A product catalog can include the same specification hundreds of times while changing only a model number, material, or operating condition. A technical data sheet may compress those differences into a single table. When these materials are translated, the challenge is to preserve the relationships between products, descriptions, values, and artwork—not simply to replace the words on each page.
For manufacturers preparing multiple language editions, technical translation, desktop publishing, and graphics adaptation need a shared source. The best method of preparation establishes which product data is approved, which text is repeated, and how the finished publication will be maintained. It also separates validating a translation from verifying the product’s actual performance.
Define the Publication and Product Scope
Start by identifying the publication’s required languages. A complete catalog, a selection of regional products, and a set of individual data sheets are different deliverables. Confirm the target languages and variants, intended readers, product ranges, and whether the output is for print, download, or both. Identify any related price lists or purchasing guides separately.
Providing content in another language is not necessarily preparing an accurate market version. Products, accessories, approved claims, and availability may differ between markets that share a language. Have the commercial and technical owners confirm those differences. It is not within the translation scope to infer market eligibility from the country name or from an earlier catalog.
Create a publication inventory linking each catalog section or data sheet to the relevant product identifiers and source revision. Record shared pages, such as selection guides and specification legends, because they can affect many products at once. This provides a practical way to define the translation scope and track future corrections.
Choose an Authoritative Source for Specifications
Decide which source controls each type of information. Product values may come from an approved spreadsheet or product information system, while the layout file controls presentation. A previous catalog may contain useful context without being the authority for current specifications. State how discrepancies between these sources will be resolved before translation.
Create a reference guide to connect the product identifier, attribute name, value, unit, qualifying condition, and revision. Retain the difference between a missing value, a value that does not apply, and an intentional dash. Those distinctions should not disappear when data is exported or located in a table. Also be aware that different markets may use commas instead of decimals, or metric instead of imperial measurements.
For example, consider a fictional catalog of industrial casters. Two models share a wheel diameter but have different mounting arrangements and load ratings. If a specification row is copied to the wrong model during preparation, an accurately translated heading will not fix the error. Product specifications and distinctions must remain attached to the related data throughout production.
Assign a product data owner who can resolve conflicts and approve corrections. If the source spreadsheet and data sheet disagree, require confirmation rather than choosing the value that appears most often. The translation team can identify an inconsistency; it cannot determine the correct performance figure from wording alone. Translation teams also should not do measurement conversions. The correct measurements for a market should be provided by the product data owner.
Create content rules and group together shared descriptions, attribute labels, material names, and standard footnotes before translation. Give repeated content a stable identifier where practical. This allows terminology or wording decisions to be applied consistently and helps reviewers see which changes affect an entire product family rather than a single page. Consider the use of STE – or Simplified Technical English and reference standardized industry terms.
Check similarities carefully. “Maximum operating temperature” and “recommended operating temperature” are not interchangeable labels. A general sentence may also have a product-specific condition attached to it. Preserve those differences even when the layout makes the entries look identical. Standardization should clarify the source, not broaden a claim.
Previously approved translations can provide useful reference material. Identify their language variant, product scope, and revision, and distinguish them from unreviewed distributor copies. A repeated phrase should be reused only when its meaning and context still apply. Similar wording does not establish that two specifications describe the same property.
For larger catalogs, provide the data export and the visual reference together. The structured content helps identify repetitions; the page shows how headings, values, and notes are related. If a production system assembles the catalog from reusable fields, explain those relationships and their shared intersection across the exchange format. Do not assume the language provider has the same knowledge of product connection or system correlations.
Separate Product Names from Descriptive Language
Prepare a naming reference that identifies brand names, product families, model codes, stock-keeping units, and generic product descriptions. Specify which elements remain unchanged and which have approved translations. A commercial name may need to remain recognizable while the accompanying functional description is translated for reader comprehension. Brand and product names often are DNT or “do not translate” items as the creation of a similar localized name is a legal and intellectual property consideration which a translator cannot do without the correct approvals.
Preserve ordering identifiers exactly unless an authorized market-specific change is supplied. Punctuation, leading zeros, and letter case can distinguish variants. Do not allow a spreadsheet import or editing review to treat a product code as an ordinary number. Confirm the codes in the final output, not only in the original source file.
Define technical abbreviations and preferred terminology for attributes. A short label such as “finish” may describe a coating, a surface condition, or a visual appearance depending on the product. Include enough context for the translator to select the correct term and identify where space-constrained labels must agree with fuller explanations elsewhere. Again, it is recommended to consider the use of Simplified Technical English (STE).
Keep naming decisions consistent across the catalog, individual sheets, graphics, and ordering information. If an established market name differs from the global name, provide and explain the approved relationship. The language team should not invent a local product name to make an unfamiliar trademark sound more natural. Localized trademarks are a nuanced and unique process separate from documentation localization.
Keep Values, Units, and Conditions Together
Treat the specification as a complete statement. A value may depend on temperature, test conditions, configuration, or another limitation expressed in a footnote. The translated page must preserve that relationship. Moving the condition away from the value, dropping a footnote marker, or changing a range into a single number can alter the information presented.
Agree on number, measurement, and unit conventions before localization. Local formatting and unit conversion are separate decisions. If conversion is required, the manufacturer should approve the converted values, rounding, tolerances, and applicable conditions. Translation should not introduce a converted rating or imply that a different expressed value has been independently tested.
Check symbols such as plus/minus signs, superscripts, degree signs, and range separators during both language and layout review. A font substitution or line break can make an otherwise correct entry difficult to understand. Keep each unit visibly associated with the intended value, especially in narrow columns or tables that continue onto another page.
Claims such as “up to,” “nominal,” and “typical” also require careful handling. Preserve their function and any accompanying explanation. If there is inconsistent use in the source content, ask the product owner to clarify the intended meaning for discrepancies. A fluently translated statement should not override the approved source.
Prepare Tables as Information Structures
A specification table communicates to the end user through information position as well as language localization. Supply editable cells where possible and identify what the rows and columns represent. Keep units, group headings, and notes with the relevant data. Tables assembled from unrelated text boxes may need additional preparation to preserve those relationships during translation and layout.
Review merged headings and shared cells carefully. A label spanning several columns may apply to a whole product family, while a note beneath one column may apply to only one model. Make that scope clear in the source. Do not rely exclusively on color or visual proximity to explain an exception.
Avoid separating all table labels into a list with no reference to the table. Short entries are often ambiguous without related headings and values. Provide a reference PDF and stable table or product identifiers so questions can be resolved against the correct location. This is particularly useful when the same label appears in different contexts.
After layout, compare each row and column with the approved source. Check alignment, repeated headers, continuation pages, and footnote placement. If a table must be split or reorganized to fit the translated edition, obtain approval for the new structure and review the product-to-value associations again.
Supply a Complete Design Package
Provide native layout files together with their linked graphics, the approved reference PDF, and information about the fonts used. Include editable artwork containing text, rather than only a flattened picture placed on the page that may be difficult to modify. Tell the provider which software and version your team expects to receive back.
For InDesign projects, Adobe’s packaging function can gather the document and linked assets for handoff. Its guidance notes that fonts activated through Adobe Fonts are not copied by the font-packaging option, so ensure they are properly collected. Confirm how the receiving team will obtain the required fonts and respect the applicable font licenses, if they will have the approval to make edits. A package should not be assumed to include everything automatically, and access should not be given to all. Providing PDFs or locked versions to prevent unauthorized versions when sending for internal review feedback is often advised. Your translation partner can also advise how review comments deviated from the source version, so product owners can reject or accept revisions.
Adobe guidance on packaging InDesign files for output
Include an asset list that connects images and drawings to products and pages. A photograph of a visually similar model may show a different connection or accessory. Identify approved substitutions and images that are intentionally shared. Graphic adaptations should not replace the user experience.
If only a PDF is available, send it for recreation assessment rather than assuming it can be easily edited. Text and graphics may require extra hours to reproduce. Identify whether the desired outcome should include an editable localized version, since a translated PDF and a rebuilt source package are different scopes with associated billed hours.
Plan Layout and Graphics Adaptation before Full Production
Choose representative pages for an early layout check: a dense comparison table, a product-family overview, a drawing with callouts, and a typical data sheet. Test the proposed treatment with the representative translated content. A correct opening spread alone will not reveal the constraints of the most crowded pages with text expansion and contraction.
Allow for differences in text length, character shapes, and line breaks. Agree which layout elements may change, such as column width, image position, or pagination. Do not make illegible small text the default solution to overflow. If condensing text is required, have the language reviewer preserve meaning and obtain approval where a technical claim is affected.
Identify every translatable graphic element: labels, legends, captions, embedded notes, and diagram titles. Preserve the connection between a translated label and its visual reference. For technical drawings or curves, language adaptation does not authorize changing dimensions, geometry, scale, or plotted performance data. Such changes require separate owner approval.
Specify how each language edition will handle page references, content lists, and links to downloadable sheets. If pagination changes, the navigation must follow it. Confirm whether the design uses separate language files or another controlled arrangement, and define which layers or content are intended for each final output.
Separate Language, Layout, and Product Data
Use complementary reviews with clear responsibilities. For example, linguists should compare the target text with the approved source and terminology. Desktop publishing specialists will check placement and production quality. The manufacturer’s authorized reviewers then verify the product data, claims, and market applicability. A single general instruction to “check the catalog” leaves these responsibilities unclear. Clearly define expectations and assigned responsibilities.
Adobe InDesign preflight can flag production issues such as missing fonts, modified links, overset text, and low-resolution images. These checks are useful, but they do not establish that a model’s load rating is correct or that a footnote applies to the right configuration. Automated checks and informed content reviews serve different purposes than a qualified product expert confirmation.
Adobe guidance on InDesign preflight checks
- Linguistic acceptance: Descriptions, attributes, limitations, and repeated terms match the approved source and language conventions.
- Data acceptance: The manufacturer confirms product identifiers, values, units, conditions, and approved market differences.
- Layout acceptance: Tables remain aligned, text is complete and legible, graphics are correct, and references resolve.
- Output acceptance: The delivered language, edition, file format, and source revision match the agreed publication scope.
- Regulatory acceptance: Ensure compliance and accessibility requirements will be met with final output.
Review the exported PDF as well as the editable file. Check the print layout at the intended size and inspect the digital version for navigation and readability. If a print supplier requires defined output settings, communicate with your language provider these expectations. A linguistic sign-off is not approval of every print production or accessibility requirement.
Keep Corrections Connected to Future Versions
Track review comments by product identifier, page or table, and language. Ask reviewers to distinguish a translation correction from a source-data change. If a value changes, the owner should update the authoritative source and identify every affected edition, not merely mark one translated proof. Style guides, glossaries, and translation memories should also reflect the approved revisions.
Set a source final version date and agree how later revisions will be handled. A changed specification can affect several catalog pages, individual sheets, and translated captions. Keep a shared record of revisions and which deliverables were updated so all can reference the changes. Avoid issuing replacement files without release updates including tracking notes explaining their relationship with the previous version.
Retain the approved terminology, editable layouts, associated artwork, and a record of the source revision used for each language. Request a handoff list that identifies these assets and any agreed exclusions. Future updates are easier to scope when the team can distinguish unchanged shared content from revision related product-specific material.
Budget for more than word count. The number of product variants, table complexity, artwork text, source completeness, language editions, and number of reviews all influence effort. Therefore, to budget time and cost, a representative sample assists the provider with assessing translation and layout together. It also reveals whether missing assets or unresolved product data need attention before production.
How Terralíngua Can Help
Terralíngua provides ISO certified technical translation for engineering and manufacturing materials, including technical specifications, together with multilingual desktop publishing. All formats and return outputs are expertly supported such as Adobe InDesign, FrameMaker, Illustrator, and Photoshop. Experience with these formats is required for localized versions, for example with catalogs that combine technical text, tables, and product graphics.
Discuss the source package, target languages, image adaptation, and required outputs as one project. Determine which language and layout checks are included in the scope of work, and who will approve product information. Terralíngua’s expert teams provide the technical translation and localized layout, while manufacturers will verify content (such as performance values) and provide the appropriate authorization.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should We Send the Spreadsheet or the Designed Catalog?
Send both when available, and identify which source controls the product data. The spreadsheet helps organize attributes and repeated content; the catalog shows layout, notes, and graphic relationships. Resolve conflicting information through the designated owner rather than asking the translator to decide which version is current. At minimum, a reference PDF is crucial to confirm context.
Can One Translation Be Reused for Every Product Variant?
Only where the meaning and applicability are the same. Shared attribute labels and descriptions can be reused, but conditions, materials, ratings, and configuration-specific wording need review. Keep product identifiers attached to the content, so a reusable description does not conceal a variant-specific difference.
Does Translation Include Converting Units?
Not automatically. Define conversions as separate approved instructions, with responsibility for calculations, rounding, and validation to the product owner. The manufacturer should approve the resulting values. Local number related formatting can be part of language preparation, but it must not change technical quantities or ordering identifiers without confirmation.
Must Every Language Edition Have the Same Page Count?
Only if that is an agreed requirement. A fixed page count can constrain tables and translated text, so test representative pages early. If pagination may change, accordingly update contents and references. Readability and correct associations between products, specifications, and notes should remain defined acceptance criteria.
Send a Representative Catalog for Assessment
Your Terralíngua representative can help you define project needs and priorities. Any material can start the process such as simply supplying the representative PDFs of catalogs or technical data sheets, to thoroughly providing the editable design files, linked artwork, and the approved product-data source. The discussion will include the language list, market differences, intended output, deadline, and review contacts. These materials help define the technical translation, desktop publishing, and graphics adaptation needed for a maintainable multilingual project. Provide any approved previously translated reference material, glossaries, or translation memories if they are available.
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