In Indonesia, sworn translation is conventionally priced per finished page. International vendors more often price per source word. Both are legitimate, but they produce different cost behaviour — and that difference matters when you sign an annual contract.
What each model actually measures
| Aspect | Per finished page | Per source word |
|---|---|---|
| Basis of calculation | Output after translation | Input before translation |
| When the final figure is known | After completion, unless counted up front | Before work begins |
| Who carries text-expansion risk | The buyer | The supplier |
| Best suited to | Official documents in a fixed format | Large digital volumes |
| Auditable | Yes, pages can be recounted | Yes, words can be recounted |
| Sensitivity to layout | High | Low |
When per page favours you
The per-page model wins on sparse source documents: certificates, letters of confirmation, forms and deeds with a lot of white space. Consider a certificate containing only 90 words. Under a per-word model the headline price looks low, but nearly every supplier applies a minimum charge that brings the outcome back to roughly one page anyway.
Per page is also easier to communicate internally. "Twenty pages at IDR 180,000" is immediately understood by a manager who has never bought translation. "4,500 source words at a per-word rate less a repetition discount" needs its own explanation.
When per word favours you
The per-word model wins on large digital volumes with heavy repetition: sets of contracts sharing clauses, versioned technical documentation, product catalogues. Translation tools can identify identical segments, and a serious supplier will discount them.
It also removes the text-expansion surprise. If your Indonesian document is translated into German, the output can expand by a double-digit percentage. Under a per-page model that expansion becomes extra pages you pay for. Under per source word, it does not.
How to normalise two quotations in different units
Convert both to a cost per 1,000 source words. For a per-page quotation: count the source words, divide by 225 to approximate finished pages, multiply by the page rate, then divide by the source word count and multiply by a thousand. The two figures are now comparable.
Traps to ask about before signing
- Under per page: are pages counted from the finished output or the source, and is a final page that is only a quarter full still billed in full?
- Under per word: is the unit source words or target words? Target words make the final cost impossible to fix in advance.
- Are figures, tables and text inside images included in the count?
- What is the minimum charge per order, and how does it apply to small documents?
- Is there a discount for repeated segments, and how can you verify it?
Practical recommendation
For official documents requiring a sworn translator's stamp, the per-page model fits better, because the output really does follow a fixed format and the deliverable is a printed file. For large digital documentation, ask for both a per-word and a per-page quotation and compare them after normalising.
Whichever model applies, one condition is not negotiable: the volume count must be agreed before work starts. A vendor who refuses to count up front is moving the entire risk onto you.