Desktop publishing

First impressions count:
multilingual typesetting that hits the spot

Patient information leaflets. Brochures. Internationally important frameworks. Wiring diagrams. Whatever you’re localizing, we make sure your design doesn’t immediately turn off your target market at first glance.

Every language has specific dos and don’ts in publishing. Polish has rules about where one-letter words can (and can’t) appear in a paragraph. Japanese is seldom aligned left, but almost always fully justified. Line breaks in Thai and Chinese need to be in the right place.

These might seem like small issues, but they can instantly alienate your reader. Our specialist design team know the rules and how to make sure your content blends in as a natively authored publication. All while keeping it looking great.

What we offer

Tailored for your industry

Every organization has different needs. Maybe you want to design a public health leaflet, but you’re concerned about whether the imagery is appropriate. You might need to verify the symbols for your medical device to comply with ISO 15223 or ISO 20417. You could need an experienced hand to expand the text in your instructions for use. Or get a partner to help make multilingual maps in a platform like ArcGIS. We can help with it all.

Simple ways to work across different formats

We work with all the most common design tools, from industry-standard software, like InDesign, Illustrator and AutoCad to newer programs, like Figma and Canva. Create printed materials, digital files, or interactive media – whether they’re in Arabic, Japanese, or multiple scripts at once. And get plug-ins to make text extraction and reinsertion simple, fast and cost-effective.

Quality built in

Certified to:

ISO 17100 (translation services)
ISO 9001 (quality management)

Follow these standards:

ISO 18587 (post-editing of machine translations)
ISO 13485 (medical devices)
ISO 14001 (environmental management systems)

Members of:

The UN Global Compact
The Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators (ISTC)
Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP)
The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR)
Association of Translation Companies (ATC)

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Geo Language Services follow language/country-specific typesetting preferences?

Yes. Typesetting preferences vary by locale: punctuation conventions, number and currency formats, quotation marks, line-break rules, character spacing, font fallback for non-Latin scripts, justified vs ragged text norms, and minimum point sizes for regulated content. We apply target-locale conventions as standard, and document any client-specific overrides.
Can Geo Language Services review imagery used in public health leaflets?

Yes. Imagery in patient-facing health content needs cultural and inclusivity review: skin tone representation, age and gender balance, religious or cultural sensitivities, locally relevant visual references. We can add a cultural review where the content is going to a market or community with specific sensitivities, and flag imagery that may need replacement.
How does Geo Language Services verify symbols used for medical devices?

Medical device labelling symbols follow ISO 15223-1 and (in the EU) the harmonised symbols list referenced in MDR. We verify symbol usage against the applicable standard, check that mandatory symbols are present, and confirm that any text equivalents and harmonised colour coding are correctly applied for the target market — not just the language version.
Which design tools are compatible with Geo Language Services' translation workflows?

The standard professional design tools — Adobe InDesign (INDD, IDML), Illustrator, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, Figma, Sketch — across all major operating systems. Files are processed in native source format rather than converted, which preserves layout integrity through the translation cycle.
Can Geo Language Services help with plug-ins?

Yes. Where you use specialist plug-ins for translation-aware design — InDesign translation plug-ins, automated text-import tools, design-system plug-ins for Figma — we work in your environment. For larger or recurring programmes we can recommend tooling that streamlines the design-translation cycle.

Desktop publishing

What we offer

Tailored for your industry

Simple ways to work across different formats

Quality built in

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Geo Language Services follow language/country-specific typesetting preferences?

Can Geo Language Services review imagery used in public health leaflets?

How does Geo Language Services verify symbols used for medical devices?

Which design tools are compatible with Geo Language Services' translation workflows?

Can Geo Language Services help with plug-ins?