Step 5: Web and Print Design

Oregon Translation generally strives to make a translation appear as similar as possible to the original file. While Oregon Translation works with a broad range of formats, MS Word is still the most common and easiest for translators and editors. If you are publishing a complex layout or a creative brochure, our formally trained print and Web designers can be smoothly incorporated into the team for your project to layout the translated text into the most appropriate print- or Web-ready file formats for your use.

 

To give you an overview of our designers' qualifications:

- two of our print designers formerly worked as in-house designers for statewide newspapers

- one graphic designer is also a professor at the Art Institute of Portland

- a fourth designer also operates a printing company, AAP Creative (offering you the potential for a seamless transition to printed materials)

- for Web design, Oregon Translation maintains its close connections to Canvas Dreams, the comprehensive Web services company from which we spun off.

 

Some of our customers prefer to have their own graphic designers incorporate our translations into their layout. We can be perfectly flexible with that arrangement;

this will be a topic to discuss openly during the initial project assessment. Be aware that there may be times you do not wish to deal with the hassle of incorporating the translated text into your digital layout. Or, you may discover that you lack the proper software to work with multibyte strings and character sets used in the foreign language (esp. Asian languages) or the crazy complexities of bi-directional word flow in Arabic or Hebrew. Oregon Translation's ultimate goal is to ensure your translation goes to press in perfect condition. Another reason to discuss graphic design aspects candidly.

 

For print purposes, unless you foresee a need to edit the layout file, we will advise on providing it to you in a print-ready PDF format. Such a format supports all fonts, character sets, and multibyte strings used by the translated characters, and renders print-ready text and images regardless of your operating system or available software. Best of all, the PDF format is widely supported by most professional printistries, meaning you can take the file directly to the printer, without further delay. Other software applications we often work with include: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Freehand, and QuarkXpress.

For Web use, we will need to consult with you to determine the scope of the work, and the formats you will require, such as HTML or PDF layout files; PHP, CGI, or Perl application scripts; JPEG, GIF, PNG, and Flash media; XML, CSV, or MySQL databases; and so forth. There are many different formats, so the best option is to consult with us to determine your exact Web design needs.

In providing print and Web design services, we ask that you provide a complete copy of all your files, including high-resolution images, fonts, and editable layouts. Due to the large disk size of these files, it may best to copy them to a CD and mail to us, rather than email individual files in batches (some of which may become corrupted or misplaced en route to us). We can also offer you a secure FTP space to upload and download large files, upon request..