RE: Top 10 mistakes unstructured FrameMaker Users make in content before translation

[Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

I think this comment by you - "Most publishing habits evolve in an English-only (or source language-only) environment, and concerns about translation and text expansion are often an afterthought."

is probably true for everybody. I would not be at all surprised to find that people who use FM in a different language have much the same problems in not knowing how to optimize docs for translation.


>From what I read, I think most of those things are probably the result more of ignorance and inexperience on the writer's part than of making an incorrect decision on what to do. I'm pretty sure most of those things were the result of the writer not knowing there was a choice to make.



--- On Fri, 3/26/10, Maxwell Hoffmann <mhoffmann -at- globalizationpartners -dot- com> wrote:

> From: Maxwell Hoffmann <mhoffmann -at- globalizationpartners -dot- com>
> Subject: RE: Top 10 mistakes unstructured FrameMaker Users make in content before translation
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Cc: "'Keith Hood'" <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com>
> Date: Friday, March 26, 2010, 2:39 PM
> Keith,
> 
> Technically speaking, "no", Structured FrameMaker won't
> automatically take
> care of or prevent all or most of these mistakes. (Nor will
> any other XML
> editor that I'm aware of). Example: markers in mid-Word:
> DITA rules
> generally allow for the <indexterm> element to be
> inserted anywhere in <p>.
> I am not aware of an easy set of rules that would prevent
> an index in
> mid-word. 
> 
> Unanchored frames in the margin and textlines within
> anchored frames are
> stripped out when files are saved to XML. Also, textlines
> will produce an
> error message when saving to XML as they are illegal
> objects. Most
> structured FrameMaker users move to the best practice of
> keyed tables under
> illustrations to indicate key features.
> 
> Most of the formatting issues (single line page headers,
> side heads with too
> narrow columns) can occur in either structured or
> unstructured FrameMaker.
> Or in any other publishing product that uses style sheets
> for that matter.
> 
> NOTE: nothing in the blog is a "slam" or criticism of
> FrameMaker.  I hope my blog will help cure that.
> 
> _________________________ 
> 
> Maxwell  Hoffmann
> Director, Document Globalization Practice
> Globalization Partners International (GPI)    -- direct:
> 503.336-5952 
> skype: maxwell.hoffmann
> Follow GPI on Twitter: http://twitter.com/GPITranslates
> Follow me on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/maxwellhoffmann
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Keith Hood [mailto:klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com] 
> Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 8:07 AM
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com;
> mhoffmann -at- globalizationpartners -dot- com
> Subject: RE: Top 10 mistakes unstructured FrameMaker Users
> make in content
> before translation
> 
> I haven't read everything in this thread.  Just out of
> curiosity, does
> Structured FM automagically take care of these "mistakes"
> or prevent them
> somehow?
> 
> 
> 
> --- On Thu, 3/25/10, Maxwell Hoffmann <mhoffmann -at- globalizationpartners -dot- com>
> wrote:
> 
> > From: Maxwell Hoffmann <mhoffmann -at- globalizationpartners -dot- com>
> > Subject: RE: Top 10 mistakes unstructured FrameMaker
> Users make in content
> before translation
> > To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> > Date: Thursday, March 25, 2010, 7:52 PM
> > FYI -- Rick Quatro of Carmen
> > Publishing wrote a FrameScript script to solve
> > the marker problem (e.g. search for markers and move
> them
> > to beginning or
> > end of word). Rick has posted the script at:
> >
> http://frameautomation.com/2010/03/20/move-markers-to-the-beginning-of-words
> > /
> > 
> > I found Rick's posting in response to my post on this
> topic
> > on Linked In
> > under the "Friends of FrameMaker" Group.
> > 
> > _________________________ 
> > 
> > Maxwell  Hoffmann
> > Director, Document Globalization Practice
> > Globalization Partners International (GPI)    --
> direct:
> > 503.336-5952 
> > skype: maxwell.hoffmann
> > Follow GPI on Twitter: http://twitter.com/GPITranslates
> > Follow me on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/maxwellhoffmann
> > 
> [snip]
> 
> 


      
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