Multilingual desktop publishing
Send us your InDesign, QuarkXPress or Illustrator files and the translations. We set each language into the original layout and send back print-ready PDFs with the packaged files.
At a glance
- You send
- Packaged InDesign files or IDML, plus the translations
- You get back
- Packaged files and print-ready PDFs for every language
- Checked by
- A native speaker, on the finished pages
- Priced by
- Page and language, in a written quote
What multilingual DTP covers
Multilingual desktop publishing (DTP) is the layout work that comes after translation. A designer places the translated text into your original files and adjusts each page until every language looks as finished as the source.
Translated text rarely fits the space the English left. German and French usually run longer, Chinese and Japanese run shorter, and Arabic and Hebrew read from right to left. Each page that changes gets reworked so headings don't break, tables still line up and nothing gets cut off at the bottom of a frame.
One page in three languages
The Arabic version is mirrored, so the image moves to the right and the text runs right to left. The Japanese version needs a font that covers kanji and kana, plus its own line-break rules.
Safety instructions
تعليمات السلامة
安全上の注意
The Arabic page uses Arabic-Indic numerals for the page number. Some clients prefer Western digits in Arabic documents, so we ask before we start.
What's included
Everything between an approved translation and a file your printer or web team can use.
Text flow and copyfitting
We fix overset text, bad line breaks and hyphenation in every frame. If a translation won't fit at your minimum type size, we flag it and suggest a shorter version to your translator. We don't shrink the type to make it fit.
Right-to-left layouts
Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi and Urdu set with InDesign's World-Ready Composer. We mirror columns, tables, page order and directional icons, and keep numbers and English product names reading correctly inside right-to-left lines.
Chinese, Japanese and Korean
Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Japanese and Korean set with fonts that cover the full character set. Line-break rules stop closing punctuation from starting a line.
Thai, Hindi and other complex scripts
In Devanagari, Thai, Burmese and Khmer, letters combine and stack. We check that every syllable renders correctly in your chosen font before the PDF goes out.
Graphics and images
Text inside charts, diagrams, maps and screenshots is replaced in the native Illustrator or Photoshop files. Where text is flattened into a photo, we rebuild that part of the image.
Accessible PDFs
On request, we tag the PDF, set the reading order, and add alt text and a language tag to each version. We also prepare graphics to AODA requirements for clients in Ontario.
When teams use it
Three typical projects, and what we do on each.
- Translation agencies
White-label layout for your client's files
Your translators work in your CAT tool as usual. You send us the IDML and the bilingual files, and we return laid-out pages with no Giga branding, ready for your client's review.
- Publishers
Co-editions that share one set of artwork
For a picture book or catalog printed in several languages, we keep the images on the shared color plates and put all of each language's text on the black plate. The printer changes one plate per language instead of four.
- Manufacturers and product teams
Manuals and packaging for each market
A user manual or packaging file goes out in every language your product is sold in. We build one file per language and check that warnings, part numbers and table rows still match the source.
How a DTP project runs
You see review PDFs before anything is final, and nothing ships until your reviewer signs off.
Send the files
Package your InDesign files with fonts and links, or export IDML. Add the translations, or ask us to translate.
File check and quote
We open every file, list any missing fonts or links, and quote per page and language with a delivery date.
Layout
Designers set each language, fix overflow and line breaks, mirror right-to-left pages and replace text in graphics.
Language check
A native speaker compares each page with the approved translation, looking for dropped lines, broken characters and wrong hyphenation.
Second check QAReview and delivery
You get review PDFs first. Once your reviewer signs off, we send the print PDFs and the packaged files.
Formats and tools
- Layout software
- Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress, Illustrator, Photoshop, Microsoft Publisher, CorelDRAW, Scribus, Xara, SDL XPP and MadCap Flare
- Files you can send
- INDD (packaged), IDML, QXP, AI, EPS, PSD, PDF, DOCX and PPTX
- Translations we work from
- Bilingual XLIFF or Word files from your CAT tool, or a translated Word file. If you need the translation too, we do it.
- Files we deliver
- Packaged INDD or IDML, print PDF to your printer's spec (such as PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4), interactive PDF, and EPUB on request
Languages and scripts we set
Every language is checked on the finished page by someone who reads it.
Right to left
- Arabic العربية
- Hebrew עברית
- Farsi
- Urdu
- Pashto
- Dari
Chinese, Japanese and Korean
- Chinese, Simplified 简体中文
- Chinese, Traditional
- Japanese 日本語
- Korean 한국어
South and Southeast Asian
- Hindi हिन्दी
- Punjabi
- Telugu
- Thai ไทย
- Burmese
- Lao
- Khmer
- Vietnamese
Cyrillic
- Russian
- Bulgarian
- Serbian
- Mongolian
African languages
- Tigrinya
- Somali
- Kiswahili
- Kirundi
- Luganda
- Ewe
European languages
- French
- German
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- Italian
- Dutch
- Polish
- Czech
- Romanian
- Croatian
- Albanian
If your language isn't listed, ask us. When a script needs a font your files don't include, we suggest one and check its license terms with you.
What you get back
Everything your printer or web team needs to publish each language.
- Packaged source files. One InDesign package or IDML per language, with fonts and links.
- Print-ready PDFs. Built to your printer's specification, with bleed and crop marks.
- Review PDFs. Low-resolution copies for your reviewers to mark up.
- A query log. Every place where text didn't fit, a term looked wrong or the source had an error, and what we did about it.
- A font note. The fonts we added for new scripts, so you can check the licenses before you print.
Related services
Questions about multilingual DTP
Which software do you use for multilingual DTP?
Mostly Adobe InDesign, because that's what most of our clients' files are built in. We also work in QuarkXPress, Illustrator, Microsoft Publisher, CorelDRAW, Scribus, Xara, SDL XPP and MadCap Flare. Files go back in the same application, and we can save InDesign files as IDML if your team uses an older version.
How do you handle Arabic, Hebrew and other right-to-left languages?
We set them with InDesign's World-Ready Composer, which joins Arabic letters and orders mixed text correctly. Then we mirror the page: columns, tables, page order and any arrows or icons that point a direction. A native speaker checks the result, because broken letter joins are easy to miss if you can't read the script.
Can you work from a PDF if we don't have the source files?
Yes. For short jobs we can edit the text in the PDF. For anything longer, we rebuild the file in InDesign first, so you end up with an editable source for future updates. Rebuilding takes longer than working from the original files, and the quote shows that cost on its own line.
Do you need our fonts?
Yes, please package them with the InDesign files. If your font doesn't cover a script, such as Arabic or Japanese, we suggest a matching font and tell you what its license allows.
Can you work for a translation agency under the agency's name?
Yes. Files go back with no Giga branding, and we deal only with you, never with your client. We'll sign your NDA and follow your file naming and delivery rules.
How do you price DTP work?
Per page, per language. The price depends on how complex the layout is, how many graphics contain text, and whether the script needs special handling. You get a written quote and a delivery date before we start.
Send us a file to set
Send one of your InDesign files and the languages you need. We'll check it and reply with a price per page and a delivery date.
- Phone
- +44 20 3290 0116
- Phone hours
- Weekdays 9:30 to 16:00, weekends 9:30 to 12:00, UK time