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Translating Text in Images and Screenshots
Methodology for handling raster graphics, diagrams, and UI screenshots in Word and PowerPoint documents.
Working with Non-Editable Callouts & Labels
Source documents (in Word or PowerPoint formats) frequently contain embedded graphics: software UI screenshots, schematics, diagrams, or illustrations with flattened text. When imported into CAT tools (translation memory systems), such rasterized text is not extracted automatically, requiring separate localization of graphic elements alongside or after the main translation.
The optimal workflow depends on the structure of the source file and its document format:
📊 Visual Diagram: Handling non-editable image text in CAT tools and selecting the right workflow for Word vs. PowerPoint
🔀 Graphic Localization Workflow for Word vs. PowerPoint
MS Word Documents
1. Translate the main body text
2. Finalize and proofread the layout
3. Then: localize screenshots (prevents layout shifts caused by reflowing text).
PowerPoint Presentations
1. First: extract text from images
2. Import extracted strings into the shared TM
3. Translate the entire slide holistically in one pass.
Detailed Expert Recommendations
1. Microsoft Word (Dynamic Flow-Based Layout)
Key characteristic: a dynamic, reflowing text stream without rigid page-level element pinning. During translation, text volume changes, which inevitably shifts anchored images across pages.
Recommendation: translate and typeset embedded graphics after the main document translation is complete. Attempting to localize graphics beforehand will result in repeated layout rework and higher project costs.
2. Microsoft PowerPoint (Fixed Slide-by-Slide Structure)
Key characteristic: a fixed slide structure with self-contained visual and semantic blocks.
Recommendation: extract and prep text on graphic objects before the main translation stage. This is the most cost-effective and streamlined approach, enabling translators to process all slide content in full context.
