Let’s put it outright. Multilingual desktop publishing DTP is increasingly becoming an integral part of the translation process.
After the translation task is completed, the final text often needs to be tweaked in terms of length, format, and page layout so that it may be suitable for both print and online use ─ while keeping the message and feel of the original material intact. The DTP service, thus, aims to guarantee that the appearance of your final document is professionally formatted to be as similar to the original document as possible.
So, is it good? Or, in other words, are the so-called benefits of desktop publishing real or fantasy?
There’s no doubt that DTP has real advantages. First, it’s modern and computerized and thus it provides designers with the freedom they need to leverage all the modern tools of graphics and fonts. Second, it’s much more time-saving than the old ways of typesetting. Further, it’s more related to the internet world. Moreover, it is better connected with other online content and elements, and thus it makes copying and rewriting information much easier.
However, we still need to ask if multilingual desktop publishing solves any problems?!
What Problems Does a Desktop Publishing Service Solve?
There are many problems that DTP services help us to overcome. Let’s look at some of them
- The Special Characters: Sometimes you may find out that the type of font you use doesn’t have the special characters required for the language you’re translating into. Here comes the role of multilingual desktop publishing professionals to get things fixed.
- When Text Expands or Contracts: In many cases, words after being translated become longer and break the visual layout of your text. This affects such things as the number of lines, the length of lines, line breaks and the text’s alignment with other visual elements. Also, words sometimes become shorter after they’re translated, which affects the same elements. Professional DTP experts know quite well how to fix these issues.
- Writing systems: Furthermore, it often happens that the type of fonts available in such writing systems as Japanese, Chinese, and Arabic, for instance, does not fit well with your original design. So, you need DTP services to put things right.
- When the Layout breaks: It’s a common problem. The layout of documents might break up, which becomes a problem especially when there’s too much content to fit into the same space. Again, nothing helps with this issue more than DTP services.
Which Industries Need Multilingual Desktop Publishing?
All industries. Would be a hasty answer to the above question?! Let’s see.
We’ve said this because almost all businesses in all industries nowadays promote their products and services through creating multilingual and multimedia content in order for each company to stay in the hearts and minds of customers and prospects. Therefore, any business seeking to expand its footprint overseas will undoubtedly require a professional desktop publishing service at some point.
In addition to aviation, engineering, architecture, and construction, there is a broad diversity of industries that need DTP services. However, let’s, for the time being, shed light on just five industries where DTP is indispensable
1- Medical and Pharma
In the medical, pharma, healthcare, biotech, and life sciences industries, DTP services are required to make sure that product designs, documentation, and medicine packaging are translated and artistically formatted for every target language in a way that upholds the brand’s personality and distinctive voice.
Moreover, health campaign materials ─ including leaflets, brochures, and posters ─ also need professional multilingual desktop publishing if they are to properly achieve their goals.
2-Consumer Electronics
In this industry, content is not only the king, but probably the king of kings, and that is why multilingual desktop publishing always plays a vital role in the entire operations of consumer products companies.
When it comes to consumer electronics production, it usually happens that the design phase might take place in one country while factories tend to be located in another country. DTP, and probably many other media services, are important to create content that helps the operations go smoothly.
The branding side is another area that is highly important in the consumer electronics industry. Here, it’s essential to maintain brand consistency and voice through such elements as corporate logo, advertising materials, product packaging, website design, and other branding elements. Here we always see multilingual desktop publishing entering the picture.
3- Heavy Machinery
In this complex industry, the various stages of operation often take place in different locations. Design, material sourcing, construction, production, marketing, sales, and after-sales activities are carried out probably in different countries across the globe. Therefore, heavy machinery companies find it important that every documentation should be professionally translated and formatted so that it may have the proper look and feel.
That’s where DTP services come in. From CAD designs to assembly instructions, user safety warnings, and many other printed and online materials, multilingual desktop publishing services play a vital role to put the heavy machinery business’ content into multiple languages in a presentable form that maintains the message and feel of the original material.
4- International Marketing
When we talk about marketing, we might emphasize that it’s the very industry where you can never do without DTP services. Why?
In a globalized world, the only worthwhile marketing campaigns are the global ones that are launched by global-minded businesses. Global marketing campaigns, therefore, won’t work without quality translation into the languages of foreign target audiences ─ that should be followed by professional multilingual desktop publishing services.
Believe it or not, to have a successful international marketing strategy that achieves your goals, you need to make translation and multilingual DTP an integral part of it.
5- Global Logistics
The main challenge that faces global logistics businesses is to provide good training for their global staff so that each workforce might follow the company policies while taking into consideration all the legal requirements there may be in any given country.
Therefore, the global logistics company would need to produce a wide range of training materials – such as video tutorials and manuals– which should be professionally translated and aesthetically formatted for every and each language of their global workforce. Again, after translation, here comes the vital role of multilingual desktop publishing
Why Should You Partner with an Expert in Multilingual Desktop Publishing?
Frankly, you have to partner with a professional provider of DTP services if you wish to receive final content that is well-formatted and perfectly fits your multiple target audience. An expert in multilingual desktop publishing will have several benefits that are key to your success. Let’s have a look at some of them.
1-DTP Handles All File Formats and Types
Unlike in-house amateurs, DTP specialists always accept any file format and will efficiently recreate it in all other formats or file types. Just give them your pdf file, and leave the rest to them, as they should have may years of extensive expertise in using a broad diversity of authoring programs, such as Articulate for eLearning, InDesign, FrameMaker, Illustrator, RoboHelp, and MadCap Flare and many others. Further, DTP experts usually have hands-on experience in handling all types of digital file formats, such as XML, PHP, DLL, HTML, and others.
2- DTP Impacts Your Overall Product
It’s commonplace for businesses in all industries to focus on translation or localization projects in a way that takes no notice of important details. Unfortunately, that might lead to poor translations.
What about, for instance, the languages, such as Finnish, that require sixty percent more space than English? What should we do with the alphabets that require more or less vertical space? Also, what about such important cultural aspects as fonts, images, and colors ─ which might change how the company’s content is perceived in specific countries or cultures? All in all, in what way are all these aspects related to the layout of your documents?
The answer is, however, so simple. Multilingual desktop publishing!
3-DTP Saves Time and Cost!
Believe it or not. According to the experience gained by thousands of businesses in various industries in different countries, partnering with a professional provider of multilingual desktop publishing is the most time-saving and cost-saving option. Experience matters!
After all is said and done, we need to know why a specific DTP partner is better than others. What makes the difference?
Why Contentech?
The human element ─ our team ─ is probably the major differentiator.
We take pride in our great team that comprises probably the most highly qualified and experienced desktop publishers in the translation industry.
Our desktop publishers have extensive experience in working closely with our industry-specific translators, editors, proofreaders, and project managers to ensure that your final product will match the most accurate version of the text.
What’s more, Contentech has an impressive track record in delivering a seamless, integrated suite of language solutions ─ including translation, localization, DTP, and others ─ that exceeds the expectations of our top-notch clients all over the world.
Get in touch today with our team of DTP professionals for more info. or get a free quote.
