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Translation for Every File Format

Translation of Word, Excel, PDF, InDesign, XLIFF, JSON and SRT files in 50+ languages, with layout kept. Get a free quote and a reply within 12 hours.

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From Word documents and InDesign layouts to XLIFF strings files and SRT subtitles, we translate every format with the original structure preserved and ready to use. Send the original file and your languages, and we reply with a quote within 12 hours.

Why file formats matter

Why File Format Matters in Translation

The most expensive translation mistake is treating every source as plain text. A Microsoft Word DOCX contains paragraph styles, section breaks, footnotes, embedded objects, and revision metadata.

An Adobe InDesign IDML carries master pages, anchored frames, character-style overrides, and language-tagged paragraphs that drive hyphenation. An XLIFF 2.1 file carries source segments, translator notes, locked variables, and inline placeholders that, if broken, will crash the build pipeline of the application that consumes it.

Format-preserving translation is the discipline of working inside that structure rather than around it. The same approach underpins our technical translation work.

A professional CAT tool (Trados Studio, memoQ, Phrase TMS, Smartcat) parses the source format with a dedicated filter, exposes only the translatable strings to the translator, locks every tag and placeholder, and reassembles a target file that opens cleanly in the originating application. The difference between this and a copy-paste workflow is the difference between a file you ship and a file you rebuild.

The format-first workflow runs across our language services, from a single file to a full multilingual release.

The same discipline applies across every format we handle: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF on the office side; Adobe InDesign, FrameMaker, Illustrator, and AutoCAD on the print and engineering side; XLIFF, JSON, YAML, ARB, .strings, .resx, and PO on the localization-engineering side for website translation; and SRT, VTT, TTML, and SBV on the audiovisual side. Each one has a translation-aware filter, a quality-control protocol, and a delivery format that is ready for the application that will read it. Where the files are presented at a launch or a training day, our conference interpreting services cover the live side, and documents that an authority asks to see certified go through our certified translation services.

File Formats

Office Document Translation by Format

DOCX Translation

Microsoft Word: office document translation

XLSX Translation

Microsoft Excel: spreadsheet translation

PPTX Translation

Microsoft PowerPoint: presentation translation

PDF Translation

PDF document: pDF document translation

TXT Translation

Plain text: plain text file translation

RTF Translation

Rich text format: office document translation

File Formats

Print and Design File Translation

INDD Translation

Adobe InDesign: inDesign DTP translation

IDML Translation

InDesign markup: inDesign DTP translation

AI Translation

Adobe Illustrator: illustrator DTP translation

EPS Translation

EPS vector: vector file translation

PSD Translation

Adobe Photoshop: photoshop DTP translation

File Formats

Web and Localization File Translation

HTML Translation

HTML/Web: web file translation

XLIFF Translation

XLIFF (XML localization): localization file translation

JSON Translation

JSON strings: software localization

PO Translation

Gettext PO: gettext localization

XML Translation

XML data: xML data translation

SRT Translation

SRT subtitles: subtitle and audiovisual translation

CSV Translation

CSV data: data file translation

Who We Work With

File Translation for Businesses, Institutions and Nonprofits

Small Business Owners

Owners and office managers who need a menu, contract, website or product file translated quickly and at a clear price. One project manager follows the file from quote to delivery.

In-House and Enterprise Teams

Marketing, legal, product and localization teams that ship many files in many languages. We work in your translation memory and glossary, so terminology stays the same from one release to the next.

Nonprofits, Schools and Public Agencies

Program offices, school districts, universities, hospitals and city departments that translate forms, reports and web pages for residents who speak another language.

The professional toolkit

CAT Tools and Industry Standards for File Translation

The software and standards behind every delivery we make. Translation memory, terminology, and interchange formats are portable: every TMX and TBX we generate belongs to your account.

Trados Studio

The industry-standard CAT tool. Native handling of SDLXLIFF, IDML, FrameMaker MIF, and 50+ filters.

memoQ

Server-based translation environment used in regulated sectors (medical, legal, finance) with full XLIFF 2.1 support.

Phrase TMS

Cloud TMS (formerly Memsource) with API and connector ecosystem for Drupal, WordPress, Contentful, Figma, GitHub.

Smartcat

Cloud platform with built-in translator marketplace. Strong on JSON, YAML, ARB and modern web/app strings files.

Wordfast

Lightweight TMX-first toolkit popular for freelance and DTP-heavy projects with Word and InDesign sources.

OmegaT

Open-source CAT tool. Supported as an interchange path when client tooling demands plain XLIFF or TMX outputs.

The professional toolkit

Open Standards for Translation Files: XLIFF, TMX and TBX

XLIFF 2.1 (OASIS)

The OASIS XML interchange format. The lingua franca for handing translatable strings between CMS, CAT tools, and TMS.

TMX 1.4b (LISA)

Translation Memory eXchange: lets translation memories move between Trados, memoQ, Phrase, and Wordfast without loss.

TBX (ISO 30042)

TermBase eXchange. The ISO 30042 standard for sharing client glossaries and terminology databases across vendors.

ITS 2.0 (W3C)

W3C Internationalization Tag Set. Marks translatability, locale rules, and confidentiality directly inside HTML and XML.

Unicode UTF-8 / UTF-16

Character encoding non-negotiable for CJK, RTL Arabic and Hebrew, Cyrillic, Greek, and combined-script source files.

Second-Linguist Review

A second linguist revises every translation before delivery, whatever the file format.

US Conventions

US Conventions for Translated Files

The same Word or InDesign file behaves differently from one market to the next. For files that stay in the US, or come from abroad to be used here, we adapt the file and the text together.

Page Setup

  • US Letter paper (8.5 by 11 inches), not A4
  • Word and InDesign installs default to Letter
  • Files designed for A4 need a reflow, not just a translation

Text and Dates

  • US English spelling
  • Dates written month, day, year
  • Prices in US dollars

Addresses and Units

  • ZIP codes in address blocks
  • Inches, pounds and Fahrenheit for marketing copy
  • Metric source content converted where it helps the reader
Related Services

Related Translation Services

Document Translation

USCIS filings, contracts, medical records, and official certificates translated with a signed Certificate of Accuracy.

Software Localization

Apps, interfaces and digital products for new markets

Notarized Translation

Official files with a signed certificate of accuracy

Multilingual Interpreting

Live language support beside the translated files

All Services

Every translation and interpreting service in one place

File Format Translation FAQ

Why Does a Word Document Need Special Handling for Translation?
A Microsoft Word DOCX file is not text. It is text plus invisible structure: paragraph styles, section breaks, header and footer content, embedded tables, footnotes, comments, tracked changes, and revision history. A translator who delivers plain text leaves you to rebuild the document by hand. We translate inside the DOCX format using Trados Studio or memoQ filters as part of our document translation workflow, so the file you receive opens in Word with structure intact and ready to ship.
Can You Translate Scanned PDFs and Image-Based PDFs?
Yes. Image-based PDFs are run through OCR (ABBYY FineReader for production work) and rebuilt as either editable Word or InDesign source. Vector PDFs exported from InDesign or Illustrator are typically converted back to the source format (IDML or AI) so layout, fonts, and image links survive translation. The deliverable is a press-ready PDF that matches the original visual hierarchy.
What Is XLIFF and Why Does the Industry Use It?
XLIFF (XML Localization Interchange File Format, OASIS standard, current version 2.1) is the most widely supported interchange format for translatable strings. It carries source text, target text, segment status, translator notes, and locked variables in one structured XML file. Nearly every modern CAT tool and TMS reads XLIFF natively, which means a project starting in Phrase TMS can usually finish in Trados Studio without manual reimport. For developers, XLIFF is the format of choice for mobile apps, web localization, and CMS exports.
Will My Adobe InDesign Layout Still Work After Translation?
Yes. We translate from the IDML interchange format (Adobe InDesign Markup Language), which carries paragraph and character styles, master pages, anchored objects, and text frame links. The translated IDML opens in InDesign with layout preserved. Where target languages need expansion (German often runs roughly 30 percent longer than English) or contraction (Chinese Simplified can shrink by as much as 40 percent) our DTP team reflows in InDesign so the final PDF matches the source design.
Do You Support Right-to-Left and CJK Source Files?
Yes. Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Urdu are handled with the original RTL paragraph direction preserved (in IDML this requires the World-Ready Composer or Adobe InDesign ME). Chinese, Japanese, and Korean files are translated with full Unicode handling (UTF-8 or UTF-16 depending on source), correct font fallback for CJK glyphs, and vertical typesetting where the source uses it. We deliver a file that opens cleanly in your target locale's native software.
Which File Formats Support Translation Memory and Glossary Reuse?
Every format we support feeds a TMX-format translation memory and a TBX-format termbase. As a result, every DOCX, IDML, XLIFF, JSON, or SRT file you send us trains a memory specific to your account. Repeat content on the next project is reused automatically (often 20-40 percent of a typical brand's content), reducing both turnaround time and cost. The TMX and TBX files belong to you and are portable to any other vendor.

Need a Professional Translation?

Request a free, no-obligation quote. We reply within 12 hours.

Get a QuoteCall Us +1 (737) 301-0606