{"id":25335,"date":"2022-10-23T13:11:45","date_gmt":"2022-10-23T20:11:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voice123.com\/blog\/?p=25335"},"modified":"2025-04-21T05:53:33","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T12:53:33","slug":"how-much-does-it-cost-to-hire-a-translator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voice123.com\/blog\/hiring-freelancers\/how-much-does-it-cost-to-hire-a-translator\/","title":{"rendered":"How much does it cost to hire a translator?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Amidst a multilingual age, knowing how to hire a translator and how much it costs is a fundamental business practice for global brands. Which requires much more than sifting through employee records for a bilingual employee. Worldwide the need for professional and accurate translation has hit an all-time high. However, pop hire a translator<\/strong> into a quick google search and you\u2019ll get thousands if not millions of hits. With such a chasm of options at your disposal, the next question is, where do you start<\/em>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this first part of this Voice123<\/a> How-to<\/em> series, we\u2019ll take an in-depth look at the steps you need to follow to hire a translator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start with an objective <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Image: Envato<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

All translation projects must start with an objective. To find your project\u2019s objective, consider three situations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Situation 1:<\/strong> Is your project a live presentation, conference, or seminar delivered in front of a foreign-language audience? If so, you need freelance translators to provide real-time translation. The translator will instantly convert the language being spoken to the language of the audience. Although, several different translators may be required to address a multilingual audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Situation 2:<\/strong> Do you need to send documents like business contracts, white paper, or legal paperwork like NDAs and disclaimers to foreign language clients or employees? These tasks could be done either remotely or in-office depending on the level of confidentiality required. If you opt for the remote route, you either email or upload the documents to a folder that both you and the translator have access to.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Situation 3:<\/strong> Are you meeting with foreign clients, or business executives, or considering global mergers? Then you need freelance translators to communicate both conversationally and in real-time. The translator will also need to travel or attend events with you to establish communication with whomever you speak to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve set your end goal, the next step is the translator’s requirements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should you hire a translator that\u2019s native or non-native?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Both native and non-native language translators have unique skills and abilities. However, translation isn\u2019t just about converting words and grammar from one language to another. It also focuses on the nuances of the language. In this area, native translators have certain advantages. Their organic understanding of the language makes them more familiar with its culture and colloquialisms. So, they can pick up when translated words are unnatural or awkward. In some cases, naturalness supersedes grammar usage. A translation could make grammatical sense, but not natural sense which sometimes creates hilarious deviations from the original language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1997 romantic comedy film As Good As It Gets<\/a> echoes off-target translation. In Hong Kong, the English title was translated as Mr. Cat Poop<\/a>. The translation stems from the lead character\u2019s English name Melvin<\/em>. Which has a similar pronunciation to the Cantonese expression for cat poop<\/strong>. In this case, the translation was technically correct, but the result deviated from the original language intention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

KFC’s finger lickin good<\/strong> slogan is another translation example. This translated to, eat your fingers off <\/a>for the Chinese market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A translated version can brand your business either negatively or positively. So, in addition to accuracy, localization<\/a> plays an equally important role in reaching multiple markets. Before choosing your freelance translators, consider: <\/p>\n\n\n\n