Bilingual translation batch processing: how to organize and check multiple documents

Key points of this article

Multiple documents must be named and grouped in a unified manner, and then processed with the same set of settings to facilitate subsequent comparison and delivery.
Use a representative document to go through the process first, confirm that the format and terminology are correct, and then process the remaining documents.
The scanned copy and the electronic version should be treated separately. The scanned copy should be tested first to see whether the text can be selected, and then the verification intensity will be decided.
The glossary is the key to ensuring consistency across multiple translations, and must be replaced and reviewed one by one after translation.
Machine translation results require manual review, especially numbers, names, units, and legal or medical terms.

I have a batch of documents in hand that need bilingual comparison, such as a dozen papers, a set of course notes, or a set of product manuals. When translating piece by piece, a common problem is that after downloading, you can't tell which piece corresponds to which original text. Some file settings are wrongly selected, and the same term is translated differently in different files. These problems are not obvious when there are few files, but will appear intensively when there are too many files.

This article talks about the workflow of bilingual translation batch processing: how to organize the files first, how to process them one by one using unified settings, and how to check before delivery. After reading this, you can use this method to process any batch of documents without relying on a specific tool. Regarding OmniDoc, here we write based on uploading one by one, selecting the output method, and downloading the results; whether you can select multiple files at one time, please refer to the actual situation of the product interface.

How to arrange bilingual comparison of multiple documents to make it easier? One-sentence conclusion: first group and set the settings, use a sample to run through, and then proceed in a unified manner

First group the files by type and difficulty, and use the same set of settings for the same group. The first file is used to verify the process, and then the remaining files are processed after confirming that there are no problems. Below are recommended practices for several common situations.

your situation	Recommended practices	reason
The file formats are the same, such as electronic versions of PDF papers.	The same set of settings is processed one by one in the order of file names.	The settings are consistent and the standards are unified when checking
Mixed formats, including PDF, Word, and PPT	Group by format, each group will try one copy first	Layout issues vary from format to format
Scanned copies and electronic copies are mixed together	First distinguish the two categories, and scan and verify them individually.	Recognition errors in scans are more common
The document contains a lot of technical terms	First create a glossary and select the corresponding text style	Ensure the same term is translated consistently in all documents
There are many files and they have to be handed over to others	Check each item immediately after completion before moving on to the next one	Correct problems promptly to avoid complete rework

Before you start: Confirm these points first

Spending ten minutes preparing before you start can save a lot of rework later.

File listing and naming. List all the files to be processed into a table and name them uniformly, such as 01_论文标题.pdf, 02_讲义第一章.docx. The downloaded results will follow this order, making it difficult to check if they are unclear.
Whether the file can be opened normally. Open each document and try to select a section of text with the mouse. Those that can be selected are usually electronic versions; those that cannot be selected are mostly scanned copies and need to be treated separately.
Output form. Decide whether you want bilingual comparison (original text and translation side by side) or just the translation. In the verification stage, it is generally more convenient to use bilingual comparison; when delivering it to readers who only read the translation, consider only the translation.
Glossary. List the translations of professional words and names of people and organizations that appear repeatedly in the document, and write them in a text. Use it to check each translation after it is translated.
Check time. Machine translation results require manual review, especially numbers, units, names, legal terms, medication instructions, etc. Build reconciliation time into your plan and don’t wait until the day before the deadline to start.

Steps to generate bilingual comparison documents piece by piece in OmniDoc

The following steps are suitable for working with multiple documents in the omnidoc.top web or desktop client (download address download.omnidoc.top).

Put all the files to be processed into the same folder and name them according to the list.
Open omnidoc.top or the desktop client and enter the document translation function.
Upload the first document. It is recommended to choose the one that is more representative of your group, such as the one with a moderate number of pages and containing tables and formulas.
Select the output mode as bilingual comparison or translation only, and select according to the options provided on the interface.
If the interface provides style options, select categories such as academic, legal, medical, technical, business, or literature based on the content to make professional expression closer to reality.
Start the translation, wait for it to complete and download the results, immediately checking the layout, tables and terminology of the first few pages (see next section).
After confirming that there is no problem with this set of settings, use the same settings to upload the remaining files in sequence. After downloading each file, immediately check whether the number of pages is consistent according to the file name.
After all is completed, put the results into a folder and create a table of contents to record the file name, number of original text pages, number of translation pages and verification status.

Check each item after completion

Once you have all the results, don’t just deliver. Check the following contents one by one, and record and correct any problems in a timely manner.

Check items	How to see	What to do if there is a problem
Number of pages and chapter structure	Compare with the original page number to check whether the title and chapters are included	When pages are missing, first confirm whether the original file is complete and damaged, and then process it again.
Typography and elements	Check whether the positions of tables, formulas and pictures are consistent with the original text.	Write down the page numbers and if necessary, export them to an editable format such as Word and then correct them.
Terminology consistency	Search each translation for the words in the glossary to see if the translation is uniform.	Unified replacement and comments in the catalogue table to facilitate the modification of similar documents together
Recognition quality of scanned parts	Try to select the translated text and see if there are a lot of garbled or missing words.	Re-check the clarity of the original when the quality is poor, and proofread the important paragraphs manually.
Numbers, proper nouns	Check figures, names of persons, units and institutions against the original text	Revise the original text and check it again after the revision
File name and correspondence	Each line in the catalogue corresponds to an original text and a translation	Adjust naming to avoid mismatch during delivery

If you have made a lot of changes to the translation, you can use the PDF comparison function in the desktop client to compare the two versions before and after the revision to make sure that the scope of the changes is not beyond expectations. Mistranslation is inevitable in machine translation, and the important contents must be reviewed by people who are familiar with the field.

# how to choose a batch tool for bilingual translation?

There are three common online practices: online conversion sites, browser translation plug-ins and desktop office software. Each of them has its own focus, and you can focus on the following points when selecting.

- File size and page limit. whether a long document or a large scanned document can be uploaded smoothly determines whether you can process the complete file at once. - whether there is a watermark. when the watermark is delivered to others or used for formal occasions, the watermark will affect the look and feel, which should be confirmed in advance.

Privacy and file preservation. * contracts, undisclosed research and internal information, to understand how documents are stored and for how long.

- whether typesetting is retained. whether forms, formulas, pictures and pages can follow the original text determines whether the bilingual version can be used directly.

# frequently asked questions (FAQ)

1. Is it necessary to install special software to do bilingual batch translation?

Not necessarily. You can upload it one by one on a web page, or you can use a desktop client. The key lies in the previous list of documents, uniform naming, and glossary, which have little to do with which approach is used.

2. How many documents can be processed at most at a time?

This depends on the current limitations of the product. Please confirm the number, size and page limit of a single file in the interface before you start. Do not estimate based on experience.

3. For multiple bilingual documents generated, how to ensure that the source text and translation correspond correctly?

Rely on the file name correspondence and record it line by line in the catalog table. After each copy is completed, check whether the home page and the last page are consistent with the original, and confirm that they are correct before continuing.

4. Can the scanned pieces be directly compared in bilingual language?

You can upload the translation directly. But first use the mouse to try to select the text, and after downloading a few pages, pay attention to identify whether there are missing words or garbled, important paragraphs should be manually proofread.

5. Can the results of machine translation be handed over directly to others?

Direct delivery is not recommended. Numbers, names, units and professional terms are particularly error-prone and should be checked against the original before sending them to the reader.

# Summary

For the batch processing of bilingual translation of multiple documents, the key is to sort out the list, set it uniformly, then run through the process with a sample, and finally check it one by one and deliver it uniformly. Through the glossary and checklist, rework can be significantly reduced.

Open OmniDoc, upload the document and start translation.