Translation invoice template

What goes on a translation invoice

• The language pair and the document: "English to German, website copy" tells the client's accounts team which job this is.
• The word count and what was counted: source or target words, and in which files or tool.
• The rate per word, and any other unit used for other work: hours for proofreading, a flat fee for a glossary.
• A minimum charge, if you have one, so a 40-word job does not come to a few cents.
• Surcharges, such as rush work or difficult formats, each on its own line rather than hidden in the rate.

Counting the words

Source words are known before you start, so the client can check the quote against the invoice. Target words are only known at the end, and some language pairs run longer or shorter than the original. I'd quote and invoice on the source count where I could, and say so in the notes, as the template does.

Say which tool counted them, too. Word processors and translation tools count numbers, hyphenated words and repeated segments differently, and a difference of a few percent is enough to start an email thread.

Not every market counts words. Clients in German-speaking countries often price by the standard line instead, and some legal and certified work is priced by the page. Use whichever unit the quote used, and put that unit in the line's description.

Repetitions and rush work

If you discount repeated or already-translated segments, show the discount rather than a lower average rate. A line for the full count and a discount line make the arithmetic visible, which is what stops a query. The same goes for a rush surcharge: a separate line with the percentage, agreed before you started.

Who owns the translation

In the US, a translation is one of the few kinds of commissioned work that can belong to the client from the start, but only "if the parties expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them" (17 U.S.C. 101, under "work made for hire"). Without that agreement the translator is the author. If a client asks for the rights, I'd agree them in writing before the invoice, not on it.

Clients in other countries

Translators often invoice clients abroad. The currency, the VAT treatment of services to a business in another country and getting paid by bank transfer are covered in invoicing clients abroad, and invoice terms in other languages gives the headings in the client's language.

Wording you can copy

Clauses for the Notes field or your terms. They are a starting point: change the numbers to your own terms, and keep anything with legal weight in a signed agreement.

• Word count

  Charged per source word, as counted in the files supplied. Numbers and repeated segments are counted as words unless agreed otherwise in the quote.

• Minimum fee

  Jobs under 300 source words are charged at the minimum fee shown in the quote.

• Rush work

  Delivery within 24 hours of receiving the files is charged at the agreed rush surcharge, shown as a separate line.

• Rights in the translation

  Rights in the translation pass to the client on payment in full, as set out in our signed agreement.

Related

Other templates: consulting, for work billed by the day or hour, and graphic design. To price work by the hour, the hourly invoice calculator adds up the time.