How to create localized Adobe Captivate projects

Create an Adobe Captivate project in your source language using a source language version of the website or application. For example, if you created your application in English, you can produce an English-language Adobe Captivate project that shows the English application.

Export any captions in the project and translate the caption text into the languages you require. Continuing the example from step 1, you can take the English-language captions in the English project, export them, and give the text to localizers so they can translate it into other languages such as German and Japanese.

Open the website or application in the localized forms and record the same steps that were recorded in the source language version of the project. When you record the projects, do not automatically include objects. In this example, you record Adobe Captivate projects (using the same steps in the English project) of the application after the localizers have translated the application user interface into German and Japanese.

Import all objects from the source language version of the project. In this example, you import all objects from the English version of the project into the German and Japanese projects.

Import the localized captions created by translators in step 2. In this example, you open the German and Japanese projects and import the Microsoft Word file of the captions that have been translated.

Test the localized versions of the project. In this example, open the German and Japanese projects and ensure that the correct user interface is shown, that captions are properly translated and appear on the correct slide, and that timing is accurate. If necessary, adjust the timing or resize the captions so that Adobe Captivate displays all the translated text correctly.

Create the initial (“source language”) version of the project, including all necessary text captions.

Open the completed project.

Select File > Export > Project Captions And Closed Captions.

By default, the Word (DOC) file is saved to your My Documents\My Adobe Captivate Projects folder. You can change the location if you want. If the project file was saved, the location of the default Word file, named [ProjectName] Captions.doc, is in the same directory as the one in which the project has been saved. You can change the name of the file, if necessary, by clicking directly in the File Name text box and entering a new name. (Retain the.doc filename extension.) Click Save.

The Word file is generated with the name you specified and saved to the location you selected. A dialog box appears, asking if you want to view the document. Click Yes to view the document in Word.

The Word document contains the slide ID, item ID, original caption text, and slide number. There is also a column named “Updated Text Caption Data” where you can change the caption text. Provide a copy of the Word document to the localizer/translator.

The localizer/translator opens the Word document and edits the caption text directly in the “Updated Text Caption Data” column, replacing the source language text.

While the localizer/translator is translating the text, make a copy of the original Adobe Captivate project for the new language.

When the text captions are localized, open the copy of the project you created.

Select File > Import > Project Captions And Closed Captions.

Navigate to the localized text captions Word (DOC) file, select the file, and click Open.

The localized text captions and closed captions are imported into the project and all formatting is retained. A dialog box appears showing a successful import message. Click OK.

Test the new text captions by opening different slides in Edit view and reading the new caption text.