The translated text is placed over the original design, and a reflowed version comes with it.
The translated text goes back where the original was, over the same page design, and a clean reflowed version comes with it. The PDF is read and translated on your device by the translator built into your browser. Nothing is uploaded. It is free.
How to translate a PDF, step by step
- Drop a PDF with selectable text on the page, or press Choose a PDF. PDFs of up to 60 pages are supported. Try an example shows the result first.
- Choose the From and To languages.
- Press Translate and wait while each page is done.
- Compare Original and Translated for each page.
- Download the Translated PDF with the layout, the Reflowed document or the Text.
How the layout is kept
Each page is drawn as a picture, and the original text is painted over with the colour behind it. The text is grouped into paragraphs and columns, each paragraph is translated as a whole so the sentences read naturally, and the result is spread back over the original lines. Where a translation runs longer, the type is made smaller so it fits the original width. Headings, tables of figures, images and page design stay where they were.
Which browsers can translate?
Desktop Chrome 138 or newer has a built-in translator. The first time you use a language pair it downloads a small language pack, and after that it works offline. Other browsers do not have one yet; you can still save the PDF's text with Save the text and translate it elsewhere.
What you get
A PDF that looks like the original, with the translation in place. For languages written in Latin, Greek or Cyrillic letters the translated text is real, selectable text. For other scripts, such as Japanese, Chinese, Arabic or Hindi, it is drawn into the page image so it shows correctly, and the reflowed document carries the selectable text. The reflowed document is a simple web page with headings and paragraphs that you can read on any screen, copy from, or print to PDF.
Limits
Scanned PDFs have no text to translate; make them searchable first with searchable PDF. Text inside images, charts and form fields is left as it is. Machine translation can get names, terms and tone wrong, so check anything important.
Tips for better translations
- Use a PDF made from a document, not a photo of a page.
- Choose the source language yourself if automatic detection gets it wrong.
- Check names, numbers and technical terms against the original.
- Use the reflowed version when the translated text is longer and the layout feels cramped.
- For legal, medical or official documents, ask a professional translator to review the result.
Who uses it
People reading a foreign-language contract, manual, invoice or school letter, students working with sources in another language, and small businesses dealing with suppliers abroad.
Questions
Is my PDF uploaded to a translation service?
No. It is translated by the translator built into your browser, on your device.
Why is the translate button unavailable?
Your browser may not have a built-in translator. Use desktop Chrome 138 or newer, or save the text and translate it elsewhere.
Can I translate a scanned PDF?
Make it searchable first, because scanned pages contain no text to translate.