Knowledge Base

How to set length limits for a translation

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Adding length limits for a translation is possible both during project creation and for existing projects.

The segment length monitoring feature counts the number of characters in a segment. When multiple segments form a paragraph in the source document, then XTM limits the length of a paragraph as a whole.

1. When you are creating a new project and have specified the key project details and options, scroll to the Settings section. Select Monitor target length and decide how to set the length limit.
length limits for a translation

2. If you want the translation to be longer by no more than 20% compared to the source, enter number 20 in the Source plus X %.
length limits for a translation

If you want the translation to be longer by no more than 20 characters compared to the source, enter number 20 in the Source plus X characters.
length limits for a translation

If you want your translation to have no more than a specific number of characters, such as 100, enter 100 in the X characters.
length limits for a translation

You can also use the fields below Target cannot be shorter than to specify that translation has to be shorter than the source text.

3. You can as well change your length limit settings for an existing project in the Project Editor. Go to the Projects tab > Project List and click the project where you want to change the length limit settings.
length limits for a translation

4. Scroll down on the General info tab of the Project Editor. To enable length limits, select Monitor target length, and then adjust the required length settings.
length limits for a translation

When the project is in translation, XTM will display segment errors when the entered translation is too short or too long.
length limits for a translation