Proofreading and post-editing prices
Proofreading in the UK is priced per word, and usually shown per 1,000 words plus VAT, from £40 for most European languages up to £60 for some language directions, with a £25 minimum charge per language. Post-editing of machine or AI translation, which brings a ChatGPT or machine draft up to publishable standard, is a single rate from £80 per 1,000 words plus VAT. Your exact price depends on the language, direction and volume, and may be lower once we analyse the file and apply eligible discounts.
Upload your file and we will confirm the fixed price and turnaround before you order. Uploading does not commit you to ordering.
Proofreading, post-editing or translation — which do you need?
Which service you need depends on what you are starting with.
| Service | Use it when | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Proofreading | A person wrote the text, or a human translated it, and you want it checked and polished. | From £40 per 1,000 words plus VAT |
| Post-editing | You already have a machine or AI translation (including your own ChatGPT output) that needs human correction. | From £80 per 1,000 words plus VAT |
| Translation | You need the source document translated in the first place. | Priced separately, per word |
The two checking prices are broken down below. If you need the source document translated rather than existing text checked, that is a translation job, priced per word: see our translation prices page
Proofreading prices by language
We proofread text that a person wrote or a human translated, including documents written directly in English. Each proofread checks spelling, grammar, punctuation, terminology and consistency, and improves style and readability, so it is more than a basic spell-check. We set a rate per 1,000 words for each language, with a £25 minimum charge per language.
| Rate per 1,000 words (plus VAT) | Languages |
|---|---|
| From £40 | French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Turkish and most European languages |
| £45 | Arabic, Punjabi and Urdu; Mandarin, Korean and other Chinese languages; Swedish; and translating into Japanese or Norwegian |
| £60 | Translating out of Japanese or Norwegian (for example Japanese to English, Norwegian to English) |
The price for each language is the greater of two figures: the words multiplied by the rate, or £25. The minimum is not added on top of the per-word rate. If a job covers three languages, it carries three minimums, because a different qualified linguist handles each one.
Direction affects the price for two languages only. Translating into Japanese or Norwegian is £45 per 1,000 words, and translating out of them is £60. Every other language pair is priced by language, not by direction.
We proofread in more than 200 languages; you can see the full list on our languages page.
Post-editing prices
Post-editing is a single standard rate of £80 per 1,000 words plus VAT for every language, before any eligible discounts, with a £25 minimum charge.
The price is the same whether you supply your own machine or AI translation, such as a ChatGPT draft, or we produce the draft for you. A qualified editor checks the draft against the source text and corrects meaning, terminology and fluency to full, publishable standard, not a light edit for gist only, and our own technology often improves the draft first. Because a machine or AI draft has to be checked against the source, we quote this work as post-editing at £80 per 1,000 words rather than at the proofreading rate. Post-editing, also searched as post editing, uses the same rate, turnaround and discounts as our AI-Assisted translation tier.
You can read more about how we handle machine and AI translation on our post-editing services page.
What affects the cost?
A few things move the final price up or down from the headline rate:
-
The language, and for Japanese and Norwegian the direction of the work.
-
The word count, since larger jobs can qualify for volume discounts.
-
Repetition in the text, and any translation memory we can reuse.
-
Whether the text needs proofreading or post-editing.
-
The deadline, since priority handling, evening or weekend scheduling, or splitting a job across several linguists can affect the price.
Legal, medical and technical documents normally use the same language rate; we assign a linguist with the right subject experience rather than a general proofreader.
Discounts for new and regular clients
Discounts are confirmed in your quote rather than applied automatically. New customers can qualify for an introductory discount of 5% to 15%, and priority customers for 10%. We also reflect repetition, reusable translation memory and volume where they apply. A price based on word count alone is the worst case; the accurate figure comes once we see the file.
How quickly can you proofread or post-edit?
Why choose Absolute Translations
Every proofread and post-edit is carried out by a qualified, experienced translator, not just a bilingual speaker. The proofreader is always independent of the original translator, so a genuine second expert checks the work. For translated content, this independent second-linguist review reflects the revision step required by ISO 17100.
We are one of relatively few UK companies to hold ISO 18587, the international standard for machine translation post-editing, which underpins our post-editing service. We also hold ISO 9001, are ATC accredited and an ITI member, and have worked across more than 200 languages since 2001. We are highly rated on Trustpilot, and we handle every file securely and confidentially. You can read more about our proofreading services.
What we need to quote
To give you a fixed price, we need:
- the file itself;
- the source and target language or languages;
- whether the text is human-written, a human translation, or a machine or AI translation;
- your deadline;
- any glossary or brand terminology you want us to follow.
Uploading a file does not commit you to ordering.
What happens after you request a quote
Upload your file, and we check the language or languages, the direction, the volume, and whether the job is proofreading or post-editing. We then confirm a fixed price and turnaround, and you decide whether to go ahead.
Example proofreading projects
These examples show how proofreading prices work in practice; your own quote may vary by language, word count, repetition, volume and deadline.
| Job | Language(s) | Words | Service | Price (plus VAT) | Indicative turnaround | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food label | Danish | 160 | Proofreading | £25 | Same day | Minimum charge (per language) |
| Children's book | German | 2,810 | Proofreading | £112.40 | 1 day | £40 per 1,000 |
| Cosmetic brand campaign | Italian, Spanish, French, German | 1,200 each (4,800 total) | Proofreading | £192 | 1 day | £40 per 1,000, four languages in parallel |
| TV instructions (global brand) | Japanese to English | 8,668 | Proofreading | £520.08 | 1–2 days | £60 per 1,000 (out of Japanese) |
| Medical scan reports | Turkish | 14,854 | Proofreading | £594.16 | 2 days | £40 per 1,000 |
| Solicitor legal statements | Portuguese | 18,222 | Proofreading | £728.88 | 2–3 days | £40 per 1,000 |
Need a document translated instead?
If you need a document translated from a source rather than existing text checked, that is translation, priced per word: see our translation prices page.
Upload your file and we will confirm the fixed price and turnaround before you order. Uploading does not commit you to ordering.
Proofreading and post-editing prices: frequently asked question
How much does proofreading cost?
Proofreading starts from £40 per 1,000 words plus VAT, with a £25 minimum charge per language. That £40 rate covers French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Turkish and most European languages. Arabic, Punjabi, Urdu, Mandarin, Korean and other Chinese languages, Swedish, and work into Japanese or Norwegian are £45 per 1,000 words. Translating out of Japanese or Norwegian is £60. Each language you send carries its own minimum, because a different qualified linguist handles each one, and your final price may fall once we see the file.
How much does it cost to post-edit machine or AI translation?
Post-editing machine or AI translation is a single standard rate of £80 per 1,000 words plus VAT for every language, with a £25 minimum charge. The rate is the same whether you supply your own machine or AI draft, such as a ChatGPT output, or we produce the draft for you. A qualified editor checks the translation against the source and corrects meaning, terminology and fluency so it reaches publishable standard, and our technology often improves the draft first. Eligible repetition, volume and customer discounts can bring the figure down once we analyse your file.
What is the difference between proofreading and post-editing?
The difference is the starting point: proofreading checks text a person wrote or a human translated, while post-editing corrects a machine or AI translation. Proofreading is priced per 1,000 words by language, from £40 up to £60 for some directions, with a £25 minimum per language. Post-editing is a single rate of £80 per 1,000 words for every language, also with a £25 minimum. Both are carried out by a qualified linguist who is independent of the original translator, which for translated content reflects the revision step required by ISO 17100.
Is there a minimum charge, and how do language and direction affect the price?
A £25 minimum charge applies to each language on your job, so the price per language is the greater of the words multiplied by the rate, or £25. Language sets the rate: most European languages are £40 per 1,000 words, while Arabic, Chinese languages, Korean, Punjabi, Urdu and Swedish are £45. Direction matters for two languages only. Translating into Japanese or Norwegian is £45 per 1,000 words, and translating out of them is £60. Every other pair is priced by language, not direction.
Can you proofread English documents, or only translations?
Yes, we proofread English business documents written directly in English, as well as human translations into and out of more than 200 languages. English proofreading uses the same per-1,000-word model, from £40 plus VAT with a £25 minimum charge. If a document was produced by machine translation or AI rather than written or translated by a person, we quote it as post-editing at £80 per 1,000 words, because the editor also checks the draft against the source text. Send the file and tell us how it was produced, and we will confirm the right service and price.
Who proofreads my translation, and how quickly can you do it?
Your work is proofread by a qualified, experienced translator who is always independent of the original translator, so a genuine second expert reviews it. A linguist proofreads roughly 7,000 to 8,000 words a day, and more when a large job is split across several people; post-editing follows our faster AI-Assisted turnaround. This independent check reflects the revision step required by ISO 17100, and we hold ISO 18587 for machine translation post-editing. For an exact price and turnaround, upload your file for an instant quote.
Service and process information reviewed by Velina Umana. Accreditation and compliance information reviewed by Cristina Costa. Website last updated by Suraj Laishram. Published: 03 July 2026.