Wherever I can, I charge by the word for editing, so you know the cost up front. Some texts, though, are better charged by the hour – usually where the amount of work varies too much to price per word, or where a job runs to several rounds of revision. I’ll always tell you which applies before I start.
I work with texts originally written in English as well as Dutch-to-English translations. This includes:
Polishing texts written or translated by non-native speakers
Refining English texts to ensure they are ready for publication
Improving translations created by machine or AI, such as Google Translate and ChatGPT.
If you’d like an overview of the differences between revision, review, proofreading and post-editing, please see the revision, post-editing & proofreading page. Or get in touch by sending me a quick email or filling in the contact form.
Rates for Revision, Post-Editing & Proofreading
Often, this work can be priced per word, quoted once I’ve seen the text. How much work a piece needs can vary hugely, though, so the rate depends on the state of the text.
As a guide, revision and proofreading run from around €0.02 per word for a light proofread of clean text up to €0.08 per word for a full revision that needs substantial reworking.
Where a piece can’t sensibly be priced by the word, I charge €29 per hour.
Per-word rates include one round of revisions to my work after your feedback. Further rounds, or new changes beyond the original brief, are charged by the hour.
Per-word rates for machine translation post-editing (MTPE/PEMT)
For machine-translated texts produced by AI or a neural machine translation (NMT) engine, I am happy to charge by the word. If a translation is of poor quality and requires extensive rewriting to reach a publishable standard, the hourly rate of €29 applies instead.
The rates below apply only to post-editing, and post-edited texts should still be proofread independently. For an explanation of light, standard and full post-editing, please see the machine translation post-editing page.
Indicative per-word rates:
Light monolingual post-editing: €0.02 per word
Standard monolingual post-editing: €0.03 per word
Full monolingual post-editing: €0.045 per word
Light bilingual post-editing: €0.035 per word
Standard bilingual post-editing: €0.05 per word
Full bilingual post-editing: €0.08 per word
Note: Full bilingual post-editing involves complete verification against the source text, responsibility for meaning and tone, and often substantial rewriting. The effort required approaches that of human translation, and it is priced accordingly. For regular work or larger volumes, I can offer a reduced rate, depending on the text.
Additional charges
In rare cases, additional fees may apply where a text requires significantly more time than usual to achieve a high-quality result. Any such charges will always be discussed and agreed in advance. Examples include (but are not limited to):
Source texts supplied as scanned images or poor-quality PDFs
Non-native or poorly written source texts
Low-quality (machine) translations
Highly specialised subject matter requiring extensive research
Texts with heavy or inconsistent use of jargon
What else do you need to know?
Rates are guidelines only – final pricing depends on the text.
Standard rates apply to jargon-free texts that do not require extensive research.
Minimum charge: €29.
No VAT is charged.
Turnaround times exclude weekends and public holidays.
Correction policy: If I make an error, it will be corrected free of charge if the work is resubmitted within 48 hours. Correction of errors reported after 48 hours and any other corrections, changes or additions requested by you can be made at a rate of €29 per hour.
Payment
Invoices are usually sent after the project is completed and approved.
For large projects, I may invoice in batches as work is completed.
Standard payment term: 30 days.
Preferred payment methods: bank transfer, Wise or PayPal.
Ready for the next step?
To discuss your text or project, get in touch via email or by filling in the contact form.