Adobe Illustrator translation workflow – export to CAT tools and import back

Hi everyone,

I work in localization and DTP, and one recurring problem with Illustrator files is getting text into a CAT tool and then back into Illustrator without manually copying text and rebuilding the formatting.

I’ve been working on an Illustrator script called ai2translation to automate this workflow.

The script exports native Illustrator text to structured HTML, which can be translated in a CAT tool, and then imports the translated content back into a localized AI file while restoring the original text formatting and structure.

I’ve tested the HTML round-trip with memoQ, Trados Studio and Swordfish.

It handles things such as paragraph and character formatting, threaded text stories, tabs, soft line breaks, locked text, hidden text and overset text reporting.

There is a limited free trial for testing the workflow, and the full version is a paid product.

I’m sharing it here because Illustrator-to-CAT translation workflows come up from time to time and Illustrator does not provide a native round-trip workflow for this.

More information and the trial are available here:

https://www.scriptbox.sk/product/ai2translation-1-0-0

I’d also be interested to hear how other Illustrator users currently handle localization of AI files and whether there are edge cases worth testing.