Leading law firm cuts translation costs 86% with OCR and Translation Memory on 1.1M-word litigation project

A high-profile litigation case required fast, high-quality translation of over 1.1 million words across mixed file types and languages (English and Russian). The majority of files were non-editable, scanned PDFs that could not leverage standard cost-saving tools like Translation Memory or Computer Assisted Translation, making the project extremely expensive under conventional methods.

LanguageLine developed a custom OCR tool that analyzed PDF quality, identified languages, and provided word counts for batches of files — enabling both editable and non-editable text to be captured and scored for usability. A deduplication workflow then identified unique content only, with repeated segments processed via Translation Memory. Multiple specialist linguists worked in parallel with independent proofreading, and certificate bundling reduced certification overhead.

Batch 1 of the case was completed within 30 days at the highest quality standard. Cost savings reached 86% compared to standard word-for-word translation methods. The deduplication workflow reduced translatable words from 1.1 million to 400,000, and a further 10 batches were completed, substantially expanding the total scope of the engagement.

• OCR quality scoring enables scanned PDFs to leverage Translation Memory, dramatically expanding cost-saving opportunities on document-heavy litigation matters.
• Deduplication workflows that isolate unique content can more than halve translatable word volume on large repetitive document sets.
• Certificate bundling for large batches meets court requirements while eliminating per-page certification costs.