Multilingual Desktop Publishing and Typesetting Services

Our in-house multilingual Desktop Publishing (DTP) team handles a variety of file types, applying linguistic skill and technical precision to format your translated documents.

Multlingual DTP – formatting translations in different software packages, has been a key service offering for over 40 years. Aesthetics play an important role in the success of content, so the look of your translated materials needs to be every bit as good as the original for consistently impactful global reach. Formatting errors in translated documents can have negative effects on the impact of your product and brand, and the consequences of misinterpretation can be damaging and far-reaching. With special characters, right-to-left scripts and text expansion and contraction to take into consideration, the risk of non-specialists completing this work cannot be understated.

This is where our reliable and highly experienced in-house multilingual Desktop Publishing (DTP) services come in to their own, combining technical talent with linguistic knowledge to reproduce your documents with precision and care. By coupling this expertise with subsequent rigorous quality checks, we deliver documents with quality and style, whether a brochure, a manual, a label or a product catalogue.

Why choose The Translation People?

Expertise

Our specialist operators are skilled in a wide variety of languages and draw on decades of industry experience. Their exceptional command of the latest technology means they can produce flawless replica materials which boost credibility, do the original justice, and are ready for print or distribution.

Detail-driven

Our dedication to quality goes above and beyond translation and influences our multilingual desktop publishing. Script direction, text expansion, different hyphenation rules, spacing variations, character corruption – we consider every last detail.

Post-DTP proofread

Unlike many other translation companies, The Translation People conducts rigorous final checks with the help of experienced, vigilant, native-speaking proofreaders to guarantee a job well done.

Capabilities

We work across software packages on both Mac and PC platforms, and perform all multilingual desktop publishing services ranging from page layout to rekeying, reformatting, font matching, and following source pdfs as templates.

Flexibility

By drawing on our in-house DTP resources, we can offer unrivalled adaptability to suit your exact needs and drive efficiency, tailoring workflows to include client review and approval stages.

Integration with translation technology

We bridge the gap between DTP software and Translation Memory technology by allowing easy export/import of contents and hassle-free integration with translation interfaces. This means we are able to achieve cost savings of up to 60% when compared to traditional DTP processes.


Our Multilingual DTP & Typesetting Process:

  1. Receive the content: You send us the content for translation in a variety of methods, including secure file transfer.  
  2. Translation memory: We analyse the document against our Translation Memory database to see whether there is any previously translated content or repeated phrasing, both of which will be translated automatically saving you time and money.  
  3. Translation and review: Our expert translators get to work translating the document/s, with draft translations reviewed for accuracy and suitability.   
  4. Quality assurance and delivery: Before delivery, the translation undergoes our strict quality assurance process. 

 

Software we can provide Multilingual DTP & Typesetting for

Our expert translation engineers have the tools to translate in a wide range of formats, from specialist software to standard office packages.

Adobe InDesign ®
QuarkXPress ®
Adobe Illustrator ®

Adobe Photoshop ®
Adobe FrameMaker ®
Adobe PageMaker ®

AutoCAD
CorelDraw
Dreamweaver

Flash
Pro/ENGINEER

Publisher

If you’ve got some content to translate in a format not included in this list, please get in touch with us for a bespoke quote. We can cover almost any format, including industry-specific or other non-standard formats.

Languages we can provide Multilingual Desktop Publishing in:

 

Multilingual Desktop Publishing & Typesetting for:

We are proud to have helped businesses around the world with their multilingual desktop publishing and typesetting needs. Our clients include global businesses looking to internationalise their communications, smaller businesses looking to expand into new audiences, and everything in between.

Our bank of specialists includes translators with expertise in a range of industries, letting us deliver impactful and engaging translations in fields like:  

and many more 

To find out how we can help your business with its translation needs, whatever your industry, get in touch for a bespoke quote 

 

Multilingual Desktop Publishing & Typesetting FAQs

What is Multilingual Desktop Publishing?

Desktop publishing, or DTP, is the process of designing documents with text and visual elements. Multilingual can refer to designing one document with multiple languages, or, within the context of translation, to duplicating a visual document into a new target language while retaining the look and feel of the original.

The goal of multilingual desktop publishing is to ensure translated documents retain the look and feel of the original, in terms of aesthetics, formatting, and other visual elements. Translated materials that have a consistent look and feel with the original are more likely to be effective at engaging the target audience, and will contribute to a more coherent brand experience.

When do I need multilingual DTP?

If your business has translated or is looking to translate material where the visual formatting makes a significant contribution to the purpose of the document, multilingual DTP services can ensure this contribution is carried across to translated versions.

With documents like brochures, reports, manuals, labels or catalogues, the visual components are just as important as the written ones. By commissioning specialist multilingual DTP services you ensure that both strands of the project are undertaken in unison, leading to a smoother process and a more refined end result.

What is a DTP specialist for translation?

A DTP specialist is someone who has both technical and linguistic skills, and who is able to combine these to create translated reproductions of documents that encapsulate the characteristics and impact of the original. Effective multilingual DTP relies on proficiency in DTP software as well as a mastery of the original and target language/s of the document.

Multilingual DTP has been a key service offering of The Translation People for over four decades, during which time we have built a team of experienced specialists with deep embedded expertise. We have the tools and skills to take on even the most complex DTP projects, and have helped businesses in a wide range of industries to create coherent and impactful materials for target audiences around the world.

What is DTP software?

DTP software are computer programs used to design documents. Users can combine text with graphical elements to produce attractive and professional-looking layouts. DTP software includes functionality like typesetting, colour management, formatting and many others designed to simplify the process of creating sophisticated documents.

There are plenty of DTP software choices, with some of the most popular being Adobe InDesign, Scribus, and Microsoft Publisher. The barrier of entry can be quite high for these programs (both in terms of cost and skill) so it’s often preferable for businesses to commission the services of experienced multilingual DTP experts.

At The Translation People we usually work with InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Quark and other tools like Visio.

How much does multilingual DTP cost?

The cost of a multilingual DTP project will vary depending on factors like nature and complexity of the document/s, number of target languages, and so on. To ensure fair and competitive pricing, we offer bespoke quotes for all of our projects. If you’d like to find out how much multilingual DTP costs, we’d invite you to fill in our contact form with details about the project. We’ll review this and come back to you with a quote.

We are also able to pass on associated savings in our costs for repeat projects, which we achieve through the creation of a translation memory, whereby translated words and phrases associated with a client are stored in a database for retrieval in subsequent projects.

What is typesetting?

Typesetting is simply the process of making text and other elements on the page readable and visually engaging. There are considerations around accessibility – i.e., will text be legible, will people with dyslexia or other needs be able to read it – as well as aesthetic ones. While typesetting traditionally referred to a mechanical process where type was literally “set” through the use of metal letters, it now mostly refers to a digital process.

What are the types of desktop publishing?

Multilingual DTP can refer to different types of desktop publishing, some of the most common of which are as follows:

  • Print publishing: DTP involving physical documents like business cards, posters, books, brochures and so on.
  • Digital publishing: DTP involving digital formats like web content, PDFs, email newsletters, eBooks and so on.
  • Packaging design: DTP specifically involving visual materials used for product packaging, whether it be box art, information labels, or any other aspect.
  • Typesetting: Tailoring text in an engaging and visually appealing way, including aspects like font, alignment, spacing and so on.

Other Services

As a translation agency that has been serving clients for over 40 years, it should come as no surprise that we offer a full range of translation services: from website translation to technical translation and including voiceover and subtitling, interpreting and software localisation. Whatever your translation needs, we’ve got you covered!

Our Recent Projects

We’re a trusted translation provider for many leading global brands as well as smaller businesses.

  • Translation of 30,000 words into 16 languages for patients on how to improve health, fitness and reduce obesity.
  • Translation of User Manuals and Engineer's Notes into 14 languages for an engineering company.
  • Translation & subtitling of internal communications in 5 languages for a client in the food & drink sector.
  • Software Translations for an online payment system into over 50 languages.

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