Japanese character count to word count
Brian Watson
search key in the archives.
A client has sent me a RFQ that includes a total of 500,000 Japanese characters (I think--there is no
qualifier after the number, but the RFQ is all in Japanese, so I am making an assumption). I am not
very clear on how many characters I can do per day, but I do know how many words I can produce
per day.
What do people use as a general ratio for converting a character count to a word count?
Again I apologize for re-hashing an old topic. TIA for any and all help.
Brian Watson
http://www.google.com/profiles/brian.watson
+1.604.395.4202 (home office), +1.425.246.7888 (cell), +1.425.341.FOTO (messages), brian-momotaro (skype)
Mark Spahn
Matthew Schlecht
I apologize in advance. I know this topic has been discussed before, but I can't seem to find the right
search key in the archives.
A client has sent me a RFQ that includes a total of 500,000 Japanese characters (I think--there is no
qualifier after the number, but the RFQ is all in Japanese, so I am making an assumption). I am not
very clear on how many characters I can do per day, but I do know how many words I can produce
per day.
What do people use as a general ratio for converting a character count to a word count?
My general rule-of-thumb is 2 moji => 1 English word.
This varies from 1.8-2.2, possibly outside this range for some types of text. Texts with a lot of katakana (like chemistry patents!) tend to have a higher ratio.
The best figure would be obtained by taking a sample text (in the same or similar style, subject matter, etc.) in both JA and EN and make a specific calibration.
Matthew Schlecht
Newark, DE, USA
John Stroman
containing 500,000 Japanese characters.
The arithmetic has already been addressed, but I recommend not giving
any kind of quote without seeing the document. Despite knowing the
number of Japanese characters, it will be nearly impossible to
estimate how long the translation will take until you see whether you
have to recreate massive tables and do other kinds of odd jobs that
severely hamper productivity. Is there some repetition, and if so, how
much? Simply knowing the number of source characters is no clear
indication of the difficulty involved. In other words, if a client is
asking for a quotation, the most important issue is to make sure that
you are adequately compensated for the time and effort required to
complete the job. Only you can make that decision.
My two cents,
John Stroman
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Peter Tuffley
I strongly support John's advice about not quoting/estimating without seeing the source document - and for the reasons he gives.
Regarding the arithmetic, FWIW my practice has been to give estimates based on a likely upper and lower wordcount, dividing the Japanese
character count by 2 to obtain the higher figure and by 2.2 to obtain the lower figure. I always include in my estimate a statement that the
actual result could be slightly either side of the the wordcount range that I give.
I would add the following cautionary story regarding the perils of getting it badly wrong when giving a quote (and of using the word "quote" rather than "estimate").
In the early days of my association with an agency I still work with, the then owner asked me to translate a manual for a client to whom he had given a quote based on an assumed wordcount of 9,000.
The actual wordcount turned out to be close to 18,000. The agency owner paid me on the basis of the actual wordcount, but ended up taking a loss on the job because the client held him to the original quote and refused to pay any more than the originally quoted price, insisting that a "quote" (as distinct from an "estimate") represented a firm price.
FWIW Peter
Matthew Schlecht
Brian asked about an RFQ (request for quote?) for a document
containing 500,000 Japanese characters.
The arithmetic has already been addressed, but I recommend not giving
any kind of quote without seeing the document. Despite knowing the
number of Japanese characters, it will be nearly impossible to
estimate how long the translation will take until you see whether you
have to recreate massive tables and do other kinds of odd jobs that
severely hamper productivity. Is there some repetition, and if so, how
much? Simply knowing the number of source characters is no clear
indication of the difficulty involved.
I had assumed those things are a given, and didn't cover them in my response.
I get many project offerings with only a client's source count (or estimate) for either translation or editing/revision.
While I will propose what my cost would be based on the information provided, I make it clear that no bid should be considered final until I have seen the entire source. Some clients don't seem to understand that sending me a randomly selected couple of pages doesn't cut it, but clients like that I don't need. They might send the three or four pages that are typeset, and the rest is in an inscrutable scrawl.
For revision work, I insist on seeing the entire target document before confirming a rate, either per-word or per-hour. I don't want any blanket assurances about how the translator being used is "certified", or otherwise completely reliable.
There are some generalist translators who will accept work in any subject area, but I am rather restrictive.
Still, it pays to check on a PM's description of the project they are offering you. I have had jobs advertised as "legal" when they are in fact patents, and not contracts as the designation would first indicate. I have also been offered JA>EN work wherein the source is actually Chinese. So, it really does pay to do your due diligence.
Marc Adler
What do people use as a general ratio for converting a character count to a word count?
Brian Watson
I'm not going to give the client a written estimate yet. I just wanted to work out in my head whether I had the capacity to take on the job within the time allotted. I'm now convinced that I can't do this job, given the massive resulting word count, the short timeframe, and my existing commitments to other clients.
I hate saying no to new clients, so now it's time to carefully word a response that will hopefully signal that I would be interested in other jobs (with greater feasibility) in the future.