Smartling, the leading provider of agile localization tools, has upgraded its TMS to support popular office and design document formats, enabling the system to support a full range of localization projects.

With the new addition, Smartling’s TMS can be used to translate popular office documents as well as software localization files. Most translation/localization platforms support either software formats (gettext, Java properties files, etc) or office documents (Word, Excel, etc), but few support both types of files well. This is significant because a company can use Smartling both to localize its software, as well as supporting material such as brochures, slide decks, and other materials.

Smartling’s TMS supports the following document file formats:

• Microsoft Word

• Powerpoint

• Excel

• InDesign

• HTML

The Smartling system parses each document into individual texts, so that it can fully utilize the customer’s translation memory, and to enable translators to work in parallel on large documents. Translators work on texts at the sentence or paragraph level, and can re-use translations from previous projects. The completed translations are merged back into the original document template, to preserve its formatting and layout. This is another important advantage, because many translation management systems simply enable the translator to “check out” the document file, edit it, and re-upload it, meaning the translator must have a copy of the program needed to edit the file (Word, InDesign, etc), and be proficient in the use of that program. With Smartling, the translator simply edits translations using the existing translator workbench, and does not need to know the particulars of the program used to author the file.