The verdict in three sentences
A DE/EN website for a Berlin consulting firm costs between 12,000 and 20,000 EUR, including a multilingual premium of 25 to 40% over a single-language site. Professional translation at 0.12 EUR per word weighs less than content adaptation and the technical setup of hreflang tags. International clients judge your seriousness by the quality of the English version: unedited machine translation costs more in credibility than it saves.
The detailed budget for a bilingual site
With 35 pages per language, the text volume is about 21,000 words per target language (600 words per page on average). Here is a typical 2026 breakdown for Berlin.
| Item | German-only site | DE/EN site |
|---|---|---|
| Concept, design, development | 9,000 to 13,000 EUR | 9,000 to 13,000 EUR |
| Multilingual architecture (switcher, URLs, hreflang) | Not applicable | 1,000 to 1,800 EUR |
| English translation (21,000 words at 0.12 EUR) | Not applicable | 2,520 EUR |
| Native consultant review (EN) | Not applicable | 500 to 1,000 EUR |
| Integration of translated content | Not applicable | 600 to 1,000 EUR |
| Impressum, privacy notice and cookie banner in both languages | 400 to 700 EUR | 600 to 1,000 EUR |
| Indicative total | 9,400 to 13,700 EUR | 14,220 to 20,320 EUR |
To stay within 12,000 to 20,000 EUR, the method is not to translate everything: 35 pages in German, but 20 targeted pages in English (expertise, case studies, team, contact). Translation volume then drops to 12,000 words, or 1,440 EUR.
The technical method that protects search rankings
Poorly configured multilingual sites create duplicate content or send a London executive to the German version. Three technical choices matter.
| Technical choice | Recommended option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| URL structure | Subfolders /de/, /en/ | One domain concentrates SEO authority |
| Hreflang tags | de-DE, en + x-default | Google shows the right language per country |
| Language detection | Suggestion, never forced redirect | Avoids blocking Googlebot and visitors |
| URL slugs | Translated per language | "consulting" ranks better than "beratung" in English |
| Title and meta tags | Written per language | Higher click-through rate |
| Contact form | Translated fields and messages, GDPR compliant | No break in the journey |
The German version must meet local legal expectations: a complete Impressum and a GDPR-compliant privacy notice are mandatory under German law, and missing them exposes the firm to formal warnings (Abmahnungen) that typically cost 500 to 2,000 EUR each.
The 8-week schedule
Weeks 1 and 2: sitemap and selection of pages to translate. Weeks 3 and 4: design and final German copy, which must be frozen before translation. Weeks 5 and 6: development and translation in parallel. Week 7: integration and native review. Week 8: testing, hreflang checks and launch. Every change to the German copy after week 4 is paid twice, once in German and once in English.
Mini case study
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Jonas, partner at a Berlin consulting firm (12 consultants), bills an average engagement of 32,000 EUR. He opts for a full 35-page German site and 20 pages in English, for 16,500 EUR in total. The multilingual premium comes to 4,200 EUR. If the English version triggers just one extra engagement a year with an international client, the premium is repaid more than 7 times.
FAQ
How much does a bilingual website for a consulting firm in Berlin cost?
Plan 12,000 to 20,000 EUR for a quality DE/EN site. Multilingual support typically adds 25 to 40% to the budget of a single-language site.
Can we use machine translation to cut costs?
It can serve as a first draft, but native review remains essential for an executive audience. Post-editing costs about 0.06 to 0.08 EUR per word, versus 0.12 EUR for full human translation.
Do we need to translate every page?
No. Translating 20 strategic pages out of 35 cuts the translation bill by about 40% with no commercial loss, as long as expertise and case study pages are covered.
Are hreflang tags really necessary?
Yes, they tell Google which version to show by language and country. Without them, an English query may display the German page and click-through rates drop.
How long does a bilingual site take?
About 8 weeks, provided the German copy is frozen in week 4. Every approval delay pushes translation back by the same amount.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your target languages, the number of pages to translate and your indicative budget, and we will propose a bilingual site delivered in 8 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
