FAQ

How to Translate a web page,
a PDF or a Word document

How to Translate a Web Page

Our FAQ page is designed to help you with some of the most common questions such as how to translate a page, a PDF, a Word document or a website. Click on each question to find out what you’re looking for.

General Questions

What languages do you translate from / into?

We translate from and into all major European and Asian languages. We have divided them into four bands depending on how common they are and how much translators normally charge for them. Just click the ‘Source’ and ‘Target’ drop down menus in our Instant Quote Calculator below to see a full list of languages in alphabetical order.

How do you calculate your translation rates?

They are based on the number of source words.

If you know your word count, simply go to our Instant Quote Calculator below, select your source and target languages and the translation service you need, type your word count in the ‘Word Count’ field and your quote will appear in the ‘Price’ box. Tick ‘New customer’ if this is your first project with Columbus and you will be automatically given a 10% discount.

If you don’t know your word count, you can upload your file and fill in a short form on the Contact or Order page and we will get back to you within 3-6 hours, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Do you offer any discounts?

Absolutely. We offer two different discounts. Here’s the best part – you can combine them, too.

New client discount – 10% OFF – If this is your first project with Columbus, simply tick the ‘New customer’ box at the bottom of our Instant Quote Calculator and you will automatically see a 10% reduction in your Quote.

Large volume discount – 10% OFF – When your total word count is 10,000 words or higher, a ‘10% large volume discount’ message will appear on the Instant Quote Calculator and your quote will be automatically adjusted to include your discount.

Do you charge a minimum fee?

Yes, we do. As soon as you start keying in the number of words to be translated for your project in our Instant Quote Calculator, a ‘Minimum charge applied’ message will appear below the ‘Price’ box. It is displayed when the total value of your project is lower than or equal to £50.

How do you calculate your subtitling rates?

They are based on the length of your video material (the number of programme minutes) or the number of source words to be translated into the target language (normal per-word translation rates apply). Depending on the language pair, the cost per programme minute ranges from £10.00 to £13.00 ppm, making them some of the most attractive subtitling rates on the market.

Simply choose ‘Subtitling’ from the drop-down menu in our Instant Quote Calculator below, type the total number of minutes for your audio or video programme(s) and your quote will appear in the ‘Price’ box. Tick ‘New customer’ if this is your first project with Columbus Translations & Subtitling  and you will be automatically given a 10% discount.

How do you calculate your proofreading rates?

They are based on the number of source words and the language pair. Simply go to our Instant Quote Calculator choose your source and target languages, type your word count and your quote will appear in the ‘Price’ box. Tick ‘New customer’ if this is your first project with Columbus and you will be automatically given a 10% discount.

If you don’t know your word count, you can upload your file(s) and we will get back to you within 3-6 hours, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

How do you calculate your transcription rates: per programme minute or per source word?

Either way – whichever is more convenient for you. The rates can be based on the number of source words (50% of regular per-word translation rates) or the length of your audio/video material. Depending on the language pair, the cost per programme minute ranges from £5.00 to £6.50 ppm.

Simply choose ‘Transcription’ from the drop-down menu in our Instant Quote Calculator, type the total number of minutes for your programme(s) and your quote will appear in the ‘Price’ box. Tick ‘New customer’ if this is your first project with Columbus and you will be automatically given a 10% discount.

Does a translation cost less without the proofreading or the 2nd linguist quality check?

You can request our Standard Translation service without the proofreading or the 2nd linguist check. This service is 20% cheaper from our 3-stage Premium Translation service involving translation, proofreading and a 2nd linguist check. This service is recommended for internal communication and everyday business texts such as memos, emails, etc. and not for publishing purposes.

Using our Instant Quote Calculator

Why Use the Calculator?

Our Instant Quote Calculator enables you to instantly assess the cost of your translation project without having to submit time consuming forms or waiting for a quote. Simply select your source and target languages and service(s) required, then type your word count and your quote will appear in the Price box.

How to Get your Quote Instantly?

If you know your word count, just select your source and target languages and the service(s) required in our Instant Quote Calculator, then type your word count and your quote will appear in the ‘Price’ box. Tick ‘New customer’ if this is your first project with Columbus and you will be automatically given a 10% discount.

If you don’t know your word count, you can upload your file(s) and we will get back to you within 3-6 hours, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For subtitling, simply choose ‘Subtitling’ from the drop-down menu, type the total number of minutes for your programme and your quote will appear in the Price box. Tick ‘New customer’ if this is your first project with Columbus and you will be automatically given a 10% discount.

What happens when I tick the ‘New customer’ box?

If this is your first project with Columbus, tick the ‘New customer’ box and you will be automatically given a 10% discount for your first translation project with us.

What does the ‘10% large volume discount’ message mean?

When your total quote amount exceeds £1,000, which is roughly equivalent to a total word count of 10,000 words, a ‘10% large volume discount’ message will appear on the screen and your quote will be automatically adjusted to include your discount.

What does the ‘Minimum charge applied’ message mean?

As soon as you start keying in the number of words to be translated for your project, a ‘Minimum charge applied’ message will appear below the ‘Price’ box. It is displayed when the total value of your project is lower than or equal to £50.

Working With Our Team

What happens when I order my translation?

The minute you send us the files for translation, we will confirm the Quote and the deadline and ask you if you have any special requirements for your project such as file formats, document formatting or a delivery method. After that, we will match and assign our best translator for that language pair and field to that project. If you ordered our Premium Translation service, the completed translation will be sent to our proofreader and then returned to the original translator, who authorise all the corrections, perform a final Quality Check and prepare the files for delivery.

When you receive the files, you will have a chance to look through them and if you have any questions regarding the translation or if you are not satisfied with it for any reason at all, simply send us your feedback and our translators will make every effort to adapt the text in a way that meets your requirements. And remember: we offer unlimited revisions for all our services.

Who will look after my project?

From the word ‘go’, our Project Coordinator will look after you and your project including assigning a translator and a proofreader, communicating any questions or queries between you and the translation team as well as checking all the files before sending them to you in the format you requested when ordering the translation.

They will also deal with any queries you may have after project completion, making sure that you are 100% satisfied with our work. And we will not rest until you say you are! This is our Promise and our Guarantee to you.

What is the ‘Columbus Promise’?

Our aim is to work with you on your success because we never forget what it is that you are paying us for – to help you achieve more… And that’s exactly what we do!

We promise to always make every effort to meet your deadline for a project and to work hard to make sure you are 100% satisfied with the final product.

At Columbus, we believe the quality of our work and our customer service are two most important factors that determine our customer satisfaction. You can see this for yourself by reading some of our testimonials.

Instant Quote Calculator

What's your Preferred Deadline?
What Service do you Need?
Translate from
Translate to (click to add or remove languages)
Word Count
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