Who needs to go from .doc or .docx to .idml?

Following my earlier posts on workflows involving the delivery of translations as .doc or .docx files with a view to producing end products laid out using InDesign, some readers have asked me to explain the sorts of projects I refer to.

First, it's true that many translation projects involving InDesign come from clients who want the translator to produce an end product in the target language from a source document already laid out using InDesign. For the corresponding workflow, see Workflow for .idml to .idml.

Today's question is, however, Who needs to go from .doc or .docx to .idml?
Well, there are translation customers in France and elsewhere who publish some documents in one or more target languages but not in the source language.
Indeed, when you think about it, this situation is potentially applicable to any organisation marketing or promoting products or services in foreign-language markets differently from the way these things are done on its home market.

More specifically, some of my clients draft technical journalism articles in French that are tailored specifically to promote French products and services in English to international target audiences using arguments, writing styles and publication formats that are different from those used in France. In the case of end documents laid out using InDesign, the source articles are drafted over a period of several weeks, translated and laid out progressively as the articles are made available, then published as an online and/or printed magazine as the last step of a long process.

The French-mother-tongue technical journalists draft their articles using Microsoft Word; the translators draft their translations using Word; and the page layout team does the layout using InDesign. The completed magazine is published in English, but not in French.

Workflow for low-tech .doc or .docx to .idml

Note: the Caveats listed in Workflow for .idml to .idml apply.

Case 3: Source language text mostly unformatted in Microsoft Word, but target language version to be laid out using Adobe InDesign.

The following workflow is based on a tip provided by Jamie McKee (@MacKeyComp) in the course of private exchange. Jamie McKee (@MacKeyComp) is the author of a high recommended post entitled Moving Text From Word to InDesign.

This workflow is for translators and graphics layout teams working for translation clients aiming to produce a target language documents laid out using Adobe InDesign from mostly unformatted source language documents in Microsoft Word. More specifically, this workflow is for cases where that described in Really smart workflow for .docx to .idml is not feasible for whatever reason.

Proposed workflow
1) Run a test by compiling a short Word file using only Word's "Normal,n" and containing local character attributes (bold, italics, etc.), non-breaking spaces (NBSPs), non-breaking hyphens, curly apostrophes, curly quotes and so forth. Ask the layout team to import the text into InDesign using the Place command (in the French version of Adobe InDesign this is called Importer) and to check that the said NBSPs) non-breaking hyphens, curly apostrophes and curly quotes are preserved.
2) If the test fails, find out why and repeat until successful. It may, for instance, be necessary to use a different style or styles in the Word document.
3) Ask the authors and translators to build their Microsoft Word files using only the Word style or styles successfully tested in step 2 and local character attributes (for bold, italics, etc.). From the outset authors and translators should use non-breaking spaces (NBSPs), aka hard spaces, non-breaking hyphens, curly apostrophes, curly quotes, and any other relevant tricks to ensure that layout and proofreading progress as smoothly and quickly as possible.
4) When the translation work proper has been completed, the translators should run Stanislav Okhvat's TransTools to ensure the consistent use of apostrophes, quotation marks, non-breaking spaces (NBSPs) and the like.

5) The translator(s) now forward their .doc or .docx files to the layout team. Be sure to ask the layout team to import all text exclusively using the Place command (in the French version of Adobe InDesign this is called Importer) as this is the only way to preserve local character attributes (bold, italics, etc.), non-breaking spaces (NBSPs), non-breaking hyphens, curly apostrophes, curly quotes and so forth.

Really smart workflow for .docx to .idml

Note: the Caveats listed in Workflow for .idml to .idml apply.

Case 2: Source language text in Microsoft Word formatted in strict compliance with a comprehensive Word template and target language version to be laid out using Adobe InDesign.

The following workflow is based on a post entitled Moving Text From Word to InDesign by Jamie McKee (@MacKeyComp). Although a keen user of Word styles, I have yet to have the privilege of working with a client, or a client's graphics layout team, that appreciated their benefits.

This workflow will only work well if the translation client, the translator(s) and the translation client's graphics layout team share in-depth knowledge and a commitment to continuous improvement in the use of both Microsoft Word and Adobe InDesign.

Proposed workflow
1) Ask the layout team to create their InDesign Template as detailed in Moving Text From Word to InDesign and taking into account the recommendations in 8 Steps to Optimize InDesign Files for Translation.
2) Ask the layout team to export the said InDesign Template to Word so that authors and translators work consistently with the same set of styles.
3) Ask all authors and translators to exercise extreme discipline in the use of the Word template and local character attributes. From the outset authors and translators should use non-breaking spaces (NBSPs), aka hard spaces, non-breaking hyphens, and any other relevant tricks to ensure that layout and proofreading progress as smoothly and quickly as possible.
4) When the translation work proper has been completed, the translators should run Stanislav Okhvat's TransTools to ensure the consistent use of apostrophes, quotation marks, non-breaking spaces (NBSPs) and the like.
5) The layout team should now be able to import the Word file (including its template) directly into Adobe InDesign as detailed in Moving Text From Word to InDesign with maximum efficiency.
6) Ask the layout team to fine-tune the layout then generate pdfs to send to the translators and others for proofreading. Again, this step should now be far more efficient than using less sophisticated workflows.

This workflow calls for a lot of preparatory work, understanding, commitment and rigour. As a result, it may not be feasible in the case of a one-off project. In the case of regular projects using the same authors, translators and layout team, it should, however, prove a real time saver.

Workflow for .idml to .idml

This is the first in a series of posts concerning translation projects — and more particularly technical journalism translation projects — where the target-language text is laid out using Adobe InDesign.

Caveats: I am writing this primarily for translators who do not use Adobe InDesign, but have customers that do. I write as a translator who has often found this sort of project challenging; also as one who has no first-hand knowledge of Adobe InDesign or any other desktop layout software. If, as a result, my explanations need correction or refinement, please feel free to comment accordingly. I further write as a translator who has no first-hand knowledge of any of the TenTs mentioned here (sorry if that comes as a surprise ...), so, again, if my explanations need correction or refinement, please feel free to comment accordingly.

Case 1: Source language text already fully laid out using Adobe InDesign and translation client wants the target language version laid out in (approximately) the same way with Adobe InDesign.
Note that this is not a type of project that I have encountered personally.

Proposed workflow: Use a state-of-the-art translation environment tool, or TenT — also, but less precisely, known as a computer-assisted translation (CAT) tool or a translation memory (TM) tool. For memoQ, see Kilgray’s Language Terminal. For Trados Studio 2015, see here.

For more on TenTs, see Jost Zetzsche's Tool Box Journal (basic subscription is free), or The Translator's Tool Box: A Computer Primer for Translators Version 12.

The best workflow would appear to be that suggested by Jost on p346:

Kilgray’s Language Terminal has changed the way translators can work with InDesign files. One of the various features of Language Terminal is the ability to upload InDesign IDML files of any version to a server, which converts these files to a memoQ-specific version of XLIFF. 

More from Stanislav Okhvat, developer of TransTools:

Kilgray’s Language Terminal also supports Adobe InDesign INDD files (which are otherwise not readable by anything other than InDesign). It does this by converting them to IDML behind the scenes thereby allowing translators to download a PDF preview of an INDD + MQXLZ package for translation in memoQ. This package can be analysed by any ZIP archiver in order to extract the XLIFF file and translate using any other another TenT tool. By uploading the MQXLZ file back into Language Terminal, one can then download the translated IDML.

Also, Memsource Cloud now integrates with products by several new technology partners including Frontlab offering similar capabilities: besides IDML, one can upload INDD to Memsource Cloud (which will be converted to IDML behind the scenes), translate it and download the translated IDML file.

This workflow works better if the layout team is familiar with translators' needs and more particularly if they prepare the layout specifically for translation. One of many possible links on this is called:
8 Steps to Optimize InDesign Files for Translation.

Note that lots can go wrong, so time must be allowed for corrective work by the layout team.

As 8 Steps to Optimize InDesign Files for Translation says under the subheading Intelligent use of white space in InDesign document layout:

The biggest challenge in designing InDesign document templates for multilingual projects is creating page layout that will accommodate post-translation text expansion. It is not easy to create a source English document that has enough of white space or "breathing room" around text elements. Many languages (e.g. Russian, German, Italian, Latin American Spanish) can expand the line count by as much as 35%.

Language expansion is further magnified by narrow containers, e.g. side notes in the margin, table cells, indented text or boxed cautions and warnings. In addition, some eastern languages (e.g. Arabic, Farsi, Urdu) display text "right-to-left"; this requires right alignment and right-to-left layout modification. Text expansion and text direction require a flexible layout designed by professionals who understand the challenges of multilingual desktop publishing and graphic localization. Your translation company can be a great help in this regard.

In the case of French to English, and many other language pairs, the problem is not so much language expansion, but language contraction.

dtSearch + IntelliWebSearch, latest

As mentioned in my previous post on dtSearch + IntelliWebSearch on 12 June 2015,
dtSearch can instantly search terabytes of text across a desktop computer, making it ideal for translators, terminologists, LSPs and wordworkers in general. 

For translators and terminologists working on personal computers running Microsoft Windows, the combination of dtSearch Desktop and dtSearch offers remarkable benefits.

Those using IWSv3 can invoke a local dtSearch Desktop search by following the procedure detailed at 
How to set up a local dictionary in IntelliWebSearch
using these settings:

Label=dtSearch
Start=C:\apps\search\dtSearch\bin\dtsrun.exe
Finish=^s@{Enter}
Description=dtSearch
Notes=Change path according to your set-up (you may also add {Enter} to the end of Finish).
Quotes Off=Yes
Pluses Off=Yes

If you have both IWSv3 and IWSv5, you can set up the above settings for IWSv3 then import them into v5.

If you only have v5, follow the information and links above.

If all else fails, you can contact me or Michael Farrell and ask for the IWSv5_dtSearch.ini which you can then import into IWSv5.

Arquivo.pt

Here's a find for into-European Portuguese translators researching not only current terminology but also terminological changes since the first web sites in PT-Eu were put on line.

If you're interested, take a look at Arquivo.pt.

The man behind the project is Daniel Gomes. His Facebook page is here. The Arquivo's Facebook page is here.