Combining DTP and translation to create

Desktop publishing (DTP) can be your saving grace when it comes to creating the layout of a specialised document with a variety of copy.

You can easily arrange it in a pleasing way and create an attractive promotional piece to use with customers. However, DTP has its challenges when it comes to translating into another language. You want your copy to flow and look identical no matter what language you have chosen to arrange it in. For this, you need to consider the languages you are working with and the nuances they bring to DTP.

What Is DTP?

DTP is a commonly used computer software process that lays out copy within any type of document you are using. While the use of DTP works well when you are using the layout to make an attractive brochure written in English, the look of this same brochure may change in Arabic, Asian or even some European languages.

While the process of translation may seem easy to undertake, getting these fonts to line up or reflect your company brand may pose a challenge. But, DTP is ideal for creating professional-looking materials that you can use to promote your business and its products and services. It adds that personalised touch and brings more than a Word document can offer in its appearance.

Using DTP Services Within The Translation Industry

DTP and translation go hand-in-hand. The two play-off each other, offering you the ability to develop a document in a formatted layout that you can trust to be accurate and reliable in its translation and appearance. When using translation services, it is an ideal approach to work with a noneditable file that can be transformed through DTP into a fully editable file that allows a linguist to process the text with translation tools, so that the copy is readable for your customers.

A file that needs translation does not always provide you the full effect of understanding how the copy needs to be laid out in a document. Many fonts won’t convert, and you are left with a document that looks unreadable and unprofessional. DTP specialists that work in the translation industry are able to edit and adjust translated files, so they mirror the original document without error.

Plus, you are guaranteed that your final file is ready for use the moment you receive it. A DTP specialist will also perform a series of DTP quality assurance checks that make sure any DTP file you are using is translated properly and is error-free.

Challenges Every DTP Specialist Faces

When translations are needed, a DTP specialist may find there are challenges in maintaining a certain look with your promotional piece. Fonts can be particularly awkward to master and understand. European, Arabic, and Asian languages have characters that are not supported by some fonts, leaving you with copy that is missing key letters that can make a difference in a word’s spelling and translation.

A DPT specialist also needs to consider the length of a translation. Some languages have expanded words that will no longer fit in the text box you have specified or on one line which you initially thought was appealing at first glance. This can create a world of problems for your DTP specialist as they try to fit the same amount of copy into one brochure or a single page document, which just isn’t possible any longer.

Languages that read right to left or up and down, leave a bit of mystery for a DTP specialist to solve as they layout the copy. They no longer are driven by design aspects as they have to conform to the language of the country they are creating. This can leave many DTP specialists feeling frustrated and confused.

You will also have to consider your company icons and graphs when translating them for use with your DTP layout. They may not fit or have to be enlarged to be readable through the translation. This can change the look and feel of logo or symbol that you at one-time thought was catchy. Now, it may just seem clumsy and not make sense.

Professional DTP Results You Can Count On

To make the most effective use of DTP when incorporating difference language translation, take advantage of Travod’s in-house DTP team. We can take on any translation and DTP task you have in mind and provide results that are accurate, understandable and more importantly professional. Contact us today for all your DTP and translation services.