After having files translated, you might have to make adjustments to text or layouts to fine-tune formatting for the target language publications. If a Flare project is set up well and optimized, that can help to mitigate formatting issues later on.
When it comes to formatting translated documentation, keep in mind the following:
- Use CSS Stylesheets and Avoid Inline Formatting Applying inline styles (or local formatting) instead of formatting content using a stylesheet can make it hard to apply changes quickly. When inline styles are set, those styles override properties in the stylesheet, and so changes to that inline formatting must be done manually; making the process more time-consuming and expensive.
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Text Expansion Many times, formatting translated files is necessary due to text expansion. This is when translated text is significantly shorter or longer (up to 30% or more) than the source text. Chinese or Japanese tends to be shorter, while German tends to be much longer.
Tip Ask your translator in advance to perform a pseudo translation (a process that tests translating files into another language). This should include a text expansion of at least 30%. This might detect troublesome formatting areas in your documentation where there might be text expansion.
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Directional Icons Make sure that icons are reusable in the target locations. For example, a hand icon pointing to the right is appropriate for left-to-right languages, but it would have to be adapted for a different reading direction, to accommodate right-to-left languages (such as Hebrew or Arabic).
- A4 Paper Size It is important to identify what publications are needed from your targets, and ask yourself if they might work overseas. Be aware that international paper sizes differ from those used in North America and a few other countries. Because of this, make a template page format in the A4 size, and make page layout designs flexible. Consider using external anchors to margins, specifying height or width for a header and footer, and not using hard-coded widths and heights for the body frame.
