Setting up Figure and Table Titles for Translation Import and Export?

Question

Hi,
I use InDesign to write User Manuals. Once the manual complete, I use SDL World Server to translate the document which works wonderful. The way it works is the document is parsed by the xml data and when you export the document from SDL, the translated data replaces the English data, it’s pretty slick! The problem that I have is that my Figure and Table numbers are hard coded with the word "Figure" and "Table” as part of the numbering system and will not translate nor export (see screenshot below). Is there A.) A way I can make the code become a reference to a text box in the document that then can be translated? B.) A common or different way to handle this?
If you need any more info, just let me know. Thank you for your help!

Answer 1

The problem that I have is that my Figure and Table numbers are hard coded with the word "Figure" and "Table” as part of the numbering system and will not translate nor export (see screenshot below). Is there A.) A way I can make the code become a reference to a text box in the document that then can be translated? B.) A common or different way to handle this?
I've always avoided that auto-figure-naming stuff, in any application, for the sole reason that it often doesn't localize well. I'm not a WorldServer user, but a SDL Trados Studio user, so I don't know exactly what to tell you. If you're the kind of person to pop your IDML open in a text editor, you'll find that the actual "Figure" text appears in Styles.xml, and I doubt that SDL's IDML filters look there for text for translation. I don't actually know for sure, and I do know you're using an SDL product with which I have no familiarity whatsoever.
A different, somewhat kludgy way to handle this would be to use auto-numbering to create an invisible paragraph number (color of Paper, size of 0.1 pts, glyph width of 1%, or something along those lines), and then have the phrase "Figure" in your live text, followed by a cross-reference to the paragraph number.
A common way to handle this would be to ask SDL to update their IDML filter to pick up terms used in auto-numbered lists.