Standard page: how many characters? It depends on the country

Czech Republic: 1,800 characters

Decree No. 507/2020 Coll.: «Normostranou se rozumí strana textu o délce 1800 znaků včetně mezer» — 1,800 characters including spaces (§ 3(2)). The fee is due for each started standard page of the translated text (§ 3(1)). This applies where a public authority sets the fee or the parties have not agreed a price.

Czech: Normostrana: kolik znaků, kolik slov a jak ji spočítat ve Wordu

Germany: lines of 55 keystrokes

For court translations the JVEG pays not per page but per started 55 keystrokes (§ 11(1) JVEG): «Maßgebend für die Anzahl der Anschläge ist der Text in der Zielsprache.» For private orders the unit is agreed.

German: Normseite: Wie viele Zeichen sind das?

France: 250 words, for one specific case

For written translations paid as criminal legal costs, art. R122 of the Code de procédure pénale says: «Cette page compte 250 mots». Outside that framework the unit is agreed between the parties.

French: La page de traduction : 250 mots (art. R122 CPP)

Italy: no statutory page

In Italy the “cartella” used in quotes is a contractual convention, not fixed by law. Court-appointed translators are paid per two-hour “vacazione” (D.M. 30 May 2002), not per page.

Italian: Cartella di traduzione: quanti caratteri, quante parole, quanto costa

Poland: 1,125 characters

For translations ordered by courts, prosecutors, police and public administration, the regulation says: «za stronę tłumaczenia przyjmuje się 1125 znaków» (§ 8(2)); a started page counts as a whole one (§ 8(1)).

Polish: Strona obliczeniowa: ile to znaków?

Slovakia: 1,800 characters

Decree No. 491/2004 Coll., § 10(5): a page of the translated documents is «1 800 znakov na jednej strane textu»; every last incomplete page counts as a full one.

Slovak: Normostrana: koľko znakov, koľko slov a ako ju spočítať

Three questions for every quote

• How many characters (or words) make one page?
• Source or target text?
• With or without spaces, and how is the result rounded?

How Lingverra counts

Lingverra uses its own unit: 1,650 characters including spaces, counted on the finished translation and rounded to one tenth by ordinary rules, minimum one standard page per document. It is the price unit of the tool, not a translator’s fee under any national law.