How to Reduce Translation Program Costs

You know you need to adapt your content for an international audience, but how can you keep costs down and stay on budget? With the correct approach to localization, the ROI you’ll realize from investing in translation services will far outweigh the costs. Translate your product or service the right way, and you’ll reap the benefits for years to come. To this end, we’ve outlined four key steps you can take when planning your next translation project that can help you reduce program costs and improve returns.  

1. Prioritize Content

You don’t have to have everything translated at the same time. By mapping out a long-term localization strategy, you can set your company up for sustained success in your target market(s).

Here are some questions to ask yourself when determining what to translate first: 

• Which product or service generates the most revenue? 
• What are the most viewed pages on your website? 
• What is the most important information your customers need to know? 
• Are there legal or regulatory requirements you need to communicate? 

2. Provide Source Files

Another way you can save time and money is by sending all original source files, fonts, and graphics from your publishing software application to your language service provider (LSP). This simplifies and accelerates the file preparation process and enables the LSP to: 

• Detect and repair any potential issues upfront  
• Identify reusable content for future projects  
• Provide a more accurate project proposal and schedule 

3. Consider Machine Translation with Post-Editing

Machine translation  (MT) is the use of software to translate text from one language to another. It is a versatile localization tool that can help lower costs, increase productivity, and reduce timelines. MT is not appropriate in all cases, so you should consider when to use machine translation, but it may be a viable option if:  

• You have a large-scale project with vast amounts of content 
• You’re working with a limited budget and/or a tight deadline  
• You need to translate materials not directly tied to your core product/website/app, 
  e.g. user documentation, technical manuals, and help systems 

MT should always be followed by post-editing. Post-editing is the correction of machine-translated text by professional human translators to ensure that it meets the agreed-upon level of publishable quality requested by the client.   

4. Use Cost Calculators

Cost calculators are a handy tool that can help you determine whether a given project falls within your allocated budget. Online calculators  can estimate the initial translation and subsequent monthly maintenance costs – and expected ROI – for your localization project based on the following inputs: 

• Total initial and updated monthly word count 
• Number of target languages 
• Translation method/quality (human translation, MT, etc.)  

As you can see, reducing localization program costs isn't about making huge changes. What’s most important is taking the time to carefully plan your project in a way that maximizes efficiencies and minimizes waste. With a combination of small steps and best practices, saving money on translation ultimately comes down to little changes that make a big difference. 

Contact us today to learn more about reducing costs for localization services and other translation cost-cutting ideas that can really pay off for your business.