Why Do Translation Companies Charge Rush Fees?

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When buying a service or a product -- whatever it may be -- we all like to have things delivered to us as quickly as possible. This usually comes from desire, not necessity. Whether your purchase is received today or tomorrow most likely won't make a difference -- until it does. In the case of translations, if you need a translation urgently, why might you be charged a rush fee?

When a client requests a translation quote, at Idiomatic, we analyze the text, language and subject matter of each document. Based on the unique requirements for each project, we then provide a price quote, along with a delivery date. That delivery date also depends on the work that is already organized and in process from previously assigned projects.

When a client tells us that a project is urgent, our project managers need to rearrange the current workflow in order to accommodate that urgent request. We put aside our other normal delivery time projects for the urgent one. Translators need to be contacted, proofreaders need to be informed and all other members involved in the Quality Control process need to set aside time to make sure that the rush project complies with our strict ISO 9001:2015 guidelines. 

Given the preparation and effort required, a surcharge is applied to the standard translation price, usually 25%.

Do you need rush translations? Get in touch with Idiomatic Translations for a quick and free quote here.

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