Here are some tips for creating your English source documents with localization in mind!

• Create and apply paragraph and character styles to create consistency in your document. It also facilitates style changes. Use style overrides as little as possible.
  
• Design the document assuming text will expand at least 30% in the localized version. If the text cannot flow to additional or blank pages, leave space on the page for text expansion.
  
• Use keep options instead of page breaks. If you create a page break and then add text before it you can end up with awkward or misplaced page breaks.
  
• Take advantage of auto-generated text such as table of contents, index, and cross-references.
  
• Use Open Type Fonts that support multiple languages such as Myriad Pro. This ensures that the localized version of the document will retain as much of the look and feel as the original as possible. Check your font documentation for specifications on which languages they support.
  
• Avoid having text in placed images, especially bitmapped images (JPG, GIF, TIF, etc) where it is very difficult to change. Instead, place text in text boxes of your authoring software and overlay them onto the graphic when possible.
  
• Link graphics instead of embedding them into the document when possible.
  
• When working with linked graphics, each graphic should have a unique name rather than using files with the same name in separate graphics folders.
  
• Use master pages for background images and header and footer text rather than pasting it on multiple pages.
  
• Use paragraph spacing (before and after) instead of empty paragraph returns.
  
• Use line breaks instead of paragraph breaks, when applicable.
  
• Use indents instead of extraneous tabs or spaces.