Word count

Introduction to word counting

The usual practice is to count the words in the source text. This way the client knows in advance how much they will pay. When that isn’t possible (for example, a handwritten text or certain non-editable formats), the words in the target text are often counted.

At first sight, counting words looks straightforward—a word is a word. In reality it’s more complex, and every editing tool follows its own rules. There is no widely adopted standard for word counts.
How should hyphenated forms be counted? Is French-German one word or two? What about items joined by a slash (and/or)? Do standalone numbers in a table count? And symbols such as the copyright sign ©?

There is no universal answer: each application chooses a different approach. It is also worth noting that some languages need more words than others to express the same idea.

How I count words

Unless otherwise agreed with the client, this is how I count billable words:

Count basis: source text, except for non-editable formats such as PDFs or images.
Tool used: SDL Trados Studio 2023.

Why this tool and not more familiar options like Microsoft Word?
In general, Trados Studio excludes standalone numerals (for instance, numbers in a table) from the count—i.e., content that does not actually need translating. This difference is significant in technical texts, which often contain a lot of figures. Since I do not use MS Word for counting, you will not be charged for “translating” numbers.