Translating with the Adobe InDesign (INDD) Plugin

The Smartling plugin for Adobe allows you to send InDesign content to Smartling for translation in a job. Only the content in text objects is translatable, meaning words in images are not translatable.

Using the InDesign plugin will also provide automatic Visual Context for linguists in the CAT Tool.

You can monitor the progress of the Job in InDesign, or in Smartling. Once the translation of the file is complete for a language, you can create a translated version of the file in InDesign, by using the plugin to apply the translations.

This article guides you through the steps of sending content for translation and retrieving translations in InDesign.

Log in to Smartling via InDesign

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.
     
     
4. Log in to Smartling using your credentials. 
   • After a successful login, you can close the browser tab and return to Adobe InDesign.
5. The Authorization window will prompt you to choose the project you want to send content to for translation in Smartling. Select the project from the dropdown menu and click Continue. 
   
   

Configure plugin settings 

Make any necessary changes to the plugin settings. You can access the settings by clicking the gear icon. See here for more information on these settings. 

Preparing InDesign content for translation

Although minimal to no file preparation is required before submitting InDesign content for translation in Smartling, it may be worthwhile to verify that all strings (layers containing text) are correctly formatted.

Only text within visible layers is ingested for translation. Text embedded in images is not included.

Submit InDesign content for translation in Smartling

To submit your InDesign content into a Smartling job:

1. Launch InDesign Desktop App
2. Open the InDesign file you would like to translate.
3. From the top navigation, click Window > Extensions > Smartling
4. The Smartling plugin window will appear, displaying all the functions of the Smartling plugin. You can navigate between the different options pages by clicking the icons on the left. Clicking the menu icon will expand the full options panel.
   
   
5. Click the upload file icon to navigate to the Submit Translation page.
   
   
6. Choose to add the content to an existing Job and choose a Job from the dropdown, or choose to create a new Job and enter a name for the Job.
7. Add a Job due date. This date can be adjusted later in the Smartling dashboard if needed. 
8. (Optional) Add a Job Description. Here you can provide additional details to linguists.
9. Click Next. 
10. Select the target languages for translation. 
    
11. (Optional) Select the checkbox next to "Auto authorize" to pre-authorize the Job. This means the job will be automatically authorized for translation in the default workflow of the target language once the content is submitted.
    
    • If you choose not to select this checkbox, the Job will remain in “Awaiting Authorization” in Smartling until a user manually authorizes it for translation. This option allows users to select the desired workflow for the language and review a cost estimate before initiating the translation process. 
12. Click Submit to submit the content to Smartling for translation.
13. Once completed, the request summary will appear. Click Open Job to navigate directly to the Job in Smartling.  
    
14. Close the window to continue working in InDesign. 

Making changes to source content

When you edit source content in files that have already been submitted for translation, only the new or updated content will appear in Smartling within a new Job. Previously translated source content will not be retranslated, helping you save on translation costs.
This is because each file, identified by its unique name (or namespace), is processed only once in a Smartling project. During the initial submission, all translatable content is parsed into strings and translated. If you later modify or add content to the file while retaining the same filename, only the new or updated content is ingested for translation. As a result, the “new” Job will only display the added or modified content, not the entirety of the file.

Retrieve translations from Smartling

Once your translations are complete in Smartling, you can send translations directly to your InDesign app by applying translations via the Translation Status page.