Ever received a Chinese translation quote and been surprised by how it’s calculated? If you’re used to per-word pricing in English, navigating Chinese translation costs—often based on character count—can be confusing.
Chinese translation is usually priced per character, not per word. That’s because Chinese words are compact and vary in length. Pricing methods differ depending on direction (EN → ZH or ZH → EN), document type, and industry norms.
So, what exactly counts as a “character”? Does punctuation count? And how do pricing models differ when translating between English and Chinese? In this article, we’ll break it all down—so you know exactly what you’re paying for, and why.
🔹 Why Character Count Is the Standard in Chinese Translation
Unlike English, where words are separated by spaces and can vary significantly in length, Chinese uses individual characters that often represent entire ideas. Some characters stand alone as words; others form compound words.
📌 Example:
- “Translation” in English = 1 word
- “翻译” in Chinese = 2 characters
- “International organization” = 2 words (English), but “国际组织” = 4 characters
That’s why the per-character model is typically more accurate for pricing Chinese translation work. Each character is counted, regardless of whether it’s a full word or part of one.
🧾 What Counts as a “Character”?
In most industry-standard pricing models:
| Included in Count | ✅ Yes / ❌ No |
|---|---|
| Chinese characters | ✅ Yes |
| Numbers (e.g., 2025年) | ✅ Yes |
| Punctuation (，。！) | ❌ Usually not |
| Spaces | ❌ Not applicable |
| English letters in text | ✅ Often counted (if embedded in Chinese text) |
📊 In total, one standardChinese document (size 12 font, single spaced) might contain 1000–1500 characters, depending on content density.
🔹 5. AZ-Loc’s Real-World Pricing: Word vs. Character Models
At AZ-Loc Language Services, we provide clear, per-word pricing for English and other source languages, and per-character pricing for Chinese source files. Here’s how that translates into real numbers:
🔄 Translation Pricing (EN ⇄ ZH)
| Direction | Level B | Level A | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| English → Chinese | $0.06 | $0.09 | Per English word |
| Chinese → English | $0.06 | $0.10 | Per Chinese word (converted from char count) |
⚠️ Note: In most projects, AZ-Loc calculates Chinese → English pricing based on character count, then converts into word count for client clarity.
📈 Other Common Language Pairs at AZ-Loc
| Language Pair | Level B | Level A | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese → Chinese | $0.05 | $0.07 | Per word |
| Korean → Chinese | $0.05 | $0.07 | Per word |
| Russian → Chinese | $0.06 | $0.08 | Per word |
| German / French → Chinese | $0.07 | $0.10 | Per word |
| Arabic → Chinese | $0.09 | $0.14 | Per word |
📌 These rates include CAT tool use and full quality management. No rush fees apply.
Our pricing calculator infographic makes it easy to estimate costs based on your project’s source language and document type.
(Visual embedded on your site or blog platform – labeled “AZ-Loc Pricing Calculator 2024”)
🔹 How to Estimate Your Chinese Translation Cost
📋 Step-by-Step Estimation:
For English → Chinese:
- Count total English words (e.g., 1,000 words)
- Multiply by rate (e.g., $0.09 for Level A)
- Estimated cost: $90 USD
For Chinese → English:
- Count Chinese characters (e.g., 1,200 characters)
- Multiply by per-character rate (e.g., $0.10)
- Estimated cost: $120 USD
🧮 Or, use AZ-Loc’s custom quoting system by emailing your file to: [email protected]
🔹 Pricing for Video Translations (Per Minute)
AZ-Loc also handles multilingual video translation, charged per program minute. Here’s a snapshot for English > Chinese:
| Service | Rate (USD/min) |
|---|---|
| Transcription | $1.75 |
| Translation | $16.75 |
| Subtitling (mono) | $7.00 |
| Subtitling (bilingual) | $9.00 |
| Voice-over (VO) | $49.00 |
| VO sync | $59.00 |
✍️ On average, a 10-minute business video (with bilingual subs) costs around $270 at Level A.
Rates are available for over a dozen source languages (Japanese, Korean, Arabic, etc.)—see full pricing on our official video service page.
🔹 8. What About Desktop Publishing (DTP) and OCR?
For formatted content (PDFs, scanned contracts, brochures), we offer DTP and typing services, too:
| Task | LTR (e.g., English) | RTL (e.g., Arabic) |
|---|---|---|
| DTP (with source file) | $7.00/page | $10.00/page |
| DTP (without source file) | $10.50/page | $15.00/page |
For document typing from scans (OCR fallback):
| Language | OCR | Human Typing |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | $0.50 | $2.50 |
| Japanese | $0.50 | $4.50 |
| Korean | $0.50 | $4.50 |
📌 We process all layout work using Adobe, Word, or InDesign-ready files.
✅ Clarity Is Part of the Service
Whether you’re translating a legal contract, marketing campaign, or training video, understanding how you’re charged—per word, per character, or per minute—is essential to managing time, budget, and expectations.
At AZ-Loc, we keep it simple:
- Clear breakdowns by language pair and project type
- Transparent, USD-based rates
- No rush fees, and flexible discounts for large volumes
📥 Need a quote?
Just send your files to: [email protected] or visit www.az-loc.com
