[Resolved] The cost estimation was underestimated by a factor of 3.
This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.
Problem: The client is using WPML's automatic translation service to translate their website into three additional languages. They noticed that the actual cost of translating the products into just one language already exceeds the initial cost estimation, leading them to believe that the total cost will be underestimated by a factor of three. Solution: We acknowledged the issue with the cost estimation and have escalated the matter to our second-tier support for a more thorough examination. We discovered discrepancies in the word count estimations and are currently developing a more accurate system for future releases. As a temporary measure, we have credited the client's account with additional translation credits to help mitigate the cost. We also confirmed that the client can safely delete the credentials previously shared with us.
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Background of the issue:
I am using WPML's automatic translation service to translate the website hidden link into 3 additional languages. I used the word count for all the pages, menus, products, ACF fields, and Blocks to receive an estimation of cost. The number of words I received was 620040, which estimated the cost for 3 languages at 1067.06€. I began translating a few pages and products into all 3 languages, then selected the rest of the products (total number of products is 2901) for automatic translation into English only.
Symptoms:
The cost of translating all the products into only one language already exceeds the estimation, leading me to believe the total cost will be underestimated by a factor of 3.
Questions:
Can you check the word count for the site hidden link?
Why is the actual cost of translating the entire site into 3 languages so far above the estimated cost?
Considering that you plan to translate the content into three new languages, it seems the initial estimate may be underestimated by a factor of three. Could it be that the estimate you received only accounts for translation into one language?
Thank you for your reply.
The estimate as seen on the screenshot includes 3 languages.
As well as using your calculator for estimation I also calculated the cost by hand. I started with the number of words WPML found needed translation. The number of words for all sections was 620040. This number times 2 for 2 credits per word and times 3 for three languages. This gives me 3720240 credits and the cost for this amount of credits via your Pay as you Go calculator comes to 1067.06€.
You can imagine my shock with only one third of the site is translated and the cost already exceeds 1200€.
I would appreciate a thorougher examination.
If you require additional information, please let me know.
Yes the estimation was done by counting all the words in all the sections.
The button circled in your screenshot did not work. It said there is too much content to count at once, so I manually checked all of the items in all of the sections. The largest by far being the products section with 2900 products.
That is how I received the number of words for all sections, which was 620040.
There must be some factor missing, for such an underestimation.
Please share the access credentials to the site in your next message so I can double-check why the functionality for counting the words is not working.
Our second-tier specialists have reviewed this issue internally to find ways to optimize the word count for sites like yours. As a gesture of goodwill, we've added 200,000 credits to your account to thank you for taking the time to investigate the issue and bring it to our attention.
First let me thank you for your replies. I appreciate your gesture of good will by adding 200,000 credits to our account.
Unfortunately I have to say this amount does very little to solve our problem since it appears that over 3,700000 credits are needed for a single language and we have two more languages to go.
I must say we find ourselves disappointed with the unreliability of your cost estimation. We had planned to use your service for a number of our customers, now however we are unable to give them a reliable cost estimation.
I have two questions for you and I would appreciate a direct answer.
Is what you have done so far all you are prepared to do to solve the problem?
Do you still need the user account to our website I opened for you or can I remove it?
