Printer's Gremlins

It is sad how often the most concerted efforts to supply an impeccable translation are undone by errors in the subsequent printing process. In foreign languages, conversion problems of special characters can easily go unnoticed, and many printers do not understand how language differences influence the rules of punctuation, hyphenation, and capitalization, to name a few.

Ideally, the layout should be handled by native speakers, just like the translation itself. Since most translators are not familiar with professional layout software, the easiest solution is to create a PDF file for proofing. Corrections are indicated in the language of the typesetter by using the Note message feature.

Working with e-globalcom.net puts an end to sending proofs back and forth between the translation agency and the layout office. We are one of the few agencies with the hardware, software, and expertise to produce print-ready documents in different languages. We do not claim to offer layout services: we just do it!

Cost-Effectiveness Through Improved Efficiency

The realm of graphic design is ruled by Macintosh. Most experienced DTP professionals look down on the Windows versions of PageMaker and QuarkXpress, which they consider inferior to their Mac counterparts. Chances are that a printer working with Macintosh will have trouble processing a PC file... and vice versa.

E-globalcom.net is not only a polyglot environment, but also a "polyplatform" environment that uses Mac as well as PC. We are one of the first Belgian agencies to use special software for more efficient multilingual layouting.

All too often, a client assigns his layout to a graphic bureau or a printer while at the same time leaving the translations in the hands of a translation agency. As the translation agency begins translating, the printer sets the original text, planning to cut and paste the translated text for each language into the same layout. This is likely to cause problems, especially if the person in charge of the layout is not familiar with the issues associated with many languages, including text expansion, code conversions, page breaks, etc. Moreover, cutting and pasting is very time-consuming. And the odds are that fragments will go missing from time to time...  

If you intend to print a multilingual catalog or an annual report, why not avoid the risk and ask us to quote the all-in service package? Before we start translating, we perfect the layout of your original text. Then we import the finished Quark-PCM files into our translation system, which will enable us to semi-automatically substitute the text in these PCM files with the translation. Depending on the complexity of the layout, this may save up to 50% of the manual cutting and pasting time. That is also why you get a greater discount the more target languages you order. We deliver all these services in-house and follow the same line of action for other desktop publishing programs, such as PageMaker, FrameMaker, Indesign, Interleaf, etc.

Punctuation

Can something as simple as a punctuation mark cause such problems? You bet! Take the humble quotation mark. Americans and many Latin-Americans use curly quotes (“...” ); the French use double angular quotation marks or 'guillemets' («...») with spaces on either side; and Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese (but not Brazilians), Russians, and Swedes use guillemets with no added spaces. The Germans use „...“ , and the Swedes prefer ”...”. And several countries simply indicate dialogue by inserting a dash ( — ), but the accompanying spaces differ from country to country.  

Hyphenation

Hyphenation rules also depend on the language. In some languages the rule for dividing words at the line-end is to put the hyphen between two consonants. Other languages put the hyphen before the double consonants, and some even after them. QuarkXpress and PageMaker seem to have great trouble getting this right, and many layout studios are unwilling to bear the costs of purchasing dictionaries that show correct hyphenation.

Professional Finish: The Perfect Balance between Form and Content

E-globalcom.net is a full-fledged graphics bureau. We work in a shared environment with both Windows and Apple Macintosh systems and are fully equipped on both platforms to supply all kinds of ready-to-print files. Our in-house graphic tools include:

• graphic software for layout and image editing: QuarkXpress, PageMaker, FrameMaker, Adobe Illustrator, PhotoShop, etc.
• Postscript color laser printer
• flatbed scanner
• SLAs with a photogravure bureau, an exposure service, and an advertising agency

E-globalcom.net's major advantage over companies that specialize exclusively in graphic design is that we always have a language-sensitive native speaker on hand who is familiar with international typography and layout.

Layouting a text involves checking and double-checking every single detail. Quite often, designers have to pay too much attention to the page layout and end up overlooking the text itself. And if the proofreading is forgotten, the printer's errors do not get corrected.

Tip of the day: always have your typeset copy proofread by your translation agency! Even if you have a sound procedure in place, last-minute additions (headings, captions, word changes) by well-meaning non-linguists can sabotage an otherwise effective document. For the same reason, do not finalize changes to foreign texts by telephone. They are almost always misheard.