Microsoft Visio

 

Extension	.vsdx, .vsdm
Smartling Identifier	VSDX, VSDM
Max Size	100MB
Directives Support	API
Visual Context Support	Static visual context is automatically generated.
Resources	Microsoft Documentation

Visio files are used to create diagrams using Microsoft Visio software. No file directives are required to upload a Visio file for translation. However, optional directives can be added when uploading a Visio file to Smartling via API to modify which content is ingested for translation, how the content is parsed into strings, and which elements are captured as non-translatable placeholders.

After translations are complete, you can download the translated version of the Visio file, with the source text replaced by the translations. Desktop Publishing (DTP) may be required to ensure the translated content is properly formatted and displayed as intended in the final output file. 

Default behavior 

Content parsing

The following content is ingested for translation by default: 

• Any text which appears on the Visio page. This includes text in any kind of block or labels for arrows/pointers, etc. 
• Any text that comes from background pages and master pages. 

The following content is not ingested for translation by default, but can be ingested using directives. 

• User comments - Can be included using the Process User Comments directive.
• Hyperlinks (description and url) - Can be included using the Translate Hyperlinks directive.

String ordering in Smartling

Strings are ordered as they appear in the document, from the first to the last page. Within each page, the order follows:

1. Top to bottom (primary order)
2. Left to right (if y coordinates are equal) 

Strings that are not visible, but are associated with a specific page are listed after all visible strings on that page.

Modifying default behavior

You can control how the file is parsed and what content is ingested for translation using file directives.

• File directives for Visio files are supported via API (inline directives are not supported).
• Directives can be added as an API parameter when uploading the source file to Smartling using the format:
  smartling.[directive_name] = [value]

View the full list of supported directives for Visio files below. 

Supported File Directives

Custom Placeholder Format

Directive	placeholder_format_custom
Values	1) Custom Java regular expression. 2) NONE - disables any current custom placeholders.
Description	Specifies a custom placeholder format. Any text in your file matching the regular expression you provide will be captured as a placeholder.
Example	smartling.placeholder_format_custom=\{([^}]+)\} Any characters surrounded by curly brackets, e.g., {first name}, will be treated as a placeholder.

See Placeholders in Resource Files for more on placeholders.

Enable Variants to Make Strings Unique

Directive	variants_enabled
Values	true|TRUE|on|ON OR false|FALSE|off|OFF The default value is on.
Description	When enabled, Smartling will make strings unique using variant metadata.  If you have previously uploaded a file with variants disabled, and re-upload the file with variants enabled, Smartling will ingest the content as new strings. You can configure SmartMatch to automatically match the new strings to any previously completed translations.
Example	smartling.variants_enabled = true

Variant Strategy

Directive	variants_strategy
Values	none (default) context_match repetition_indexed (case-insensitive)
Description	If your document contains two strings with the same source text (i.e., repetitions), they are typically ingested as two separate strings with separate variants as metadata. If desired, this default behavior can be modified by disabling variants, in which case the strings will be de-duplicated and captured only once. Alternatively, if you want strings with the same source text to be parsed as separate strings only when the text surrounding each string differs, set the variants_strategydirective to context_match. context_match enables ICE variants functionality. An ICE variant is determined based on the exact character text of the preceding and following strings, if any. This process combines the two surrounding strings with a separate character sequence to differentiate between the ending and starting strings in a document. repetition_indexed enables the “string indexes as variants for repeated strings” functionality, which is the default behavior for business documents. When  repetition_indexed is enabled, repeated strings are indexed as variants. The variants_strategy directive overrides the variants_enabled directive.
Example	smartling.variants_strategy = repetition_indexed

 

Translate Hyperlinks

Directive	smartling.translate_hyperlinks
Values	true|false|TRUE|FALSE|yes|YES|no|NO|off|OFF The default value is false.
Description	This directive controls if hyperlinks are ingested for translation. If set to false, only the link text is ingested for translation. The link address is not ingested for translation. If set to true, both the link text and link address are ingested for translation, with the link address being treated as a separate string.
Example	smartling.translate_hyperlinks = true

Translate Comments

Directive	smartling.process_user_comments
Values	true|false|TRUE|FALSE|yes|YES|no|NO|off|OFF The default value is false.
Description	This directive controls if comments in the file are ingested for translation.
Example	smartling.process_user_comments = true

 

Post-translation formatting 

As Visio files are used for diagramming and graphics, they often require desktop publishing (DTP) after translation. Some common reasons for DTP include: 

•  Text Expansion/Contraction - Translations can take up more or less space than the original text, which may require resizing text boxes, adjusting layouts, or reformatting diagrams.
• Text in Shapes - Text inside shapes may not automatically resize to fit properly after translation, leading to truncation or misalignment.
•  Embedded Graphics & Layers - Visio files often contain layered elements or callouts that might shift or break during translation, requiring manual adjustments.
• Font & Character Support - Some fonts may not support certain languages (e.g., CJK or RTL languages), necessitating font replacements or adjustments.
•  Right-to-Left (RTL) Considerations - If translating into languages like Arabic or Hebrew, diagram direction and layout may need to be flipped.

Best Practices to Minimize DTP Efforts 

• Use expandable text boxes whenever possible. 
• Choose standard fonts that support all target languages
• Avoid placing text within images. 

For more information on the DTP process, please refer to this article.