry-specific language and certified translations, providing businesses with a scalable approach to multilingual content creation that doesn’t compromise on quality.

This guide highlights five affordable translation services Smartling provides to help your brand reach every corner of the globe.

Can you get high-quality, low-cost translation services?

Historically, businesses had to choose between quality and affordability in their translations. Professional translators are accurate, but manual document translation makes large-scale projects slow and expensive. Machine translation (MT) gives companies a faster and cheaper alternative to human linguists, but the quality is often lacking. Machine translation with post-editing (MTPE) blends automation with human review and refinement, improving quality but reintroducing some costs.

New AI-powered translation services have changed this dynamic, so businesses no longer need to balance quality and cost. Online translation companies deliver both by blending neural machine translation, large language models, and just the right amount of human expertise.

Smartling’s AI translation services ensure businesses get high-quality translations quickly at an affordable per-word rate. The AI Translation Toolkit can handle even highly technical content and certified translation services for official documents thanks to LLM-powered translation memory and rigorous Linguistic Quality Assurance (LQA) checks.

5 affordable translation services from Smartling

Smartling offers a range of translation services to suit any budget. The following solutions help companies achieve professional, localized content while minimizing expenses:

Translation memory (TM)

A translation memory is a custom database of previously approved translations that human translators and machine translation services can reference when tackling future content. TM saves time and money by reusing past strings, making it a crucial tool for scaling global content. Most of Smartling’s customers achieve a 60% reuse rate, which translates to huge savings over time.

Translation memory also maintains consistency in tone and style, helping translators (whether human linguists or MT engines) understand how the company uses specific language. Translated text segments can sometimes be reused verbatim between projects.

In addition, translation memory is useful for certified document translation services. When translated documents are legally binding or use industry-specific language, a custom database makes sure key phrases consistently use vetted wording in the target language.

Neural machine translation (NMT)

Neural machine translation services use deep learning algorithms to understand the broader context of sentences—similar to a human linguist—instead of translating documents word-by-word.

Smartling’s AutoSelect solution uses AI to select the highest quality translation from numerous MT engines, delivering high-quality translations for a fraction of the cost of a human translation agency. With over 15 LLMs and MT engines to choose from, businesses can also pick the solution that works best for them.

Automated post-editing features proofread content to deliver premium outputs that align with a brand’s unique voice. Businesses can even train custom engines on their content, improving quality and cost efficiency.

AI Translation (AIT)

AI Translation allows organizations to translate large content libraries in a budget-friendly way without sacrificing quality. This option leverages the accuracy of MT engines and fluency of LLM technology to near-instantly deliver results on par with human-reviewed machine translations.

Businesses will enjoy:

• Instant results with optional post-editing enhancements
• 50% cost savings compared to machine translation with review from human linguists
• Consistent quality optimized through Smartling’s AI-driven workflow. If you’re unhappy with a translation, we’ll fix it at no extra charge.

AIT is a strong choice for businesses managing large-scale online translation projects, such as e-commerce product descriptions and customer support content. By combining machine translation with automated quality assurance and post-editing, AIT makes sure businesses receive accurate translations at an unbeatable speed and affordable price.

AI Human Translation (AIHT)

AI Human Translation is Smartling’s innovative solution for businesses that require the quality of human translation at a fraction of the cost. It leverages the same AI features as AIT with additional review from professional translators to enhance quality. AIHT also ensures compliance and accuracy for legal, medical, and technical documents, making it an excellent choice for businesses seeking the best certified translation services, as well as for general use.

With AIHT, companies can expect:

• 50% lower costs compared to traditional translation companies
• Twice the speed of conventional human translation services
• Human translator accuracy, guaranteeing precision and cultural relevance

AIHT is a good fit for specialized use cases where accuracy is paramount, such as certified translations of legal documents.

Smartling Translate

Smartling Translate is a revolutionary LLM-enabled machine translation portal that lets businesses instantly create accurate, on-brand translations with up to 350% higher quality.

Powered by Smartling’s LanguageAI™, it combines the speed of machine translation with your unique voice and style. The result? Consistently high-quality, on-brand content at a fraction of the cost of human translators.

Smartling Translate is the best document translation service for business materials, with no need to configure new workflows or train users. Simply paste text or drag and drop files to get translated documents in seconds. Thanks to Smartling’s robust data protection controls, businesses can rest assured that legal documents and other sensitive information will remain secure.

Reduce localization costs and maximize efficiency with Smartling

Smartling’s Language AI™ platform provides numerous options for high-quality, affordable translations. Leverage AI-driven tools and just the right amount of human touch to translate without compromising speed or accuracy.

Ready to streamline your localization efforts? Download our free eBook, “AI-Powered Localization: Achieving Quality, Cost, and Speed Objectives.” You’ll learn valuable strategies to optimize translation projects and gain a competitive advantage in global markets.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 1000-word translation cost?

The cost of a 1000-word professional translation varies based on the type of translation service and the complexity of the content.

Human translation services typically cost $0.20 per word, meaning a 1000-word document might cost $150–$300. However, Smartling’s AI-powered solutions significantly reduce per-word costs compared to traditional translation agencies. Smartling’s rates for human quality translation via AIHT goes as low as $0.12.

Machine translation is more affordable, often costing a fraction of a penny per character. However, companies in regulated industries may require human post-editing to guarantee accuracy and nuance.

How can I reduce translation costs?

You can lower costs by keeping source content clear and concise. Professional translation companies typically charge per word, so pre-edits that trim length and remove ambiguity will reduce expenditures.

You can also take advantage of AI and machine translation tools. Translation memory stores previously approved translations for reuse when appropriate, keeping translated content consistent and affordable.

Translation isn’t free, but it’s an investment. The best translation services will net businesses an ROI that far outweighs the cost. 

Why is translation so expensive?

Traditional translation services require skilled professional translators with deep knowledge of the source and target languages. Translators must also understand cultural nuances and industry-specific terminology.

The cheapest translation services use machine translation, which has improved over time and is reliable for many tasks. However, projects with precise language or compliance requirements still require human review to ensure accuracy.

AI translation services offer businesses an alternative approach that won’t break the bank. These technologies blend the power of large language models, neural machine translation, and human expertise to provide fast, scalable, and cost-effective online translations.

How are translation costs calculated?

Translation costs are usually calculated per word or per document. Factors that influence the rate include:

• Language pair: Widely spoken language pairs, such as English to Spanish translation, tend to be cheaper due to an abundance of professional translators. Less common languages may cost more.
• Subject and complexity: Specialized content, such as legal, medical, or technical documents, requires certified translators with industry-specific knowledge. This often increases costs.
• Turnaround time: Urgent projects usually have a higher price tag.
• File format: Translating documents with complex formatting, graphics, or embedded text may require additional work.