Guide · updated 2026-11-03
How to translate a PDF and keep the layout
Copy-pasting a PDF through a translator gives you a wall of text and none of the document: the tables, headings and figures are gone. The Translate tool rebuilds the document in the target language instead — the translated text is laid back onto the pages, so a contract still looks like a contract.
Translation runs on AI, so it needs a free account, with a daily allowance on the free plan.
Step by step
- 1Open Translate PDF. Sign in (a free account takes a minute — AI tools need one) and drop your document on the tool.
- 2Pick the target language. Choose from the supported languages; the source language is detected automatically.
- 3Translate. The document is translated section by section and re-laid onto the original pages, keeping headings, lists and images in place.
- 4Review and download. Skim the result — names, addresses and legal terms deserve a human glance — then download the translated PDF.
Why the layout survives
Instead of extracting text and handing you a plain transcript, the tool maps each translated passage back to the position of the original one. Different languages run longer or shorter, so text is fitted to its block — which is why a translated page still mirrors the source page.
A note on accuracy
Machine translation is excellent for understanding and for working drafts, and imperfect for binding documents. For contracts and official filings, treat the output as a high-quality draft for a human reviewer — the same advice any translation provider gives.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does this tool need an account when others don’t?
- Translation calls an AI model, which costs money per page — the free daily allowance is tied to an account to keep it sustainable.
- Are scanned PDFs supported?
- Run a scan through the OCR tool first so there is real text to translate, then translate the OCR result.
- Is my document used to train AI?
- No — documents are processed under commercial API terms that exclude training, and files auto-delete after 60 minutes.
Ready to try it?
Free, in your browser — no signup, no watermark, files deleted after 60 minutes.