HTML-related projects for translation and proofreading companies refer to handling website content. There are a few rules that need to be followed while handling HTML files, but it?s not scary! We summarised our experience with such projects in two basic points.
What can be translated or proofread in HTML projects
HTML is generally understood as tags between angle brackets (e.g. <tag>). They often occur in pairs, so we have an opening tag <p> and a closing tag </p>. We can modify whatever is between them, but should not change the content of the tags ? any alteration may distort the entire website layout.
Sometimes the text needs to be reordered to match the specificity of a language ? this may involve moving the tags as well. You need to be sure that the same words are surrounded by marker tags.
What cannot be translated or proofread in HTML projects
Some tags may look like words for translation. These include instances such as <title>, <centre>, <body>. However, they need to remain in the original language. Such tags are called markers and denote particular properties of the layout. You should be familiar with HTML to be sure which tag has to remain as is, but there is a simple rule that works in most cases ? if everything in the tag is written in small or big case (<TITLE> or <title>), it should not be modified; if it is written differently (<Title>) you can translate it.
You do not have to be an expert in HTML to accept a translation in this format. What you need to do is communicate with the customer ? he may be able to point out which parts you missed and which did not need to be modified later on ? and be honest about your capabilities in this respect.
MD Online is experienced in translating HTML files as well as many other formats such as Excel, InCopy, PowerPoint, LaTex, PDF and Word. If you need further information about this service or any other product we offer, do not hesitate to contact us.
About MD Online: Mission statement: to ensure textually clear, grammatically correct and properly localised proofreading and translations by native speakers of the target language.
MD Online has an excellent track record of providing proofreading and translations to individual academics, institutes and businesses. We are building a solid reputation and have a large number of customers who reuse our services as well as recommended it to others.
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