In DITA, reused content can be translated independently, meaning that content modules or topics can be translated separately from the main documents in which they are reused. This approach offers flexibility in managing translations, especially when content is reused across multiple documents or projects.

Independent translation of reused DITA topics involves:

Modular Translation: Independent translation of reused content modules allows translation teams to work on smaller, more manageable pieces of content. Each module can be translated separately without the need to translate entire documents.

Consistency: DITA supports the reuse of content, and this modularity also helps maintain consistency across translations. When the same module is reused in different documents or languages, changes made to the source module will reflect in all instances, promoting consistency.

Efficiency: This approach can be more efficient, as translation teams can focus on translating only the parts of content that have changed or are specific to a particular document or language. It reduces redundancy in translation efforts.

Parallel Work: Multiple translation teams can work on different content modules concurrently, speeding up the translation process and facilitating the release of multilingual documents.

Content Relevance: Independent translation allows tailoring content to the specific needs of a document or audience without impacting the source content. Translators can adapt content to suit the context or language requirements.

Example:

A technology company that uses DITA for its product documentation. They have a series of product manuals in various languages. One of their product manuals contains several standard safety warnings and disclaimers. To save time and effort, they create a separate DITA topic for these safety warnings and disclaimers.

Now, when it’s time to translate these manuals into different languages, the company’s translation team can independently translate the safety warnings and disclaimers topic. These translations can be reused across multiple manuals without the need to retranslate them in each document. This ensures consistency in safety information across different language versions of their manuals and allows translators to focus on the specific product features and details within each manual.