How do I translate a PDF?
What is a PDF? Portable Document Format, an Adobe-created document format that maintains the document layout as determined by the document author.
This document format does not allow changes and is therefore widely used in all business lines. However, like e-mails, other official documents, or web pages, companies often need to translate them.
How do I translate a pdf without altering it, quickly and while maintaining its quality and specifics?
What are the free solutions for translating a PDF?
Many free solutions exist, such as Google Translate, Deepl or Reverso, however they do not allow the translation of a PDF in the best conditions: copying/pasting the text of a PDF is complicated, because its layout is often locked by the format, it may miss elements (special characters, etc.), spaces are added, etc.
You can translate a PDF with Google Translate: simply upload your document to the online software, then select the original language and your desired target language. Click on the “translate” button to get the result in seconds, then you can download your translated document in the chosen language.
Free online translator: attention
This solution is not ideal: the layout of your document will then have to be adjusted or corrected in a dedicated software such as Adobe Acrobat or starting from a Word document or a Google docs.
Another weak point of free online translation of documents is its quality, the translation remains very literal. If it is a technical or vocabulary-specific document, you will need to check and edit your text.
Data security risks
The security of data on free platforms is not guaranteed, as their privacy policy is vague and very little regulated.
These online solutions can use your documents to improve their translation engine, and thus keep a copy of your translation output.
So you need to be vigilant about which PDF documents you want to translate.
Translation of a PDF file by specialized software
The benefits of a paid tool
Google Workplace or Microsoft Office can translate any type of editable document without having to return to Adobe Acrobat to rework it.
But there are other professional solutions for translating PDF documents. Their challenge is twofold: to provide an excellent quality translation while maintaining the layout of all types of PDF documents.
In addition, paid pdf translation software offers many data security guarantees.
Translate a PDF document with SYSTRAN Translate PRO
With SYSTRAN Translate PRO, translate all types of PDF (scanned, editable, image) while maintaining the original layout. The output file is an editable Word file to help refine the translation before publishing.
Need to translate your PDFs quickly, with a reliable and faithful rendering to the original? Discover SYSTRAN Translate PRO.