Standard line
The standard line (also known as the standard line ) is a standard used in the translation industry for billing translations . In German-speaking countries in particular, billing is based on standard lines in the target text; in English-speaking and Romance countries, the words in the source text are often counted.
The length of a standard line is about 40 characters (without spaces) or 50 to 55 characters (with spaces).
Fee amount
Contrary to what the term “standard line” suggests, neither the (invalid) DIN standard DIN 2345 nor the optionally applicable European standard EN 15038 (translation orders ), which came into force in 2006 , contain more precise definitions of the number of lines. In Germany, a length of 50–55 characters including spaces has become established as the “standard line”. 30 standard lines normally result in a standard page .
In the German Judicial Remuneration and Compensation Act (JVEG), which among other things regulates the remuneration of interpreters and translators, it says, for example:
- “The fee for a translation is 1.55 euros for every 55 characters or part thereof of the written text (basic fee). For text that cannot be edited electronically, the fee increases to 1.75 euros for every 55 characters or part thereof (increased fee). If the translation is particularly difficult due to the particular [...] circumstances of the individual case, the basic fee is 1.85 euros and the increased fee is 2.05 euros. The text in the target language is decisive for the number of characters; [...]. "
In the Austrian Fee Claims Act (Section 54 (3)), however, translations in the public service (justice, police, customs, etc.) used to be based on the number of characters without taking spaces into account:
- "A page within the meaning of Paragraph 1 No. 1 is considered full if it contains at least 25 lines with an average of at least 40 characters."
Since July 1, 2009 (BGBl 2009/52) there is no longer any mention of lines.
- "Section 54. Paragraph 1: The interpreter's fee is 1. € 15.20 for a written translation (a) for every 1,000 characters (without spaces). [...] Paragraph 3: To determine the fee, the number of characters in the translation (without spaces) must be divided by 1000 and the result multiplied by the fee according to Paragraph 1. In the case of translations of documents, the fee according to Paragraph 1 is due, regardless of the characters contained therein, for each page that corresponds to one page of the document to be translated and that has been translated on a separate page to ensure clarity. "
The statutory remuneration for translators in Austria is thus around half lower than the rates prescribed in Germany.
Web links
- Standard line calculator: Calculates the number of standard lines in a text
- Online tool for determining standard lines