I've just finished transferring my base MS Word user manual into FrameMaker9
(if it matters, I'm running on a PC with XP Pro and unstructured Frame).
We translate into several languages and I thought I had my file structure all
worked out until I actually went to put together a package for our LSP to
prepare a Spanish (SP) quote. (This is my first time using FM, so I probably
made more than a few newbie mistakes setting up my directories.)
My basic file structure looks like this (I'm also including German (DE)):
- English Master..................................English Book Files
- Graphics
- Appendices
- Chapters
- 02........................................linked image files
- Visio Originals (for PDFs)..............Visio files w/ EN text
- Visio Originals (for PDFs) - DE.........Visio files w/ DE text
- Visio Originals (for PDFs) - SP.........Visio files w/ SP text
- Icons
- IFU Tables - Master (Linked)
- IFU Tables Linked) - SP-L...................will always need re-linked
- IFU Tables Linked) - DE
- Logos and Graphics (Non-Linked)...............no translation required
- Text Inserts (Linked) ........................will always need re-linked
- Track 3 Tables (Linked) ......................no translation required
- Variable Documents (By Product-Language)......control doc#/title, etc
- MDP
- OP-SP
- TCH
- 1 TCH Variable Doc (Master)
- DE TCH Variable Doc.......................some translation required
- SP TCH Variable Doc
I had planned to have language-dependant book file directories at the same
level as the "English Master" directory, but of course that means that many, if
not all, links would have to be redone. However, if I keep all languages in the
same directory as the English Master, this problem won't arise.
In the short term, we will have 6 languages. But in the future we could have
more (we have older products translated into 17 languages) so this could make a
single directory a little harder to manage.
At this point, the LSP is responsible for running the TM against new/edited
files, although I am evaluating Alchemy's Publisher as a means to rein in
translation costs.
If anyone has experience that can help me decide on the final "flavour" for my
directory structure, I would appreciate it. Hopefully I haven't forgotten any
crucial information.
FYI: I have a total of 10 Chapters and 7 Appendices. 9 Chapters and 3
Appendices have linked images/text inserts/tables.
Alison
Alison Craig, Technical Writer
Ultrasonix Medical Corporation
130 - 4311 Viking Way
Richmond, BC V6V 2K9
Tel: (604) 279-8550, ext 127
Fax: (604) 279-8559
E-mail: [email protected]
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