Would you like to establish the length of your text to estimate in advance the costs of its translation?

If you work with a Word file, it is quite easy to establish the number of standard lines of your text.

• Open your Word file.
• Click on “Words” on the left side of the status bar below. Alternatively, open “Review”, and then, under “Spelling” click on “Word count”. In order to be 100% sure that all countable text will be considered, highlight the whole text before you open the word count.
• Divide the number shown next to “Characters (with spaces)” by 55 (a standard line has 55 characters, spaces included; this way, lines can be compared, irrespective of font size or page width).
• Voilà! There is the number of lines of your document.

Please note that Word’s word count can only give you an estimate. Textboxes, endnotes, and other unusual formats, for example, are usually not included in the calculation. Therefore, most translators use professional word count programs or apps that can also calculate the words, characters or lines of Excel, Powerpoint, Pdf and other files.

Nevertheless, Word’s word count can give you an initial idea of what to expect.