This article is for our new translation management system XTRF. This topic does not apply to our legacy ordering system at transfluent.com.
Translations can also be ordered in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file. The precise order method depends on whether you want to order translations into multiple languages or just one. Below are detailed instructions on how to proceed in both cases.
Please note that the Excel spreadsheet should include no other strings than the appropriate language codes (see below), and no other content except for the text to be translated. This also applies to any existing translations of the content in the target cells of the spreadsheet. These must be entered into the translation memory separately, and are charged at a different rate. All content in the spreadsheet will be interpreted by the system as material to be translated, which in turn affects the quote price.
Translations into multiple target languages
To order translations into multiple target languages simultaneously, you must enter the ISO code for each language in a separate column, on the first row of each column. Once the translations have been completed, they will be returned to you in the same file in their respective columns. You can find the full list of ISO language codes for the languages Transfluent offers here.
Indicate the source language, i.e. the language of the text you wish to have translated, in cell A1 with the ISO code for the language – but without the code for the language variant (see example below). Indicate the target language, i.e. the language(s) you want the text to be translated into, using the correct language variant code for each target language in the following cells (B1, C1, D1, etc.).
Please always use the proper ISO language codes and language variant codes for each language. It is essential to enter them very carefully, as any errors will cause the software automation to falsely interpret all cells as translatable content. This, in turn, will result in a significantly higher order price, so we recommend double-checking each language code before submitting your order.
When preparing your order, please always check to make sure you are using the correct ISO language codes. You can find them here. The standard practice is to use an underscore ( _ ) instead of a dash to separate the language and variant information. For example, if you wish to have a text translated into American English, the ISO language code is “en_us”.
An example of a multiple-language Excel order
If the text to be translated is in French, you only need to indicate it as “fr” in cell A1 of the Excel spreadsheet. However, if you wish to have the text translated into French, you must use the more precise ISO code for the language variant you want the translator to use. Transfluent offers three options for French – for France, Canada, and Switzerland respectively: fr_fr, fr_ca, and fr_ch. Please always specify the target language and the desired variant in this more precise form, i.e. using the ISO codes for languages and their variants. The full list of ISO language codes for the languages Transfluent offers is here.
For example, if you wish to order a translation of a Finnish-language text into French (France), German (Austria) and English (United States) all in the same Excel file, the prepared file should look like this before submitting your order:
However, ISO codes have not been assigned to variants of all languages. If no variant code exists, just enter the ISO language code, e.g. “no” for Norwegian. Please always check our language code page for language-specific exceptions.
Make sure the Excel file contains no content not intended for translation!
Please note that the Excel spreadsheet must not include any other strings than the required language codes. This means that you should remove all content except the translated text and the language codes on the first rows of each column. If the file contains any other content, the system will interpret it as translatable material, which in turn will increase the order price.
Translating into one target language
If you wish to order a translation into only one language, you do not need to mark its ISO language code in the Excel spreadsheet. Instead, in the order form simply choose the correct target language and variant, and check that there is no unnecessary text in the spreadsheet.
When a text is being translated into only one language, the translated content will replace the original text in the completed file. (This is not the case when a text is being translated into more than one language). This means that once the translation has been completed, the Excel file you receive will contain only the translation, without the original source text.
If the spreadsheet submitted to Transfluent for translation includes any material other than the language codes and the content to be translated, the software automation will interpret this extra material as content to be translated as well. This, in turn, will increase the order price. Therefore, always make sure that the Excel file only contains text that you want to have translated (as well as the required language and language variant codes, of course).
We charge EUR/USD 80 per hour for preparing or editing files on behalf of the customer, with a minimum charge of EUR/USD 40. VAT will be added to the prices.
General limitations for Excel files
Excel spreadsheets offer a practical way of presenting translations in a format that can be more easily processed with certain software, but, as all file types, they have their limitations. Please note the following when preparing files for translation:
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a single Excel file can contain a maximum of 8,221 rows.
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a single Excel file can include a maximum of 20,000 segments (cells).
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the file must not contain any merged cells, since this will cause the software automation to misinterpret the spreadsheet structure.
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Transfluent’s system cannot process Open Office files. We kindly ask that you provide the material to be translated in a Microsoft file format when placing your order.
Reference files
If you wish to provide the translator with additional or background information, you can also attach files for this purpose on the order form. When ordering translations of texts in an Excel spreadsheet, it is often a good idea to include a separate Excel file containing any background information that would provide sufficient context to ensure that the finished translation is as accurate as possible. For example, if the text to be translated contains a spreadsheet and you have another version of that spreadsheet that contains context fields, this could be useful to the translator as reference material.
Updates to earlier translations
If you are ordering an updated version of a text that has been previously translated by Transfluent – as opposed to an entirely new translation – every previously translated part of it will already have been saved in our translation memory software. This will reduce the amount of work required in producing the new translations, which will of course also lower the overall price.
Corrections to translation memories
We charge EUR/USD 80 per hour for correcting any incorrect translation memory entries caused by erroneous Excel orders, with a minimum charge of EUR/USD 40. VAT will be added to the prices.
Formatting of the translated file
If you have ordered only translations of a text, Transfluent cannot accept responsibility for any changes that may occur in the course of the translation process that affect the spreadsheet structure, cell size or font colour. If corrections to the layout of the materials are necessary either before or after translation, we can provide the customer with a quote for desktop publishing services separately.
A minimum charge of EUR/USD 40 (excl. VAT) is always applied for the preparation of desktop publishing quotes, regardless of whether the resulting quote is accepted by the customer.