When you need visually effective documents for international audiences, there may be things to consider beyond just translating the text. Multi-lingual typesetting – also known as desktop publishing or DTP – is our way of making sure your documents look exactly as they should, whatever your target market.
Why is DTP necessary?
It’s important to remember that a professional translation will almost never produce a 1:1 copy of the original text. Having delivered word perfect translations for over 40 years, in countless different language combinations, we know a thing or two about how your words will change when translated:
- Translations can vary significantly in length. Your text may be up to 35% longer in another language.
- Your text may also be shorter in some language combinations.
- Many languages use non-Latin alphabets, such as Chinese or Japanese. Your chosen typeface may not include these characters.
- Other languages, such as Arabic, are read from right to left, potentially requiring significant layout changes.
Even if you have an experienced team that handles typesetting in your own language, we recommend using a professional linguist to handle DTP in translation. An expert eye can spot and correct issues ahead of time that could prove incredibly costly to fix – in time and reputation, as well as money – if not caught before you go to print.
How does it work?
We will take the translated text, carefully insert it into your artwork files, and make any necessary formatting adjustments. We can handle this for you as another step in our translation process, or as a standalone service if you have already had your text translated. Once typeset, your translations will undergo visual checks by an expert linguist to ensure your documents are every bit as clear, professional and visually striking as they are in their original language.
Get in touch to discuss your requirements with one of our experts.