Services » PDF to Word conversion

Preparation of editable Word files in layout for processing in CAT tools.

The offer consists of PDF files conversion to the editable MS Word format with a layout that is possibly the closest to the original PDF file. The files should be professionally converted so as to retain the original document structure, pages, and paragraphs, i.e. the whole layout, as well as maintain all the specific characteristics of a given PDF document. The layout should render the editable document suitable for processing using CAT tools, so that the target language document keeps the original format, only with the exception of the original text length.

The PDF file is converted to Word at the beginning of the translation process in order to put the source files in the right format. It allows easier processing later on, when translating into any number of target languages.

PDF to Word conversion includes:

• ensuring that all the text and other elements are transferred to the new editable MS Word file
• professional layout processing: margins, tables, style, etc. in such a way that the document does not lose its paragraph formatting, even if the text length changes
• ensuring that all the pictures and drawings (those that do not contain any text) are inserted in the right place of a new Word document.

The above-mentioned process is charged on an hourly basis.

REAL CASE EXAMPLE:

Our Swedish client was awarded an ongoing project for translation: 10,000 pages in the field of technical manuals into Polish, English, and Norwegian. The source files were delivered in PDF format and the translations were to be redelivered in precisely formatted MS Word documents.

Solution:

LIDO-LANG prepared, in co-operation with the client, a Layout Guide that all the target files should follow. The Layout Guide precisely defines the margins, spacing, formatting, and other rules.

LIDO-LANG received the initial source files in PDF from the Swedish translation agency. Our Technical Department supervised and engineered the PDF to Word conversion service according to the previously established guidelines. Ready MS Word files were delivered back to the Swedish translation agency that then used these files as the input files in the professional translation process.

 
Result:

All of the translations were carried out in a CAT tool and maintained the formatting of the initially LIDO-LANG prepared Word documents. The formatting of the documents takes place only once, at the very beginning of the whole process. All 3 language versions are formatted automatically when the target texts are inserted.