Design & layout FAQ
I need to get the user’s instructions for a product translated. Can I get the whole thing – i.e. the translation with all the illustrations, photos and layout – the same as in the original?
Yes! Once your text is translated and proofread or edited we can then take a look at the text from a design and layout point of view. First we prep the translation, putting it into a form that allows the text to be processed, then we translate and edit it; after that we carry out any necessary design and layout work before a final pre-issue and/or pre-print review. All text, illustrations, photos and the like are inserted into the translated text as per the original.
User manuals and other technical texts of this kind can be sent to tehnika@luisa.ee.
Can I get the final version of my text so that I can send it straight to the printers?
Yes! We can arrange everything so that the files we send you are print-ready.
What format should I send you my original files in?
If possible, the originals should be sent to us in the same format they were created in – this will ensure that the layout work on the translated text is as quick as it can be and that the result is as similar to the original as possible.
The most common layout and design software and file formats we work with are:
InDesign .indd, .inx & .idml
Word .doc, .docx & .rtf
PowerPoint .ppt & .pptx
The majority of our clients send us .pdf files as the basis for design and layout work. Preparing such files for translation and then re-formatting them for another language takes more time (a 50-page print-ready .pdf file, for example, will take around one working day) but our experienced technical editors are more than up to the task!
The software we use
Office software: Microsoft Office (2003, 2007 & 2010) and OpenOffice
Translation software: Trados (2006, 2007, 2009 & 2011), Wordfast, SDLX and Transit.
We’ll be happy to use other software if our clients ask us to.
Design and layout software: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat (CS2, CS4 & CS5)
Text recognition software: Abbyy FineReader
Translation text calculation software: PractiCount Enterprise and Count Anything
