When you send a document to a translator or feed it into a translation tool, the quality of the result depends partly on the quality of the source. Stray symbols, broken sentences and hidden characters can confuse both humans and software, and translation agencies often charge by the word, so clutter costs money. Spending half an hour preparing the source text is one of the most cost-effective things you can do before a localisation project.
Write for translation
Short, clear sentences translate more reliably than long ones full of clauses. Avoid idioms and jokes that only work in one language, and be consistent with terms. If you call something a "dashboard" in one paragraph and a "control panel" in the next, the translator may think they are different things. Keep a glossary of key terms and share it.
Remove formatting noise
Text copied from a web page, a chat window or a word processor can include extra spaces, line breaks in the middle of sentences and symbols from formatting systems. Paste the text into a plain-text editor and look for:
- Hard line breaks at the end of each line.
- Double spaces and tabs.
- Leftover Markdown such as asterisks and hash marks.
- Bullet characters that do not display properly.
- Mixed quotation mark styles.
Look for hidden characters
Invisible characters cause more trouble in translation workflows than most people expect. A non-breaking space can stop a translation memory from matching a sentence that is otherwise identical, because the software sees two different strings. Zero-width spaces can split a word in two for the tool. An AI text cleaner can list these characters so that you can remove them before you send the file. Be careful with languages that use joiners legitimately, and do not strip them from text that is already in such a language.
Keep the structure
Headings, lists and tables help translators understand context. Keep them, but keep them simple. Avoid text inside images, since it cannot be extracted easily, and provide the text separately. For software strings, keep placeholders such as {name} or %s intact and mark them clearly so they are not translated.
Give context
Translators work better when they know where the text will appear. A single word such as "Close" might mean a button, an adjective or a verb. Add notes, screenshots or a short description of the audience and the tone. Specify the variety of the target language, for example Brazilian or European Portuguese, and whether the style should be formal or informal.
Avoid machine-made surprises
If part of your text was drafted with a chatbot, read it carefully before you send it. Generated text can contain subtle errors or awkward phrases that a translator will faithfully reproduce in another language. It is much cheaper to fix the source than to fix every translated version.
Check the file format
Send files in a format the translator can open, and keep the layout simple. Common choices are plain text, a word processor document, or a structured format such as XLIFF or a spreadsheet with one string per row. Ask what they prefer.
Plan for length
Some languages expand by 20 to 30 percent compared with English, and others contract. If the text has to fit in a button or a label, leave extra space. Tell the translator if there are character limits.
Review the translation
Ask a native speaker to read the result in context. Check that names, numbers, dates and units are right, and that the tone matches the source. Keep a record of the decisions, so future updates stay consistent.
Keep the clean source
Store the final clean source alongside the translations. When you update the text later, you can send only the changes and avoid paying for retranslation of what has not changed.
Summary
Write clearly, remove formatting noise, find hidden characters, keep structure, give context, review generated text and store the clean source. The translator will thank you, and so will your budget.