Automated file conversion & processing solutions

At translate plus we pride ourselves on being able localise content in any file format, applying translation memory technology wherever possible, to ensure our clients receive the most consistently high quality as part of the fastest and most cost-effective process.

When it comes to common formats such as Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign or HTML, translation memory applications and other tools typically support these “out of the box”, since the format specifications are published open standards or documented proprietary formats, often with APIs provided by the software vendors to encourage interoperability with their systems.

However, when it comes to less common formats such as AutoCAD .dwg files, or fully customisable formats such as XML – which, by its very definition, is extensible – things may not be so straightforward. That’s why we’ve developed apps like CAD plus, to help our clients localise file formats which traditional translation memory providers view as “less important”, and our automated file processing tool, processor plus.

processor plus allows us to take a  complex file format, which could be unique to a specific customer, and automatically prepare it for translation. This preparation process typically involves protecting certain tags, attributes, codes, ID numbers or other sequences of text which exist in the file – usually to define data structures, presentational formatting or inline scripting and other functional text – which should not be localised, so that the translator can focus only on the text which needs to be translated.

At the end of the translation workflow, the automated protection process is reversed, so that the original file structure is identical, with only the translatable content preserved. In the case of XML, this also involves an automatic check to ensure that the final structure is well-formed and, where applicable, parses correctly against a specific schema or DTD.

By using processor plus and our related technologies, we are therefore able to speed up the translation process, by avoiding time-consuming manual work to mark sections of text as translatable or not-translatable, in a safe and repeatable process which frees up more time for translation and quality-checking. We can also therefore prevent our translators from needing to worry about navigating around angled brackets, odd-looking sequences of text or programming code – which removes the risk of our clients’ files becoming “broken” during translation, and allows better translation memory matching, in turn leading to lower costs and better quality.

For ongoing translation projects, such as regular updates to website or database content, we can integrate these automated steps into a wider workflow – for example, automatically pre-processing an incoming XML file on receipt of a request via our i plus Web Service, which is something we do for clients such as Jabra and Kambi on a daily basis, saving hours of administration and IT time a day.

Features
  • Localise content in any file format
  • Apply translation memory to any file format
  • Automatically prepare complex file types for translation
  • Original file structure is identical when delivered to client
Benefits
  • Speed up the translation process, by avoiding time-consuming manual work
  • Safe and repeatable process
  • More time for translation and quality-checking
  • Better translation memory matching, leading to lower costs and better quality

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