An AI agent for translation agencies
that quotes a job by word count, not a guess
A translation agency's inbox fills with files needing a word count, a language-pair check and a rough price. That first pass, before anyone can say yes to the job, eats a project manager's morning. We build an agent that reads the file, estimates the quote, and hands a ready-to-confirm job to a PM instead of a blank inquiry.
Where a translation quote slows down
A translation agency’s first response to a new inquiry usually requires someone to open the file and estimate a word count. Someone also has to check the language pair against available translators, and apply the rate card. That has to happen before any quote can go back to the client. It is the same mechanical process every time, and the step most responsible for slow response times when the inbox gets busy.
Quote accuracy is the second problem. A rough estimate given without actually opening the file, just to respond quickly, often turns out wrong once the real document is reviewed. A client quoted one number and later told it is higher reasonably feels the first number was never serious.
Routing is the third. A certified legal document and a marketing brochure need different translators and different review processes. A job that lands with the wrong project manager or translator pool, before anyone catches the mismatch, wastes time reassigning it.
A fourth, specific to agencies serving several markets, is volume concentration. Clients launching products or campaigns in multiple languages at once compress a batch of quote requests into the same narrow window. A PM is often already managing other active jobs in that same window.
What the agent handles before a PM sees it
The agent reads an incoming file and extracts a real word count across common formats. It checks the requested language pair and returns an instant estimate from your actual rate card, not a generic industry average. The estimate is clearly labeled as an estimate. Final confirmation comes from a project manager, who reviews the file for formatting, terminology and certification requirements.
The agent answers FAQ on turnaround times, certified translation requirements and formatting, from your own written material. A prospect gets an accurate, consistent answer about how your agency works. Any request mentioning certification, legal or sworn translation gets flagged for direct human routing. Those carry requirements the agent should never attempt to quote.
It typically connects to your TMS, like Smartcat or memoQ, where the API supports a reliable connection. A CRM or Google Sheets pipeline handles job tracking otherwise. Your site chat or Telegram serves as the first point of contact for new inquiries.
What stays with your PMs
Final pricing confirmation, translator assignment and quality review stay entirely with your project managers and linguists. The agent estimates and routes. It never confirms a final price or assigns a specific translator without a human reviewing the actual job first.
Price and timeline
| Package | Price | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Agency runs it | from $1,800 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Full control, handover-ready | from $2,800 | 3 to 5 weeks |
More for your agency
Pair this agent with a lighter Telegram bot for translation agencies if quote intake alone fits better right now. Or see job routing automation for translation agencies to see how a quoted job flows through to an assigned translator. See the full package breakdown on the AI agents service page. The localization and translation agent covers a narrower in-house build. Get a written plan with a fixed price for your agency.
FAQ
How much does an AI agent for a translation agency cost?
Our Assistant package starts at $1,800. It covers file intake, instant quote estimate, turnaround FAQ and routing to a PM, live in 2 to 3 weeks. A lighter quote-estimate-only Telegram bot starts at $900.
Can it quote a final price without a human checking the file?
No. That is a hard rule in the playbook. It gives an estimate from word count and your rate card, useful for a client deciding whether to proceed. The final price is confirmed by a project manager, who actually reviews the file for formatting, specialized terminology or certification needs.
How does it count words across different file formats?
It parses the actual file, PDF, Word, PowerPoint or a common CAT tool export. It extracts a real word count, rather than asking the client to estimate. That is where most quote disputes start.
Does it handle certified or sworn translation requests?
It flags any request mentioning certification, legal or sworn translation for direct routing to a PM. Those have requirements the agent should never try to quote or process on its own.
Which languages and file types does it support?
Any language pair your agency actually serves, since quoting runs off your rate card, not a generic assumption. File intake supports the common formats agencies handle: Word, PDF, PowerPoint, Excel and plain text.