How many French words in a standard line? Thread poster: John Fossey
| John Fossey Canada Local time: 18:03 Member (2008) French to English + ...
I have been asked to quote on a project in which the volume (in French) is stated in lines, not words. Is there a standard ratio of words per line? | | |
I haven’t quoted in lines for a long time but in 1985 when I started translating full time in Belgium I was told that a line contained 55 characters = 9 words in French. Hope this helps! | | | Ask your client | Jul 27, 2018 |
Why not ask the client? If they are expecting you to quote in a particular way, they must have a specific understanding of what that actually means to them. For example, a three-column article presentation would not have as many words/line as an A4 no-column article. You really need to be sure what it means for the client and then you'll be able to quote. | | | John Fossey Canada Local time: 18:03 Member (2008) French to English + ... TOPIC STARTER
Because it's a very large job in pdf format and it was obvious the client had no intention (or means) to count the words. In the end I quoted on the basis of 9 words per line, subject to review after I receive the documents. We'll see. | |
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Germaine Canada Local time: 18:03 English to French + ...
John Fossey wrote: Because it's a very large job in pdf format and it was obvious the client had no intention (or means) to count the words. In the end I quoted on the basis of 9 words per line, subject to review after I receive the documents. We'll see. So... You didn't even take a look at the document? I would have asked for the pdf, saved it in word (using Adobe Acrobat) and read the number... Can do it for you, if you want. | | | John Fossey Canada Local time: 18:03 Member (2008) French to English + ... TOPIC STARTER Quote subject to review... | Jul 29, 2018 |
Germaine wrote: John Fossey wrote: Because it's a very large job in pdf format and it was obvious the client had no intention (or means) to count the words. In the end I quoted on the basis of 9 words per line, subject to review after I receive the documents. We'll see. So... You didn't even take a look at the document? I would have asked for the pdf, saved it in word (using Adobe Acrobat) and read the number... Can do it for you, if you want. As I said, subject to review after I received the documents. Had I not provided a ballpark quote I would not have had the opportunity to review the documents. I have no problem converting to Word once I have them, using PDF Transformer. | | | Germaine Canada Local time: 18:03 English to French + ... How did it go? | Aug 13, 2018 |
Sorry, John. I misunderstood your point. So, how did the estimate compare to reality? Is 9 words/line a fair basis or should the number be closer to 13-14 words/line ? | | | | 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 French words in a standard line? Protemos translation business management system | Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!
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