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Adobe InDesign (INDD) Plugin Installation and Setup

Smartling’s Adobe InDesign plugin allows you to send, preview, and receive translations performed within Smartling directly from Adobe InDesign. Additionally, the plugin provides automatic Visual Context for linguists in the CAT Tool.

Please note that this plugin is a paid product. For pricing information, please reach out to your Smartling Customer Success Manager.

Prerequisites

  1. Adobe InDesign app
    • Ensure you have the Adobe InDesign application installed.
  2. Access to Adobe Creative Cloud
  3. Access to Smartling as an Account Owner or Project Manager user
    • You must have an activated Smartling user account (i.e., you have successfully signed in to Smartling).
  4. Cybersecurity Software Compatibility
    • Some cybersecurity software programs, such as ZScaler and InfoBlox, may block your access to the plugin. Disabling these programs will allow you to log in to Smartling via the plugin.

Create an InDesign project in Smartling

  1. Log in to Smartling with an Account Owner user role.
  2. Create a new Project and select the Project type "Connector".
  3. Under Connector Type, select InDesign as your connecting platform.
    • The Project is the space in Smartling where your content will be translated.
    • We recommend using "InDesign Plugin" in the project name to make the project easily identifiable. 

Download the Smartling InDesign Plugin 

  1. Launch Adobe Creative Cloud.
  2. Go to Stock & Marketplace.
  3. Filter for Plugins in the dropdown menu and search "smartling."Screenshot_2023-01-19_at_09.56.48.png
  4. Click Get on the Smartling plugin for InDesign plugin tile. 
    InDesign Plugin Get Button.png

Note on Smartling Adobe Plugins

You will see three Smartling plugins in the marketplace:

  1. Smartling – Recommended for use with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop only.
  2. Smartling Plugin for InDesign – Referenced in this documentation; recommended for use with Adobe InDesign.
  3. Smartling Plugin for Photoshop (Legacy) – Not recommended for use.
    smartling plugins.png

Connect the Smartling InDesign Plugin to Smartling

  1. Open Adobe InDesign
  2. Create a new or open an existing InDesign file
  3. From the top navigation, click Window > Extensions > Smartling
    • The Authorization window will automatically open, prompting you to log in to Smartling. Click the button Browser Log In.
      browser-login.png
  4. Log in to Smartling using your credentials. 
    • After a successful login, you can close the browser tab and return to Adobe InDesign. 
  5. In Adobe InDesign, select the project you want to send content to for translation in Smartling and click Continue.
    select-project.png


Configure plugin settings

The Settings screen will appear where you can configure the following settings:

You can navigate to the plugin settings at any time by clicking the gear wheel icon.

gear-wheel-settings.png

  1.  Use Variants
    • By default, variants are disabled. Select this checkbox before submitting any content for translation if you would like to enable string variants. 
    • Variants are generated based on the text node ID and the text node position in a table grid. 
    • In most cases, it is recommended to leave variants disabled. If enabled, new variants will be created upon each new upload of a file. 
  2. Retrieval Type
    • Pending: The current translations. If the strings are still in progress you may see untranslated content when translations retrieved.  
    • (Recommended) Published: All published translations, including pre-published translations. 
  3. Custom Placeholder Format
    • (Optional) Enter a regular expression (RegEx) to define custom placeholders.
  4. Click Save Settings. 

Now you're ready to start translating with the Smartling InDesign (INDD) Plugin. 

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