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home : production : typesetting and desktop publishing
Typesetting and Desktop Publishing
betmar languages can provide typesetting/desktop publishing services using a number of applications including QuarkXPress PageMaker, InDesign, FrameMaker, Microsoft Word. It is valuable to have typesetting/desktop publishing services performed by the translation agency as they are the experts at negotiating language specific issues such as word breaks, use of capitalization and correct placement of text and making sure that no omissions have occurred during this process.
The agency will look carefully at the original document and raise questions which may be factors in the price and quality of the final product in the target language. Questions which should be answered include:
- Does the document need to look exactly like the original English?
- Should any of the artwork, graphics, photos, or colors be reevaluated before use in the target language document?
- Are there elements in the original material which should be changed or eliminated in the translated material? This may include phone numbers, toll free numbers, signs or maps, names of programs, suggestions for additional help or information which may not be appropriate to the intended audience of a translated piece.
Production needs
The final form that the translated project will assume needs to be carefully discussed. Many issues affect the final version including:
- Do the original electronic files exist or must the piece be recreated in a page layout program?
- What platform and software program should the material be produced in?
- Will the material be used on a web site?
- Will the material require the creation of PDF files?
- Who will be printing the project and what, if any, are their specific requirements?
- Is there text within the graphics that must be translated?
- Will the material require the creation of EPS or TIFF files?
Typesetting in various languages is a challenge in the rapidly changing electronic environment. Part of the challenge is the unique characteristics of certain languages. Lao and Cambodian, for example, use a script for which there are limited typographic resources.
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tel:763.572.9711; fax:763.571.3467; best@betmar.com