Multilingual DTP and Layout Services

Our desktop publishing (DTP) team is made up of DTP specialists and graphic designers who can prepare projects of any size, in any language, in any format, on any platform, and to any deadline.

DTP Services

If you need to translate a PDF, booklet, manual, or any other type of document to a set standard that preserves your message across all markets, our DTP services are for you.

Desktop Publishing

Typesetting is central to our desktop publishing services, and it’s a necessity when translating content into new languages that demand the use of appropriate fonts and foreign alphabets. Texts expand during translation, and specific fonts do not always share universal characteristics that make them suitable for foreign languages. For that reason, typesetting services are used to make sure that the visual representation of your content and the use of fonts is correct across multiple languages.

Desktop Publishing QA

Looking for ways to reduce your turnaround times, lower your production costs, and shorten the overall list of aspects to worry about when completing a multilingual documentation project? Consider letting us support your multilingual document management. Before you translate or publish your next set of documents, let us see what needs to be corrected. Our experts can:

• Keep punctuation and layout consistent across all language versions
• Find and correct all corrupted fonts
• Layer all requested revisions
• Correct all unauthorized departures from your source files
• Notify you of all irregularities and errors in the translated content

Layout Creation

Our template services cover layout design, layout adjustment, and file conversion. We help our clients develop document templates that are consistent in their layout and easily adaptable to new languages. With an individualized template, you will be able to preserve your document’s look and feel and maintain your brand identity no matter the target language.

If you already have a source language template or have very specific formatting needs, we will be able to adapt the layout or edit your existing template to better support your style and typesetting requirements when creating different language versions of your documents.

Graphic Localization

A picture is worth a thousand words, and graphics effectively communicate information to a target audience, whether in technical documentation, marketing materials, web sites, or software. For your international target audience, correct graphic localization comes into play to get the message from these graphics across. Used incorrectly, graphics can make the localization and translation process more complicated, increasing both project cost and time‐to‐market. By optimizing the use of graphics in your source content, you can avoid these complications while saving money and time during the localization process.

During the localization process, any text in the graphic is typically translated. Graphic files are often cumbersome, and it takes time to extract the text from the graphic and reinsert the translated text, taking care to make sure the translated text fits well in the graphic.

You can avoid this pain and reduce costs if you separate the text from the graphic whenever possible. Create the text as a separate component on the page. You can achieve this by using callouts (references from the graphic to text within the document or other source file) as shown in the examples below. This requires less work to localize, as the graphic text is part of the text flow and not a layer inside the graphic file. This ensures that the text appears in context for the linguist, and allows the text to be stored within the translation memory. Always keep the source art files so that you can manipulate them during the localization process.

Desktop Publishing Technology

For each project, we utilize a variety of tools designed to improve the quality of the assignments we handle. For DTP that includes the following:

Argos Custom Toolkit

• ModMIFier, quick FM style changes
• CADowiec, AutoCAD import/export tool
• Redlock, redline extraction for translation

Software

Argos Multilingual DTP experts have extensive experience working on both Windows and Mac operating systems. Listed below are the programs that our desktop publishing specialists use daily on each platform.

Note: Our DTP department also possesses extensive expertise in all new Microsoft Office applications, including Publisher and Visio.

Microsoft Windows (all current and past versions):

• InDesign
• FrameMaker
• Illustrator
• Photoshop
• Corel Draw
• PageMaker

Mac OS (all current and past versions):

• InDesign
• Illustrator
• Photoshop
• QuarkXpress

Argos Multilingual’s DTP specialists can deal with any graphic format, including: .psd, .gif .jpg, .ai, .eps, .bmp, .tif, .shg, .wmf and others.

Rebranding

When it’s time to take your company in a new direction or unify several brands under a single roof, you’ll need to change your image and content to reflect it. With our track record of success and willingness to innovate, we’re confident that you’ll find Argos the ideal partner for all your rebranding efforts. We’re prepared to help you define factors like timelines and budgets, devote a dedicated project manager and specialized team to your efforts, and make important updates to your legacy content.

Want to learn more?

• Blog post: How to use DTP with Translation to Maximize Impact in Every Market
• Project Sample: Medical Device DTP and Translation
• Case Study: DTP for Technical Manuals

Ready to get started?

We are happy to answer any questions you have and get your project on its way.