InDesign Translation Projects | How Many Skills Are Needed?

There are two essential skill categories required for the successful completion of an InDesign translation project. One is obviously language skills. The other is formatting translated text in InDesign. Over the course of a project the two skills are applied by different specialists in each skill area.

Clients sometimes are of the belief that translation occurs within the InDesign environment, but such is not the case. Linguists work with text. InDesign technicians work with formatting.

 

By dividing InDesign translation projects between linguists and formatting specialists, personnel are applied to tasks that align with their skill strengths.

 

Professional translators often use specialize tools to help improve translation quality and keep translation costs down. Translation tools can remind human translators how repeated text was translated previously in a document. Thus continuity of translation can be improved. Recognition of repeated text also keeps translations costs down since repeated text is typically priced at a lower rate.

By dividing InDesign translation projects between linguists and formatting specialists, personnel are applied to tasks that align with their skill strengths. At our company we prefer that linguists focus on language independent of formatting. Once text is professionally translated and then proofread, it’s ready for attention by InDesign technical specialists to place it back into the InDesign document.

 

 

Translated text often requires adjustment within InDesign since target language text may contain more or fewer words relative to the source word count. So spacing can require attention. Graphics with embedded text may also require editing. Editing graphics, for example drawings or illustrations with text, may require attention outside InDesign (e.g., within Illustrator) to add the translated text prior to placing the edited graphics back into the InDesign document.

These two essential and complimentary skills, language and InDesign formatting, combine seamlessly in the delivery of a professionally performed InDesign translation project.