The verdict in three sentences
For an industrial SME with 40 to 120 staff in Dublin generating 35 % of its revenue from exports, a multilingual EN/DE/FR website built to capture quote requests costs 12,000 to 25,000 EUR excl. VAT in 2026. The two items that make the difference are professional technical translation (0.10 to 0.14 EUR per word) and international SEO with hreflang (about 2,500 EUR), not the visual design. With Enterprise Ireland and Local Enterprise Office support, a meaningful share of eligible spend can be co-funded, often bringing the net cost close to 12,000 EUR.
What a multilingual industrial website quote contains
A German or French buyer compares three suppliers in under ten minutes. They look for a capability sheet (tolerances, materials, ISO 9001 or ISO 13485 certification), a contact who speaks their language and a form that accepts a STEP or PDF drawing.
| Item | 2026 range (EUR excl. VAT) | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping, sitemap, buyer personas | 1,000 to 2,000 | Irish, UK, DACH and key accounts |
| UX/UI design and templates | 2,000 to 4,500 | 8 to 12 templates, capability and sector pages |
| Source copy in English | 1,800 to 3,800 | 15 to 30 technical pages |
| Translation DE + FR (12,000 words each) | 2,400 to 3,400 | 0.10 to 0.14 EUR/word, technical review included |
| Development and multilingual CMS | 2,800 to 6,500 | Native language management, no fragile plugin |
| Quote form with drawing upload | 600 to 1,800 | STEP, DXF, PDF files up to 50 MB |
| hreflang, international SEO, Search Console per market | 1,400 to 3,000 | Tags, per-language sitemaps, DE and FR keywords |
| Total | 12,000 to 25,000 | Depending on pages and languages |
Avoid unreviewed machine translation on technical pages: one mistranslated tolerance or a badly converted unit costs a buyer's trust in a single line. Post-editing machine translation costs 0.05 to 0.08 EUR per word, fine for news, not for capability pages.
International SEO and grants: the two budget levers
The German-speaking market is not won with a literal translation of English keywords. "Precision machining" becomes "CNC Lohnfertigung", "Präzisionsteile" or "Zerspanung" depending on the region. Per-country keyword research is the highest-return item in the project.
| Lever | 2026 cost or effect | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| DE and FR keyword research | 700 to 1,400 EUR | 40 to 80 target queries per language |
| hreflang tags and per-language sitemaps | Included in SEO package | Prevents versions competing with each other |
| URL structure /en/ /de/ /fr/ | Included | Better than separate domains for an SME |
| Local Enterprise Office Grow Digital and Digital for Business | Variable by year | Digital audit and co-funded projects |
| Enterprise Ireland Digital Transition Fund | Up to 50 % of eligible costs | For clients of Enterprise Ireland, apply before committing |
| Market entry support (Enterprise Ireland overseas offices) | Targeted services | Useful to validate priority markets |
Grant schemes change every year. One constant rule: apply before committing the spend. An itemised, dated quote per work package is required by nearly every funder.
Mini case study
Ciarán, managing director of a 75-person precision machining SME near Dublin, generates 14 million EUR in revenue, 35 % from exports, mainly to Germany and France. His current English-only site brings in 6 export quote requests per year.
He approves a trilingual site at 20,000 EUR, including 3,000 EUR of translation and 2,400 EUR of international SEO. After approval, a grant covers 40 % of eligible costs, leaving a net cost of about 12,000 EUR. Realistic 18-month target: 30 export requests a year. At a 15 % conversion rate, that means 4.5 new customers with an average first contract of 35,000 EUR. Even with only 2 additional customers per year at a 20 % margin, the 14,000 EUR annual gain covers the net investment in under 11 months.
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FAQ
How much does a bilingual or trilingual website cost for an industrial SME in Dublin in 2026?
Budget 12,000 to 25,000 EUR excl. VAT for an EN/DE/FR site of 15 to 30 pages, translation and international SEO included. A bilingual EN/DE site is more likely 10,000 to 18,000 EUR.
What does technical translation cost?
Professional translation reviewed by a subject specialist costs 0.10 to 0.14 EUR per word. For 12,000 words, plan 1,200 to 1,680 EUR per target language.
What are hreflang tags for?
They tell Google which version to show based on the user's language and country. Without them, the English page may appear to a German buyer and cut the contact rate by 30 to 50 %.
How long does it take?
Between 8 and 12 weeks, of which 2 to 3 weeks go to translation and technical review. Launching all languages together avoids a half-empty German version for months.
Will grants really cover 50 %?
Some schemes cover up to 50 % of eligible costs, with caps and size criteria. The real rate is often 30 to 50 %: apply before signing.
Let's scope your project. Send us your priority export markets, certifications and target page count: we prepare an itemised quote that fits grant applications, with an indicative budget and an 8 to 12 week schedule. 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.
