Two legal translation quotes for the same contract: why do they differ?

1. Why the unit is not a page of paper

The counting unit of a translation quote is the standard page. It is not a sheet of your document: it is a conventional quantity of text. A written submission of ten widely spaced sheets, with headings and white space, can amount to fewer standard pages than a three-sheet contract set densely in 9-point type.

This unit exists for a simple reason: it is the only one that stays stable when the format changes. The same content uploaded as a Word file, a scanned PDF or a slide presentation gives a different number of sheets and the same number of standard pages. This is therefore the basis for calculating both the price and the delivery time.

The difficulty is that the precise definition of a standard page varies from one provider to another, in characters or in words, with or without spaces. It is the first thing to ask for in writing, before you even compare two amounts: without this definition, the comparison is meaningless.

2. What the machine detects before pricing

On a modern translation platform, the quote is no longer produced after a person has read the document: it is calculated on upload, from what the system recognises. In Corrext, uploading a file displays three pieces of information, all editable: the number of standard pages, the detected language and the detected legal category of the document.

The category is not an administrative detail. It determines the reference terminology, the profile of the reviewer to involve and, as a result, the processing time. A private insurance contract, a prudential circular and an arbitration agreement are not reviewed with the same eye or at the same speed.

Always check this detection. A miscategorised document produces a quote that is right in form and wrong in substance, because it calls on the wrong expertise. It is one of the few points where thirty seconds of attention change the result.

3. The three levels of external review, word for word

Review levels are not quality tiers in the commercial sense: they are different scopes of work. Below are the exact definitions shown in Corrext, in English as in the application, followed by what they mean in practice.

Remember the progression: the first level corrects, the second harmonises, the third attests. Choosing the level comes down to a single question: who will read this document, and what happens if it contains an error?

4. Internal review: seemingly free, paid for in legal experts' time

Alongside external review, most organisations practise internal review: someone at the law firm or in the legal department reviews the translation themselves. On a quote, this line shows zero. That is exactly where the cost is hidden.

Corrext handles this point in an unusual and instructive way. In the internal review specifications, the application asks you to enter the price per standard page that you yourself charge for this review, together with an hourly estimate. It then shows a total cost that includes your own work. As long as you have entered nothing, this total stays at zero: the tool shows, quite literally, that internal review looks free because no one has put a value on it.

The time estimate, on the other hand, appears straight away. For a document of 2.5 standard pages observed in the application, internal review was estimated at one to two hours. Apply this order of magnitude to the real volume of a case and to the person who will review it. The question is no longer whether external review is expensive, but whether it costs more than the hours it frees up.

5. Delivery time is not an independent variable

Delivery time is derived from the same data as the price: the number of standard pages, the document category, the review level chosen and the language combination. It is therefore not negotiated separately. A quote that announces a date without asking for this information announces an intention, not a commitment.

Two mechanisms deserve attention in an online quote workflow.

• The ‘Due date’ is an input, not an output. You enter when you want the document; the system calculates the corresponding review time and tells you whether the date can be met. In Corrext, weekends are greyed out in the calendar, and a link lets you get in touch for faster delivery than the calculation allows.
• Delivery time breaks down into stages. On a project observed in the application, the estimate distinguished a preparation phase, internal review and external review, each estimated separately. This breakdown is useful: it shows where the time goes, and therefore what a trade-off can really shorten.

One last point, often forgotten: when a batch contains several files, the processing order is a decision to take. If three documents out of twelve are critical for your hearing, say so when you request the quote; a serious workflow will explicitly ask whether you want to set an order of priority.

6. Certification, notarisation, apostille: a separate case

Some documents need more than a reviewed translation: they need a certified translation, sometimes notarised, sometimes with an apostille. These three levels are not degrees of care. They are different formalities, which involve different third parties.

• Certification: the translation comes with a signed and stamped certificate attesting to its accuracy.
• Notarisation: a Swiss notary is also involved, to authenticate the signature on that certificate.
• Apostille: the cantonal State Chancellery adds the apostille provided for by the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, so that the document has effect abroad.

Delivery time and workflow change at each stage, because they depend on outside parties. Establish the required level before launching the translation, by asking the authority or the receiving party. Redoing a certification afterwards means starting the end of the chain again.

7. Eight questions to ask before accepting a quote

1. What is your definition of a standard page? In characters or in words, with or without spaces.
2. What exactly does the proposed review level guarantee? Ask for the written definition, not the sales adjective.
3. Who reviews, and with what specialisation? A legal translator, a lawyer-linguist, an agency: depending on the area of law, these are not the same thing.
4. What happens if there is a terminology disagreement? Who decides, on what source, and how quickly.
5. Where is the data stored, and where is it processed? The two answers are distinct, and the second depends on the engine used.
6. Does the content feed a translation memory? If so, which one, who can access it, and can you switch it off for a sensitive matter.
7. What does the quote cover if the source text changes along the way? A change to the original document after the start is the main cause of overruns.
8. In what form is the deliverable returned? Original format preserved, bilingual document, working file: this determines how much rework falls to you.