What???
Just three sentences – why do I pay a minimum fee for that?

There’s more to it than that.
Irrespective of the size of the translation, time and effort are always required for organization and project management: Here at medical language service, order processing and project creation are carried out using the translation memory (TM) and terminology database we maintain for each of our clients. This ensures consistency with existing translations. Then the suitable native-speaker translators need to be contacted. All this takes time – without even having started the translation.

And how is it from the translator’s perspective?
The translator reviews the text to be translated, clarifies any open or unclear points and customer requirements, then conducts background and terminology research, before proceeding with the translation.
Because even a short text may well be challenging. Perhaps questions arise that need to be clarified with the client.

While translation with Google or DeepL may be free, it is not an acceptable alternative:
The machine can neither formulate slogans in a particularly catchy way, nor can it understand parts of text without context. And customer or industry-specific terminology is hardly taken into account. It is difficult to compare with existing translations in order to ensure the context is the same. Wording with multiple meanings is often difficult for the machine to distinguish, and it definitely won’t ask for clarification in case of doubt. Quality is quite a different matter – and it can make all the difference, especially for a small brochure or a short marketing text.

For these reasons, the use of a word rate for translating short texts really doesn’t cover costs, as it fails to accurately reflect the actual work involved. A minimum fee must be applied to ensure that all costs incurred, both by the translator and the service provider, are covered, and that the accustomed quality is maintained, even for short translations. Minimum fees for translations are justified.

By Christian Schaller, M.A.
Project Management – medical language service