You’ve got a text to translate but are unsure how to send it? Here’s some advice from our project manager Laura Germaney.
There’s a long list of file formats translation agencies can work with. The classics are Word, Excel, PowerPoint and idml files. Other formats such as Rich Text Format (RTF), HTML, Comma Delimited Text (CSV), and JSON are also suitable.
Editable files are best
Many translation projects are now carried out in what is known as a computer-assisted translation (CAT) tool. These programs recognise any editable text within a file and break it down into clear segments.
With the original text shown to the left and their translation to the right, the translator works their way through segment by segment. Thanks to such tools, translators can better keep track of their output, search terms to ensure consistency, and use nifty quality assurance functions.
What about PDFs?
PDFs are intended to be non-editable file formats. It’s always best to send the original file format as opposed to the PDF version. Although it is sometimes possible to export a PDF into an editable Word document, there are risks involved. Things can get particularly tricky if:
- Your text is written in a niche language, which the computer system is less likely to recognise. Even for more common languages, accented letters are sometimes not read correctly (e.g. the accented letter “ó” turns into “6”). This can cause confusion for the translator or make the PDF export altogether unworkable.
- Your file is very large, meaning there is greater scope for errors and omissions during the export process. In this case, a translation agency may only quote you an estimate and confirm the final pricing at the end. This is because it is not practicable for a project manager to fully review a large file at the initial quoting stage.
- The file contains graphs. The export may fail to reflect the formatting correctly, causing key data to get mixed up.
I only have a scan – is this workable?
Sometimes, all you will have is a picture or scan. This is often the case for educational diplomas, official documents such as driving licences and passports, or handwritten letters from solicitor clients. Here, we can work outside of the CAT tool and type our translation directly into a fresh Word document.
The most important thing to bear in mind is that your scan should be as clear as possible to ensure the text is legible and nothing is cut off. Wherever the linguist is unable to determine what a line of text says, they will need to insert the placeholder “[illegible]” in their translation. As translators, we are not permitted to make assumptions on what the source text could say.
If you don’t have access to a scanner, most smartphones and tablets now feature a built-in scanning function. See here for advice for Apple and Google devices. We’d recommend using this dedicated function rather than taking a normal picture of your document. This helps ensure better image quality.
Ready to go?
Once you’ve got a suitable file format, all that’s left to do is send it to your translation provider. Any background information about the source text, what you will use the translation for, and any impending deadline is always handy to mention too. If you’re still unsure about what to send, a reliable translation agency should be happy to answer any queries and give you advice on how to best proceed. If you’d like to talk to us, you can contact First Edition Translations directly.