PRICE GUIDE · BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL · 2026–2027
Translation Service cost in the UK
£80–£150 per 1000 words. Typically £140.
Professional translation costs £80–£150 per 1,000 words in the UK, with about £140 typical for a business document. Common European languages and general text are cheapest; rare languages, legal or technical content and certified translations cost the most.
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HOW MUCH IT COSTS
How much does translation service cost in the UK?
| Low end | £80 | general text in a common language |
|---|---|---|
| Typical | £140 | what most people pay |
| High end | £150 | legal or technical text in a rare language |
Locufy guide prices for 2026–2027. Updated 2026. A national range, not a quote — enter your town above for real prices from the accountants, solicitors and professional firms near you.
What moves the price
- Language pair — common European languages cost less than rare languages
- Subject matter — legal, medical and technical translation needs specialist translators
- Certification — certified translations for official use add a fee
- Proofreading — a second linguist reviewing the translation adds to the cost
- Turnaround — urgent translation work at short notice costs noticeably more
- Format — scanned documents and complex layouts take longer to translate
Professional services prices in the UK are up 12% over five years (ONS Consumer Price Inflation, Other services n.e.c., to 2026 August). Five years ago a typical translation service would have cost about £115 — an estimate from today's guide price and that index, not a recorded price. Source: ONS MM23 D7FR →
WHAT YOU GET
What a translation service booking includes
Takes: Around 2,000 to 3,000 words a day per translator, plus checking time. Not included: Interpreting, transcription and legalisation of documents are priced separately — see the related guides below.
WHAT PEOPLE BOOK
Common translation service jobs
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Translation Service near you, with prices shown
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How to pay less
- Send final, edited text for translation so you do not pay to translate changes twice
- Ask for a lower translation rate for repeated or similar text
- Allow a standard turnaround rather than paying for urgent translation
Before you book
- Check whether the receiving body needs a certified translation and in what form
- Ask whether the translator is a member of a professional body such as the ITI or CIOL
- Agree the word count, turnaround and whether proofreading is part of the translation price
- Tell the translator who will read the text, so the tone suits the audience
Translation Service cost: questions people ask
£80–£150 per 1,000 words, with about £140 typical for a business document. General text in common languages costs the least; rare languages and legal or technical work cost the most.
A translator typically handles around 2,000 to 3,000 words a day, plus time for checking.
A translation with a signed statement from the translator or agency confirming it is accurate, often needed for official documents.
For a rough idea, perhaps. For anything legal, medical or public-facing, a professional translator is far safer.
Interpreting, transcription and legalisation of documents are separate services. Ask for each to be quoted on its own.
They are Locufy guide prices for the UK, taken from published UK translation price guides. They show a national range rather than a quote.
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