Why a catalog is harder to translate than other documents
A catalog is not a long brochure. It combines four things that each slow translation down, and it combines them in one file.
- Layout is the product. Product grids, spec tables and callouts are designed to fit exactly. German and French typically run longer than English, so translated text overflows boxes that had no room to spare.
- Much of the text is data. SKU codes, dimensions, units, certifications and prices sit next to marketing copy. Some must be translated, some must never be touched, and some change by market.
- It is never finished. New SKUs, discontinued lines and spec changes mean a new edition every season or year. Most of each edition is identical to the last one.
- Deadlines are fixed. Print runs and trade shows don't move. Every language has to land at the same time, not one after another.
A workflow that handles a one-off brochure well can still fail on a catalog, because the cost of a catalog is in the layout rework and the re-translation of unchanged pages, not in the first translation.
The four workflows teams use
1. Agency translation plus designer rebuild
You send the PDF or exported text to an agency. Translations come back as Word files or annotated PDFs, and your designer pastes them into a copy of the InDesign file, language by language.
Works when: you translate one catalog, once, into one or two languages.
Breaks when: you add languages or editions. Design rework scales with every language, and each new edition starts the loop again because the agency's work is not tied to your source file.
2. Spreadsheet or Word export
Someone copies the catalog text into Excel, one row per text block, with a column per language. Translators fill the columns, then the designer copies each cell back into the layout.
Works when: the catalog is short and text-light.
Breaks when: the catalog has hundreds of text frames. Extraction and re-insertion are manual, errors are easy to miss, and translators see text with no idea where it sits on the page.
3. Machine translation inside InDesign
A plugin or script sends the InDesign text to a machine translation engine and writes the result straight back into the file.
Works when: you need a quick internal draft.
Breaks when: the output goes to customers. There is usually no glossary enforcement, no translation memory, no review step for a native speaker, and no way to reuse last year's approved wording.
4. Translation management tool that works on the source file
You upload the InDesign file (IDML) to a tool such as Redokun. It extracts the text, applies your glossary and translation memory, pre-fills new segments with AI, and lets every translator, agency or reviewer work in the same browser editor. Each language downloads as an InDesign file with the layout in place.
Works when: you translate into several languages and publish new editions regularly.
Costs: a subscription, and a few hours to set up the glossary before the first project.
How the four workflows compare
Only the source-file workflow keeps layout rework and repeat translation close to zero, which is where most catalog time goes.
- Agency + designer rebuild: text exported as PDF or Word; high layout rework (full re-paste per language); next edition starts over; terminology depends on the agency. Best for one-off projects in 1–2 languages.
- Spreadsheet export: manual copy-paste; high layout rework (cell by cell); next edition starts over; shared term list, not enforced. Best for short, text-light catalogs.
- Machine translation in InDesign: no text prep; low layout rework; re-translates everything each edition; no terminology control. Best for internal drafts.
- Translation tool on the source file: automatic text extraction; low layout rework (final check only); next edition translates only changed text; glossary applied to every translator. Best for multiple languages and regular editions.
The most efficient catalog workflow, step by step
- Freeze the source edition. Agree a date after which the English (or source) catalog only changes through a tracked revision. Translating a moving target is the single biggest source of rework.
- Prepare the InDesign file for translation. Leave room in text frames for longer languages, keep text in live frames rather than outlined or in images, and use paragraph styles consistently. Export as IDML.
- Build or update the glossary. Product names, technical terms, certification labels and terms that must stay in English, approved for each language. A few hours before the first project saves review rounds on every project after it. See how to build a manufacturing glossary.
- Upload once and pre-translate. Upload the IDML and pick all target languages. Translation memory fills every segment approved in a previous edition; AI pre-translation, guided by the glossary, drafts the rest.
- Translate and review in parallel. Assign each language to an in-house colleague, a freelancer or your agency. Everyone works in the same web editor with a live preview of the page, so overflowing text is visible while translating, not after.
- Download each language as InDesign. Translated IDML files come back with the original layout. Your designer does a final visual check per language instead of a rebuild.
- Next edition: upload the revised file. With quick revisions, only new or changed segments need translation and review. Unchanged pages carry over automatically.
For a deeper look at setting this up across all your marketing documents, read how to build a translation workflow for manufacturing marketing teams.
Five catalog details that decide your deadline
Spec tables and SKU codes. Product codes, model numbers and standard references (IP67, CE, ISO) should never be translated. Add them to the glossary as "do not translate" so neither translators nor AI change them.
Prices, units and market-specific data. Prices, currencies, voltages and imperial vs metric units differ by market. Decide up front whether they are translated, replaced by a local team, or removed into a separate price list. A separate price list means the catalog itself changes less often.
Text expansion in tight grids. Plan for German and French to need noticeably more space than English. Fix it in the source layout with flexible frames, not language by language at the end.
Images with embedded text. Text baked into photos or diagrams cannot be extracted. Move labels into live text frames, or list those images early so they don't surface the week before print.
Working back from the print date. Schedule backwards: print date, then final designer check, then review, then translation, then source freeze. Because all languages run in parallel, the schedule is set by your slowest reviewer, not by the number of languages.
When a simpler workflow is enough
If you translate one short catalog into one language and don't expect a new edition, an agency plus a designer is reasonable. The setup time of any tool won't pay back on a single project. If that one-off is a large InDesign file, a one-time project pass avoids both the rebuild and a subscription.
The tipping point usually comes with the second language or the second edition. That is when the same pages get translated and laid out again, and the source-file workflow starts saving real time.
FAQ
Can I translate an InDesign catalog without InDesign?
Translators don't need InDesign if the text is extracted from the IDML and translated in a browser editor. Only the designer doing the final check needs it.
Is AI translation good enough for a product catalog?
AI is a fast first draft for new text, especially with a glossary applied. For customer-facing catalogs, a native speaker should still review it, particularly technical claims and safety wording.
How do I avoid re-translating the whole catalog every year?
Use translation memory tied to your source file. When you upload the new edition, previously approved segments are reused and only new or changed text goes to translators.
Can I keep working with my translation agency?
Yes. Agencies can work in the shared editor, or export the text to their own tools and import it back, while the layout stays in your file.
Which languages should I translate first?
Start with the markets that drive the most revenue or have the nearest deadline. Because languages run in parallel, adding more later doesn't slow the first ones down.
The bottom line
The most efficient catalog workflow keeps the text in the layout from start to finish: one upload, a glossary and translation memory doing the repetitive work, all languages in parallel, and finished InDesign files at the end. The first edition builds the foundation; every edition after it costs less.
See how manufacturer WhizCut translates its catalogs and manuals with Redokun, or try Redokun on your next catalog with a 14-day free trial.
