Time is money, especially in the fast-paced world of business. Recently, we faced a particularly challenging situation: a real estate company needed 78 legal documents translated urgently.
These weren’t just any documents; they were crucial contracts, permits, and charters—the very foundation of their operations. The sheer volume was daunting: 437,142 English words, plus two additional documents in Portuguese. Our initial estimate, based on average translator speed, was 66 days. The client’s deadline? A mere 6 days. Anything longer, and the deal was off.
This pressure-cooker scenario forced us to leverage every tool and strategy at our disposal. We not only met the deadline but also learned some invaluable lessons about efficiency, teamwork, and the power of technology.
In this post, we’ll share some of the tips and techniques that helped us pull off this seemingly impossible feat, insights that can help you navigate tight deadlines and complex translation projects, saving both time and money.
1 The Test Translation
Despite the tight deadline ⏳, ensuring that our translation quality met the client’s expectations was our top priority ✅. Without maintaining accuracy and consistency, the entire project would have been a waste of time, money, and effort 💰🚀.
To ensure alignment with the client’s requirements, we quickly provided five test translations at a B-level (economic standard) 📄 for their review. The client confirmed that all five samples met their expectations 👍, allowing us to proceed with confidence.
With this confirmation ✅, we formally accepted the project, knowing that our approach would deliver the required quality, accuracy, and efficiency within the given timeframe ⏱️.
2 Teaming Up with Translators
To handle this massive legal translation project, we assembled a team of 16 professional legal translators and backup resources, all with extensive experience in legal and construction-related topics.
Optimizing Productivity & Workflow
For a project of this scale, an experienced legal translator can typically produce 4,000+ words per day, working six days in a row. However, given the tight deadline, we had to ensure:
✅ Simultaneous proofreading to maintain quality control
✅ Sufficient time for final QA by the project manager
✅ Backup translators ready to step in if needed
Team Composition & Backup Plan
👨⚖️ Main Translation Team (16 translators):
- 9 B-Level translators (economic standard)
- 5 B+ Level translators (higher accuracy, specialized legal knowledge)
- 2 A-Level translators (premium quality, senior legal specialists)
🔄 Backup Resources (4 additional translators – all B-Level)
- These translators were on standby to ensure continuity, address availability issues, and speed up the process if necessary.
By structuring the team this way, we ensured a smooth workflow, delivering high-quality legal translations within the strict deadline without compromising accuracy or consistency.
3 Cutting Down the Cost
Our dedicated project manager played a crucial role in streamlining the translation process and reducing unnecessary work.
Identifying Non-Translatable Content
🔍 Some documents did not require translation—after a thorough review, our project manager found that certain files were outside the work scope.
📌 After confirming with the client, we excluded these documents, saving both time and resources.
Excluding Tables with Numbers & IDs
📊 Many documents contained tables filled with numerical data, IDs, and codes, which did not require translation.
🛠️ Our project manager hid these sections before assigning the project, ensuring that only necessary content was translated.
Maximizing Cost Savings with CAT Tools
💻 We leveraged CAT tools to identify repeated content across multiple documents.
💰 Unlike many agencies that charge 30% to 100% of the standard price for repeated content, we charged only 10%, significantly reducing costs for the client.
By refining the work scope and optimizing pricing for repetitions, we helped the client cut unnecessary expenses while maintaining high translation quality. 🚀
4 Set the Priorities
The client told us that some documents are more important than the others, so special attention should be paid to those documents, which meant an extra round of proofreading and QA are needed.
5 Ensuring Consistency with Key Terminology & Names
To maintain accuracy and consistency throughout the translation process, our project manager quickly identified frequently used key terminologies and important property names, including:
✅ Brand names
✅ Corporate entity names
✅ Addresses
✅ People’s names
We compiled these into an Excel sheet, which included:
📌 A list of key terms
📌 Their client-approved translations
📌 Additional context notes for translators
This glossary was shared with all translators and proofreaders, ensuring uniformity across all documents and reducing potential inconsistencies. By implementing this structured approach, we improved efficiency, accuracy, and overall translation quality. 🚀
6 Keeping Track of Everything: Real-Time Collaboration & Project Monitoring
To ensure seamless coordination and efficient communication, we set up a dedicated group chat for all translators, allowing for real-time collaboration.
How We Managed Communication Effectively:
💬 Team Collaboration Chat – Translators posted questions directly, and the project manager collected them before relaying to the client for clarification.
📌 Centralized Updates – Responses were distributed back to all team members to maintain consistency across translations.
Daily Status Tracking & Progress Monitoring:
📊 End-of-Day Reports – Translators submitted their work for status tracking (not final delivery).
🔍 Project Manager’s Role:
✔ Monitor completion percentages 📈
✔ Identify who is behind schedule ⏳
✔ Determine what actions to take to stay on track 🚀
✔ Decide when intervention is needed to avoid delays ⚠️
Our dedicated project manager ensured that everything stayed on schedule and provided the client with daily status updates, giving them full transparency on project progress.
7 Fast Actions to Speed Up the Process
Once the initial translation was delivered, the client provided feedback from multiple departments, requesting quick and free revisions. Given the tight deadline, we had to act fast without compromising consistency or quality.
How We Handled Rapid Revisions Efficiently:
⚡ Centralized Revision Management with CAT Tools – We used a computer-assisted translation (CAT) tool to ensure that all required changes were:
✅ Tracked in one central place
✅ Implemented consistently across all documents
✅ Efficiently applied without duplication
🚀 Minimizing Errors & Boosting Quality – The CAT tool helped us maintain:
✔ Terminology consistency across different departments
✔ Quick implementation of feedback without disrupting workflows
✔ A seamless update process, even with last-minute changes
Thanks to our fast response and efficient workflow, the client was extremely satisfied with both our turnaround speed and the quality of the final translation. 💡💼
8 Good-Looking Sidekicks: The Role of Typesetting in Translation
While many clients focus solely on translation accuracy, typesetting (DTP – Desktop Publishing) is equally essential in ensuring a professional, polished final document. A poorly designed layout can undermine readability, affect brand perception, and even distort the intended meaning of a translation.
How We Handled Typesetting Efficiently:
📌 Parallel Workflow for Maximum Efficiency
While our translators worked on the legal content, our DTP specialist refined the document layout, ensuring:
✅ Consistent formatting across all documents
✅ Clear, professional, and visually appealing design
✅ Orderly spacing, proper alignment, and clean typography
📌 Automated Import for Seamless Integration
Once the DTP adjustments were completed, our dedicated project manager imported the refined documents into our CAT tool, allowing the system to:
🚀 Instantly replace the source language with the translated content
⏳ Maintain the exact layout and structure within seconds
By combining high-quality translation with professional typesetting, we delivered a final product that was not only linguistically accurate but also visually polished, reinforcing the client’s corporate image and brand identity. 🌟📄
Final Outcome: How Did We Deliver?
We have successfully completed the legal translations of 440,000 words legal contracts and agreements in just 6 days, including translation, proofreading, QA and typesetting.
We had 13 translators, 2 proofreaders, 1 DTP specialist, and 1 project manager on this translation project.
Given the work volume, we only charged 24,350 USD for all the translations (English and Portuguese).
How much is the rush fee?
In the translation industry, rush fees typically range from 25% to 300% on top of standard pricing. Many agencies consider it a norm, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right approach.
Instead of profiting from urgency, we believe in partnering with our clients, working side by side, and putting ourselves in their shoes.
🚀 Our Philosophy:
✅ Solve problems, not exploit them
✅ Make the impossible possible with smart workflows
✅ Build trust for long-term success
By prioritizing collaboration, efficiency, and fairness, we ensure that both our clients and our team succeed—without the burden of unnecessary rush fees. 💡💼
Are we a good match?
We have once again proven that with excellent project management, translating 440,000 words in just 6 days is not only achievable but also cost-effective without compromising quality.
💼 Do you have a similar urgent request?
⏳ Facing an impossible deadline?
🚀 Try us—leave your translation challenges to us, and we’ll take care of everything!
Client Collaboration: A Key to Success
We don’t take all the credit—our client was incredibly supportive throughout the process.
📌 Whenever we needed an answer, clarification, or reference, they responded promptly, making the workflow smooth and efficient. We truly appreciated their cooperation!
Choosing the Right Clients
Over the years, we have worked with both great and difficult clients.
⏳ As our resources are limited, we choose to focus on businesses that value quality and efficiency.
🎯 We partner with clients who are serious about taking their business to the next level.
If you’re looking for a reliable, efficient, and professional translation team, let’s work together—because your success is our success! 🚀💡
If you’re serious enough to take this to the next level, we’d love to offer you a 25% off on your first project. Rest assured that you will get premium service with more discounts like volume discount and CAT repetition discounts as well.
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