Estimate the cost of translating a text.
Translation is quoted per source word, so the count in the document you send is the count you pay for — not the translated output, which typically expands by 15% to 20% into Romance languages. Multiply words by rate, then apply the minimum charge, because agencies bill a floor on small jobs and a 300-word job at twelve cents costs the minimum rather than thirty-six. Any rush surcharge applies to that subtotal. The effective per-thousand figure is what makes quotes comparable across vendors who structure their fees differently.
Translation cost
Total = max(words x rate per word, minimum charge) x (1 + rush surcharge)
Almost always source words, which is the count you can verify before commissioning the work. Target-word pricing exposes you to expansion — the same text can run 20% longer in French or Spanish.
With a translation-memory workflow, yes. Agencies commonly discount 100% matches to 25% of the full rate and fuzzy matches to 60% to 70%. Ask for a memory analysis before accepting a flat per-word quote on a repetitive document.
Typically 25% to 50%, triggered when a job needs more than about 2,500 words per translator per day or requires weekend work. Building one extra day into the schedule usually removes it entirely.