One of the biggest questions in the world of providing linguistic services consists of being able to precisely say how much time it takes to finish a translation, understood as from when the job is received until its final delivery. This question is asked fairly often by clients when asking for an estimate, but also by project managers to human resources, as well as the translators themselves when they ask this same question to respond to one of said project managers and clients. Although it is true that we cannot establish a general fixed rule to calculate how much time it takes to do a translation, there are publications circulating estimating that it is common to translate around 2500 and 3000 words per day. Of course, this estimate, since it is an average, indicates that there are values above and below it. Many of our readers will feel identified in this calculation and others will not, depending on the context of their normal workflow. However, it is true that in most cases the word count is not a trustworthy parameter for calculating the time that it will take to do a translation. In reality, many factors come into play, which we will explain in today’s article. Thus, clients who have doubts regarding this topic will be able to make a more accurate estimate, understanding the point of view of project management and providing “solutions” to make the process faster.
First of all, of course, we need to take into account the size of the project. It is true that texts with a higher word count need more time. On occasion, it is possible for the word count and the time available to not match up and it may be necessary to involve more translators in the task, which will increase the time dedicated to the phase for revision and quality control, since it must be guaranteed that there are no inconsistencies between the different parts.
Regardless of the volume of text, another relevant factor affecting the total time dedicated to the task is the difficulty of the subject matter. A text containing technical vocabulary, acronyms without explanations or complex concepts will require investing additional time in the documentation phase. Here we would like to highlight texts related to industrial topics, medicine, innovations or legal texts. This is why we have to take into account the following factor: how specialized the chosen translator is. Someone who is familiar with the subject matter will not have to take as much time in the documentation phase or they will only have to make more direct and precise consultations. This will make the delivery time shorter and, in a parallel manner, a higher quality will be reached. To do so, it is fundamental to specify for the translation agency or freelance translator what type of text is it and what specialization it belongs to so they can make sure they have the pertinent persons available. Additionally, in this section it would be a good idea to consider, if the client so wishes, requesting a translator or resorting to automatic translation services. This process is different because the translation is automatically generated through a translation engine and the translator post-edits, in other words, they compare the generated translation with the original and make the appropriate changes depending on these results. This option is equally valid and requested, since it is estimated that the post-edited word count per day is around 6000 to 8000 words.
As we mentioned before, the volume of words of a text does not exactly determine the time that it will take to translate it. Sometimes, especially in the industrial world, very long texts are generated which are modified over time. The new versions which will be translated will have a large word count, but part of these will be repetitions, so the task will take much less time than it took at first. Another determining factor is made up of the peripheral elements of the text. For example, does the translation task also include images? Will the document need to be formatted? Does the original file need to be converted into an editable format? All of these are tasks added to the translation process, which could be performed by the same person or not, but they will surely increase the time dedicated to the project.
Finally, it is worth noting that it is important to know if CAT tools (computer-aided translation) will be used in order to complete the task. One of the advantages provided by these resources is that they speed up the translation tasks and they integrate features which let them more comfortably perform management and quality control tasks. Normally, translation agencies have CAT tools with these features, which lets them work with higher volumes.
The clients that are going to hire translation services must take into account all these aspects when anticipating a delivery time or evaluating the deadline proposed to them or that they propose to the translation agency. Likewise, in order to shorten these times, the clients can also help in different manners. For example, in order to make the documentation phase more comfortable, the client could study the document and provide the context they consider necessary, as well as clarifying terminological questions which could create confusion, such as acronyms that are not explained. Likewise, it is essential to correctly choose the professional who will take care of the task or have linguistic service providers who inspire the most confidence in order to guarantee the highest quality and, of course, ensure what will be the starting date of the task (if this is known) and the final delivery date (previously agreed upon). At all times and, for any inconvenience, the most profitable option is to establish an active communication channel so that the client and the agency (or the translator) can ask questions or communicate regarding potential problems.
Definitively, it is not easy to calculate exactly the time that it will take to finish a translation task, since many factors are involved coming from the careful processes in the translation chain, which will always be oriented towards providing the client with the highest quality.
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