How to Prepare Your Manuscript for Translation

Getting your book ready for translation is not complicated, but a little preparation can prevent avoidable formatting problems later.

The format and structure of the file you upload will be carried through to the translated version. Before you begin, make sure your manuscript is final, clean and consistently formatted.

1. Finish Editing Your Manuscript

Your manuscript should be fully edited and proofread before you upload it.

It does not need to have been published already, but it should be the version you intend to publish. Translation is not the right stage to continue rewriting chapters or correcting the original text. Any changes made afterwards may need to be repeated across every translated language.

Before uploading:

• Complete your editing and proofreading
• Accept or reject all tracked changes
• Remove comments and internal editing notes
• Delete placeholder text and alternative passages
• Check that the chapters appear in the correct order
• Save a clean final copy

A useful rule is: if you would not be happy to publish this version in its original language, it is not ready to translate.

2. Choose the Right File Format

BookLingua accepts DOCX, EPUB and TXT files. PDF files are not supported.

Your translated book will be returned in the same format you upload:

• Upload a DOCX and receive a translated DOCX
• Upload an EPUB and receive a translated EPUB
• Upload a TXT file and receive a translated TXT file

We recommend uploading a DOCX whenever possible. It generally provides the fastest turnaround and the most accurate chapter structure.

If you have both a DOCX and EPUB version, use the DOCX. EPUB also works well if that is the best final version available. TXT should be reserved for simple manuscripts because it does not preserve formatting.

3. Check Your Formatting

BookLingua preserves the formatting of your uploaded file, so make sure it is consistent before translation begins.

Check:

• Font styles and sizes
• Paragraph spacing
• Line spacing
• Indentation
• Scene breaks
• Bold and italic text
• Lists and tables

If the line spacing changes between chapters in the original file, those inconsistencies may also appear in the translated version.

Images are fine to include and can remain in the manuscript.

You should still check the formatting of every translated file before publishing, particularly if your book contains images, tables or more complex layouts.

4. Use the Correct Heading Styles

Correct heading styles are particularly important because BookLingua uses them to identify and match the chapters in your manuscript.

In a DOCX file, use Word’s built-in styles consistently:

• Heading 1 for chapter titles
• Heading 2 for sections within chapters
• Heading 3 for smaller subsections, where needed

Avoid creating headings using only bold text, a larger font or extra blank lines. Something that looks like a chapter title to a reader may not be recognised as one by the underlying document structure.

After delivery, BookLingua makes it easier to compare the chapter structure of the original and translated files. You should use this chapter mapping to confirm that every heading and chapter appears in the correct place.

5. Include Everything You Want Translated

BookLingua translates the content included in your uploaded file, not just the main chapters.

You can include:

• Title and copyright pages
• Dedications
• Acknowledgements
• Author information
• Contact details
• “Also by the author” pages
• Other front and back matter

Check these sections carefully before uploading. Include only the contact details, links and publishing information you want to appear in the translated edition.

If something should not appear in the translated book, remove it from the file before uploading.

6. Prepare Your Translation Notes

After uploading, BookLingua asks for information that will help guide the translation, including:

• Your book’s genre
• Where the book is set
• Local language or cultural references that should be preserved
• Any special instructions for the translation

This is where you can mention character names, invented words, spells, fictional places or specialist terminology that should not be translated literally.

You do not need to add these instructions to the manuscript itself. Enter them in the fields provided after uploading.

For more detailed advice, read How to Create Your BookLingua Translation Brief.

7. Review the Pre-Translation Scan

BookLingua scans your manuscript for country-specific terminology, measurements, brand names, idioms and other references that may need special handling.

For each flagged item, you may be asked whether BookLingua should:

• Keep the original term
• Adapt it to a local equivalent
• Keep it and add an explanation
• Ignore the flag because the term has been misidentified

Review every item in context. Automated scans can occasionally mistake an ordinary word, heading or name for a cultural reference.

Your choices are saved and applied during translation.

8. Check the Detected File Details

Once the file has been uploaded, BookLingua displays its detected format and word count.

Before continuing, check that:

• You uploaded the correct final file
• The detected file format is correct
• The word count looks broadly accurate
• The filename clearly identifies the book and version

A clear filename such as Bride-of-the-Hollow-King-Final.docx is much easier to manage than one containing several version numbers or old file extensions.

BookLingua uses the detected word count to calculate your price before checkout.

Final Checklist

Before uploading your manuscript, confirm that:

• The book has been fully edited and proofread
• All tracked changes and comments have been removed
• The manuscript contains no placeholder text
• The chapters are complete and in the correct order
• Heading 1, Heading 2 and Heading 3 styles are used correctly
• Fonts, paragraph spacing and line spacing are consistent
• Images and other formatting appear correctly
• The front and back matter contain the correct information
• You have prepared any cultural or terminology notes
• The filename clearly identifies the final version
• The file is DOCX, EPUB or TXT—not PDF

Once those checks are complete, your manuscript is ready for BookLingua.

Next, create your translation brief and follow the complete AI book translation workflow. If you are still comparing budgets, the book-translation cost guide explains the main options.

Ready to translate? Upload your manuscript and see your price before checkout.