This tool gives the number of characters without spaces, characters with spaces and words in the text you paste. It is the first step in comparing quotes: two quotes cannot be set side by side without knowing which unit the figure in your hand is in.
What it calculates
It gives the size of the text in three units, and those figures divided into units of 1,000 characters without spaces and 1,800 characters with spaces. Both of these units are used in the market.
What it does not calculate
It does not calculate a fee. What the unit price is remains a separate question, and this tool does not go into it. Nor does it calculate time.
How words are counted
Pieces separated by spaces that contain at least one letter or digit count as words. Punctuation marks standing alone are not counted.
Why characters without spaces
The number of spaces varies with typing habits and says nothing about the work in the text. That is why a count without spaces is a more stable measure.
What changes in Turkish text
Because of Turkish suffixes, words are long; the same number of characters makes fewer words in Turkish. For this reason conversion between units is no more than an estimate.
Whether to paste a document here
The calculation is done in your browser and the text is not sent to us. Even so, if a client document is involved, review your own confidentiality rule.
What to do with a scanned document
A scan is an image; it carries no text. For a count, the text first has to be extracted; this is a separate preparation step.
Whether tables and tags are counted
Everything you paste is counted. Remove the parts that will not be translated before pasting, otherwise the volume looks larger than it is.
Repeated text
This tool does not separate repetitions; it gives the total volume. To see the repetition rate, the relevant tool is used.
How to read the result
When giving the figure to the counterparty, state the unit as well. "40,000 characters" on its own is incomplete information; it must be specified whether that is with or without spaces.
When comparing two quotes
First convert the two quotes to the same unit. The difference in unit explains a large part of results that look like a difference in price.
Limits of the measurement
Volume does not show how difficult the job is. Of two texts of the same size, one may take twice as long because of its density of terms.
Footnotes and headers
Footnotes, headers and footers count towards the volume if they are to be translated. Because they look small on screen they are forgotten in most estimates, and once the job starts the volume grows unexpectedly.
Text inside images
Text embedded in pictures and diagrams cannot be pasted and therefore cannot be counted. These texts are extracted separately; in most files this is where the overlooked extra load lies.
When the count is done
After the file has reached its final form. A figure taken from a changing document is out of date the moment the quote is given, and the two parties talk about different volumes.
Which tool to continue with
To convert units go to the page unit converter; for a time estimate go to the delivery time tool. The volume is the input for all three.