> Languages > Thai Translations
There are no particular issues or difficulties involved in translations between Thai and English, either for translations into Thai from English, or translations into English from Thai. Nevertheless, as with all Asian languages the differences between Eastern and Western traditions, thought and culture do create challenges when dealing with certain concepts and subject areas. However experienced Thai-English translators are familiar with the techniques and approaches needed to overcome these issues.
The Thai alphabet has forty-four consonants, at least twenty-eight vowel forms and four tone marks. Thai is usually written with no space between words, and the end of sentences is marked by a space. Thai also does not distinguish between lower case and capital letters.
Several Thai fonts are supplied with Windows 2000 and XP, so Thai translations can be supplied as standard Microsoft Office documents – Word, Excel, PowerPoint. However because Thai does not have spaces between words, word wrapping can cause files to display differently on different computers. For this reason Thai translations created in Microsoft Word are generally supplied as pdf files.
Thai Typesetting
There are a number of specific issues involved in typesetting
Thai.
The biggest issue is that most graphic design programs simply
cannot handle Thai fonts, and the few that do have font display
problems – for example Illustrator incorrectly displays
the two levels of superscripted diacritics.
Another major issue with Thai typesetting is word wrap. Thai only has a space at the end of a sentence and not between words, but line ends must wrap at the end of a word, not mid-word. Depending on the typesetting methodology used, this may have to be done manually.
Often there are also space issues involved in typesetting Thai. Because it has two levels of superscripted and one level of subscripted diacritics, a line of Thai text takes up considerable vertical space, requiring greater leading and allowing fewer lines of text in a text box than is possible in other languages.
There are solutions to all these issues, but Thai typesetting invariably involves more time, and is therefore more expensive, than typesetting in most other languages.
Thai artwork is normally supplied as outlined eps files placed in the design file.
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We use only experienced, professionally qualified Thai translators
with a proven track record of consistent professional-quality
work.
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All translations undergo full checking and proofing procedures
to ensure accuracy and eliminate ‘human error’. All typesetting
is double checked and subject to translator sign off before
delivery.
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We have over 18 years experience translating and typesetting
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