Learn about the pricing range and factors that determine the cost of medical translation services!

2. Factors and Market Prices for Medical Translation Fees

2-1. Factors Determining Medical Translation Fees

The factors that determine the cost of medical translation are as follows.

2-1-1. Translation Volume and Character Count

The most basic factor in pricing is the word count (for English) or character count (for Japanese) of the document to be translated.
In addition, the unit price may vary depending on the expertise and difficulty of the document to be translated, as well as the quality level desired by the client.

2-1-2. Translation Time (Man-hours, Process, Delivery Date)

In some cases, the price may be determined based on the estimated working hours rather than the number of words or characters.
By increasing the number of proofreading rounds or adding processes such as back translation (a method of checking translations where the translated Japanese is translated back into English and compared to the original English), a higher level of quality can be guaranteed, but the price will increase.
On the other hand, if you want to keep the cost down, you can choose to skip translation reviews or opt for a simplified review, or choose a light edit instead of a full edit for machine translation post-editing, which can help reduce costs.

In that case, it is important to understand what kind of quality compromise will occur through adjustments.
In cases such as reporting adverse drug event information to authorities, there may be a need for urgent translation, and in such cases, "expedited fees" may be charged.

2-1-3. Types and Number of Languages to Translate

When a Japanese company releases a product globally, it is necessary to translate it into multiple languages.
Of course, the more languages there are, the higher the translation cost will be, and there may also be additional costs for proofreading. Furthermore, the cost may increase for languages that have a shortage of translators.

2-2. Average Cost and Additional Fees for Medical Translation Services

2-2-1. Average Cost of Medical Translation Services

The Japan Translation Federation (JTF), an industry organization, provides a guideline for translation rates for medical translation services (Translation Rates (Client Company's Translation Order Price) Guideline).
According to the website, "Medicine, Healthcare, and Pharmacy" are priced at 35 yen per English to Japanese translation (excluding tax) and 30 yen per Japanese to English translation (excluding tax), which is higher than other fields such as "Computer Manuals" and "General Science and Industrial Technology".
The actual rates are influenced not only by the document's expertise, difficulty, translation volume, and delivery date, but also by the data format and level of data processing required for the source and translated text.

2-2-2. Please note that additional charges may apply.

Additional work may occur or the working time may greatly exceed the initial plan after the translation has started.
Possible reasons for additional work or increased working time include the following situations.

●If the original text is not in text data and the characters are unclear, it may be extremely difficult to read by OCR.
●If there are any modifications to the original text after the translation request has been made.

In such cases, the translation fee may increase from the initial estimate.

3. Points to Consider When Choosing an Appropriate Cost-Effective Medical Translation Service

Next, we will introduce the points to consider in order to obtain a medical translation service with appropriate cost-effectiveness.
Choosing a translation company that provides a medical translation service with appropriate cost-effectiveness can result in high satisfaction, but there is also a possibility of regret if you simply choose a company with low fees.
The following factors should be carefully considered.

3-1. Specialized and High-Quality Company

It is recommended to choose a company with highly skilled translators and be willing to pay the appropriate cost.

3-2. Company that can provide efficient translation through the use of technology

By utilizing existing translation memory, a translation support tool or a translation company with a track record in machine translation, not only cost reduction but also shortened delivery time can be expected.

3-3. A company that can provide solutions other than translation

After translation is complete, if there is content creation such as multilingual translation, DTP, and online training, a company that can handle them as a set can not only achieve overall cost reduction, but also expect shorter delivery times.

3-4. Companies with Strong Information Security

Choosing a company with low prices does not necessarily mean that information security is not a concern. However, it is important to choose a company with a solid information security system, even if it comes at a cost.
Companies that clearly state their information management policies on their website and have many transactions with major corporations can be considered a reliable indicator of a company.

3-5. Company that can consult about cost performance

The situation, such as the necessary quality level and budget, varies depending on the customer.
Also, depending on the project, the things that are absolutely necessary even if they cost money and the things that can be done to reduce costs may differ.
It is crucial to choose a company that can consult on cost performance and meet the customer's requests, such as "we want to keep costs low if it is only for internal use".

Free Download

Five Challenges and Solutions in Medical Translation

This document introduces challenges that many companies face in medical translation and their specific solutions.
It also features multiple success stories of cost and delivery time reduction.

4. Introduction to Human Science's Medical Translation Services

At Human Science Co., Ltd., we provide various pharmaceutical translation services.
Through the use of highly specialized translators, translation support (CAT) tools such as Trados and Phrase TMS (formerly known as Memsource), and automated translation tools, we strive to improve efficiency and quality in translation, and address any concerns you may have regarding translation costs.
If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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Medical Translation Services
Distinctive Quality Management System and Overwhelming Cost Performance
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