Formatting

Formatting in translation refers to preserving or adapting the visual layout, structure, and design elements of a document when its content is translated into another language. Maintaining formatting ensures that the translated document matches the professional appearance and functional usability of the original.

Translation creates several formatting challenges. Text expansion and contraction change how content fits within designed layouts — German text is typically 20-30% longer than English, while Chinese may be 30-50% shorter. Font requirements change for languages with different scripts. Right-to-left languages like Arabic and Hebrew require entire layouts to be mirrored. And character encoding must support the full character set of the target language.

Specific formatting elements that require attention during translation include page layouts and margins, headers, footers, and page numbering, table structures and column widths, image positioning and text wrapping, font selection and sizing for different scripts, bullet points and numbered lists, hyperlinks and cross-references, and style sheets and formatting templates.

For complex documents, formatting is handled through desktop publishing (DTP), where specialist technicians reflow translated text into the original design template. For simpler documents, formatting can often be preserved through careful use of translation tools that extract text while maintaining underlying formatting codes.

LEXIGO's translation process includes formatting review as a standard quality check, ensuring delivered files match the layout and visual quality of the original across all supported document formats.

A well-translated document with broken formatting looks unprofessional and can impair usability. Overlapping text, broken tables, misaligned images, and inconsistent styles undermine the credibility of the content regardless of how accurate the translation is.

For documents that will be published, distributed, or used in formal settings — marketing brochures, annual reports, regulatory submissions, patient information — formatting quality is not cosmetic. It is essential to the document fulfilling its purpose.