Every time the industry agrees on a standard I love it as it makes our lives simpler.
For instances:
TMX, is the standard related to TM exchange
TBX, is the standard related to Term Base exchange
Now, it seems to be the time to estandarize the way in which we make wordcounts: GMX
Also, we all know that word and character counts are not the only measure of a given localization task. Thus, GMX comprises three standards:
GMX-V (for volume) establish a verifiable way of calculating the wordcounts. One of the main problems with calculating word and character counts is the sheer range of differing proprietary file formats. Such a common format is available through the OASIS XLIFF standard, which is now supported by all of the localization tool providers.
GMX-Q (for quality) will deal with the level of quality required for a task.
GMX-C (for complexity) will take into consideration the source and format of the original document and its subject matter.
Keep updated!