Formatting refers to the presentation/layout of the document. A client’s initial impressions of a document are formed on a quick glance through the document. A poorly formatted document fails to make a positive impact on the client. Translations that are intended for publication should be particularly well formatted, since these will be viewed by a mass audience.

You will be notified of Formatting in the assignment mail as any ONE of the following:

i.Format, same as original 

Strictly maintain the same presentation style of the source text.

ii.Journal formatting required

Ensure that language and style comply with the journal guidelines.

The journal link or name will be provided to you. Alternatively, the journal guidelines will be in the Reference folder. The link should take you directly to the Guidelines page. Look for words such as “Manuscript Submission Guidelines,” “Guidelines for Authors,” “Manuscript Preparation,” or “Instructions for Authors.” If the link is not functional, navigate to the home page and look for the above-mentioned keywords. In case the link is not given but the journal name is, a simple Google search will take you to the journal website.

iiiNo, do not format

No formatting required

Additional points:

Japanese and English texts occupy different amounts of space. Therefore, the formatting of some elements, especially tables and charts, may need to be adjusted to fit the translated text within them. This also affects page layout, e.g., text that fits within a single page in Japanese may expand to two pages in English after translation.

In case the client has provided a reference file, e.g., a template or set of guidelines for formatting, please follow this as closely as possible and write remarks/notes if any gaps are visible.

For more information on structural aspects of Formatting, see Annexure 7(I)

Follow the Assignment Translation Check Processes carefully. Use Roman (English) font for all English text in the document.

Handling file formats correctly is critical to ensure that the client gets a clean file and there are no inadvertent omissions in the file.

Please refer to the original file constantly during translation check. In addition, please refer to the Reference Files provided-they greatly aid translation checking.

Communicate more with client as well as other parties in the translation chain-this is key to high quality translation.

Three mediums to communicate - ulatusCommunicate (with all parties while translating; first option for communicating with the client), Question sheet (second option for communicating with the client while translating), and Remarks (at the time of delivery, communicate points that need high author intervention).

Strictly adhere to the Technical Checklist—we have no good justification to give to the client for not following the checklist.

Format the document well (the degree will depend on whether the client has specifically asked for it or not).

High quality translation is a MUST. Clients expect this from us—our objective is not met if a translated file is not of good quality. Focus on meeting the Service Expectations and Quality Parameters.