Multilingual Typesetting Note: Formatting Typesetting with Hyphenation

What do you think of this typesetting?

There are lines that look like they have holes due to too much space, and there are also lines where words are stuck together due to too little space. When the quality of typesetting is uneven like this, it disrupts the reading rhythm and makes it difficult to read. So, how can we achieve consistent typesetting?

Long body and character spacing adjustments are not good. It is impossible to adjust only the space width. Well?

Negative Points

Improvement Plan

Hyphenation is required for both justified alignment.

Hyphenation is the process of dividing words at the end of a line to improve the layout. In justified text, the spacing between words is adjusted to create even line lengths, which can result in large gaps between words. Hyphenation helps to prevent uneven spacing between words.

As a general rule, the main text should be hyphenated. Without doing so, it is difficult to achieve a uniform layout and the spacing can vary, making it difficult for native speakers to read. Don't hesitate to use hyphenation, as it will result in a consistent and easy-to-read layout.

"The reason for saying "without hesitation" is probably because many Japanese people tend to avoid it, perhaps because they are not familiar with hyphenation. With DTP, automatic processing is based on the built-in dictionary, so there is no risk of being divided in strange places, and there is no risk of being divided without permission. This is a feature that is installed to make European and American typesetting more convenient, so let's make use of it."

Hyphenation is a basic knowledge taught in elementary school language classes for locals. Instead of fearing hyphenation, please fear the possibility of creating difficult and poorly formatted typesetting.

Even with a well-aligned head, hyphenation is necessary.

Some people think that hyphenation is unnecessary when aligning the text, but that is a big mistake. In aligned text, the length of each line may vary, and if long words at the end of a line are broken too early, it can cause a large gap and disrupt the flow of reading. Short lines can also be mistaken for the end of a paragraph. To prevent these issues, hyphenation is essential.

Hyphenation Etiquette

・Do not separate proper nouns

・Do not split words at the end of a paragraph, across pages or across columns.

・Keep at least 3 characters before and after the hyphen

・Up to a maximum of 3 consecutive lines

・Headings and captions should not be hyphenated

・Paragraphs with center alignment or end-of-line alignment do not hyphenate.

- Phrases connected with hyphens, such as "software-as-a-service", should be divided at the hyphen and not unnecessarily add more hyphens.

- Be careful not to make the split piece unexpectedly vulgar.

However, these are just principles, and when manners and readability cannot be reconciled, the latter may take precedence. It is reasonable to hyphenate three or more lines in narrow columns, and sometimes even proper nouns may be hyphenated as a compromise to maintain the layout. There is no need to standardize criteria across multiple languages, and when typesetting languages such as German, Dutch, and Russian that tend to have longer words, the frequency of hyphenation may be higher than in English.

Application: The Pros and Cons of Applying Japanese Sentence Structure to English

Is it really a good idea to blindly apply Western text alignment just because Japanese text is aligned on both sides? Japanese text naturally aligns on both sides because kanji and kana are all contained within the same square size, but Western text does not naturally align on both sides due to varying word widths. The ratio of justified text to left-aligned text in publications is 9:1 for Japanese and about 50/50 for Western text. When translating from Japanese to English or other languages, shouldn't we consider changing the layout to something more appropriate?

Justify (also known as equal distribution or box arrangement)

Justification refers to the method of aligning the beginning and end of a line by adjusting the spacing. With consistent line lengths, it allows for a steady reading rhythm and is suitable for book text. It is typically used for body text, while headings, table of contents, captions, footnotes, and indexes are aligned to the left.

Alignment (left alignment (RTL languages are right aligned) and ragged composition)

Head alignment is a way of arranging text simply from the beginning of a line, and when it reaches the end, it wraps around. The spacing remains constant and creates a uniform and beautiful layout. It gives a modern impression and is commonly used overseas. It is a layout that can be used in various media, not just books.

>>Translation Services by Human Science Co., Ltd.

>>Related Download Materials: 9 Examples of Machine Translation Errors and Post-Editing Checklist

Main Reference Materials

Nigel French, InDesign Type: Professional Typography with Adobe InDesign (3rd edition), 2014
Cyrus Highsmith, "The Basics of European Typography", Graphic Company, 2014
Masao Takaoka, "Revised and Expanded Edition: Fundamentals and Etiquette of European Typesetting Typography", Uyushorin Publishing, 2019