translating English to Spanish in InDesign

[Bob Levine]

There is no automated way to translate it. In fact, I would highly
recommend hiring a professional translation company for this task. You
could then add a layer to your ID document and simply place the Spanish
text on it.

Bob

[Jenn Twilla]

We are launching a new product and word has come down from on high that the instructions need to be in Spanish as well. Is there a way, any way, via plug-in or whatever, that I can make InDesign look at my English copy and translate it to Spanish with a minimum of effort on my part?

Thanks in advance,
Jenn

[Jenn Twilla]

I had a suspicion this would be the case, oh well....
Thanks,
Jenn

[Scott McCullough]

Jenn:

Please, please, please hire a competent human translator to perform this important task for you. If your product is worth producing, packaging, and marketing (much less buying!), it's worth the expense of translating the instructions correctly.

No computer can capture the nuances of human communicaton--have you ever read some of Google's translations from foreign languages to English? They're so awful that they're unintentionally hilarious! But I don't think your Spanish-speaking customers would appreciate the humor--to them it would be an insult. If a manufacturer thought so little of me that they didn't even try to communicate accurately in my language, I'd hardly feel encouraged to purchase their products!

Scott

[Ken Grace]

And get a Spaniard to translate from English. Don't use a Spanish-speaking
Englishman.

No matter how good translators may be, there is always a slightly unreal
aspect to something written outside the mother tongue.

k

[Bob Levine]

Excellent advice. And keep in mind that Spanish from Spain is different
than Spanish from Mexico, just like English from America is different
from English from England.

Bob

[Ken Grace]

<English from America is different from English from England.>

Two countries separated by a common language. [Winston Churchill I believe].

You illustrate that well in that short post Bob. In England we differ from,
while in America you differ than (although you did lapse into English on the
second use!).

k

[Bob Levine]

Any similarity in my posts to proper English is purely coincidental. :)

Bob

[M Blackburn]

and two cents more…

The translator should also be familiar with your business, its technical terms, and its jargon. There is a huge difference between a translator of everyday language and (as in my case) financial material.

[Jenn Twilla]

I was already lobbying for a real translator - just have to explore every option to satisy accounting.

Thanks!
Jenn

[Bob Levine]

The company I used to work for used Eriksen Translations in Brookly.
Their website is http://www.erikseninc.com. We were always pleased with
their work and the people there are very nice.

I have absolutely no financial or other interest in the company.

Bob

[Mike Williams]

Jenn--

I agree right down the line. By all means, use a native-Spanish speaking professional translator (FWIW, one from Costa Rica would be my first choice).

Also, it IS important to find someone familiar with your business.

Next, if you have someone on your staff who can proof the translator's work, that's a plus. When I can avoid it, I don't undertake translations on my own, but I usually proof what others do and have found errors--some glaring, some subtle.

Final comment: Have your translator strive for "dynamic equivalence" (getting the sense of the message into the target language) and not for "formal correspondence" (a word-for-word translation). You want your translation to sound good in Spanish; to reflect good Spanish syntax and usage. A word-for-word translation will NOT accomplish this.

Best of luck with your project.
Mike

[Gustavo Sanchez]

...one from Costa Rica would be my first choice...

Any Spanish speaking person from any country would do a nice translation if he/she is a professional. Chile, Mexico, Spain... It does not matter. "Standard Spanish" is quite the same once the translator knows he's speaking for an international audience.

Gustavo Sánchez

(Posted from a Spanish speaking country)

[Paula Fernandez]

Hi! I´m from Argentina and I think that any Spanish speaking is enough. We understand perfectly any Spanish form any country as you understand USA English or British English (patata or potatoes!)

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Paula C. Fernández
Graphic Designer
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