Best online PDF Translator Software
There are multiple ways to translate PDF files whether you are using software or not.
- Machine translation tools aka Google and Microsoft
- Human (professional) translation aka Translation Services USA
- Marketplaces aka Fiverr or UpWork
The goal of this article is to focus on automatic PDF translation software to help you find the optimal solution that fits your needs.
Option #1 – DocTranslator
DocTranslator.com is a revolutionary PDF translator that can handle almost any PDF file and supports over 100 languages. The most tricky part translating PDF files automatically, is to maintain its original layout and formatting. PDF is not an image, it is a vector format. It is designed to look identical on all types of devices whether it is a desktop computer, a tablet or a mobile phone. On every screen, on any operating system, the document remains in original layout and is readable. However, the magic happens when you try to translate it. In order to do so, it needs to be broken down into parts that can actually extract text. But since it is not an array, but rather a vector format, the formula the encodes it is quite unpredictable. And this is a part where most PDF translators fail. In order to produce an identical looking translation, you need to decode the encryption of a PDF file and put it back together in the same order when translation is ready.
DocTranslator performs top notch translation service for any types of PDF file. And we believe it is the #1 option that is available today for any size of file. There is no hard limits on the file size, and it offers a free tier for small documents up to 1,000 words. All translations are done automatically via secure SSL connection making this service fully GDPR compliant. Users have full control over their data and can delete their data at any time.
Option #2 – Google Translate for Documents
Google Translate actually has a section which can accept documents in various formats, not just PDF: .doc, .docx, .odf, .pdf, .ppt, .pptx, .ps, .rtf, .txt, .xls, or .xlsx
It is quite easy to upload a document. Just hit: “Browse your computer” and select the document you with to translate. No registration is required.
It’s a great service to get something done quickly, but it has two major flaws:
- It doesn’t maintain the original layout and formatting
- It has limits on the file size (10 MB). DocTranslator supports up to 512MB files for reference!
- It doesn’t offer OCR. Meaning, if your PDF file is scanned as an image, it won’t detect text in it.
Option #3 – Yandex Translate for Docs
Yandex has developed their own online translation solution which they successfully distribute to language service providers via API. But little we know, they also developed an online tool that claims to translate any PDF file up to 5MB in size.
However, our tests to upload 4.4MB PDF file didn’t succeed. We encountered an error message; thus can’t confirm whether this service is a reliable option. It’s good to have though.
