[scribus] Using .xml or a script with Scribus

[Gregory Pittman]

On 10/11/2009 05:00 PM, Paul & Marie Di Somma wrote:
> Hello,
>
>
>
> I want to use Scribus to make a Quick Reference Card (QRC) for
>
> a software product. The QRC has text and pictures and
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> is printed as an A4 card folded into four panels. The QRC
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> is originally written in English and is translated into 9+ languages.
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> The layout and pictures remain constant across the languages;
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> only the text changes. Each language is made using a separate file.
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>
>
> Nothing too difficult so far. Currently, it is done in Adobe FrameMaker v7.
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>
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> My plan is to continue to  make separate cards for each language. Each
> language card
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> in Scribus has one language (in a layer) and English (in a separate layer).
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>
>
> I would simply switch off the English layer and switch on the language layer
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>
> when the .pdf is produced.
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>
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> So, for example, the Spanish QRC .sla has English in one layer and
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> Spanish in another layer. When a .pdf is produced, only the Spanish
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> layer shows.
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>
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> My question is how is it best to translate the QRC. My thinking is
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> that the translator receive an English .sla file and the translator
> translate
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> the language (for example, Spanish) in place of the English text
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> using layers.
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>
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> But, perhaps, a better way is to get "under the hood" and use .xml tools
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> to access the English and translate the language into another layer.
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>
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> Or, ideally, can this be done using a script?
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>
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> Look forward to your suggestions,
>    
you may be talking about two different things.

Certainly the production of the .sla file can go much like you say, but 
prior to that, the text can be left in a text file and use an outside 
editor to focus on the text. Once you import to Scribus, then you may 
want to make some alterations for balance in the resulting layout.

I like your idea of showing/hiding layers, a method which has advantages 
for multilingual uses, and of course you can have different images for 
different cultural groups as well.

Greg