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InDesign File Translation Pricing Metrics

September 14, 2020

Translating Adobe InDesign documents from English into other languages is a common type of translation project our company performs. In fact it’s a specialization of ours. Establishing pricing for an InDesign translation projects is required prior to receiving a customer’s approval to begin a project. There are three main criteria used to price InDesign translation […]

Employee Handbook Translation Questions

September 13, 2020

So your company need its employee handbook translated, into Spanish most likely if you operate in the United States, and you’re in charge. So what’s next? If your company already has an established association with a translation services provider you’ll likely contact them and request a quote for their services. If the quote is reasonable […]

InDesign File Translation Pricing Metrics

September 14, 2020

Employee Handbook Translation Questions

September 13, 2020

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InDesign File Translation Pricing Metrics

September 14, 2020

Translating Adobe InDesign documents from English into other languages is a common type of translation project our company performs. In fact it’s a specialization of ours.

Establishing pricing for an InDesign translation projects is required prior to receiving a customer’s approval to begin a project. There are three main criteria used to price InDesign translation projects. They are:

The target language (the language going into from English)
The number of words for translation in the InDesign document
The number of pages in the InDesign document requiring formatting in the target language

The Target Language

The target language (or languages) for the project is required since a per word rate for translation exists for each target language. Rates vary somewhat according to the language so the target language is needed to know what rate applies.

Our rates for translation always include not only translation but also post-translation proofreading by a second translator. Translators are native speaking in the target language, although fully bilingual each both the source (usually English) and target languages.

The Word Count For Translation

The most widely used pricing methodology for high quality human translation services is the number of words for translation. The word count scales directly with the scope of work and the time requirement for services. Translation companies, including ours, typically offer discounts for measurable repetition with the body of a translation project. Special tools are used to calculate this. When repetition is present then some time and effort is saved since the exact same content needn’t be translated twice from scratch by the translator. Discounts for higher volumes (e.g., >10K words) of text for translation are also available.

The Number of Pages For Formatting

Translation and proofreading of text occur outside the InDesign environment. Once that process completes the translated text is put back into the formatted document to preserve the original visual design, except now in the new language. Some languages are known to require more or less text relative to English to express equivalent meaning. So often there’s some adjustment of the translated text that’s required prior to finalizing the translated InDesign document.

At project conclusion the translated InDesign document mirrors the original English document and is ready for immediate use by the client and the intended audience.

Employee Handbook Translation Questions

September 13, 2020

So your company need its employee handbook translated, into Spanish most likely if you operate in the United States, and you’re in charge. So what’s next?

If your company already has an established association with a translation services provider you’ll likely contact them and request a quote for their services. If the quote is reasonable and you’ve experienced good results with the company’s services in the past then you’re set. You approve the quote and wait for the completed Spanish translation file of your existing English language employee handbook. Mission accomplished!

A standard quality control measure in human translation services is post-translation proofreading of translations performed by a second translator, of course native speaking in the target language.

If on the other hand you have no go-to vendor for translation services then your next step might be to perform an internet search. After identifying a potential company or two that can do the job you might want to ask a few basic questions about their services in order to make a final decision about which one to hire. Below are a few questions you might ask.

Are your translators experienced with translation of employee handbooks?

Professional translators often have specializations in the type of work they perform. Some specialize in translation of technical documents. Some might gravitate more toward non-technical product marketing materials. Still others tend to work with translation of legal texts, contracts and related materials. So the assigned translator(s) will ideally have experience in translation of employee handbooks and be comfortable with the standard texts which are similar in many cases.

Are proofreading services included?

A standard quality control measure in human translation services is post-translation proofreading of translations performed by a second translator, of course native speaking in the target language. Translations are seldom perfect in their original form. They require proofreading and typically light editing before arriving at a finalized translation suitable for operational use. So ask about the translation company’s policy for providing a quality assurance measures in the form of proofreading services.

Will the completed translated document be formatted and ready for immediate use?

Employee handbooks follow a prescribed organization and formatting as established in the source English language document. Most commonly employee handbooks are prepared as MS Word documents. Sometimes employee handbooks receive the additional formatting attention made possible through desktop publishing applications such as InDesign. In the latter case formatting can require a little more attention in the final stages following translation and proofreading. It’s a good idea to ask about document formatting at the very beginning of a project. Make sure formatting of the final document is included although be aware that in the case of English-to-Spanish translation services there tends to be more words required in Spanish so the actual word count and page length of the resulting translation file might expand in the 10-15% range relative to the original English version.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

InDesign File Translation Pricing Metrics

Employee Handbook Translation Questions

InDesign File Translation Pricing Metrics

Employee Handbook Translation Questions

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

InDesign File Translation Pricing Metrics

The Target Language

The Word Count For Translation

The Number of Pages For Formatting

Employee Handbook Translation Questions

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