How Much Does It Cost to Translate a Book

Short answer

With AI translation on PageTranslate, an 80,000-word novel costs $108.49 as a one-time guest order, or $42.00 on Pro plus the $12.00 monthly subscription. The base rate is $1.20 per 1,000 words. A human literary translation of the same book is typically priced per word by the translator and costs thousands of dollars.

Book translation cost calculator

Enter your word count. Most word processors show it in the status bar; a typical novel runs 70,000 to 100,000 words.

Guest

Pay once, no account

Free account

After 3,000 starter words

Pro

30,000 words included each month

Estimates use the live price list and include layout preservation, the per-document fee and any large-document fee. Words are billed in 1,000-word blocks, rounded up. Your exact price is calculated from the real file after upload.

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What sets the price

  • Word count. Every job is billed in 1,000-word blocks, rounded up, so 80,001 words bills as 81 blocks.
  • Your plan. Guests pay the highest per-word rate. A free account pays less and starts with 3,000 words. Pro has the lowest rate and 30,000 included words a month.
  • Layout preservation. A small per-1,000-word add-on keeps your PDF, EPUB or DOCX formatting. It is included in every estimate on this page.
  • Per-document fee. A small fee per file for guests and free accounts. Pro waives it.
  • Very long books. Over 100,000 words, a large-document fee applies for each additional 100,000 words.
  • Rush handling. Optional, and adds a percentage to the subtotal.

AI vs. human book translation cost

Human translators usually charge per word, and rates vary widely with the language pair, genre and the translator's experience. The arithmetic adds up quickly: at 10 cents a word, an 80,000-word novel is $8,000 before editing.

AI translation costs a small fraction of that and returns the whole book as a file, but it is a draft. Many self-published authors combine the two: an AI translation of the full book, then a fluent editor paid to review and polish it, which is usually faster and cheaper than translating from scratch.

If you need a certified translation or a translator credited in the book, hire a human translator.

Get the exact price for your book

Estimates use your word count; the quote uses the real file. Upload the book and see the exact price before you pay. There is no account or subscription needed.

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Pricing FAQ

Book translation cost questions

How much does it cost to translate a book with AI?

On PageTranslate you pay per 1,000 words, rounded up, plus layout preservation and a small per-document fee for guests and free accounts. The calculator on this page uses the live price list; your exact price appears after upload.

How much does a human book translator cost?

Human translators usually charge per word, and rates vary with the language pair, genre and experience. For a full novel the total typically runs into thousands of dollars.

Is there a free option?

A free account with a verified email includes 3,000 starter words, enough to test a chapter. Translating a whole book is paid.

Do top-up word packs expire?

No. Top-up packs never expire and apply automatically when you translate.

What if I'm not happy with the translation?

Jobs of 50,000 words or less have a 7-day re-run or refund guarantee. Larger jobs are eligible for re-runs or credits.

Why is my quote different from the estimate?

The estimate uses the word count you enter. The quote counts the words actually found in your file, including front matter, notes and text in scanned pages.

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