Translate PDF
How to translate a PDF
Translate PDF translates the text of a PDF and writes it back over the pages, so headings, tables and pictures stay where they were.
- Add the PDF
Drop one PDF file, or click to choose it. The pages show at once.
- Choose the languages
The page guesses the language of the file. Change it if it is wrong, and choose the language to translate into.
- Translate
Press Translate. Chrome and Edge on a computer translate on your device; other browsers send the text to our server, page by page.
- Save
Look through the pages, then save the translated PDF, or the text alone.
Frequently asked questions
Not answered here? Ask Yangopen
Does the translated PDF keep its layout?
Yes, as far as the PDF allows. Each paragraph, heading and table cell is covered with its own background colour, and its translation is written in the same place, in a matching colour, at a size that fits. Pictures, lines and tables stay as they were. A translation much longer than the original is set smaller.
Is my PDF uploaded?
The file is not: it is opened and written in your browser. With Chrome or Edge on a computer the translation also runs on your device, and nothing is sent. In other browsers only the text of the pages is sent to Yangopen’s server, which has it translated by an outside cloud AI service and keeps none of it.
How much does it cost?
On your device it is free, with no limit. On the server a number of pages are free every day, for everyone, and each further page costs credit; a page of small print counts as more than one. Before you start, the page shows how many pages it will count and how many free ones you have left. Prices are on the pricing page.
Which languages can it translate?
Vietnamese, English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Thai and Indonesian, from any of them into any other.
Can I select or copy the translated text?
Not in the PDF. The translation is drawn onto each page as a picture, so that every language looks right in any PDF reader. Press Save text for the whole translation as plain text, page by page.
Does it work on scanned PDFs?
Not directly. A scan is a picture of text and has no text to read. Turn the pages into text first with Image to text, or with a PDF reader that does OCR, then translate.
How good is the translation?
It is machine translation: good for reading and understanding, not a certified translation. Have a person who knows both languages check contracts, legal and medical papers.