(First published December 10, 2008; last updated September 14, 2025)Factors Affecting the Rates You Can Take for Japanese-to-English Translation

by William Lise

It's not simple, but here are some factors affecting rates. The many questions on translator fora asking what the going, fair, or market rate for such-and-such type of translation provided the motivation for creating this article.

The ultimate answer to all those questions is, of course, that there is no such thing as a going, fair, or market rate, regardless of what type of translation we are discussing.

Please note:

The factors discussed here do not include numerous factors related to the quality of a translation, which of course is another area greatly affecting not only rates, but also whether repeat orders will be placed.
The comments below are based on decades of experience doing Japanese-to-English translation and interacting with colleague translators.
It is difficult to establish a priority sequence for the importance of the factors listed, and so I have not.
Some of the material will appear to be just common sense. It is included here, however, because it is not common enough.
In any particular situation, not all of the factors listed might be significant, some factor will greatly override others, and some might even operate in the opposite direction from that indicated here. Still, they are based on four decades of experience, and I will stand by them as general rules.
There are factors which are related to the abilities of and conscious choices that can be made by a translator. I will expand upon those factors elsewhere.

Native language of the translator with respect to the target language

Higher rates: Native English-speaking (NES) translator capable of writing English that doesn't need to be corrected for grammar and style (as opposed to translation accuracy).

Lower rates: Native Japanese-speaking (NJS) writing translator, whose English will very often need "post-processing" that could range from mild editing to wild rescue missions.

Note: In a demand sector for what is sometimes erroneously characterized as “for-information translations”—I prefer reader-driven as the characterization—translation, the rates will generally be lower, and the tolerance for bad English is generally greater. One exception is that of translations used by attorneys. They often require JA-to-EN translations of documents they or their clients did not create and that they must use in high-stake litigation or patent prosecution. These translations can be the last stop on the journey through low-paid JA-to-EN discovery document translation, a large amount of which has been done in China in recent years.

Level of specialized knowledge of the translator sensed by the client

Higher rates: Demonstrable high level of field-specific knowledge.

Lower rates: No particular specialized knowledge.

Note: Translation brokers will often not be capable of judging a translator’s level of field-specific knowledge. Direct clients will pick up on this essential quality very quickly.

How far do the translator's duties extend?

Higher rates: When the translator is responsible for producing target-language text that is close to being publishable as is and uses the terminology and style expected by the assumed reader.

Lower rates: When the translator works (and the purchaser orders translation) with the understanding that substantial editing and rewriting might be needed to create a publishable target-language text from the original rough translation.

Note: In the JA-to-EN patent translation market in Japan, for example, translators able to translate Japanese patent specifications essentially usable as is to file for patents overseas are paid relatively highly.

Location of the Translation Purchaser

Higher rates: Work ordered in or from Japan (where translation consumers sometimes pay 30-40 yen per word for JA-to-EN translation).

Lower rates: Work ordered in the US, for example, where a substantial universe of translators who will work for 10-plus yen/word makes it possible to charge end users only about 20 yen/word. It also appears that some US translation agencies/brokers are able to find JA-to-EN translators even in the US willing to work for around 6 to 7 yen/word.

Note: The appearance of third-language JA-to-EN translators, who have neither English nor Japanese as their native language, has clearly placed downward pressure on translation rates. The larger translation brokers in the US have been demonstrated to be power users of JA-to-EN translators in China, for example,

Difficulty of the material, as perceived by the client

Higher rates: Truly difficult work such as medical subject matter and many patent documents.

Lower rates: "Simple" work such as newspaper articles for a general readership.

Note: It makes little difference how difficult a translation is for the translator. What matters is the perception of the difficulty on the part of the client.

And "simple" translation is sometimes characterized by translators as being "general" translation. I do not recognize the existence of such a category of translation in the world of commercial translation. The more "general" the text is, the less it is worth to the client, the lower will be the rate, and the less value there will be for the translator to seek out such work.

The translator's spoken-language fluency in the client's native language

Higher rates: The translator is capable of the native language of the client at a professional level.

Lower rates: Poor spoken ability. This is especially damaging when a non-Japanese translator is attempting to sell translation services to a native Japanese-speaking client.

Note: Many translators in the US or other English-speaking country will never be faced with a native Japanese speaker in a professional setting. But this ability is important for translators who are aiming at interaction with native Japanese speakers, many of whom will not likely believe that an NES faltering in speaking Japanese could translate from (or perhaps even understand) Japanese. Things are getting better in this respect, but there is still a ways to go. Additionally, if you need to sell your services to NJSs actively, not having good sales-ready Japanese places you at a serious disadvantage.

Maturity of the client in ordering translation at arm's length)

Higher rates: The client is a regular purchaser translation from arm's length entities (i.e., knows what professional translation costs).

Lower rates: The purchaser is ordering translation for the first time.

Note: Lack of experience with the cost of translation makes client sticker shock likely, and this is often seen with individuals ordering translation of, for example, the family register of their true love.

Is the work reader-driven or writer-driven?

Higher rates: Writer-driven (Examples: Catalogs, instruction manuals, patents for filing)

Lower rates: Reader-driven translation ordered by entities wanting to know "what something says" but perhaps not interested in the material after they find out (Examples: Much of the JA-to-EN work ordered outside Japan)

Note: You must be aware of which type of translation you are doing. If your client is unwilling or unable to tell you, you should walk away from the client. They don’t know what they are doing.

Where the purchaser is positioned in the translation food chain

Higher rates: End users (translation consumers).

Lower rates: Agencies/brokers (Agencies often give the translator no more than 50% of their sales price.)

Note: The percentage varies, but a translation broker might give the translator as little as 25% to 50% of the sales price of the translation. And how much value the broker might add to their purchase price is not necessarily a factor. Left-to-right brokers providing no added value could still be taking 50% or so.

The personal view that the purchaser takes of the translation cost

Higher rates: Attorneys who are highly paid themselves and will merely bill the work through to the client. Their rate pain threshold is high, because it is not they who are feeling the pain.

Lower rates: Low-paid coordinator or a project manager in an agency or broker, who might not be emotionally capable of coping with the situation of a translator earning their monthly salary in a few days.

The amount of money earned by the translator per unit time, as calculable or perceived by the client.

Higher rates: The translation takes a long time, so that the amount billed (earned) by the translator per unit time is not above the emotional pain threshold of the client.

Lower rates: The translation is done so quickly that the client can easily calculate the hourly earnings of the translator per unit time as being beyond the pain threshold.

Whether the client perceives the translator as having an office separate from his/her residence

Higher rates: Translator has a dedicated office away from his/her residence or has taken steps to ensure that clients think this is the case. An even better situation is one in which the client perceives the supplier as a company because it is indeed a verifiable registered company.

Lower rates: Client calls to the translator are sometimes responded to by a spouse or in-laws, or clients are made aware by background noises that they are not calling a "company."

Note: The recently popular ploy of using a virtual office or a shared working space as a disclosed physical location sounds like it might work as a deception, but such behavior is generally discoverable in just a few moments of searching online. Honesty is the best policy.

Invoicing practice

Higher rates: Translator issues a proper invoice, sending the message that they are in business and expect to be paid the invoiced amount, (i.e., the message is sent that the translator is in a strong enough position not to have to negotiate rates and volume counts after the fact).

Lower rates: Translator submits a job and throws themselves on the mercy of the client to count volume and pay. In addition to the translator surrendering their agency, this can be an invitation to trouble, especially if there is no agreed upon standard for counting volume.

Ability of the client to judge the amount of time required to do a translation

Higher rates: Work done at the translator's location, out of sight of the client.

Lower rates: Work done at the client's location or at a location to which the translator is sent to do the work.

Note: This is the major reason why freelancers have a much greater earning potential than in-house translators constantly observed by their employer.