A basic guide to translation of InDesign files using translation software

By using an IDML file exported from InDesign we can speed up the translation and typesetting process when using translation memory software. This method keeps all the formatting from the original InDesign file such as links, character and paragraph styles and fonts plus any interactive elements such as cross-references.

This process only works when creating the translation, if the translation process has already been done then in most cases the text will have to be copy pasted into the document which is much more time consuming and can lead to broken links etc.

  • First, we export an IDML file from InDesign
  • The IDML file will then be imported into our translation software
  • After checking the file, we export that as a specialist file
  • This file is sent to the translator who opens the file using the same translation software
  • The translator will only see the text that needs translating all code and styles is hidden from them
  • When translated, the translator and sends the updated file with translated text to Adelphi
  • We open that in our translation software and run check to make sure everything is correct
  • We then export that file as an IDML format
  • The Translated IDML will then be opened in InDesign
  • All the formatting from the original InDesign file should still be there, all character and paragraph styles, fonts etc
  • We then go through the file page by page and correct any issues

Things that might need adjusting:

If the designer has used the same paragraph or character styles in more than one place and has changed the style manually this can cause problems.

Using Drop caps or italics or UPPERCASE for effect can cause problems as some languages do not use these.

Some languages are much longer than the original English so we might have to adjust font size or line spacing so the translated text fits in the original space.

Using IDML translation does not pick up any text in images or any outlined text, these must be translated and set separately.

If the design requires the translated text to be on the same page as the English i.e., side by side then we will require the text box for translation to be populated with the same English text. The English original text boxes must be on a separate layer so that these can be switched off otherwise the translator will have 2 sets of text appearing on his software.

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Translation and Typesetting

Translation and typesetting in over 120 languages

Our in-house Translation and typesetting department has been providing translations and localization of printed materials in over 120 languages for over 20 years. With clients like Disney, Jaguar Land Rover, Vidal Sassoon and hundreds of advertising and design companies worldwide. All our typesetting is carried out in-house and includes proofing.

Adelphi has been producing foreign language typesetting for over 20 years, in fact, it’s how Adelphi got started, adding voice-overs, subtitling and our other services later as we looked to offer more localization services for our clients. We typeset all kinds of documents including corporate brochures, packaging, business cards, posters, and manuals, producing print-ready PDFs from most industry standard applications.

Translation services
Adelphi has its own in-house translation department providing translations specifically for typesetting in over 120 languages. Adelphi ensures all our translators work only into their mother tongue, ensuring the accuracy and message of your project. By using Adelphi for your translation and typesetting it ensures that you get the best of services.

Graphics localization
We can also localize any graphics in the document using Photoshop or Illustrator, depending on the image we could require the original layered data with live text, not outlined text. We have the latest Adobe CC applications.

Data required
We need the English original data for us to adapt into your chosen languages using InDesign, QuarkXPress and other professional typesetting software, this is usually supplied by the design agency as a “collect or package” which includes all images, fonts and links (images) to the document. Without these, we cannot create a print-ready PDF as the deliverable.

Deliverable data
We can supply the finished document as a print-ready PDF set to your specifications, if required we can also outline the text in InDesign so you can print from the InDesign file itself.

Get the most out of your typesetting localization project

  1. Many languages will expand once translated from English, so we’d recommend you leave some space for this. If in doubt, just give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.
  2. Your style can be central to your project, but sometimes simple really is best. Bold, italics and even colors in the same paragraph can sometimes just not translate into your chosen language. By avoiding this you can also keep your costs down and speed up delivery.
  3. Drop caps and uppercase for emphasis can look great in English, but some languages don’t use them. This is where our company’s typesetting experience can help you.
  4. If you want to place text over an image, try to add it within the document rather than in the image itself. That way we can edit exactly what you need changing.
  5. As an experienced typesetting agency, we know our fonts and some languages have more restrictions than English. Our staff can show you which fonts work in whichever language you desire, right down to the different weights and condensed versions.
Adelphi offices

Adelphi Studio offers subtitling and voice over services globally from our offices in the UK and the USA.

All US, Canadian, and South American inquiries should be directed to our US office while all other inquiries should go to our UK office.

UK Office
Tel : +44 (0)114 272 3772
Email: sales@adelphistudio.com

US Office
Tel : 916 414 8714
Email: us@adelphistudio.com

Book localization and translation

Book translation and localizing in over 100 languages

Adelphi has translated and typeset books of various subject matter from historical to religious. We can provide translations or work with your own. Adelphi has typeset documents in over 120 languages and has built up expertise in using InDesign, QuarkXpress, FrameMaker, Illustrator and all Microsoft applications. When typesetting some languages it is important to know which font works for that particular language in a particular design package. By using Adelphi for your translation and typesetting we will ensure that the correct font is used to avoid any problems at the typesetting stage.

Sinhala typesetting

The sample above is of a book we typeset in Sinhala and was called ‘The Man-Eater of Punanai’ by Christopher Ondaatje. This is the story of a small village in Ceylon where the locals were terrorized by a man-eating leopard.

Urdu typesetting

All our Urdu typesetting is handled in-house and carried out by our own experienced typesetters. As well as books we produce all kinds of Urdu printed materials including corporate brochures, packaging, business cards, posters, and manuals.

foreign language typesetting

The above is a sample from a recently typeset religious book in Greek for an American publishing company.

Get the most out of your typesetting localization project – tips and advice read more here
  1. Many languages will expand once translated from English, so we’d recommend you leave some space for this. If in doubt, just give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.
  2. Your style can be central to your project, but sometimes simple really is best. Dropcaps, Bold, italics and colored text in the same paragraph can sometimes not translate into your chosen language. By avoiding this you can also keep your costs down and speed up delivery.
  3. Drop caps and uppercase for emphasis can look great in English, but some languages don’t use them. This is where our company’s typesetting experience can help you.
  4. If you want to place text over an image, try to add it to the document rather than in the image itself. That way we can edit exactly what you need changing.
  5. As an experienced typesetting agency, we know our fonts and some languages have more restrictions than English. Our staff can show you which fonts work in whichever language you desire, right down to the different weights and condensed versions.
Graphics localization

We can also localize any graphics in the document using Photoshop or Illustrator, depending on the image we could require the original layered data with live text, not outlined text. We have the latest Adobe CC applications.

Data required

We need the English original data for us to adapt into Bulgarian using InDesign, QuarkXPress and other professional typesetting software, this is usually supplied by the design agency as a “data collect or package” which includes all images, fonts and links (images) to the document. Without these, we cannot create a print-ready PDF as the deliverable.

Deliverable data

We can supply the finished Bulgarian document as a print-ready PDF set to your specifications, if required we can also outline the text in InDesign so you can print from the InDesign file itself.

Burmese brochure translations

Burmese typesetting

The Burmese script uses diacritics to represent sounds, these diacritics must be rendered correctly. Burmese is now called Myanmar.
burmese typesetting

Burmese graphics localization

If you have any text in your graphics we can localize them into Burmese, to do so we require the original ‘live text’ files such as in Photoshop or Illustrator. We have the latest Adobe CC applications on Apple Mac computers.

DTP QA (quality assurance)

DTP QA is carried out by one of our experienced project managers after the brochure has been set in Burmese. They will check the document for typos, incorrect placement of text, the accuracy of dates, numbers, product names etc. when compared to the English original. At Adelphi, we always carry out DTP QA on all our typesetting projects until the document is perfect.

Data required

We require to be provided with a “collect or a package” of the original English artwork for us to adapt it into Burmese this should include the fonts and any images linked to the document, without these we cannot create a print-ready PDF as the deliverable.

Deliverable data

We can supply the finished Burmese artwork and a print-ready PDF set to your specifications.

Get the most out of your typesetting localization project – tips and advice read more here

  1. Many languages expand once translated from English, so it is best if you leave some space for this. If in doubt, just give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.
  2. Bold, italics and even colors in the same paragraph may not translate into the target language. Avoiding excessive use of these will keep your costs down and speed up the process.
  3. Drop caps and uppercase are not supported in some languages.
  4. If you want to place text over an image, try to add it to the document rather than in the image itself. That way we can edit exactly what you need changing.
  5. We can advise on fonts to match the original as close as possible

Burmese translation services

Our own in-house translation agency provides translations in over 120 languages including Burmese. By using Adelphi for your translation and typesetting it ensures that you get the best of services, we are happy to work with your own translations and can advise on the best way to organize the translation for maximum efficiency. We also use translation memory so if your brochure is to be updated on a regular basis we can provide 100% matches and ‘fuzzy matches’ to existing translations to keep the costs down.

Adelphi also provides brochure translation and localization in over 80 other languages

Adelphi’s offices

UK Head Office
Tel : +44 (0)114 272 3772
Email: sales@adelphistudio.com

US Office
Tel : 916 414 8714
Email: us@adelphistudio.com

Vietnamese brochure translation

Vietnamese typesetting

Vietnamese uses a Latin script that is adapted to contain additional diacritics for the six tones in the language: Aa Ăă Ââ Bb Cc Dd Đđ Ee Êê Gg Hh Ii Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Ôô Ơơ Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Ưư Vv Xx Yy.

Vietnamese graphics localization

If you have any text in your graphics we can localize them into Vietnamese, to do so we require the original ‘live text’ files such as in Photoshop or Illustrator. We have the latest Adobe CC applications on Apple Mac computers.

DTP QA (quality assurance)

DTP QA is carried out by one of our experienced project managers after the brochure has been set in Vietnamese. They will check the document for typos, incorrect placement of text, the accuracy of dates, numbers, product names etc. when compared to the English original. At Adelphi, we always carry out DTP QA on all our typesetting projects until the document is perfect.

Data required

We require to be provided with a “collect or package” of the original English artwork for us to adapt it into Vietnamese this should include the fonts and any images linked to the document, without these we cannot create a print-ready PDF as the deliverable.

Deliverable data

We can supply the finished Vietnamese artwork and a print-ready PDF set to your specifications.

Get the most out of your typesetting localization project – tips and advice read more here

  1. Many languages expand once translated from English, so it is best if you leave some space for this. If in doubt, just give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.
  2. Bold, italics and even colours in the same paragraph may not translate into the target language. Avoiding excessive use of these will keep your costs down and speed up the process.
  3. Drop caps and uppercase are not supported in some languages.
  4. If you want to place text over an image, try to add it to the document rather than in the image itself. That way we can edit exactly what you need changing.
  5. We can advise on fonts to match the original as close as possible

Vietnamese translation services

Our own in-house translation agency provides translations in over 120 languages including Vietnamese. By using Adelphi for your translation and typesetting it ensures that you get the best of services, we are happy to work with your own translations and can advise on the best way to organize the translation for maximum efficiency. We also use translation memory so if your brochure is to be updated on a regular basis we can provide 100% matches and ‘fuzzy matches’ to existing translations to keep the costs down.

Adelphi also provides brochure translation and localization in over 80 other languages

Adelphi’s offices

UK Head Office
Tel : +44 (0)114 272 3772
Email: sales@adelphistudio.com

US Office
Tel : 916 414 8714
Email: us@adelphistudio.com

Urdu brochure translation

Urdu typesetting

Urdu can be written using two different styles, Naskh and Nastaliq. Most newspapers and everyday writing is done using Naskh which is similar to Arabic. Most Urdu typesetting is produced using the Naskh style.

Urdu graphics localization

If you have any text in your graphics we can localize them into Urdu, to do so we require the original ‘live text’ files such as in Photoshop or Illustrator. We have the latest Adobe CC applications on Apple Mac computers.

DTP QA (quality assurance)

DTP QA is carried out by one of our experienced project managers after the brochure has been set in Urdu. They will check the document for typos, incorrect placement of text, the accuracy of dates, numbers, product names etc. when compared to the English original. At Adelphi, we always carry out DTP QA on all our typesetting projects until the document is perfect.

Data required

We require to be provided with a “collect or package” of the original English artwork for us to adapt it into Urdu this should include the fonts and any images linked to the document, without these we cannot create a print-ready PDF as the deliverable.

Deliverable data

We can supply the finished Urdu artwork and a print-ready PDF set to your specifications.

Get the most out of your typesetting localization project – tips and advice read more here

  1. Many languages expand once translated from English, so it is best if you leave some space for this. If in doubt, just give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.
  2. Bold, italics and even colors in the same paragraph may not translate into the target language. Avoiding excessive use of these will keep your costs down and speed up the process.
  3. Drop caps and uppercase are not supported in some languages.
  4. If you want to place text over an image, try to add it to the document rather than in the image itself. That way we can edit exactly what you need changing.
  5. We can advise on fonts to match the original as close as possible

Urdu translation services

Our own in-house translation agency provides translations in over 120 languages including Urdu. By using Adelphi for your translation and typesetting it ensures that you get the best of services, we are happy to work with your own translations and can advise on the best way to organize the translation for maximum efficiency. We also use translation memory so if your brochure is to be updated on a regular basis we can provide 100% matches and ‘fuzzy matches’ to existing translations to keep the costs down.

Adelphi also provides brochure translation and localization in over 80 other languages

Adelphi’s offices

UK Head Office
Tel : +44 (0)114 272 3772
Email: sales@adelphistudio.com

US Office
Tel : 916 414 8714
Email: us@adelphistudio.com

Ukrainian brochure translation

Ukrainian typesetting

Ukrainian uses is an adapted version of the Cyrillic alphabet and consists of 33 letters that represent 38 phonemes. Twenty letters represent consonants (б, г, ґ, д, ж, з, к, л, м, н, п, р, с, т, ф, х, ц, ч, ш, щ), ten vowels (а, е, є, и, і, ї, о, у, ю, я), and two semivowels (й/yot, and в). As long as the correct font is used typesetting Ukrainian poses no problems.

Ukrainian graphics localization

If you have any text in your graphics we can localize them into Ukrainian, to do so we require the original ‘live text’ files such as in Photoshop or Illustrator. We have the latest Adobe CC applications on Apple Mac computers.

DTP QA (quality assurance)

DTP QA is carried out by one of our experienced project managers after the brochure has been set in Ukrainian. They will check the document for typos, incorrect placement of text, the accuracy of dates, numbers, product names etc. when compared to the English original. At Adelphi, we always carry out DTP QA on all our typesetting projects until the document is perfect.

Data required

We require to be provided with a “collect or package” of the original English artwork for us to adapt it into Ukrainian this should include the fonts and any images linked to the document, without these we cannot create a print-ready PDF as the deliverable.

Deliverable data

We can supply the finished Ukrainian artwork and a print-ready PDF set to your specifications.

Get the most out of your typesetting localization project – tips and advice read more here

  1. Many languages expand once translated from English, so it is best if you leave some space for this. If in doubt, just give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.
  2. Bold, italics and even colors in the same paragraph may not translate into the target language. Avoiding excessive use of these will keep your costs down and speed up the process.
  3. Drop caps and uppercase are not supported in some languages.
  4. If you want to place text over an image, try to add it to the document rather than in the image itself. That way we can edit exactly what you need changing.
  5. We can advise on fonts to match the original as close as possible

Ukrainian translation services

Our own in-house translation agency provides translations in over 120 languages including Ukrainian. By using Adelphi for your translation and typesetting it ensures that you get the best of services, we are happy to work with your own translations and can advise on the best way to organize the translation for maximum efficiency. We also use translation memory so if your brochure is to be updated on a regular basis we can provide 100% matches and ‘fuzzy matches’ to existing translations to keep the costs down.

Adelphi also provides brochure translation and localization in over 80 other languages

Adelphi’s offices

UK Head Office
Tel : +44 (0)114 272 3772
Email: sales@adelphistudio.com

US Office
Tel : 916 414 8714
Email: us@adelphistudio.com

Turkish brochure translation

Turkish typesetting

The modern Turkish alphabet has 29 letters. The following letters were adapted to represent Turkish sounds: Ç, Ğ, I, İ, Ö, Ş, and Ü. While most fonts have these characters the I (an i without the dot and the İ, a capital i with a dot) do not appear in many fonts. Either a Unicode or specific Turkish font has to be used when localizing Turkish materials.

Turkish graphics localization

If you have any text in your graphics we can localize them into Turkish, to do so we require the original ‘live text’ files such as in Photoshop or Illustrator. We have the latest Adobe CC applications on Apple Mac computers.

DTP QA (quality assurance)

DTP QA is carried out by one of our experienced project managers after the brochure has been set in Turkish. They will check the document for typos, incorrect placement of text, the accuracy of dates, numbers, product names etc. when compared to the English original. At Adelphi, we always carry out DTP QA on all our typesetting projects until the document is perfect.

Data required

We require to be provided with a “collect or package” of the original English artwork for us to adapt it into Turkish this should include the fonts and any images linked to the document, without these we cannot create a print-ready PDF as the deliverable.

Deliverable data

We can supply the finished Turkish artwork and a print-ready PDF set to your specifications.

Get the most out of your typesetting localization project – tips and advice read more here

  1. Many languages expand once translated from English, so it is best if you leave some space for this. If in doubt, just give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.
  2. Bold, italics and even colors in the same paragraph may not translate into the target language. Avoiding excessive use of these will keep your costs down and speed up the process.
  3. Drop caps and uppercase are not supported in some languages.
  4. If you want to place text over an image, try to add it to the document rather than in the image itself. That way we can edit exactly what you need changing.
  5. We can advise on fonts to match the original as close as possible

Turkish translation services

Our own in-house translation agency provides translations in over 120 languages including Turkish. By using Adelphi for your translation and typesetting it ensures that you get the best of services, we are happy to work with your own translations and can advise on the best way to organize the translation for maximum efficiency. We also use translation memory so if your brochure is to be updated on a regular basis we can provide 100% matches and ‘fuzzy matches’ to existing translations to keep the costs down.

Adelphi also provides brochure translation and localization in over 80 other languages

Adelphi’s offices

UK Head Office
Tel : +44 (0)114 272 3772
Email: sales@adelphistudio.com

US Office
Tel : 916 414 8714
Email: us@adelphistudio.com

Thai brochure translation

Thai typesetting

Thai has very long compound words and can be difficult to break in the right place. Also, it is very important that the diacritics are lined up correctly otherwise the meaning of the word can change. The Thai script is very open to corruption if the correct font is not used.

Thai-sample_2

Thai graphics localization

If you have any text in your graphics we can localize them into Thai, to do so we require the original ‘live text’ files such as in Photoshop or Illustrator. We have the latest Adobe CC applications on Apple Mac computers.

DTP QA (quality assurance)

DTP QA is carried out by one of our experienced project managers after the brochure has been set in Thai. They will check the document for typos, incorrect placement of text, the accuracy of dates, numbers, product names etc. when compared to the English original. At Adelphi, we always carry out DTP QA on all our typesetting projects until the document is perfect.

Data required

We require to be provided with a “collect or package” of the original English artwork for us to adapt it into Thai this should include the fonts and any images linked to the document, without these we cannot create a print-ready PDF as the deliverable.

Deliverable data

We can supply the finished Thai artwork and a print-ready PDF set to your specifications.

Get the most out of your typesetting localization project – tips and advice read more here

  1. Many languages expand once translated from English, so it is best if you leave some space for this. If in doubt, just give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.
  2. Bold, italics and even colors in the same paragraph may not translate into the target language. Avoiding excessive use of these will keep your costs down and speed up the process.
  3. Drop caps and uppercase are not supported in some languages.
  4. If you want to place text over an image, try to add it to the document rather than in the image itself. That way we can edit exactly what you need changing.
  5. We can advise on fonts to match the original as close as possible

Thai translation services

Our own in-house translation agency provides translations in over 120 languages including Thai. By using Adelphi for your translation and typesetting it ensures that you get the best of services, we are happy to work with your own translations and can advise on the best way to organize the translation for maximum efficiency. We also use translation memory so if your brochure is to be updated on a regular basis we can provide 100% matches and ‘fuzzy matches’ to existing translations to keep the costs down.

Adelphi also provides brochure translation and localization in over 80 other languages

Adelphi’s offices

UK Head Office
Tel : +44 (0)114 272 3772
Email: sales@adelphistudio.com

US Office
Tel : 916 414 8714
Email: us@adelphistudio.com

Tamil brochure translation

Tamil typesetting

Tamil is spoken in southern India and northeastern Sri Lanka. Tamil, while being a beautiful looking language suffers from font issues, swapping fonts can be difficult and some typesetting applications do not render the fonts correctly. When typesetting Tamil this has to be taken into consideration.

Tamil graphics localization

If you have any text in your graphics we can localize them into Tamil, to do so we require the original ‘live text’ files such as in Photoshop or Illustrator. We have the latest Adobe CC applications on Apple Mac computers.

DTP QA (quality assurance)

DTP QA is carried out by one of our experienced project managers after the brochure has been set in Tamil. They will check the document for typos, incorrect placement of text, the accuracy of dates, numbers, product names etc. when compared to the English original. At Adelphi, we always carry out DTP QA on all our typesetting projects until the document is perfect.

Data required

We require to be provided with a “collect or package” of the original English artwork for us to adapt it into Tamil this should include the fonts and any images linked to the document, without these we cannot create a print-ready PDF as the deliverable.

Deliverable data

We can supply the finished Tamil artwork and a print-ready PDF set to your specifications.

Get the most out of your typesetting localization project – tips and advice read more here

  1. Many languages expand once translated from English, so it is best if you leave some space for this. If in doubt, just give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.
  2. Bold, italics and even colors in the same paragraph may not translate into the target language. Avoiding excessive use of these will keep your costs down and speed up the process.
  3. Drop caps and uppercase are not supported in some languages.
  4. If you want to place text over an image, try to add it to the document rather than in the image itself. That way we can edit exactly what you need changing.
  5. We can advise on fonts to match the original as close as possible

Tamil translation services

Our own in-house translation agency provides translations in over 120 languages including Tamil. By using Adelphi for your translation and typesetting it ensures that you get the best of services, we are happy to work with your own translations and can advise on the best way to organize the translation for maximum efficiency. We also use translation memory so if your brochure is to be updated on a regular basis we can provide 100% matches and ‘fuzzy matches’ to existing translations to keep the costs down.

Adelphi also provides brochure translation and localization in over 80 other languages

Adelphi’s offices

UK Head Office
Tel : +44 (0)114 272 3772
Email: sales@adelphistudio.com

US Office
Tel : 916 414 8714
Email: us@adelphistudio.com