How many words
We count the words in the file you send, not the finished one. If the same wording repeats across several files, you pay for it once.
No hidden costs
Business Translation Services Pricing in the UK
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Taking your business into a new country? Your contracts and manuals have to leave English and land in your buyer’s language. Business translation services pricing in the UK starts at £0.10 per word for a standard document. Bulk work starts at £0.08 per word. A certified translation starts at £65.
Coming the other way? Your papers are from abroad and a UK office needs them in English. The same rates apply. The direction does not change the price. The language does. So does the deadline. So does whether an authority has to accept the file.
No hidden charges. No setup fee. VAT is shown in full, so the figure you approve is the figure you pay. Every quote sets out the per-word rate and the cost to certify each document. Any apostille or embassy fee is passed on at cost. All business translation prices UK-wide are agreed in writing before we start. Send us the file for your exact price within 60 minutes.
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By document type
Business Translation Prices in UK by Document Type
Every kind of paperwork takes a different amount of work. So each one has its own starting price. The rate is the same either way. Leaving English for a new market, or coming into English for a UK office. Find the row that matches your file.
| Document Type | What It Covers | Delivery | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate & Company Documents | Incorporation papers, articles, board resolutions, share records | 2–3 working days | £65 / document |
| Legal Contracts | Partnership deals, NDAs, licensing terms, distribution contracts | 2–3 working days | £0.12 / word |
| Financial & Corporate Reports | Annual reports, accounts, audit papers, performance reviews | 2–5 working days | £0.13 / word |
| Marketing & Brochures | Brochures, company profiles, presentations, product copy | 2–4 working days | £0.12 / word |
| Technical & Product Manuals | Manuals, spec sheets, datasheets, user and install guides | 2–4 working days | £0.14 / word |
| Import-Export & Procurement | Supplier deals, purchase orders, customs and shipping papers | 2–3 working days | £0.11 / word |
| HR & Employment Contracts | Staff contracts, handbooks, HR policies, disciplinary records | 2–3 working days | £0.11 / word |
| Investor & Shareholder Papers | Pitch decks, funding documents, circulars, investor updates | 2–4 working days | £0.13 / word |
All prices are before VAT. We count the words in the file you send us.
Making it official
What Certified and Apostille Business Translation Costs in UK
These are the steps that make a translation official. A file staying in the UK usually just needs certifying. A file going abroad often needs more. It may need a notary, then an apostille. Some countries want an embassy stamp on top. Each stage is priced on its own, and shown on its own line.
| Service | What It Is | Delivery | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certified Translation | A signed statement of accuracy attached to the translation | 2–3 working days | From £65 / document |
| Notarised Translation | A notary public signs to confirm the certification | 3–5 working days | Quoted per document |
| Apostille (FCDO) | UK government stamp for Hague Convention countries | 5–10 working days | Quoted — FCDO fee at cost |
| Embassy Legalisation | Embassy stamp for the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and similar | 2–4 weeks | Quoted — embassy fee at cost |
| Certified True Copies | A certified copy of a company record you cannot send | 1–2 working days | Quoted per document |
Tell us the country before you order. That country decides which of these steps you need, and the order they go in. Getting the order wrong means paying for the whole chain twice.
By language
How Business Translation Rates in UK Vary by Language
The rate follows how many trained business translators work in a language. Common European ones sit at the base rate. Rarer ones cost more, because far fewer people can do that work well. Out of English or into English, the rate stays the same.
| Language Group | Languages Covered | Delivery | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western European | French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese | 2–3 working days | £0.10 / word |
| Central & Eastern European | Polish, Czech, Romanian, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian | 2–3 working days | £0.10 / word |
| Nordic | Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Icelandic | 2–4 working days | £0.13 / word |
| Middle Eastern | Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi, Dari, Turkish, Kurdish | 2–4 working days | £0.13 / word |
| East & South-East Asian | Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Malay | 2–4 working days | £0.14 / word |
| South Asian | Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil | 2–4 working days | £0.12 / word |
| African | Swahili, Somali, Amharic, Yoruba, Hausa, Afrikaans | 3–5 working days | £0.15 / word |
| Rare and regional | Anything not listed above, including older scripts | Depends on the pair | Quoted on request |
Some languages come in more than one version, like Simplified and Traditional Chinese. Picking the right one costs nothing extra. Just tell us the country.
By deadline
Standard, Express and Same-Day Business Translation Charges UK
How fast you need the file back changes the price more than anything else. These four options cover it all. A report you need next week. A contract to be signed this afternoon. Papers holding up a shipment at a port.
| Turnaround | Best For | Delivery | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | General company papers, reports, proposals, emails | 2–3 working days | £0.10 / word |
| Professional | Corporate communication, marketing, presentations | 2–4 working days | £0.12 / word |
| Express | Contracts, urgent reports, last-minute filings | 24 hours | £0.15 / word |
| Same-Day Urgent | Signings, negotiations, paperwork holding up a shipment | 6–12 hours | £0.18 / word |
Going abroad? Leave time for the stamps as well as the words. A notary and an apostille can add a week or two after the translation is finished. Start earlier than feels necessary.
Bulk and ongoing
Bulk and Enterprise Business Translation Fees in UK
The more you send, the lower the price per word drops. Opening in three countries at once? Send the whole set together. It is priced as one job, not three. Firms who send us work every week move onto an agreed rate card, and keep the same translators.
| Project Size | Typical Use | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 5,000 words | One-off documents and single projects | Standard rate |
| 5,000 – 20,000 words | Reports, manuals and contract bundles | Reduced rate |
| 20,000 – 50,000 words | One document set going into several markets | Bulk rate, from £0.08 / word |
| 50,000+ words or ongoing | Retained accounts and long-term rollouts | Agreed rate card + project manager |
Other services
Business Translation Quotes in UK for Proofreading and Typesetting
Not every job is a translation. Sometimes the words are already done and you just need them checked. Sometimes a brochure has to be laid out again, because the new language runs longer than English. Order any of these with a translation and it runs as one project.
| Service | What It Covers | Delivery | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proofreading & Editing | Checking a translation you already have | 1–3 working days | From £0.05 / word |
| Transcreation | Campaign copy and taglines rebuilt for a new market | 3–5 working days | Quoted per project |
| Desktop Publishing & Typesetting | Print-ready layout once the words have changed | 1–3 working days | From £8 / page |
| Website & Software Localisation | Pages, interfaces and app content | Depends on scope | Quoted per project |
| Business Transcription | Meetings, interviews and recorded calls typed up | 2–4 working days | From £1.20 / audio minute |
| Subtitling & Voiceover | Training videos, demos and internal communications | 3–5 working days | Quoted per project |
What moves the figure
What Changes the Cost of Business Translation in UK
Six things push the price up or down. Knowing them helps you send us the version that costs the least. It also explains why two files of the same length can come back at different prices.
How fast you need it
Standard, express and same-day are three different rates. The earlier you send a file, the less it costs you.
Which country it goes to
A file for a UK office usually just needs certifying. A file going abroad may need a notary, an apostille or an embassy stamp on top.
Which two languages
Common European pairs sit at the base rate. Rarer pairs cost more, simply because fewer people can do the work.
How hard the file is
A plain contract and a technical manual full of diagrams are not the same job. Scans that need retyping add a little time.
How it has to look
Matching your basic layout is included. Full print-ready typesetting for a brochure or manual is quoted on top.
Already in the price
What Every Business Translation Quote in UK Includes
None of this is an add-on or an upgrade. None of it turns up later on the invoice. It is all inside the figure we quote you at the start, whichever way your document is going.
- A translator who is native in the finishing language
- A second person checking wording, numbers and meaning
- The right version for the country, at no extra cost
- Tables, headings and layout rebuilt to match your file
- Changes to wording after delivery
- Free re-work if an authority ever queries the document
- An NDA on every project and GDPR-safe handling
- One person to deal with from start to finish
FAQs
Common Questions About Business Translation Prices in UK
Handing money to a company you found online takes a leap of faith. These are the questions people really ask us before they pay.
Who am I actually paying?
Business Translations UK, at 33 Willmore Road, Birmingham B20 3JH. Payment goes to a UK business bank account in that name. Never to a personal account. Never overseas. The same name and address sit on your quote, on your invoice and on the certificate. Everything matches up.
Do you want card details or a deposit before you start?
No. We do not hold your card. For most jobs there is no deposit at all. You send the file, we send a price, and the work starts on your word. You pay after you have seen the finished translation. Very large projects may be split into stages. We agree that in writing first.
Does it cost more to go out of English than into it?
No. The rate is the same both ways. It is set by the language, the deadline and the type of document. The direction makes no difference. English into Polish and Polish into English are priced the same.
What if I pay, and then the office rejects the document?
We fix it free. Say Companies House, HMRC, a bank or an overseas registry queries the wording, the format or the certificate. We correct it and send it again at no cost. You never pay twice for the same document. There is no time limit on this.
How do I know your word count is honest?
The count comes from your own file. We send it with the quote, before you agree to anything. Open the document, use Word Count, and check our figure. Does the same wording repeat across several pages? We take that off rather than charge you twice.
We are opening in three countries. Can that be one price?
Yes, and it works out cheaper. Send the whole set together. We price it as one project across all the languages, not three separate jobs. You get one contact, one invoice and one date. Wording that repeats is charged once.
Can I get the invoice before I pay, for our purchasing system?
Yes. Tell us when you ask for the quote. We will raise a proper invoice up front, with your company name, address and any purchase order number on it. Many of our clients cannot release payment without one. It holds nothing up at our end.
How do I know the apostille fee is not marked up?
Because you see the receipt. FCDO and embassy fees are set by those offices. We pass them on exactly as charged, and attach the proof to your invoice. Our own fee for handling it is shown on its own line. The two never get mixed up.
What happens if I need to cancel part way through?
You pay for the words already translated, and nothing more. Tell us as soon as you know. If we have not started, there is nothing to pay at all. Asking for a quote never costs anything either.
What if the translation turns up late?
Tell us straight away. Late delivery is rare. But if we miss a date we agreed in writing, and it has caused you a problem, we will talk about the fee. We will not just send the invoice as if nothing happened. We would rather keep the client than the money.
How do I pay, and can we pay in pounds?
Bank transfer to a UK account is the usual route. Everything is billed in pounds, so you pay no currency charges. Card payment can be arranged if your finance team prefers it. VAT is added where it applies and shown on its own line.
Can we set up an account and pay monthly?
Yes, once we have worked together a few times. Regular clients move onto agreed terms and one monthly invoice. It covers every job in that period, so you are not paying one at a time. It also brings the per-word rate down.
Starting rates only go so far
Send the file. Get the real number.
Tell us the country it is going to. We confirm the word count, the turnaround and any certification in writing within 60 minutes, before any work begins.
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