u/RunSwanRun

Hello InFriends :) sorry for the silence…

Just quick info: you ask - we do! Polyframe is going to be a MacOS AND Windows app! Was crazy but we did it. After receiving many nice comments and questions, we tightened our butts and in a few days I will present a new Mac/Win version. In addition to the Windows version, I just added Claude and Gemini - so now there is OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, DeepL and ofc Ollama - definitely all of them waiting for (B)YOK!

And on the side, Glossary became Translation Memory, can do much more and now - in test - works perfectly… A few days more and I will open the “door” for the next bunch of beta testers…

For new readers: Polyframe is a lifetime, local, and no-subscription app for easy (but professional) translation of IDML files. Steps are easy: Export IDML - Open it in Polyframe - Click Translate (you can set up a loooot of options) - Open IDML in InDesign - translation ready!

Keep your fingers crossed :) this app can help many of us a lot - I built this because I hate copy/paste from Excel - I’ve been doing this for years :))

Going to build some website!

Hi! I’ve been in this group for maaany years, and I think the time has finally come to write something :))

I’ve been working as a graphic designer for almost 30 years. I’ve used Adobe software basically from the beginning of my professional life, and InDesign is probably the app where I’ve spent more time than in all other programs combined.

But from boredom, or maybe from the need to grow - call it what you want - two years ago, quite “late in life”, I started learning programming. Mostly with the help of AI, by trial and error, and because I needed to build tools I wanted to use myself.

And now I’m finishing Polyframe! YES!

Polyframe is my desktop macOS app for translating IDML files. No subscription. No paying for Redokun and similar tools. You can translate manually or with AI, using your own OpenAI or DeepL API keys. If you are more ambitious, you can also translate locally with Ollama. And of course, you can also type translations manually, with your own hands and brain…

I wanted the app to let you choose exactly which content should be translated. You can show or hide tables, text from selected layers, or text using specific styles. You can export the text to Excel, send it to an external translator, and later import the finished translations back into the document.

I have also built a basic dictionary and editing of repeated phrases. This will still be developed, because I already use the app myself and I can see many things that I want to improve or add.

I created Polyframe for graphic designers and DTP people - people like me. But I also realised that it may be even more useful for translators who work with designers. Without InDesign, they can translate InDesign documents :))

For years I have been producing multilingual catalogues and dozens of manuals. Right now I’m working on a Japanese catalogue and I can already see that I have built something really useful. Before this, I used Redokun a lot.

The app will eventually go to the App Store. The price will be good for me and special for friends from Poland, and it will definitely be without a subscription. Maybe I will also create an extra version with AI connected directly - in that case, the AI version would probably need a subscription.

Now the business part: so far, I have mostly been the only person using the app, so at this stage stability may vary. That is why I’m looking for a few people who can test it on real projects.

I’m looking for a few testers who:

• work on macOS with an M-series processor,
• use InDesign seriously or work closely with people who work on InDesign documents,
• deal with translations or multilingual publications,
• will try to test the app on real projects.

Important note, my dear people: I’m not looking for someone to click a few buttons. I’m looking for people who will honestly tell me what works, what is missing, and what needs to be improved because they found it during real work.

If you want to test Polyframe, send me a private message. Please write just two or three sentences about the kind of projects where you could really test the app.

The tests will be done through TestFlight. You need to install the TestFlight app from the App Store. I will send email invitations to people who want to join.

Of course, I will also be grateful for any comments here and now In the next few days I will post a video showing how the app works!