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Preview Pseudo Translations with the Photoshop Plugin

More often than not, translations require more characters than the source copy (especially if English is the source locale). This means that translated content can require more display space than the source content. 

As translating content can be of high-value and require time and resources, it can be worthwhile to get a visualization of the predicted structure and layout of your translated content.

Pseudo-translation is a way of performing translation without really translating. It replaces the source text with a repeated special character set from other languages. It's completely automated, and it exists here to provide Photoshop designers a quick glance at what a translated version of their prototype will look like. Quickly identify strings that will not be translated, locate problematic buttons with run-off text, or simply test your font to determine how it's going to look and feel with a different set of characters.

Pseudotranslate Your File

  1. Launch Photoshop Desktop App
  2. Open a new or existing Photoshop file
  3. Click Window >Extensions (legacy) > Smartling
  4. In the Smartling window, click Menu on the top left-hand corner
    • This is where you'll find all functions of the Smartling plugin
      Screenshot_2023-01-19_at_10.44.32.png
  5. From the options listed in the menu, select Pseudotranslate
  6. In the dialog that opens, select a language that represents the region you will be translating for. Each language set corresponds with a text expansion or contraction percentage. This allows you to decide how much expansion or contraction you'd like to see in your pseudo.mceclip3.png
  7. Click Apply Translations and take a look at your new Pseudotranslated page. A copy of your chosen page will be created with selected pseudo translations.

Text Expansion Ratios

  • Chinese, Japanese: reduces text size by 50%.
  • Korean: reduces text size by 30%.
  • Baseline: displays pseudo translations with no text expansion.
  • Most European Languages: increases text size by 15%.
  • French, Italian: increases text size by 30%.
  • Dutch,German: increases text size by 50%.

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