Professional Document Translation

HLA provides multi-Stage translation for publication, promotion and other important materials. All translations are regionally adapted, professionally analyzed and edited for accuracy, readability and perfection.

The HLA Advantage

There are over five thousand translators in the United States; some are certified, others simply notarize their translations, and almost all outsource their work to third party translation providers in order to charge extremely low rates. Obviously, the quality in such translation is lacking, which would be fine for immigration applications or other need-to-know translation projects in which readability is not very important. However, for professionally produced materials, published works and other documents that require grammatical accuracy and precision in meaning, our process is second to none. We complete all translations by well-educated translators, professional linguists, and other experts in a variety of fields. Additionally, each document is completed by at least two translators: the first completes the translation without using any computer-generated translation software or online translation programs, and then, a second translator edits the entire document in order to remove any inconsistencies, double check complex terminology and maintain the original essence of the document.

Cost Comparison

We never advertise rock-bottom rates to simply out price all other translators. Others advertise $18 per page and 24 hour turn-around time, which is great for documents that do not require perfection. If applying for a US passport and the Department of State simply needs to see the details of a birth certificate issued in Spanish, for example, that translation model would be fine. On the other hand, if you have a complicated technical brochure created in InDesign that will be printed and distributed to hundreds if not thousands of customers, precision is required and worth the additional cost.

Standard Translation Model in the United States (Other Translators)

  • Quote process and pricing structure are standard for all projects.
  • Customer pays between $0.12 to $0.18 per word
    • Rates based on the word count or total page count
    • When quoting per page, the rate includes only 200 to 250 words
    • When over 200 or 250 words, the rate doubles
    • Only estimates provided in advance.
    • Total charge is calculated upon completion
  • Translations are outsourced; the requesting agency pays around $0.02 to $0.05 per word to the 3rd party translation service provider.
    • Most translations outsourced internationally
    • Quality control is limited or nonexistent
    • Uniformity is unlikely as work is divided among translators
  • Computer-generated or computer-aided translation used
    • Documents fully translated by translation software
    • A translator or employee lightly edits the translation
    • Completed translation is highly inaccurate
  • No refund policies are common in translation
    • Most translators will not refund if translations are unacceptable
    • Edits or updates not provided, even when errors are present
    • Payment in full typically required in advance

HLA’s Industry-Leading Translation Process (Our Process)

  • HLA provides written quotes based on a variety of factors: content, complexity, word-count, page-count, target audience, language variation, and other customer-supplied requirements and objectives.
  • HLA charges, on average, between $0.16 and $0.19 per word, and the page count does not factor into the cost to translate.
  • HLA provides the entire cost in advance, which is based on the original document, not the completed translation.
  • HLA does not outsource and uses only its team of professional, certified translators, most of whom have worked together for more than ten years.
  • HLA always uses two translators on each project: one to perform the initial translation and one to edit and proof-read the entire document.
  • HLA never uses computer translation software. All documents are completed in Word, InDesign, Publisher, or other programs. The format of the completed translation is exactly like the source document.
  • HLA stands behind all work with a full satisfaction guarantee.
  • Payment is not requested until thirty days after receiving the completed translation.

Questions, Comments, Quotes

Please complete the following form if you have questions, comments or need a quote for translation. We will contact you within a few hours, if not sooner. If you need immediate service, please call or email us anytime. Our phone number and email address is listed at the bottom of each page.