Tomedes

Tomedes is a full-service translation agency with 19 years of experience (founded 2007) in professional and literary translation, operating a network of 20,000+ vetted translators across 270+ languages. For authors, the critical differentiator is genre matching: Tomedes assigns translators with documented experience in your specific genre — literary fiction, genre fiction, children's books, poetry, or scripts — rather than general-purpose linguists.

What You Get#

• Genre-matched translators: Translator selection considers both language expertise and genre background, preserving narrative voice, rhythm, and cultural nuance throughout the manuscript
• Multi-step quality assurance: Every literary project goes through translation, editing, and proofreading stages before delivery — not a single-pass process
• AI-assisted option: Authors who need faster turnaround can opt for an AI-assisted workflow where machine translation is polished by human editors, typically faster and less costly than pure human translation
• Dedicated project manager: One point of contact coordinates timeline, quality checks, and revisions throughout the project
• 24/7 customer support: Available via live chat around the clock — unusual for a professional translation agency

Who It's For#

• Authors investing in proven markets: Established sellers with documented foreign-language demand where quality is non-negotiable and budget is not the primary constraint
• Literary fiction authors: Whose prose style, rhythm, and cultural references require a translator who understands literary craft, not just language conversion
• Self-publishing businesses: Authors treating translation as a revenue investment, with an 80,000-word novel representing a meaningful but recoverable cost

Pricing: Starting at approximately $0.11 per word for standard translation ($0.14 per word for expedited delivery); literary and specialized content typically runs $0.12–$0.18 per word. An 80,000-word novel costs approximately $8,000–$15,000 depending on the language pair and number of editorial rounds. Projects include free revisions.

Strengths#

• Trustpilot rating: 4.9/5 from nearly 1,800 verified reviews — one of the highest ratings among professional translation agencies, with consistent client praise for speed, accuracy, and responsiveness
• Fast turnaround for an agency: Many projects completed within 24–72 hours, competitive for professional literary translation at this quality level
• Wide language coverage: 270+ languages including rare and regional language pairs that AI-only platforms do not support

Limitations#

• High cost floor: At $8,000–$15,000+ per language, Tomedes is realistic only for authors with established sales in the target market — not a tool for first-book experimentation
• Not purpose-built for indie authors: The quoting process, procurement model, and service structure is designed for business clients; indie authors may find the workflow more formal than expected
• Quality variance in third-party reviews: Independent review sites flag occasional inconsistencies, particularly with less common language pairs, despite the strong overall Trustpilot score

Alternatives#

Espresso Translations and the Reedsy translation marketplace offer comparable quality for literary translation at similar price points. DropCap Marketplace connects authors with specialized literary translators at lower upfront cost for authors willing to vet translators individually.