Files in PDF Format

While files in PDF (Portable Document Format) format become more and more widespread these days, translators and translation agencies are faced, more often, with the need to work with this type of documents. In spite of the many advantages offered by the pdf format, such as easy creation, the possibility of using a free software (Adobe Reader) open them, content protection, etc., the files cannot be modified, we can only view them. Therefore, they cannot be used as base documents to translate. And now is when we have to apply some strategies that, if carried out correctly, can help us succeed in our job.

Basically, we can mention two different strategies to translate PDF files:
1. Create a new document.
2. Convert the PDF file to another format we can overwrite the original text with our translation.

Creating a new file
- Advantages:
o The main advantage of using this strategy is that we can start translating right away.
o It requires very little preparation time.
- Disadvantages:
o We cannot use translation memories or similar tools to translate.
o The text should not generally be longer than 2-3 pages and it should have a formatting easy to reproduce in our translated document, since otherwise, it would take us a lot of time recreating the original formatting.
o There are a lot of chances of omitting not only sentences, but even complete paragraphs in our translation, and these odds increase as the files are longer in pages.

Although the many disadvantages seem to overweight the advantages, this is a very easy and quick strategy, and it only requires taking the following steps:

1. Create a new document in the format the client has requested. It a can be Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or the many other formats available in the market.
2. Open the original PDF file and use the “Tile” view so you can see both documents at the same time. This will help us not to lose track of the original text. Alternatively, you can print the PDF document and read it in hard copy.
3. Write the translation in the new document.
4. Reproduce, as faithfully as possible or according to the client’s instructions, the formatting of the original document. This step can be carried out while translating or as a post-translation step.

(continues in Part 2)

María Carolina Otero
www.quillslanguage.com

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