Average subtitling word count per annum
Thread poster: JAMIN ALLEN
JAMIN ALLEN
JAMIN ALLEN  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 05:49
German to English
Feb 25, 2019

Hi All,

I have been asked for my average annual word count for subtitling. I do subtitling work quite often but haven't the foggiest idea how I am supposed to calculate this, or rather if even such a calculation is worth making?

Thanks in advance...


 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 05:49
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Per annum? Feb 26, 2019

Well, this is a rather odd request because nobody really knows how many words one translates per year.

The only halfway accurate annual word count might result from your daily output x the number of days you actually do subtitle translations. This excludes of course any days on which you work on other translations, are on vacation, or sick, or have a family event you must or want to attend. But then you must have confirmed orders for subtitle translation projects for twelve months.<
... See more
Well, this is a rather odd request because nobody really knows how many words one translates per year.

The only halfway accurate annual word count might result from your daily output x the number of days you actually do subtitle translations. This excludes of course any days on which you work on other translations, are on vacation, or sick, or have a family event you must or want to attend. But then you must have confirmed orders for subtitle translation projects for twelve months.

Frankly, I really can't see how anybody could predict how many words he or she translates in a month, let alone in a year, even if it's just an average estimate.

But let's see what our colleagues have to say.
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Kang Seok Lee
 
Arianne Farah
Arianne Farah  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 23:49
Member (2008)
English to French
Quick & easy Feb 26, 2019

Yearly income on your tax documents divided by your average per word price = gross estimate of your yearly weighed word count @ 1:1 for translation and around 1:3 for editing.

So if you earned, say $60K and you charge $0.10 per word, you worked on 600,000 weighed words in a year. If you do about half and half translation and editing, you could assume that you translated around 300,000 words a year and edited around 900,000 words.


Mihaela Serbanescu
 
Kang Seok Lee
Kang Seok Lee
South Korea
Local time: 12:49
Member (2018)
English to Korean
+ ...
Just a way of asking Feb 26, 2019

I think it is just a way of asking; how many days you can or willing to do the subtitling job.
As you said" I do subtitling work quite often" you might have made very excellent subtitling project, I presume.
I also think if I am your client of subtitling project, I would ask you like that.
I mean it is totally up to you.

Cheers!!


 


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Average subtitling word count per annum







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