We often are presented with documents in the quoting process that need to go through a DTP (Desktop Publishing) stage either before or after the translation process. But, what is DTP? In the world of translation, we can define it as the creation or re-creation of documents, paying particular attention to the design of source files, layout, images, fonts, etc. The goal is for the client to receive the best possible version of a document in a neat format and of the utmost quality.
For example, in many cases we receive a document in PDF format containing scanned pages of a document that had been previously photocopied. In these cases, in order to quote it correctly, we must first convert the files using OCR software. Once converted to a Word document, we proceed by making a word count to be included in the final quote. In these cases, the Word document we usually get is of poor quality (e.g. page breaks, poorly converted words, stamps that could not be converted, handwritten text, among other things). These types of projects will require pre-DTP, in which page breaks are removed and the text formatting is accommodated as best as possible so that the translator can begin his or her work. In the post-DTP stage, before delivering the file to the client, the design team will be responsible for arranging the text and making sure it is neat and as similar as possible to what the client initially sent. In this situation, the project would be quoted as one without source files, because the client sent a file of a scanned photocopy.
Another totally different case for which we need to use our DTP team is when the files to be translated are InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop files, among others. To translate these files, we first need to extract all editable text, and, once translated, send it to DTP to finish it and accommodate the new text within the file to make the final delivery to the client. In this case, we would quote the project as one with source files, because the client sent the file in its original format.
The DTP team is also responsible for quoting and re-creating images that may appear within any file type (Word, PDF, InDesign, .jpg, etc). In this case, designers will be responsible for re- creating said image in the target language and maintaining the same quality as the source document.
In short, to ensure that the client receives the best quality, both with regard to translation and file formatting, here at Trusted Translations we have a team specializing in DTP to perform high quality quoting.
