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“What is the cost of getting it wrong?”

Translation is often treated as a language service. In many professional contexts, it is actually a form of risk management. For example: A contract does not merely contain sentences; it establishes rights and obligations. A medical report does not merely communicate information; someone may rely on it to understand a patient’s condition. A technical manual does not merely describe a product; someone may use it to operate, install or maintain something.

In each case, language is part of the mechanism. Change the meaning, and you may change what the document does.

This is why the question should not simply be: “How much does the translation cost?”

A better question is: “What is the cost of getting it wrong?”

The answer will obviously depend on the document and the circumstances, but the principle is universal: The more important the document, the less appropriate it is to treat translation as a simple word-for-word exercise.

At PLS Translations, we work with English ↔ Greek legal, medical and technical documentation where precision and context matter. Because sometimes translation is not an administrative expense. It is part of protecting the integrity of the information itself.