How to Use Google Translate to Translate PDFs

Google Translate has been a lifesaver for many of us in helping us translate foreign text into a language we understand. With support for over 133 languages, Google Translate is one of the best translation tools you can find on the Internet. It can not only translate text but also photos in real time and even long documents.

If you have a PDF document in a foreign language and want to translate it into English or another language, Google Translate is the solution. Although the translation is not perfect, it does a very good job. In this article, we will see how to translate your PDFs and documents using Google Translate. Let's go.

Translate PDF with plain text/minimal formatting

Before you begin, make sure the PDF file size is less than 10 MB. Google Translate does not accept PDFs or documents larger than 10 MB. Also make sure you have a tablet or a desktop device to do this. If you don't have one either, enable Desktop mode on your mobile phone.

1. Open your favorite browser and navigate to the Google Translate web page. If you are using a smartphone, make sure that office mode is on (three dots > Desktop site).

2. Click on the Documents tab at the top.

3. Drag and drop a PDF or document. You can also choose one in your file manager; click on Browse your files and select the document. You can upload documents in any of these formats: .docx, .pdf, .pptx, And .xlsx.

4. On the left side of the screen, select the language of the original document. If you are unsure of the language, click Detect the language.

5. On the right side of the screen, select the language you want to translate the document into and click Translate. You can choose from 133 different languages.

6. Wait a few seconds and click Download the translation.

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Translate a PDF using Google Docs

You can also translate documents/PDFs directly from Google Docs. Unfortunately, this feature does not work on the Google Docs mobile app and is exclusive to the web app. This means you will need a tablet or desktop computer to use this feature. Follow the steps below.

1. If the document is not already open in Google Docs, upload your PDF to Google Drive.

2. Find your PDF in Google Drive and right-click on it.

3. Click Open with and select Google Docs. The PDF will now open in Google Docs.

4. Click Tools in the menu bar and select Translate the document.

5. Click on the Choose a language drop-down list and select a language. You also change the title of the translated document from here.

6. Once done, click Translate. This will open the translated document in a new tab.

7. If you want to save the document in PDF format, click on the Deposit option in the menu bar, hover Download, and select PDF document. The file will now be saved in your Downloads folder.

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Translate a PDF with extended formatting

If you have a heavily formatted document or PDF, the translation might be successful, especially if the fonts are fancy and contain a ton of images here and there. In this case, you can convert your document or PDF to Word document and then translate it using Google Docs. Follow the steps below:

1. Open Microsoft Word on your computer.

2. Click Open in the sidebar.

3. Click Browse Or This PC and select the PDF you want to translate. You can also right-click the PDF file in the Files application, then click Open with > Microsoft Word.

4. You might be promoted with a warning message. Just click ALL RIGHT continue.

5. Once the PDF is exported, click File > Save As.

6. Give your file a name and click To safeguard.

7. Now upload your Word file to Google Drive. To upload directly to Google Docs, open a blank document and click File > Open > Download > Browse. You can also drag and drop the file from your file manager.

8. Once the file is imported, click Tools in the menu bar and select Translate the document.

9. Click on the Choose a language drop-down list and select a language. You also change the title of the translated document from here.

10. Once done, click on Translate. This will open the translated document in a new tab.

11. If you want to save the document in PDF format, click the button Deposit option in the menu bar, hover Download, and select PDF document. The file will now be saved in your Downloads folder.

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Wrap

If you're only looking to translate the text in a PDF, Google Translate is the way to go. However, if you want a properly formatted translation of the PDF, this will require you to step in and adjust things manually. Google Translate has difficulty translating heavily formatted PDFs, so try to keep your PDFs as simple as possible, at least until they are translated.

Additionally, the translation provided by Google Translate may not always meet your expectations, as the translation requires knowledge of the context that the tool is incapable of at the moment. Overall, Google Translate remains a simple and free tool for quickly translating documents and PDFs. How was your experience with this feature? Let us know in the comments section below.

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