home > learning center > specific formats > FrameMaker, QuarkXPress, InDesign, PageMaker, PowerPoint: Translation and DTP

FrameMaker, QuarkXPress, InDesign, PageMaker, PowerPoint: Translation and DTP

At "The Center for Technical Translation®", we have bought, trained on and used virtually all of the major DTP programs on the market today – FrameMaker, QuarkXPress, InDesign, PageMaker, MicroGraphics and even PowerPoint (you may not think of it as a DTP program, but there is still a lot to know!). We also needed to learn the tricks of the trade for the accompanying graphic programs such as Illustrator, Photoshop, FreeHand and CorelDraw since a lot of the manuals, brochures and books we were translating had graphic callouts that needed translation.

As with anything in life, each new project is still a learning experience. Each Quark file we get is different from the last. Each Desktop Publisher leaves his or her fingerprints on a file with interesting little quirks we'll never see again. It keeps us on our toes!

With the help of TRADOS (Translation Memory Software), the Desktop Publishing part of a translation project now takes a lot less time and money. TRADOS has developed filters for most major DTP programs which virtually eliminate the need for hours of formatting after a translation has been completed. Here are the basics on how these work, in plain language, using FrameMaker as an example:

1. SAVE AS MIF - Your English FrameMaker files are saved in MIF format and then run through the TRADOS filter creating a marked-up RTF file. All character, paragraph and other formatting information is hidden inside of tags (like an HTML file).
   
2. TRANSLATE - The translator then uses a feature of TRADOS called Tag-Editor which protects those tags so they cannot be altered. All the translator will see is the English text on screen, at which point they can key in the translation. (For all you Framers out there, the TRADOS filter sends all of the background "stuff" [index markers, variable text, etc.] to an ancillary file so the translator can work on that too!)
   
3. RE-FILTER BACK TO MIF - When we finish the translation and independent edit, we process the tagged files back through the TRADOS filter and new MIF files are produced. If, for any reason, even one small tag is out of place on the conversion back to MIF, TRADOS produces an error log warning us to check it before proceeding. This ensures that your translated file will have the exact same formatting characteristics as your original English.
   
4. FINAL DTP - After the files are back to MIF, our in-house DTP specialists (aka: highly trained Project Managers) will go through your FrameMaker (or Quark, PageMaker, etc.) files, page-by-page and line-by-line, to make sure everything looks right. They will regenerate your TOC and Indices, if applicable, and test any hyperlinks you have in place.
   
5. CLIENT REVIEW - This is the most important step in the whole process. This is where we send you your translated, formatted file(s) for review. Usually, a PDF is created so your overseas customers or colleagues can review the translation and layout easily without the need for Frame or Quark installed on their system. Any changes from your reviewers can be sent to us outlined in a Word file, notated in the PDF file or marked-up on a hard copy (if the changes are not extensive). We will incorporate reasonable changes at no additional cost to you.

With the use of the TRADOS filters, we no longer need to insist that translators have experience using FrameMaker, QuarkXPress, etc. Now we just provide the tagged file for translation and do the final formatting here in-house.

All of this adds up to great savings for our clients! What used to take hours and hours of desktop publishing charges now may only take an hour or two. That means you get your manuals and brochures translated faster, and at a lower cost.