How Text Length Changes When Translating into Different Languages
Different languages have unique grammatical structures, phonetic systems, and vocabularies, all of which affect sentence length. This can significantly impact layouts, as translated text may extend beyond the boundaries of the original design.
For example, English is often more compact, while German, French, or Ukrainian languages may require more words to convey the same concept. Here’s an example of the same phrase in different languages to illustrate how text length changes based on the language:
Changes in the number of characters after translation can disrupt text formatting. Here are a few tips to handle layout effectively, even when text length increases after translation:
1. Use Styles:
Apply styles for headings, subheadings, and body text. This makes it easier to adjust formatting after translation.
2. Avoid Fixed Text Box Sizes:
Avoid rigid text box sizes so the text can adapt to length changes without breaking the layout.
3. Graphics and Tables:
Leave sufficient space for images and tables, as text changes can affect their positioning.
4. Minimize Breaks:
Avoid unnecessary page or section breaks to allow text to flow naturally from page to page. Use breaks only when changes to page parameters (margins, orientation, size, columns), headers, or new sections are required.
5. Automate Elements:
Features like table of contents, page numbering, and footnotes should be automated to adapt seamlessly to changes in text length.
6. Alignment and Spacing:
Review document alignment and spacing, as text length variations can affect its visual appeal.
We account for all these aspects (and more!) when preparing files for translation in CAT tools. When you order PDF-to-DOC conversion from us, you can rest assured that the document’s formatting will remain intact post-translation and will be easy to adjust to changes in text length.
By addressing these considerations, we ensure that documents are visually appealing and functionally adaptable with no need for post-translation layout adjustments, regardless of the language into which they are translated.
