How to use this guide
Use the recommendations below to prepare a clearer brief, compare quotations on the same basis and identify decisions that should be resolved before production begins.
This guide provides general project-planning information. Requirements imposed by a court, embassy, regulator, receiving institution, venue or technology platform should always be confirmed directly with that authority.
Language pair and availability
Common and specialist language pairs have different resource requirements; the correct variety also matters.
Decision to record: How does this point apply to your audience, language pair, final use and approval process?
Volume and source quality
Word count, repeated text, scanned pages, handwritten material and hidden text affect the real production effort.
Decision to record: How does this point apply to your audience, language pair, final use and approval process?
Subject and quality level
Legal, medical, technical and publication work may require specialist assignment and an additional bilingual review.
Decision to record: How does this point apply to your audience, language pair, final use and approval process?
Formatting and deadline
Complex layouts, certification, print production and compressed timelines are quoted separately instead of hidden in a vague page rate.
Decision to record: How does this point apply to your audience, language pair, final use and approval process?
When professional support becomes important
Seek a properly briefed language professional when the communication affects rights, safety, consent, money, institutional acceptance, research validity or a large public audience. Urgency does not remove the need to confirm language variety, intended use and review responsibility.