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Multilingual and multi-layered InDesign IDML files and SDL Studio 2015

Claudio Nasso

Hi to all,

I’d like to share with you an experience/procedure I used when managing multilingual and multi-layered InDesign IDML file(s) using SDL Studio 2015. I will be happy to know your comments/suggestions.

Foreword

I have been requested to manage 12 InDesign IDML multilingual and multi-layered files in 10 different languages, and process/prepare them using SDL Studio.

What follows assumes that you have Adobe InDesign (CS6 or CC) and SDL Studio 2015 installed on your machine.

Structure of the original InDesign IDML file

When opening in Adobe InDesign one of the received IDML files, I had this 10 layers structure (excluding English):

And this layers structure applies to all individual 12 IDML files.

Procedure to manage files

  1. First of all, working in InDesign, I locked and hidden all layers, leaving visible only the pertinent language (e.g., in this procedure, Portuguese), maintaining locked and hidden all other languages.

  2. I saved new individual IDML files pertinent to the single language layer made visible, attaching to the file name the proper language ISO code (e.g. pt-PT) suffix.

  3. At the end of step 1 I obtained 12 new IDML_pt-PT files.

  4. I imported each new IDML_pt-PT file in SDL Studio filtering only the layer I made visible, unchecking the option File Types > Adobe InDesign CS4-CC IDML > Common > Extract content of hidden layers, to create a list of corresponding SDLXLIFF files (e.g. _Introduction_pt-PT.idml.sdlxliff).

  5. At this point SDLXLIFF files can be opened and processed in SDL Studio Editor as usual.

  6. When the translation has been completed, or when receiving back the SDLXLIFF translated files, you will be able to recreate (SHIFT+F12, or File > Save Target As) single language IDML files and the translation will be in their proper single language layer.

  7. At this point, as it is supposed that you must deliver a final IDML file containing all 10 languages in their proper layers, you should open in Adobe InDesign the original “all languages” IDML file and the corresponding newly created single language IDML file.

  8. Now it is a simple task of copy and paste between two InDesign documents simultaneously opened. Copy the content of the individual language translated document created in step 6, and paste it in the proper position of the pertinent layer of the final “all languages” and, obviously, save it.

  9. Repeat steps 1–8 for all IDML files/languages and be careful, concentrate on what you are doing, and avoid distractions, because, as in this case, you must cope with dozens of files.

The process appears tricky (and in fact it is) and I will be happy if someone of you have a possible alternative.

Thank you for your attention and I hope this might help.
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  • From my knowledge there is no alternative and keeping many languages in a single InDD file is a bit of a problem too. Which language shall the styles be set to? Or does the customer have a set of styles for each language? As usually they don't, because it is really not manageable, this way of designing InDesign documents is to be avoided. Of course this is just my experience, but from talking to much more experienced InDesign user this seems to be confirmed. I have not yet met anyone, who would find this method to be good.

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  • in reply to Jerzy Czopik
    Claudio

    As you found out, translating multilingual ID files with a language per layer is tricky. The problem is that when you export the IDML, InDesign always exports all layers. Although in Studio, you only see the layer marked as visible and translate that one, when you reimport the IDML file into InDesign, it will replace all layers. This means that if you have different translators working on the different layers (exports), every time you reimport one of the translated layers, you overwrite the other language layers (which may already have been translated) again.

    There are two elegant ways to cope with this and both involve add-on software.

    One of them is the ID plugin CTRLayers from the Swedish company CtrlSoftware. It allows you export/reimport only specific layers from an IDML file. Works perfectly, but requires some investment.

    The other one is also a commercial software: SysFilter for InDesign. It also allows you to export only specific layers.

    Hope this helps.
    Walter
Reply
  • in reply to Jerzy Czopik
    Claudio

    As you found out, translating multilingual ID files with a language per layer is tricky. The problem is that when you export the IDML, InDesign always exports all layers. Although in Studio, you only see the layer marked as visible and translate that one, when you reimport the IDML file into InDesign, it will replace all layers. This means that if you have different translators working on the different layers (exports), every time you reimport one of the translated layers, you overwrite the other language layers (which may already have been translated) again.

    There are two elegant ways to cope with this and both involve add-on software.

    One of them is the ID plugin CTRLayers from the Swedish company CtrlSoftware. It allows you export/reimport only specific layers from an IDML file. Works perfectly, but requires some investment.

    The other one is also a commercial software: SysFilter for InDesign. It also allows you to export only specific layers.

    Hope this helps.
    Walter
Children
  • in reply to Walter Blaser

    Dear Walter,

    thank you for your suggestions.

    I visited the CtrlSoftware website, and as I see the plugin you suggested is a sort of automation of the "manual" procedure I described.

    Your solution will speed up the task, and will definitely help me.

    Thank you again for your suggestion.
  • in reply to Walter Blaser

    Hi Walter,

    an updating following my previous reply.

    I have tested (and then decided to purchase) the CtrlSoftware CtrlLayer plugin for Adobe InDesign and it completely automates/solves the problem to manage multilingual/multi-layered InDesign documents. It's really a little "gem".

    The important is to pay attention to the Adobe InDesign version installed on the machine as the plugin is different from a version to the other. Anyway, the CtrlSoftware support is reliable and swift to solve possible problems. In my particular case, I have downloaded the CC (InDesign version 9) not installable on CC 2015 (InDesign version 11) and they immediately sent me a new package and the pertinent serial number.

    A very good plugin when we have to cope with complex multilingual/multi-layered InDesign documents to process using SDL Studio 2015.

    Thank you again for your suggestion.