AI can produce a first-pass translation of an InDesign file quickly, but formal projects such as brochures, product manuals, and annual reports usually still need review by a professional translator or editor.
The challenge is that translators do not necessarily use InDesign. They may be more comfortable working in bilingual Excel files, or they may already have translation memory (TM), termbases, and review workflows set up in CAT tools such as Trados and memoQ. For these teams, online review alone is not enough. They need to export the source text and AI translation together, revise them in familiar tools, then import the results back into the layout project.
The exported file is not a blank template that translators must fill in from scratch. It is a review file that already contains the AI first draft. AI produces the initial translation, while translators can focus on terminology, tone, and accuracy.
Why not have translators edit the InDesign file directly?
InDesign is a layout tool, not a professional translation environment. Asking translators to open the .indd file directly often creates additional costs:
- Translators need to install and learn InDesign: This limits the language professionals who can participate in the project.
- Copying and pasting can affect formatting: Local formatting such as bold text, colors, and superscripts may be damaged during manual editing.
- Text is distributed across layout elements: Text frames, tables, headers, footers, and content spanning multiple pages are not easy to locate and review one by one.
- Existing language assets are hard to reuse: Translation memory (TM), termbases, and QA rules in CAT tools cannot be used directly.
A better approach is to let SimplifyAI process the InDesign file and create an AI first draft, then send the bilingual content to translators for review.
What review options are available after AI translation?
SimplifyAI provides three complementary ways to revise content:
- Online review: View the source text and AI translation directly in the project. This is suitable for quick edits to a small amount of content.
- Bilingual Excel: Place the source text and translation in a spreadsheet. This works well for translators who do not use CAT tools, client reviews, or offline collaboration among multiple reviewers.
- XLIFF: Import the source text, AI translation, and necessary text tags into CAT tools such as Trados and memoQ. This is suitable for teams with established professional localization workflows.
All three options work from the same AI translation result. The difference is where translators review the content, not whether they need to translate everything again from the beginning.
What is included in the exported Excel or XLIFF file?
The export presents content in a bilingual format:
- The source text is included as review context;
- The AI translation is included as an editable first draft;
- Matching information is included so revisions can be written back to the original text locations;
- XLIFF retains the necessary text tags to protect local styling, such as bold and superscript text, as well as text structure.
To reduce unnecessary review work, exported content is also organized:
- Segments that do not need translation are not exported: For example, numbers only, standalone symbols, and URLs.
- Identical segments are listed once: Repeated headings, headers, or standard notices are consolidated. Bilingual Excel also indicates how many times a segment is used. When a translator revises it once, the change is synced to all matching locations after import.
This means the translator's workload more closely reflects the content that actually needs review, rather than a mechanical list of every text fragment in the layout. If one location truly needs a different translation, it can still be adjusted individually during online review after import.
What does the complete workflow look like?
The process can be summarized as follows:
- Upload the InDesign file and start AI translation: The system extracts translatable content and generates a first draft in the target language.
- Review the AI translation: You can first browse the source and translated text online to confirm overall quality and terminology direction.
- Export bilingual Excel or XLIFF: The translation column already includes the AI first draft, so translators do not start with a blank file.
- Have translators review and revise: Use Excel for standard collaboration; use Trados or memoQ when translation memory (TM), termbases, or CAT QA checks are needed.
- Import the revised file back into the project: The system applies revisions to the matching text, and edits to identical segments are synced across all corresponding locations.
- Regenerate and check the layout file: Use the preview to check overset text, line breaks, tables, and RTL typesetting before downloading the deliverable.
This workflow lets AI improve first-draft speed while professional translators remain responsible for language quality, without requiring them to work directly in a complex InDesign layout.
Should you choose Excel or XLIFF?
If the people reviewing the translation primarily use Office, or if you need to send the file to a client for approval, bilingual Excel is usually the simpler choice. Reviewers can open the spreadsheet and edit the translation column directly, without installing specialized software.
If your team already uses Trados, memoQ, or another CAT tool, XLIFF is better suited to continuing the existing workflow. Translators can keep using translation memory (TM), termbases, consistency checks, and review statuses without changing how they work.
Both formats are used to revise the same AI first draft. Choose based on the people involved and the project requirements, without changing the final import and layout workflow.
Which projects are a good fit for this workflow?
This workflow is particularly useful for:
- InDesign projects where AI creates the first draft but professional translator review is still required;
- LSPs already using Trados, memoQ, translation memory (TM), or termbases;
- Teams that need clients or external translators to revise AI translations in Excel;
- Brochures, manuals, reports, and white papers where translators should not edit the InDesign source file directly;
- Projects that need to check overset text, RTL typesetting, and visual layout after language revisions.
Different CAT tools may display and handle XLIFF details somewhat differently. After importing revisions, it is still recommended to confirm the final layout through a PDF preview or designer review, especially when translations change substantially in length, tables are dense, or files include complex local formatting.
Related reading
- How to Export InDesign AI Translations to Bilingual Excel for Review
- How to Check and Fix Overset Text After InDesign Translation
- How to Automatically Extract a Glossary from Complex Documents
Conclusion
InDesign AI translation should not end when “the machine has generated a translation.” For formal projects, a more complete process is: AI creates the first draft, translators revise it in the online editor, bilingual Excel, or a CAT tool, and the system writes the approved translation back into the original layout.
If your team wants to improve InDesign translation efficiency while retaining human review, translation memory (TM), or client approval steps, upload an .indd file, complete the AI translation, and then choose Excel or XLIFF based on your team's preferred review workflow.