Translation Prices in Singapore: European Language Rates (2026)
Asiatis prices translation into European languages per source word: S$0.155 from English into any European language, and S$0.19 to S$0.26 from Asian source languages such as Chinese, Japanese and Korean, depending on the language pair. Revision by a second linguist is included, and the minimum project charge is from S$65. Desktop publishing, subtitling and rush delivery are quoted separately. Quotes are free and issued within 2 business hours.
Last updated: 8 November 2026
Estimate your translation cost
Indicative cost (human translation + revision)
S$155
Indicative only — a firm quote requires the files. Minimum project charge from S$65. Desktop publishing, subtitling and rush delivery are quoted separately.
How is translation priced?
| Pricing model | How it works | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Per source word | The rate is applied to the word count of the original document | Most corporate documents: contracts, reports, manuals, marketing copy |
| Per hour | An hourly rate for linguist time | Revision, terminology work, subtitle timing, desktop publishing |
| Per video minute | A rate per minute of running time | Subtitling and voice-over scripting |
| Per project | A negotiated fixed fee for a defined scope | Multilingual programmes, retainers, annual accounts |
Asiatis quotes corporate translation per source word, so the price is known before work starts.
Why per source word matters
Text changes length when it is translated, and the change is large. English into German expands by roughly 20–35%. English into Finnish or Polish expands significantly too. If an agency quotes per target word, the final invoice is unknown until the work is finished. Pricing on the source document removes that uncertainty — which matters most precisely on the European languages that expand the most.
What does it cost per word?
From English, Asiatis applies one rate to every European language. From Asian source languages, rates track the size of the bilingual specialist pool for that pair, not the perceived difficulty of the language: Japanese- and Korean-source work sits at the top of the range because that pool is smaller. All rates are per source word, revision included.
From English into European languages
English → any European language: S$0.155 per source word, revision by a second linguist included. One rate for all 30+ European languages we translate into, including Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish and Ukrainian.
From Asian languages into European languages
| Language pair | Demand | SGD / source word | Min. charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandarin ↔ French | High | S$0.19 – S$0.21 | S$75 |
| Mandarin ↔ German | High | S$0.20 – S$0.22 | S$75 |
| Mandarin ↔ Spanish | High | S$0.19 – S$0.21 | S$75 |
| Japanese ↔ French | High | S$0.23 – S$0.26 | S$95 |
| Japanese ↔ German | High | S$0.23 – S$0.26 | S$95 |
| Korean ↔ French | High | S$0.23 – S$0.26 | S$95 |
| Korean ↔ German | High | S$0.23 – S$0.26 | S$95 |
| Vietnamese ↔ French | High–medium | S$0.19 – S$0.21 | S$65 |
| Mandarin ↔ Italian | Medium | S$0.20 – S$0.22 | S$75 |
| Mandarin ↔ Portuguese (Brazil) | Medium | S$0.19 – S$0.21 | S$75 |
| Mandarin ↔ Dutch | Medium | S$0.21 – S$0.23 | S$75 |
| Japanese ↔ Spanish | Medium | S$0.23 – S$0.26 | S$95 |
| Japanese ↔ Italian | Medium | S$0.23 – S$0.26 | S$95 |
| Korean ↔ Spanish | Medium | S$0.23 – S$0.26 | S$95 |
| Malay ↔ French | Medium | S$0.19 – S$0.21 | S$65 |
| Malay ↔ German | Medium | S$0.20 – S$0.22 | S$75 |
| Indonesian ↔ French | Medium | S$0.19 – S$0.21 | S$65 |
| Indonesian ↔ German | Medium | S$0.20 – S$0.22 | S$75 |
| Vietnamese ↔ German | Medium | S$0.20 – S$0.22 | S$75 |
| Vietnamese ↔ Spanish | Medium | S$0.19 – S$0.21 | S$65 |
| Thai ↔ French | Medium | S$0.20 – S$0.22 | S$75 |
| Thai ↔ German | Medium | S$0.20 – S$0.23 | S$75 |
| Arabic ↔ French | High | S$0.19 – S$0.21 | S$75 |
| Arabic ↔ German | Medium | S$0.20 – S$0.22 | S$75 |
| Arabic ↔ Spanish | Medium | S$0.19 – S$0.21 | S$75 |
| Hindi ↔ French | Medium | S$0.19 – S$0.21 | S$75 |
| Hindi ↔ German | Medium | S$0.20 – S$0.22 | S$75 |
Asian language pair rates (English ↔ Asian, and more)
| Language pair | Demand | SGD / source word | Min. charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| English ↔ Mandarin (Chinese) | Very high | S$0.16 – S$0.17 | S$65 |
| English ↔ Japanese | Very high | S$0.20 – S$0.22 | S$75 |
| English ↔ Korean | Very high | S$0.20 – S$0.22 | S$75 |
| English ↔ Malay | Very high | S$0.17 – S$0.18 | S$55 |
| English ↔ Indonesian | Very high | S$0.17 – S$0.18 | S$55 |
| English ↔ Vietnamese | Very high | S$0.17 – S$0.18 | S$50 |
| English ↔ Thai | Very high | S$0.17 – S$0.19 | S$75 |
| English ↔ Tamil | Very high | S$0.18 – S$0.20 | S$75 |
| English ↔ Hindi | Very high | S$0.17 – S$0.18 | S$75 |
| English ↔ Tagalog / Filipino | High | S$0.17 – S$0.19 | S$75 |
| English ↔ Arabic | High | S$0.17 – S$0.18 | S$75 |
| English ↔ Burmese | High | S$0.18 – S$0.20 | S$75 |
| English ↔ Bengali | High | S$0.18 – S$0.20 | S$75 |
| English ↔ Punjabi | High | S$0.18 – S$0.20 | S$75 |
Minimum project charge: from S$65. Below roughly 420 words from English (340 from an Asian language), the fixed cost of setup, translation, independent revision and delivery exceeds the per-word value.
How much does it cost to translate a document?
The table converts common document types into an indicative range into one European language. Word counts are typical, not fixed — confirm against your own file, then multiply by the number of target languages (terminology and setup are shared across the package).
| Document | Typical length | From English | From an Asian language |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-page certificate or letter | 200–300 words | Minimum charge, S$65 | S$65 – S$78 |
| Press release | 400–700 words | S$65 – S$109 | S$76 – S$182 |
| Employment contract | 2,000–4,000 words | S$310 – S$620 | S$380 – S$1,040 |
| Product datasheet | 800–1,500 words | S$124 – S$233 | S$152 – S$390 |
| User manual, small appliance | 5,000–10,000 words | S$775 – S$1,550 | S$950 – S$2,600 |
| Machinery instructions for use | 15,000–40,000 words | S$2,325 – S$6,200 | S$2,850 – S$10,400 |
| Company website, 15 pages | 8,000–15,000 words | S$1,240 – S$2,325 | S$1,520 – S$3,900 |
| Annual report | 25,000–60,000 words | S$3,875 – S$9,300 | S$4,750 – S$15,600 |
| Software interface, mid-size app | 3,000–8,000 words | S$465 – S$1,240 | S$570 – S$2,080 |
What 1,000 words costs
1,000 source words from English into one European language cost S$155 at Asiatis rates, revision included, and S$775 into five languages. From an Asian source language, approximately S$190 to S$260 per European language.
Rates are quoted in SGD. Clients invoiced in EUR or USD are quoted at the rate on the day of the quote, held for the duration of the project.
What makes a quote go up or down?
- Language pair. From English, every European language is the same rate, S$0.155 per source word. From an Asian source language the pair matters: Japanese and Korean into European languages sit at the top of the range because the bilingual specialist pool is smaller. This is supply, not difficulty.
- Subject matter. Regulated content — CE marking files, clinical documentation, prospectuses, patents — requires a linguist with documented domain qualifications, and is priced above general business content.
- Turnaround. Sustained capacity is around 2,000–2,500 words per linguist per day, revision included. Beating that means splitting the file across linguists plus a harmonisation pass; a rush surcharge is quoted per project.
- File format. An editable Word or XLIFF file goes straight into the workflow. A scanned PDF, a locked InDesign package or text embedded in images requires conversion or rebuild, billed separately.
- Repetition and translation memory. Matched segments from previous projects are discounted. Recurring documentation typically saves 15–35% from the second project onwards.
- Number of target languages. Cost scales close to linearly with languages, but terminology and DTP setup is shared, so a five-language package costs less than five separate single-language projects.
What is included?
Every per-word rate includes, with no separate line item:
- Translation by a native, in-country European linguist qualified in the subject matter
- Independent revision by a second qualified linguist on every project
- Terminology checks against your glossary and translation memory
- Verification of figures, names, dates, units and decimal separators
- Delivery in the original file format
- One round of amendments after delivery
Quoted separately when required:
| Add-on | Basis | Asiatis rate |
|---|---|---|
| Multilingual desktop publishing (InDesign, PowerPoint, FrameMaker) | per hour or per page | Quoted on request |
| Subtitling (transcription, timing, translation, burn-in) | per video minute | Quoted on request |
| Back-translation and reconciliation (regulated content) | per word | Quoted on request |
| In-context linguistic review (LQA) on software or web | per hour | Quoted on request |
| Glossary and style guide creation | one-off | Quoted on request |
| Rush surcharge (same day or over-capacity volume) | % of project value | Quoted on request |
How do service levels compare?
Matching the service level to the purpose of the document is the single largest lever on cost.
| Service level | Process | Relative cost | Appropriate for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine translation, raw | Engine output, no human | Lowest | Internal gisting only. Never for anything published, signed or submitted. |
| Light post-editing (MTPE) | Engine output corrected for accuracy only | Reduced, quoted per project | Internal documentation, support content, knowledge bases |
| Full post-editing (MTPE) | Also corrected for terminology and style | Reduced, quoted per project | High-volume technical documentation with a mature termbase |
| Human translation + revision (TEP) | Two qualified linguists, full process | Standard rate (grid above) | Contracts, regulated documentation, reports, anything client-facing |
| Transcreation | Creative rewriting for a target market | Quoted per project | Advertising, taglines, brand messaging |
Rule of thumb: if the document carries legal, financial or safety consequence in the European market, or if your customers will read it, it needs at least full human translation with revision.
Key facts
- Translation into European languages is quoted per source word.
- From English into any European language, Asiatis charges S$0.155 per source word; from Asian source languages, S$0.19–S$0.26. Minimum project charge from S$65.
- English expands by roughly 20–35% into German, and significantly into Finnish and Polish — DTP is a separate cost line on any designed document.
- Standard throughput is 2,000–2,500 words per linguist per day, revision included.
- Translation memory typically saves 15–35% on recurring documentation.
- Quotes are free and issued within 2 business hours.
See EU compliance documentation, the European languages we translate into, the two-linguist revision process, what drives translation costs in Singapore, or request a free quote.
Frequently asked questions
How much does English to German translation cost?+
S$0.155 per source word at Asiatis, revision by a second linguist included. The same rate applies from English into every European language — French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Swedish, Finnish and the rest. 1,000 English words into German therefore cost S$155.
How much does it cost to translate one page?+
A standard page of about 250 words falls under the minimum project charge of S$65, because setup, revision and delivery cost the same regardless of length. The per-word rate applies above roughly 420 words from English (S$0.155 per word), or 340 words from an Asian source language.
Do you charge per source word or per target word?+
Per source word. The word count of your original document determines the price, so the amount quoted is the amount invoiced. This matters more for European languages than most: English expands by 20–35% into German, so a per-target-word quote can differ substantially from the estimate.
Does German cost the same as Finnish?+
From English, yes: every European language is S$0.155 per source word, Finnish, Estonian and Latvian included, even though their pools of qualified linguists are smaller. From an Asian source language, rates vary by pair, from S$0.19 to S$0.26, because the bilingual specialist pool varies — Japanese and Korean into European languages sit at the top of the range.
Do you offer discounts for large or repeat volumes?+
Yes. Translation memories store previously approved translations, so repeated and updated segments are charged at a reduced rate. Clients with recurring documentation typically save 15–35% from the second project onwards, and annual volume agreements are available.
Is it cheaper to order five languages at once?+
Yes, though not proportionally. The per-word rates stay the same, but terminology setup, project management and file preparation are shared across the languages, so a five-language package costs less than five separate single-language projects.
How much does it cost to translate 1,000 words?+
From English, S$155 into one European language at Asiatis rates, including revision by a second linguist, and S$775 into five. From an Asian source language such as Chinese, Japanese or Korean, approximately S$190 to S$260 per European language, depending on the pair.
Are your rates in Singapore dollars?+
Yes. Quotes are issued in SGD, and clients who prefer EUR or USD invoicing are quoted at the rate on the day of the quote, held for the duration of the project.
How fast can I get a quote?+
Send your files to email@asiatis.com.sg or use the quote form. Quotes are free, cover volume, language pair, subject matter and deadline, and are issued within 2 business hours during Singapore office hours (Monday to Friday, 09:00–18:00 SGT).
Ready to start your project?
Contact our Singapore office to discuss your translation needs.
541 Orchard Road, #09-01, Liat Towers, Singapore 238881