Rate cards, rush fees and minimums that price every line
Import your existing pricing spreadsheet once; its weights, rates, rush percentage and minimum charge price each language line in every quote.
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QuoteCloud's Spreadsheet block (Essentials and up) is a full spreadsheet inside your quote template. Keep your rate card on one tab, import the word-count analysis on another, and connect each price cell to a language line's description and unit price. Rush fees, minimum charges and level factors are ordinary formulas you control.
Last reviewed by the QuoteCloud team
An engineered axonometric drawing of a fictional agency's rate-card Spreadsheet block, its three tabs drawn as exploded layers with their cell grids: the Analysis tab on top with cell G8 (8,517 weighted words) marked, the Pricing tab in the middle with cell C2 (the French price) marked, and the Rates tab at the bottom with B2 (the French rate, $0.16) and B13 (the minimum charge, $120.00) marked. Fine leaders join B2 and B13 to C2; an orange route runs from G8 to C2 and on to the French line of a quote standing at the right; a dashed line returns from the quote's total to Pricing B15. A circular detail shows C2's formula with the sample values: MAX of $120.00 and 8,517 × $0.16 × 135% × 100%, which is $1,839.67. Below, a formula bar steps through G8, C2, the French line and B15, beside the quote for Kestrel Robotics: French $1,839.67, German $1,954.65, Japanese $2,414.57, total $7,011.28 including tax.
Your rate card, as a tab in every quote
Larkmoor's pricing used to live in a spreadsheet only Ines fully understood. Now it's the Rates tab of the Spreadsheet block in their quote template: a rate per language pair, the weight for each match band, the minimum charge, the words a linguist turns round in a day, the rush surcharge, the set-up fee and a factor and review days for each service level.
The Pricing tab reads those cells with ordinary formulas, and its connected cells set each language line's description and unit price. Change a rate on the template and every new quote created from it follows.
Click a cell to see its formula. The rates, weights and rules are fictional examples of an agency's own figures.
- Import your existing pricing workbook as .xlsx, then tidy it into tabs
- Rates per pair, match-band weights, minimum, rush and set-up as labelled cells
- Lock the sheet and price-table blocks so quotes can't drift (Business)
- Zapier can write an analysis into the input cells; the sheet recalculates
Spreadsheet block: Essentials and up · content locking: Business
See the rate card price a quoteLarkmoor rate card Spreadsheet block
Rates
| 1 | Rate card | Value | Review days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | English → French | $0.16 | |
| 3 | English → German | $0.17 | |
| 4 | English → Japanese | $0.21 | |
| 5 | English → Spanish (Latin America) | $0.15 | |
| 6 | English → Portuguese (Brazil) | $0.15 | |
| 7 | English → Arabic | $0.20 | |
| 8 | |||
| 9 | New words weight | 100% | |
| 10 | Fuzzy 75–94% weight | 60% | |
| 11 | Fuzzy 95–99% weight | 30% | |
| 12 | Repetitions & 100% weight | 25% | |
| 13 | Minimum per language | $120.00 | |
| 14 | Weighted words a day | 2,500 | |
| 15 | Rush surcharge | 25% | |
| 16 | Set-up per job | $60.00 | |
| 17 | Set-up per file | $35.00 | |
| 18 | Translation | 100% | 0 |
| 19 | Translation + editing | 135% | 1 |
| 20 | Translation, editing & proofreading | 155% | 2 |
Your rates, weights and rules. Change a rate here and every connected line follows.
Pricing
| 1 | Language | Rate | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | French | $0.16 | $1,839.67 | 8,517 weighted words · translation + editing |
| 3 | German | $0.17 | $1,954.65 | 8,517 weighted words · translation + editing |
| 4 | Japanese | $0.21 | $2,414.57 | 8,517 weighted words · translation + editing |
| 5 | Spanish (Latin America) | $0.15 | $1,724.69 | 8,517 weighted words · translation + editing |
| 6 | Portuguese (Brazil) | $0.15 | $1,724.69 | 8,517 weighted words · translation + editing |
| 7 | Arabic | $0.20 | $2,299.59 | 8,517 weighted words · translation + editing |
| 8 | ||||
| 9 | Service level | Translation + editing | ||
| 10 | Level factor | 135% | +1 day review | |
| 11 | Rush delivery | No | ||
| 12 | Delivery estimate | 5 working days | Estimate | |
| 13 | Set-up line | $165.00 | 3 source files: .docx, .json, .md | |
| 14 | ||||
| 15 | Quote total | $7,011.28 | From the price table | |
| 16 | Per source word | $0.608 |
Connected cells set each line's unit price and description; the total comes back into B15.
Analysis
| 1 | File | Include | New | 75–94% | 95–99% | Reps & 100% | Words |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | k2-user-guide-v4.docx | 1 | 4,820 | 1,140 | 620 | 1,380 | 7,960 |
| 3 | k2-app-strings.json | 1 | 1,260 | 310 | 180 | 940 | 2,690 |
| 4 | release-notes-3.2.md | 1 | 640 | 120 | 40 | 90 | 890 |
| 5 | dealer-letter.docx | 0 | 210 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 210 |
| 6 | Included | 6,720 | 1,570 | 840 | 2,410 | 11,540 | |
| 7 | Weight | 100% | 60% | 30% | 25% | ||
| 8 | Weighted words | 8,517 |
Counts imported from kestrel-k2-analysis.xlsx, your translation tool's analysis. QuoteCloud doesn't count words.
- Typed in
- Imported analysis
- Your rate card
- Connected to a price line
The formulas a translation rate card needs
Nothing exotic: the same functions your pricing spreadsheet already uses, working inside the quote.
SUMPRODUCT for weighted words
Counts per match band times your weights, one figure per job: =ROUND(SUMPRODUCT(C6:F6,C7:F7),0).
MAX for the minimum charge
=MAX(Rates!B13, …) uses your minimum whenever a short job prices below it.
XLOOKUP for service levels
Look up the factor and review days for translation, editing or proofreading from a small table on the Rates tab.
IF and ROUNDUP for rush
IF the rush cell says Yes, add your surcharge; ROUNDUP turns words per day into whole working days.
Text for line descriptions
Join the weighted words and the level into the description the client reads, "Minimum charge" included when it applies.
The total, back in the sheet
Bring the price table total into a cell and divide by the source words for a price per word your team can check.
Rush fees and minimums, worked through
Pick a job, a language, a level and rush, and follow one line from the weighted words to the unit price the client sees.
Pricing tab · the French row
- Weighted words8,517
Analysis!G8 - Rate$0.16
Rates!B2 - Level135%
B10 - Rush100%
B11 - Worked out$1,839.67
ROUND(…,2)
=MAX(Minimum$120.00Rates!B13,Worked out$1,839.67)
Unit price → the line, qty 1$1,839.67
The minimum charge applies
How the line reads in the quote
French8,517 weighted words · translation + editing$1,839.67
Delivery estimate 5 working days from 2,500 weighted words a day + review days
Fictional rates and rules, worked with the same formulas as the sample sheet. Try the dealer letter: every language comes in under $120, so the minimum applies. Rush adds 25% and roughly halves the working days, as Larkmoor's own rule says.
Bring your rate card into QuoteCloud
Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Send us your pricing workbook and a recent quote and we'll convert one template for you during the trial.
Rush on: every line and the deadline follow
Hana needs the K2 files in three working days instead of five. Tobias types Yes in Pricing!B11. Each connected price picks up Larkmoor's 25% surcharge, each line's description adds "rush", and the delivery estimate drops to three working days.
The quote goes from $7,011.28 to $8,718.72 including tax without anyone retyping a figure. Because the rule is a cell, every project manager applies the same surcharge.
- Rush is a typed-in cell, not a separate price list
- Descriptions say "rush" so the client sees why
- Delivery estimate from your words per day and review days
Rate-card calculator Spreadsheet block
Pricing
| 1 | Language | Rate | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | French | $0.16 | $2,299.59 | 8,517 weighted words · translation + editing · rush |
| 3 | German | $0.17 | $2,443.31 | 8,517 weighted words · translation + editing · rush |
| 4 | Japanese | $0.21 | $3,018.21 | 8,517 weighted words · translation + editing · rush |
| 5 | Spanish (Latin America) | $0.15 | $2,155.87 | 8,517 weighted words · translation + editing · rush |
| 6 | Portuguese (Brazil) | $0.15 | $2,155.87 | 8,517 weighted words · translation + editing · rush |
| 7 | Arabic | $0.20 | $2,874.49 | 8,517 weighted words · translation + editing · rush |
| 8 | ||||
| 9 | Service level | Translation + editing | ||
| 10 | Level factor | 135% | +1 day review | |
| 11 | Rush delivery | Yes | ||
| 12 | Delivery estimate | 3 working days | Estimate |
Connected cells set each line's unit price and description; the total comes back into B15.
Your quote
| Item | Qty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Project | ||
File preparation & project management3 source files: .docx, .json, .mdDescription ← Pricing!D13Unit price ← Pricing!C13 |
1 | $165.00 |
| Languages Ticked by the client | ||
French8,517 weighted words · translation + editing · rushDescription ← Pricing!D2Unit price ← Pricing!C2
|
1 | $2,299.59 |
German8,517 weighted words · translation + editing · rushDescription ← Pricing!D3Unit price ← Pricing!C3
|
1 | $2,443.31 |
Japanese8,517 weighted words · translation + editing · rushDescription ← Pricing!D4Unit price ← Pricing!C4
|
1 | $3,018.21 |
Spanish (Latin America)8,517 weighted words · translation + editing · rushDescription ← Pricing!D5Unit price ← Pricing!C5
|
1 | $2,155.87 |
Portuguese (Brazil)8,517 weighted words · translation + editing · rushDescription ← Pricing!D6Unit price ← Pricing!C6
|
1 | $2,155.87 |
Arabic8,517 weighted words · translation + editing · rushDescription ← Pricing!D7Unit price ← Pricing!C7
|
1 | $2,874.49 |
- Subtotal
- $7,926.11
- Tax (10%)
- $792.61
- Total
- $8,718.72
- Deposit on signing (50%)
- $4,359.36
Total → Pricing!B15 Delivery estimate: 3 working days
How to turn your pricing workbook into a rate-card sheet
Done once in your quote template; every quote after that starts with it.
Import the workbook
Add a Spreadsheet block to your quote template and import your existing pricing workbook as .xlsx.
Tidy it into tabs
Keep the rate card on a Rates tab, the counts on an Analysis tab and one Pricing row per language.
Mark the inputs
Label the cells a project manager types into: files to include, service level, rush.
Connect the lines
Connect each language's price cell to its line's unit price and its text cell to the description; bring the total back into a cell.
Lock and save
Lock the sheet and price-table blocks on Business, save the template, and send a test quote to yourself.
Rate card questions
Can QuoteCloud hold our translation rate card?
Yes, in a Spreadsheet block in your quote template, on Essentials and up. Keep your rates per language pair, match-band weights, minimum charge, rush surcharge and set-up fee in labelled cells, and connect the cells that price each language to that line's description and unit price.
How do we charge a minimum per language?
Put the minimum in a cell on your Rates tab and wrap each language's price in MAX with it. When a short job prices below the minimum the formula uses the minimum, and the line's description can say "Minimum charge" so the client knows why.
How does a rush fee work?
Add a typed-in rush cell and multiply each language's price by one plus your surcharge when it says Yes. The descriptions and the delivery estimate can follow the same cell. It's your own rule, applied the same way in every quote.
Can different clients have different rates?
Yes. Keep a client's agreed rates in their own template, or in a framework agreement's rate-card schedule that your quotes for that client are priced from. QuoteCloud sends and signs the agreement; your team applies its rates in the quote.
Can our team break the formulas?
On the Business plan you can lock blocks in a template, such as the sheet and the price table, so project managers fill in the inputs but can't change the block. Locking is per block, not per cell.
Can we import our existing pricing spreadsheet?
Yes. The Spreadsheet block imports .xlsx files and supports ordinary formulas, several tabs and cross-tab references, so most pricing workbooks move across with light tidying. Zapier can also write values into cells, such as counts from another app.
More for translation agencies
Where the rate card is used: quotes, framework agreements and the assistant that drafts from it.
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Translation quotes from word countsNew words, fuzzy matches and repetitions priced per language pair in minutes, with the client ticking the languages they want.Explore
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Framework agreements & client rate cardsA client's agreed rates, weights, turnaround and terms in one agreement both sides sign, with its expiry date in view.Explore
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From word counts to a draft quote with your AI assistantSet your AI assistant up through QuoteCloud's MCP service to read the analysis and draft the quote and the delivery report for a PM to review.Explore
- Localisation project proposalsSoftware, website and documentation localisation: scope, languages, engineering, linguistic QA and a release plan in one signed proposal.
- Interpreting booking confirmationsConsecutive, simultaneous or remote sessions with minimum call-out times, travel and your cancellation terms, confirmed and paid.
- Delivery & quality reportsThe files delivered, the checks your team ran and the queries answered, in a handover the client acknowledges with a signature.
- Certificates of translationYour agency's own statement of accuracy, laid out once as a locked template and signed by your translator or project manager.
- Approvals, signing & payment on acceptanceDiscounts over your limit go for approval, the client signs online and pays a deposit or the full amount through Stripe or PayPal.
- Translation tools, CRM & accounting integrationsYour translation tool's exports, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Xero and QuickBooks, connected the way each one really connects.
- Templates for translation agenciesReal QuoteCloud quote, proposal, agreement and acceptance templates to make into your quote, booking and handover documents.
- QuoteCloud implementation for language service providersYour rate card rebuilt as a sheet, templates converted, payments connected, the assistant set up and project managers trained.
- FAQAnswers to the questions translation agencies, localisation vendors and interpreting services ask most.
One rate card behind every translation quote
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