This article is for Account Owners, Project Managers, and Translators.
The formatting of Adobe InDesign files makes context especially important for successful translation. Smartling can show InDesign context in the CAT Tool. Using this feature gives translators an idea of what the final output could look like.
Visual context for IDML and INDD files is not dynamic, unlike HTML context, meaning that the translations are not updated in the context panel in real-time.
However, for IDML files, context can be generated and refreshed as translations are inserted and saved:
- In the CAT Tool, within the Context tab, click the Refresh Translations button.
- Switch between the source and target language by clicking the language name.
- To update with new translations, save the new translations and click Refresh Translations again.
Considerations
Visual context for IDML files is a hybrid, meaning it's neither static nor dynamic. Translations do not populate in real time, but a snapshot of translations can display with user generation. However, in any case, visual context is never perfect, so it should never be regarded as the source of truth for a linguist's translation. The previews will not guarantee how the final output will look once the IDML is reimported into Adobe as an INDD file. As a result, the translated file will typically need DTP after translation. This is handled by designers after the translated files are downloaded by the content owners.
If the preview doesn’t look good in the context panel, it could, in fact, be an indication that without DTP it won’t look good in the final document. It is recommended that the INDD file has minimal formatting, as strict document formatting could be “clipping” the translation.
Content owners should be flexible in changing the format from the original file to suit the translated file. Applying character limits to strings could also help guide the linguists on any strict sizing restrictions.