PowerPoint Localization

Comprehensive guide for localizing Microsoft PowerPoint presentations

Metrics

Revision Rounds:

2 revision rounds

File Preparation:

  • • Slides: 100 slides/hour (DTP Prep)

Breakdown:

  • • Desktop Publishing (slides/hour): Latin = 15, Asian = 10, RTL = 10
  • • Desktop Publishing: Graphics (Editable) = 10 graphics/hour, Graphics (Uneditable) = 5 graphics/hour
  • • Revision 1 (slides/hour): Latin = 30, Asian = 20, RTL = 20
  • • Revision 2 (slides/hour): Latin = 60, Asian = 40, RTL = 40
  • • Word Count: 150 words per slide, 30 words per graphic

Source Material

Required files and assets from the client:

  • • PowerPoint source files: .PPTX files (preferred) or .PPT files with all slides and content
  • • Editable graphics: Source files (.PSD, .AI, .SVG, .EPS) for graphics containing text or requiring localization
  • • Fonts: All fonts used in the presentation, especially custom or branded fonts
  • • Linked media: Any linked video or audio files embedded in the presentation
  • • Reference materials: Style guides, brand guidelines, glossaries, and previous translations
  • • Graphics inventory: List identifying which graphics need localization vs. universal graphics
  • • PDF reference: Final output PDF showing intended layout and design

Best Practices

  • • Use slide layouts consistently: Apply PowerPoint slide layouts and master slides consistently for easier localization
  • • Extract text efficiently: Use PowerPoint's export features or translation tools to extract text while preserving formatting
  • • Handle graphics separately: Extract text from graphics, translate, and update source graphics or create localized versions
  • • Manage text boxes: Use flexible text boxes that can accommodate text expansion without breaking slide layouts
  • • Test text expansion: Account for 20-30% expansion in European languages and 50%+ in Asian languages per slide
  • • Preserve animations: Maintain slide transitions and animations while updating text content
  • • Update master slides: Modify master slide templates for headers, footers, and recurring elements in target languages
  • • Handle tables and charts: Adjust tables and charts for text expansion while maintaining visual clarity
  • • Check special characters: Ensure proper encoding and font support for special characters and symbols

Things to Consider

  • • Text expansion: Slides have limited space; text expansion may require font size adjustments or slide redesign
  • • RTL languages: Right-to-left languages require text direction changes, alignment adjustments, and layout modifications
  • • Graphics with text: Graphics containing text require separate localization; uneditable graphics may need recreation
  • • Slide layouts: Complex slide layouts may need adjustment to accommodate longer text in target languages
  • • Animations and transitions: Ensure animations and transitions work correctly with localized content
  • • Speaker notes: If speaker notes are present, they also need translation and may affect slide timing
  • • Embedded media: Video or audio files embedded in slides may need separate localization
  • • Version compatibility: Ensure PowerPoint version compatibility, especially for complex animations and features
  • • Template consistency: Maintain visual consistency across all slides while accommodating language-specific requirements

Workflow

  1. File Preparation (DTP Prep): Analyze PowerPoint files, extract translatable content, identify graphics requiring localization, and prepare files for translation (1 hour per 100 slides)
  2. Text Extraction: Extract text content from slides using PowerPoint export features or translation tools while preserving formatting
  3. Translation: Translate content using CAT tools, maintaining terminology consistency and following style guides
  4. Graphics Localization: Extract text from graphics, translate, and update source graphics or create localized versions (1 hour per 10 editable graphics, 1 hour per 5 uneditable graphics)
  5. Desktop Publishing (Round 1): Import translated content into PowerPoint, apply formatting, adjust slide layouts for text expansion, update graphics, and modify master slides (15 slides/hour for Latin, 10 for Asian, 10 for RTL)
  6. Layout Adjustments: Resize text boxes, adjust tables and charts, update master slides, and ensure proper text flow on each slide
  7. Animation Review: Verify that animations and transitions work correctly with localized content
  8. Quality Assurance: Review all slides for layout, formatting, text flow, and ensure all elements are properly localized
  9. Revision 1: Implement client feedback and corrections (30 slides/hour for Latin, 20 for Asian, 20 for RTL)
  10. Revision 2: Final corrections and refinements (60 slides/hour for Latin, 40 for Asian, 40 for RTL)
  11. Final Output: Generate PDF or PowerPoint output files, verify all animations, transitions, and formatting are correct