Word Count vs. Processed Words in Translation Billing
Word count bills per step, weighted words carry fuzzy discounts, processed words count the first human save per locale. Why estimates differ from invoices.
Every enterprise localization team hits the same inflection point: the questions get harder, the stakes get higher, and AI has changed what's possible and what's expected. This hub brings together the answers Smartling's customers ask most, built for teams who need real answers on quality, security, governance, and cost.
Word count bills per step, weighted words carry fuzzy discounts, processed words count the first human save per locale. Why estimates differ from invoices.
Proxy requests count every HTML/XML response, bots included; Google Analytics counts page views. Why Smartling GDN counts run higher and how to reconcile.
Flutter and Dart internationalization runs on ARB files and the intl package; Smartling's ARB parser handles ICU plurals via API, CLI, or GitHub Connector.
Rails internationalization runs on the Ruby I18n gem and YAML locale files. Smartling parses Rails YAML directly via its GitHub Connector and Files API.
AppLocale is discontinued and Locale Emulator replaced it, but neither tests real translated software the way Smartling's Pseudo Translations does.
iOS and Swift apps use three Apple formats for translation: .strings, .stringsdict, and String Catalogs (.xcstrings), all parsed natively by Smartling.
Qt Linguist stores UI strings in .ts XML files built by lupdate and compiled by lrelease. Smartling parses .ts natively, including Qt's plural forms.
JavaScript i18n tutorials live in i18next's own docs; i18next-scanner extracts keys into JSON, and Smartling's parser and GitHub Connector pick it up.
XLIFF is the OASIS bilingual translation-interchange format. See how XLIFF 1.2 differs from 2.0, and how Smartling parses .xlf/.xliff files natively.
Unity's Localization package manages String Tables and Locales; Smartling handles the XLIFF/CSV translation workflow and quality review around it.
Webflow's Localize feature switches languages for visitors. Translating content takes Webflow's own tools or an app like Smartling's Webflow Connector.
Localization platform TCO covers more than the per-word rate: implementation, PM overhead, TM migration, and renewal terms. A framework to compare it.
Translating images at scale requires either replacing text within image files or generating localized versions of visual assets. Most enterprise localization platforms handle text-based content well but treat image translation as a separate workflow. Smartling's image translation capability is currently in development. For current image and creative localization needs, Smartling's professional translation network and transcreation workflow handle visual content review.
Get a personalized demo and see how Smartling can help your team deliver translations 50% faster at up to 70% lower cost — without sacrificing quality.