Desktop publishing (DTP) is a very important service that Trusted Translations provides. Of course, the graphic layout of a document is of greater or lesser importance depending on the kind of material it deals with. Generally, though, unless a document consists of a few simple spreadsheets or a plain text file, almost every project will require at least some adjustment by a graphic designer.
In most cases (e.g. when files will be published, either in hard copy or electronically), it is best that the translation have the same format as the source document. However, in some instances, assistance from the DTP team is needed even before the translation phase takes place. For example, when translating documents scanned from a poor quality original with graphics or tables, it is likely that an expert graphic designer’s manual retouching of the scanned version will greatly simplify the translation and revision of the text. For linguists, there is a great difference between working from a clean and clear document, and working from one that resembles a rejected first draft. This previous step is called “pre-DTP,” as it takes place before the translation begins.
One issue to keep in mind when investing in DTP services is the availability of the original source files of the document. Often times, a client may want a sales catalog to be translated, for example, but only has a PDF version of the document. In these cases, it would be best to have the original files used by the designers of that catalog, which were probably created using graphic design programs such as Illustrator, InDesign, or Quark. This would allow the DTP staff to place the translated text directly over the places where the original text in the source was, rather than having to reconstruct this format from zero.
However, not having the source files is not an insurmountable problem. Expert DTP teams, such as that of Trusted Translations, will be able to successfully reproduce the format of the original files even if they do not actually have those files on hand. The downside is that these cases will require more time (and therefore a higher cost) in order to be able to complete the task.
Whether you have the original source files or not, or whether your documents are destined for publishing or you simply need to be able to understand a publication in a foreign language, it is very likely that you will need desktop publishing services. Get in touch with our sales team to obtain more information on these services, and request a free, itemized quote showing DTP charges.
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