This is something I think about often in the translation industry.
Two quotes can look almost identical on paper:
Translation: $5,000
Translation: $7,500
The obvious conclusion is that one provider is 50% more expensive.
But are they actually quoting the same service?
How is the content being translated? Is it human translation, MTPE, or another workflow? Is there an independent editor? A proofreader? Subject matter review? Terminology management? Linguistic QA? Accessibility? What qualifications do the linguists have?
And what happens behind the scenes? Are linguists being paid fairly and given enough time to do their best work, or are they expected to work for unsustainable rates and meet unrealistic turnaround times?
Those differences can be substantial—but they are much harder to see than the number at the bottom of a quote.
And that's our challenge: making that value visible to our clients.
You can’t meaningfully compare prices until you’ve defined what each project actually includes.
I think our industry needs to get better at making workflows transparent, so clients can compare apples to apples—not simply one total to another.
If you're planning a translation project and aren't sure which services or quality checks you actually need, I'd be happy to help you figure it out.
Feel free to book a quick discovery call. We can talk through your project, explore the options, and find the workflow that makes the most sense for your needs and budget.
No pressure, just a conversation.