Top 10 tips for designing bilingual documents

1. 1. Ensure all textual content is available and correct before any costs are sourced or designs produced. The use of multiple languages will make the documents size differ, sometimes drastically.
2. 2. Allow for sufficient time to insert text from both languages as variations in length could prove to be time consuming and require the initial design to be altered.
3. 3. When using a translator ensure that they understand your audience and approach adopted within the design. This will enable them to produce a translation fitting to the documents formal, fun or casual format.
4. 4. Choose a typeface that will add clarity to the language used and that works well with both languages.
5. 5. Ensure the selected fonts have the extended / diacritic characters required to display the Welsh language. E.g. â,ŵ and ŷ.
6. 6. Make use of equal contrast colours when the languages are used along side each other to aid the reader.
7. 7. When using hyphenation within documents combinations of letters that represent a sound in the Welsh language should not be separated by a hyphen, including ch, dd, ff, ll, ng, and rh.

1. 8. Given the letter forms used to make up words in the Welsh language there can be many variations in line height. Particular attention should be made to sentences carrying words containing characters with a large number of ascenders or descenders and line height should be adjusted accordingly.
2. 9. Whatever design styles you adopt ensure that both languages have equal status and one doesn’t dominate.
3. 10. Always get the design and layout checked by a professional translator in order to approve the changes and variation in both languages.
4. Call Hoffi today 029 2048 7941 and discuss your bilingual requirements or e-mail shwmai@hoffi.com

For more information please read the Welsh Language Board's guide to bilingual design