PDF Translator
Upload a PDF, pick the language it is in and the one you need, and download it translated with the layout kept. Scanned pages are read with OCR. The account is free and you see the price before you pay.
Upload or drop document to translate
Max. file size 1 GB on Pro and Business
The button opens a free sign-up. The translation itself runs in your dashboard, where you choose the file again. Using an AI assistant? Connect it through MCP.
- OCR for scans and photos
- 108 languages
- Original layout kept
How DocTranslator Translates a PDF
First it works out what each page holds. A page with a text layer is read directly; a scanned page goes through OCR, which turns the picture of the letters back into text. The text is then translated by our AI translation engine and set back where the original sat, so tables, images, headings and page order stay where they were.
On the Free plan a PDF costs $1 a page, with a $0.99 minimum, and the first page can be previewed free where available. Basic includes 1,000 pages every 30 days for $4.99 a month; Pro and Business include 5,000. The pricing page has the rest.
Files go up to 20 MB and 20 pages on Free, 100 MB and 300 pages on Basic, and 1 GB and 5,000 pages on Pro and Business; the large PDF page shows which plan takes a given file whole.
Translate your PDF →What Kind of PDF Do You Have?
The upload is the same for every PDF. If yours has a particular problem, the page for it goes into the detail.
A long or heavy PDF
A manual, a thesis or a scanned archive that another tool turned away.
Translate a large PDF →Google Translate said no
What to do when a PDF is refused for its size or its page count.
PDF too large for Google Translate →A scan or a photo of a page
Pages that are pictures of text, read with OCR before they are translated.
Translate a scanned document →A PDF in another language, read in English
Contracts, letters and school records going into English.
Translate a PDF to English →Comparing with Google Translate
Where the free Documents tab is enough and where it stops.
Google Translate for PDFs →Choosing between tools
Ten PDF translators side by side, each figure with its source.
Best PDF translators compared →
What Makes a PDF Hard to Translate
The layout is fixed
A PDF stores where every line sits on the page, not how the text flows. Columns, tables and captions have to be read in the right order and the translation put back in the same boxes, even when it runs longer than the original.
Some pages are pictures
A scanned contract or a photographed letter holds no text at all, only an image of it. Those pages need OCR before anything can be translated, and a blurred or crooked scan gives OCR more to get wrong.
More than one language on a page
A bilingual form, a quotation in the original language or a name that must stay as it is: each has to be recognised so the right parts change and the rest stays put.
There is no source file to edit
A PDF is usually the end of a workflow, exported from Word or InDesign by someone else. When the source is not at hand, the translation has to be rebuilt on the PDF itself.
Google Translate's Documents tab handles a short typed PDF, but its help page says text on scanned pages is not translated. Our comparison of PDF translators sets out how other tools deal with each of these.
See a PDF Go Through
The upload, the choice of languages and the translated download, in about two minutes.
PDF Translation in Figures
How to Translate a PDF
Create a free account
Enter your name, email address and a password. No card is needed to sign up.
Upload the PDF
Drag it onto the page or choose it from your device. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, InDesign, TXT, CSV, JPG and PNG files go the same way.
Pick the two languages
Choose the language the PDF is in and the one you want. Typing a name finds it faster.
Translate and download
Check the price, click Translate and download the finished PDF with the original layout. A short typed file is ready far sooner than a long scan.
PDF Translation: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I translate a PDF online?
Create a free DocTranslator account, upload the PDF, choose the language it is in and the one you need, then click Translate. You download a PDF in the new language with the original layout. Nothing needs installing.
Can I translate a PDF for free?
Signing up, uploading and seeing the quote are free, and the first page can be previewed free where available. Translating the whole file is paid: $1 a page for a PDF on the Free plan, with a $0.99 minimum.
Can Google Translate translate a PDF?
Its Documents tab translates a typed PDF on a computer, within its size and page limits, but leaves text on scanned pages untranslated. DocTranslator reads scanned pages with OCR. Google Translate and DocTranslator compared.
How do I translate a PDF to English?
Upload it, pick the language it is in and set English as the target. The PDF to English page covers the documents people most often bring.
Does the translated PDF keep the layout?
Yes. Tables, images, columns and headings stay where they were and only the text changes language. Page numbers in the translation match the original.
Can it translate a scanned PDF?
Yes. OCR reads each scanned page before it is translated, on every plan. A sharp, straight scan gives the cleanest result; see translating a scanned document.
What is the largest PDF I can translate?
It depends on the plan, from 20 MB and 20 pages on Free to 1 GB and 5,000 pages on Pro and Business. The large PDF page has the table.
How much does PDF translation cost?
On Free a PDF costs $1 a page, scan or not, with a $0.99 minimum. A subscription includes pages every 30 days: 1,000 on Basic for $4.99 a month, 5,000 on Pro and Business. See pricing.
Can I translate a PDF on my phone?
Yes. DocTranslator has apps for iPhone, iPad and Android, free to download with in-app purchases.
How long is my PDF kept?
On Free, the file and its translation are removed from our servers within 24 hours, so download it soon. Basic, Pro and Business keep your files while the subscription is active.
Is the translation certified?
No. AI translation is not certified. For immigration offices, courts and many universities you need a human certified translation, which DocTranslator offers separately, for example for USCIS.
Translate Your PDF
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