Scaling Multilingual DTP by Automating Language-Based Image Relinking in InDesign

When working on multilingual documents, it’s common for placed images to exist in language-specific variants.

A typical pattern looks like this:

  • diagram_EN.ai

  • diagram_DE.ai

Before or after translation, these images must be relinked to the correct language version.
Doing this manually works for a single file — but it quickly breaks down at scale.

Why manual image relinking doesn’t scale

In InDesign, relinking a single image is trivial.
But in real projects:

  • One document can contain dozens of placed images

  • A Book can contain many documents

  • Missing just one image can cause serious QA issues

As the number of files grows, manual relinking becomes both slow and error-prone.

Why not just replace images with the same filenames?

At this point, some readers may ask:

“Why not keep all image filenames identical and simply replace the contents of the Links folder?”

This approach does exist in real production environments. I have encountered multiple cases where companies have organised their data in this way.

However, in practice, it introduces serious risks.

When all language variants share the same filename:

  • Once an image is replaced, there is no longer any visible indication of which language it belongs to

  • If a replacement mistake occurs, tracing the error becomes difficult

  • When a designer or operator needs to make even a small visual correction, it is no longer obvious which language version they are editing

In multilingual production, these situations are common:

  • A regulatory label needs a minor wording fix

  • A UI screenshot requires a small update

  • A diagram needs a slight annotation change

Without explicit language identifiers in filenames, such fixes can easily be applied to the wrong file.

By contrast, language-suffixed filenames such as _EN, _DE, or _JPN make the language immediately visible.
This improves traceability, reduces mistakes, and makes version control far safer.

For this reason, I deliberately prefer language-coded filenames combined with automated relinking, rather than relying on silent file replacement.

Automation works best when the rules are explicit — and filename conventions are among the most reliable rules available.

The automation approach

In many production environments, image naming rules are fixed and predictable.
For example:

  • _EN → _DE

  • Same file extension

  • Same Links folder

When these assumptions hold, relinking can be automated safely with a small script.

The idea is simple:

  • Detect linked images ending with _EN.ai or _EN.psd

  • Replace the suffix with _DE

  • Relink the file only if it exists

  • Repeat for all open documents when required

Minimal script example (AI + PSD)

The following script demonstrates the core idea.

It is intentionally minimal and designed for educational use.

  • Targets AI and PSD files

  • Uses a fixed naming rule (_EN → _DE)

  • Assumes the same extension and Links folder

  • Includes only a simple confirmation dialog

License: MIT
Use at your own risk.

#target indesign

(function () {

    if (app.documents.length === 0) {
        alert("No documents are open.");
        return;
    }

    var processAll = true;

    if (app.documents.length > 1) {
        processAll = confirm(
            "Multiple documents are open.\n\nProcess all open documents?"
        );
    }

    var docs = processAll ? app.documents : [app.activeDocument];

    for (var d = 0; d < docs.length; d++) {
        relinkImages(docs[d]);
    }

    alert("Relinking completed.");

    function relinkImages(doc) {

        var pages = doc.pages;

        for (var i = 0; i < pages.length; i++) {
            var graphics = pages[i].allGraphics;

            for (var j = 0; j < graphics.length; j++) {
                try {
                    var link = graphics[j].itemLink;
                    if (!link) continue;

                    var name = link.name;

                    // Target: _EN.ai / _EN.psd
                    if (!name.match(/_EN\.(ai|psd)$/i)) continue;

                    var newName = name.replace(
                        /_EN\.(ai|psd)$/i,
                        "_DE.$1"
                    );

                    var newFile = new File(
                        doc.filePath + "/Links/" + newName
                    );

                    if (!newFile.exists) continue;

                    link.relink(newFile);

                } catch (e) {
                    // Skip problematic links safely
                    continue;
                }
            }
        }
    }

})();

What this looks like in real production workflows

In actual production environments, this logic is typically part of a larger automation pipeline.

Common extensions include:

  • Language selection via UI

  • Validation and logging

  • Support for additional naming rules

Those topics are intentionally left out of this article.

Related articles

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