Work In Progress

Increasingly, customers are expecting your documentation to look professionally-produced. Sending them Word document - or a PDF of a Word document - no longer makes the grade.

Using professional desktop publishing (DTP) software, like Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress (MS Publisher?  I said “professional”) used to be used just for brochures and catalogs.  Today, DTP files form the basis for reports, HR material, PR (think testimonials, press releases, case studies) reseller and/or customer communications - even for sales proposals.

When you add localization into the mix, things get messy.  Translators generally don’t touch such files as they don’t work with their own translation tools.  So you end-up emailing Word docs (for the content) and low-resolution PDF files (so that translators can see what the final result is supposed to look like).

In other words, you’ve got a broken, manual process that takes ten times longer than it should do, and is just ripe for failing due to human error.

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could just upload your InDesign or QuarkXPress file into a translation portal that also handles artwork localization?

Increasingly, there are systems around that can do just that.  As well as handling your office formats, they’ll handle file formats from the creative side. That means a single localization system to handle all of your company’s work, offering more comprehensive translation memory management, a more granular reporting / auditing structure and a simpler workflow for your staff.

Oh, and since it’s one vendor you can probably get a better deal on pricing since you’re, in effect, giving them more work.