InDesign Pre-Translation Checklist for IDML Localization
The 30 minutes you spend on an InDesign pre-translation checklist saves three hours of post-translation fixes. Translated copy reflows differently, styles break when local overrides are pasted over, footnotes and tables of contents lose their structure, and missing fonts stall the re-open step. Every one of those problems is cheaper to catch before you export than after the translated file comes back. This InDesign localization checklist walks through the concrete file-prep steps that keep an IDML localization round-trip clean: export the right format, force everything to live text, lock down styles, and verify the structural objects InDesign regenerates.
Why INDD Won't Work — Export IDML
Before any checklist item matters, you need the right file format. INDD is Adobe's proprietary binary InDesign format. Translation tools cannot parse it reliably, and we do not accept it. IDML (InDesign Markup Language) is Adobe's open, XML-based export of the same document, produced via File → Export → InDesign Markup (IDML) inside Adobe InDesign. We accept IDML only — never INDD, never PDF, never DOCX — and we return a translated IDML file, ready to re-open in InDesign.
If you have been handed an .indd, the first IDML pre-translation preparation step is to open it in InDesign and export IDML. For the full background on why the format matters, see IDML vs INDD for translation and our step-by-step how to export IDML from InDesign guide. The rest of this checklist assumes you are working from a source .indd that you will export to IDML at the end — run every check on the source first, then export.
The Pre-Translation Checklist
Work through these items on the source InDesign document. Each one prevents a specific class of post-translation failure.
1. Export IDML, not INDD
The non-negotiable step. File → Export → InDesign Markup (IDML). Do not send the .indd, do not "save a copy" as INDD, and do not flatten to PDF. IDML is the only format that carries the document's stories, styles, and structural objects as translatable XML. For the format deep dive, see what is IDML.
2. Convert outlined text back to live text
Outlined text — text converted to outlines via Type → Create Outlines — is no longer text. It is vector shapes. A translation tool cannot read it, and there is nothing to translate. Search the document for outlined type (it selects as a path, not a text cursor) and either restore the live text from a backup or retype the frames before export. If outlines are unavoidable for a logo or display headline, flag that frame as do-not-translate and supply the translated version separately.
3. Apply paragraph and character styles — no local overrides
Translators and translation tools key off named paragraph and character styles. When text carries local overrides (manual bold, ad-hoc leading, a one-off color), those overrides often get stripped or duplicated during translation, and the reflowed copy comes back inconsistently formatted. Before exporting, make sure every paragraph uses a named paragraph style and every local format change uses a named character style. Clear stray overrides with Clear Overrides in the Paragraph Styles panel. This is the single highest-leverage item on the InDesign file prep for translation list, because clean styles are what let the translated file re-open looking right. For the detailed rationale, see our guide to InDesign paragraph styles and translation.
4. Use native InDesign footnotes, not typed numbers
A footnote is a structured object: a marker anchored in the body story plus a footnote story that InDesign numbers and lays out automatically. If someone typed "1", "2" as plain text instead of using Type → Insert Footnote, there is no footnote structure to preserve — the numbers will not renumber, and the footnote text will not reflow to the correct page after translation lengthens the body. Convert typed numbers to real footnote markers before export. See our InDesign footnotes translation guide for the full workflow.
5. Generate the TOC, don't type it
A Table of Contents built with Layout → Table of Contents is a generated object: page numbers and entry text are pulled from styled headings, so the whole thing rebuilds after translation. A TOC someone typed by hand is dead text — the page numbers will be wrong the moment translated copy reflows. If your TOC is manual, rebuild it as a generated TOC before exporting. Our InDesign TOC translation walkthrough covers this in detail.
6. Verify fonts are available and licensed for target languages
Translated copy needs fonts that cover the target script. A document set in a Latin-only display face will fail for Arabic, Chinese, or Thai. Before export, confirm the paragraph and character styles reference fonts you can license for every target language, and that those fonts are installed and active. Non-Latin scripts also need the correct language dictionary and composer (e.g., the Adobe World-Ready Composer for Arabic and Hebrew). Our InDesign fonts for non-Latin translation guide lists what to check.
7. Anchor objects and inline graphics correctly
Anchored objects — sidebars, callouts, icons inline with text — are stored as anchored to a position in the story. If an object is floating (not anchored), it will not move with the text around it, and translated reflow will leave it stranded on the wrong line or page. Before export, confirm inline and anchored objects are actually anchored to their intended text position. Re-anchor anything that drifted.
8. Mark conditional text for translation or removal
InDesign's Conditional Text feature lets you keep multiple variants in one document. If you use it, decide before translation which conditions ship and which get stripped — a translation tool will translate whatever is visible and exported, and hidden conditional text can cause confusion or duplication. Flatten to the conditions you want translated, or clearly mark the rest as do-not-translate.
9. Check cross-references and hyperlinks
Cross-references (Hyperlinks → Insert Cross-Reference) and hyperlinks are stored as targets, not as typed text, so they survive translation and re-resolve after reflow — if they are real cross-references. Typed "see page 12" references will be wrong after reflow. Convert manual references to real cross-references, and verify hyperlinks resolve before export.
10. Use native InDesign tables, not tab-separated text
A real InDesign table (Table → Insert Table) carries cell styles, header rows, and structure that survives translation. Tab-separated text formatted to look like a table is just paragraphs and tabs — it breaks the moment translated cell content changes width. Rebuild any fake tables as native tables. See our InDesign table translation guide.
11. Name layers clearly (optional but helps translators)
Clear layer names — Body text, Images, Background, Translatable vs Do-not-translate — help a translator or reviewer navigate the file and avoid touching non-translatable elements. Not strictly required, but a two-minute step that reduces back-and-forth.
12. Confirm color mode for the output
If the final output is print, the document should be CMYK with bleed set; if it is digital, RGB may be correct. Translation does not change color mode, but this is the moment to confirm the document is set up for its real destination, because the post-translation re-open is when you will output it.
What Happens After Prep
Once the source document passes every item on this indesign pre-translation checklist, export the IDML via File → Export → InDesign Markup (IDML) and run it through a translation tool. The prep work is what makes the round-trip clean: live text gets translated, named styles get reapplied, footnotes and TOC regenerate, and tables hold their structure. For the export mechanics, see how to export IDML from InDesign; for the format background, what is IDML.
TranslateInDesign: From Prepped IDML to Translated IDML
Once your IDML is prepped, TranslateInDesign accepts the file and returns a translated IDML, ready to re-open in InDesign. You handle the checklist above; we handle the translation of every story, the preservation of styles and structural objects, and the delivery of a file that re-opens with the layout intact. Prepping the file takes about 30 minutes — and as the checklist shows, skipping it is what turns a 4-minute translation into an afternoon of reflow fixes.