How many words in an English line? Thread poster: IanW (X)
|
|---|
IanW (X)
Local time: 12:56
German to English
+ ...
This may have been asked before, but I wasn\'t able to find anything. I\'ve just translated a Tag Editor document which I will be charging by the line (customer request). I\'ve done a word count with Trados but am unsure how to convert this to lines (55 characters). I know there is a rule of thumb for German texts (7.5 words per line), but is there one for English? Thanks, Ian
| | | | Pee Eff (X)
Germany
Local time: 12:56
English to German
+ ...
| Count the characters | May 7, 2003 |
Hi!
Just perform a character count on your document. The analyze function in Trados should include such an option. Be sure to count charcters including spaces and divide the result by 55. This way you will get the famous German Standardzeile of 55 characters including blanks.
Good luck!
Patrick
| | | | Marc P (X) 
Local time: 12:56
German to English
+ ...
| Word/line conversion | May 7, 2003 |
Do you have a particular reason for wanting to use a word count as the basis for a line count? (I do the same when billing Powerpoint files, but it\'s not ideal.) Why not just use a line count? Count the total number of characters, then divide by 55. If your text contains tags, delete them - you can probably do that by a simple search and replace.
As to the actual number of words in a typical line, I\'m interested to hear what others say. I usually assume 6.5 for German and ... See more Do you have a particular reason for wanting to use a word count as the basis for a line count? (I do the same when billing Powerpoint files, but it\'s not ideal.) Why not just use a line count? Count the total number of characters, then divide by 55. If your text contains tags, delete them - you can probably do that by a simple search and replace.
As to the actual number of words in a typical line, I\'m interested to hear what others say. I usually assume 6.5 for German and 8.5 for English, but this is based solely on my own statistical observations.
Marc
▲ Collapse
| | | | | 60 characters | May 7, 2003 |
Normally, one line equals 60 characters (spaces included). Sometimes 55, that is something you should talk about with your client.
| | |
|
|
|
Marc P (X)
Local time: 12:56
German to English
+ ...
Quote:
On 2003-05-07 11:45, King Darling wrote:
Normally, one line equals 60 characters (spaces included). Sometimes 55
60 in Belgium. Usually 55 in Germany, though sometimes 50 or anything inbetween, for historical reasons.
Marc
| | | | IanW (X)
Local time: 12:56
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks guys,
Yes, I managed to do it with the analyse function - should have been able to figure that out myself.
By the way, the question wasn\'t how many characters make a line but rather how to get a line count when all you have is the number of words.
| | | | | TRADOS log contains length of words | May 8, 2003 |
Hi Ian!
The TRADOS log contains (below the wordcount statistics) the average length of a word in characters. If you multiply this average length (say: 6.5 characters) with the wordcount (say 200 words) you get something very close to the total number of characters (without spaces, of course), in this case 1300 characters, which you may then divide by the number of characters you use to define a line (I use 50 characters per line if the wordcount does not contain spaces, and ... See more Hi Ian!
The TRADOS log contains (below the wordcount statistics) the average length of a word in characters. If you multiply this average length (say: 6.5 characters) with the wordcount (say 200 words) you get something very close to the total number of characters (without spaces, of course), in this case 1300 characters, which you may then divide by the number of characters you use to define a line (I use 50 characters per line if the wordcount does not contain spaces, and 55 characters per line, if it does).
Does this help you in any way?
Kind regards
Sylvia ▲ Collapse
| | | | |
|
|
|
| 60 spaces = 10 words | May 8, 2003 |
60 spaces = 10 words was the standard count for English back in the \'70s when typewriters were still manual
Regards
Gina
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » How many words in an English line? | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
| | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
