Take two texts: Both have the same number of pages, contain the same number of words and involve the same language pair. However, the translation costs are significantly different.
Why? Because not all file types, formats and layouts are the same when it comes to translation.
A translation-friendly text requires little or no pre-processing before translation begins. We are supplied with the original file rather than a PDF or scan. It has no (or very little) text contained within floating text boxes or images. Sentences and phrases aren’t broken up by line breaks (hard returns).
Of course, it won’t always be possible to provide a ‘perfect’ text. But understanding what makes a translation-friendly document is the key to faster, more economical translations.
