How can I prepare DITA content for translation?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Preparing DITA content for translation is essential to ensure the accuracy and consistency of your documentation across different languages. DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture) provides a structured approach to content creation and management, which simplifies the translation process. Here are some key steps to prepare DITA content for translation:

Structure and Consistency

Start by ensuring that your DITA content is well-structured and follows a consistent format. Use DITA elements like <topic>, <title>, and <p> tags to organize your content. Consistency in the use of terminology and writing style is crucial, as it simplifies the translation process and maintains content integrity.

Create a Terminology Glossary

Compile a terminology glossary that includes translations for key terms used in your documentation. This glossary helps translators understand the context and use the correct terminology. You can create DITA elements to store this terminology glossary, making it accessible to both content creators and translators.

Extract Text for Translation

Utilize DITA features to extract translatable text from your content. DITA allows you to tag text that needs translation using attributes or specialized elements. Translators can work on these tagged segments separately, reducing the risk of errors and ensuring accurate translations.

Example:

Here’s an example of how to tag content for translation in DITA:


<topic id="sample_topic">
  <title>Product User Guide</title>
  <body>
    <p>This is the <translatable>introduction</translatable> to our product. <translatable>This is a key feature.</translatable> Please read carefully.</p>
    <p>For further assistance, refer to the <link href="support.html"><translatable>support page</translatable></link>.

  </body>
</topic>

In this example, we’ve used the <translatable> element to indicate which parts of the content need translation. Translators can easily identify and work on these segments.