How to translate your PDF into another language

The fastest way to translate a PDF is to upload the whole file to Translate PDF, pick your two languages, and download a translated document that keeps the original layout. It reads over 120 languages and translates into 25, scanned pages included. If you would rather work on the wording yourself, convert the file with PDF to Word  first and edit the text directly. Both routes are below.

Are you a translator or just need to translate text from an academic journal? Knowing how to translate documents online quickly, accurately, and easily can save hours of your precious time. 

It doesn’t matter if you’re translating English, Arabic, or Hindi. The beauty of the modern world means you no longer have to sit there with a dictionary page-by-page. 

Online tools help us to be more productive, and as digital translation technology continues to improve through 2025, it's useful to know the best ways to handle them. Here are some tips for getting professionally translated documents without the price, and how PDF tools can help you out.

Online tools help us to be more productive, and translation technology keeps improving, so it is worth knowing which method fits which document.

Key takeaways

• Translate PDF handles a complete document in one upload and returns a PDF that keeps the original layout.
• The tool recognizes text in over 120 languages and translates into 25.
• Scanned pages work too, because built-in OCR reads the text in the page images before translating.
• Converting to Word first is the better route when you want to edit the translated wording by hand.
• Once a document is translated you can summarize it in the same place.

These insights highlight why translating documents digitally remains essential for students, professionals, and global teams in 2025.

How do I translate a whole PDF without losing the formatting?

Upload the complete file to Translate PDF and it returns a translated document with the original layout intact, so you never rebuild a page section by section.

A quick solution is to use a tool specifically designed for translating full PDF documents. Instead of copying and pasting text into a general translator, you can upload your entire file and translate it in one step.

For example, iLovePDF’s Translate PDF tool allows you to upload your document, select the required language, and download a translated version of the complete file.

It supports both text-based and scanned PDFs through built-in OCR and helps preserve layout and formatting as closely as possible. If your file is a scan and you also want it searchable in its original language, run it through OCR PDF first.

Translate PDF recognizes text in over 120 languages and translates into 25, among them English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Korean, Hindi, and Turkish. Under Output PDF layout you choose Keep layout, which preserves the original design including images and graphics, or Only text, which returns the translated text and its hierarchy so it is easy to copy or reformat. Under AI Tier, Standard AI covers everyday documents and Advanced AI suits complex layouts or wording that needs more nuance.

Here’s how to use their document tool to translate PDFs: 

Once you have the translated PDF, you can summarize it to pull out the key points in the new language. Create a free account to work across devices, and go Premium for higher limits and faster processing on large or frequent documents.

Can I translate a PDF by converting it to Word first?

Yes. Convert the PDF into an editable Word file, then translate the text yourself and keep full control over the wording. This route suits documents where specific terms matter more than a fast full-document turnaround.

To translate PDFs online, you can also convert your PDF into an editable Word document first to extract your text and make things easier for you. This lets you select parts in more detail.

How do I convert my PDF into an editable Word document?

What’s the best online translator?

The best translator for a PDF is the one that leaves your document intact. General text translators do a good job on short excerpts, and a tool built for full PDFs is the better fit when layout, headings, and tables need to survive the translation. Wording matters, so it is worth comparing a couple of translations of the same passage to see which reads best in the target language.

Some online translators allow you to translate short sections of text directly in your browser. While this may work for brief excerpts, translating an entire PDF document using a general text-based translator often means losing formatting and structure.

For complete documents, a tool built specifically for PDF translation provides a more structured and reliable workflow.

How to translate while traveling

What if you need to translate on the move? To translate the important parts as you travel, convert a PDF into Word use the iLovePDF Mobile App.

More than just converting PDF documents, work on translated or untranslated files with more than 30 iLovePDF tools designed to make managing documents easy and efficient.

FAQs

How do I translate a PDF without losing the formatting?

Upload the complete file to Translate PDF and choose Keep layout. The tool translates the document as a whole and returns a PDF with the original design, images, and structure in place.

Which languages can I translate into?

Translate PDF recognizes text in over 120 languages and translates into 25, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Korean, Hindi, and Turkish.

Can I translate a scanned PDF?

Yes. Built-in OCR reads the text inside the page images, so scans and photographed pages translate like any other document with no separate OCR step.

Is Translate PDF free?

Yes, you can translate a PDF for free. A free account lets you work across devices, and Premium gives you higher limits and faster processing when you handle large or frequent documents.

Is my document safe?

Files are protected with end-to-end encryption and are deleted from our servers automatically after 2 hours. All servers are covered by European data protection legislation.

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