Believe it or not, this is a question that regularly crops up. The answer is: yes, these words count too. Translators generally base their rates on the word count and use the word-count function in their word processing software to calculate their prices. Naturally, the word count function draws no distinction and counts every single word. If we had to take the time to filter out these simple words, we would of course be forced to raise our own rates accordingly. Furthermore, the inclusion of the definite or indefinite article is an issue in itself, given the differences between Dutch and English, not to mention those between British and US English. So even little words like these often require a great deal of thought.