Localization cost calculator
Estimate what it costs to translate your docs and localize your videos into more languages, for the first version and a year of updates, with an agency or an AI workflow.
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Instant results
Your numbers
Each update re-translates this share of the docs and videos.
Voice-over for the videos
Subtitles for the videos
Assumptions (change them to yours)
Assumed range 0.08–0.25 per word, depending on the language pair. Enter your rate.
Assumed range 50–250 per finished minute with a voice actor. Enter your rate.
Assumed range 3–15 per minute for translated subtitles. Enter your rate.
A light review of the AI translation. Assumed range 0.01–0.05 per word.
Checking AI voice-over and subtitles. Assumed range 2–10 per minute.
Clevera Starter is $36 a month on the pricing page. Enter the plan you’d use.
Results
$45,378
saved in the first year with an AI workflow
- Agency$50,760
- AI workflow$5,382
| Agency | AI workflow | |
|---|---|---|
| Docs translation | $12,000 | $2,000 |
| Voice-over | $15,000 | — |
| Subtitles | $1,200 | — |
| Video review | — | $750 |
| Updates (per year) | $22,560 | $2,200 |
| Tool plan (12 months) | — | $432 |
| First year | $50,760 | $5,382 |
How it’s calculated
First translation = words × languages × rate per word, plus video minutes × languages × the voice-over and subtitle rates. Updates per year = that cost × updates × the share that changes. The AI workflow uses the review rates instead and adds 12 months of the tool plan.
Summary to share
Localizing 20,000 words of docs and 30 minutes of video into 5 languages costs about $50,760 in the first year with an agency, and $5,382 with an AI workflow.
An estimate from the numbers above, not a quote.
Translate docs and videos into 74 languages
Clevera translates your help articles and re-voices your videos with AI, and keeps every language current when the product changes.
How the localization cost calculator works
01
Enter your content
02
Set your rates
03
Compare
Translate the video and the article together
Clevera turns a screen recording into a narrated how-to video and a help article, then translates a finished video into 74 languages: voice-over, on-screen text and the article. Start on the free plan, no card needed.
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How much does localization cost?
Localization cost is the volume of content × the number of languages × the rate per unit, plus the cost of keeping every language current. For documentation the unit is usually a word; for video it is a finished minute of voice-over or subtitles. A localization cost calculator multiplies those out and adds a year of updates, which is where many budgets go wrong.
Rates differ by language pair, subject, quality level and vendor, so the calculator doesn’t claim to know yours. Every rate starts with an editable assumption. Replace it with a real quote before you share the result.
The formula
- First version = volume × languages × rate, for each line: docs (words × price per word), voice-over and subtitles (video minutes × price per minute)
- Updates per year = first version × updates per year × share of content that changes
- First year = first version + updates, plus 12 months of the tool’s plan for the AI workflow
The agency column prices translation, voice-over and subtitles separately, so you can switch voice-over or subtitles off. The AI workflow column assumes the machine does the first pass and you pay for human review per word and per video minute, plus a subscription.
Agency or AI workflow?
How to fill in your numbers
- Words: export your help center or docs and count the words, or multiply the number of articles by a typical length.
- Video minutes: add up the length of the videos you want localized.
- Translation cost per word: ask for a quote for your language pairs and subject; technical content often costs more than general text.
- Video localization cost: get separate per-minute quotes for voice-over and for subtitles.
- Updates: estimate how many releases a year change your docs, and roughly what share of the content each one touches.
How to read the result
Compare the first-year totals, then look at the update line on its own. For a product that ships often, the update cost can match or exceed the first translation, because every change has to reach every language. A workflow that makes updates cheap matters more than a low first price.
The estimate leaves out some costs on both sides: project management, terminology work, in-country review and the time your own team spends answering translator questions. Add a margin for them.
Ways to lower localization cost
Write for translation
Short sentences, consistent terms and no idioms make every language cheaper and better, whether a person or a machine translates.
Keep a glossary
List product names and terms that must stay the same. It saves review rounds and keeps languages consistent.
Avoid text burned into video
Text baked into video frames has to be rebuilt per language. Captions and editable on-screen text are much cheaper to localize.
Prioritize languages by demand
Check where your users and support tickets come from and start with the languages that cover most of them.
A short example
Say you have 50 help articles of about 600 words each, so 30,000 words, plus 20 minutes of how-to video, and you want three more languages. The translation line is 30,000 words × 3 languages × your per-word quote, and the voice-over line is 20 minutes × 3 languages × your per-minute quote. If you ship monthly and each release changes about a tenth of the content, the yearly update cost adds 12 × 10% of the first version, more than the first translation itself. These figures only show how the lines add up; use your own quotes.
Questions
Yes. It’s free, needs no account and has no usage limit. It runs in your browser and updates as you type.
No. The calculation runs on your device; your content volumes and rates are not sent to us.
No. They are starting assumptions so the calculator shows a result right away, not market rates. Replace them with quotes for your language pairs.
That AI makes the first translation and voice, and you pay a reviewer per word and per video minute, plus a monthly plan. It starts with the price of Clevera’s Starter plan; change it to the tool you are comparing.
You can switch between US dollars, euros and pounds. Enter every rate in the currency you pick.
Clevera translates a finished video’s voice-over, on-screen text and help article into 74 languages. Text elements you add yourself are not translated automatically, so review those.