How to Translate PDF to English? (Steps with Pictures)

Getting a PDF document in a different language can be problematic whether you want to study it or use its information in your work. In either case, it becomes essential to translate PDF to English. However, the issue is that many individuals are not aware of the most efficient ways of translating a PDF document. So, here we will discuss the 3 most effective ways with their steps and pictures so you can easily translate your docs.

Part 1. Translate a PDF to English Via UPDF AI

Using UPDF PDF editor's UPDF AI feature, you can translate your PDF documents of multiple languages into English and many other languages. UPDF is a leading PDF editing tool with basic features like PDF viewing and annotations. It also allows editing, organizing, and many other functionalities. You can download the UPDF via the below link to have a look.

Coming towards UPDF AI, it is the most powerful assistant that can handle your PDF documents for:

• Summarizing
• Translating
• Rewriting
• Writing
• Explaining

So, combining the UPDF AI features with other UPDF features like UPDF Cloud, OCR, and a powerful backend for managing PDF documents offers you the best blend of performance and a feature-rich experience.

Method 1: Translate PDF to English in PDF File Directly

1. Open UPDF and Open a PDF File in it.

Go to the Windows search menu by hitting the "Windows" key and search for UPDF. Hit Enter on the first result, and it will open UPDF. Alternatively, try finding the desktop icon for the tool and double-click it to open. Once UPDF starts, click "Open File" and open the file you want to translate with the help of browse dialogue. Click to select the file and click "Open." Now your file will open in UPDF Reader view.

2. Select the Content in PDF

Now you can select the text you want to translate to English. It will appear a toolbar and then tap on "UPDF AI". Clicking "Translate" and choose "English". The content will be translated instantly. You can also add the translation text like a note.

Method 2: Translate PDF to English in Chat Mode

1. Access the UPDF AI Feature

First, you need to access the UPDF AI feature. Its button is located at the bottom right corner of the UPDF interface. Click this button, and if you are using UPDF AI for the first time, it may ask you to agree with its terms of service. Agree with that, and you will have the UPDF AI functionality working. By default, it will not be set to translate your documents, and we will set that up in the next step.

2. Select Translate and Set it to the Desired Language.

A "Prompt" sign and a "dropdown" button will be next to it. Click the dropdown to see the Summarize, Translate, and Explain options. Here you want to click Translate. It will switch to the Translate function and show a language under it. By default, it may be set to "English," but if it is not set to English or you want to try another language, click the language dropdown list and select the desired language.

3. Copy the Contents of the PDF File and Paste Them to UPDF AI.

To copy the contents of a PDF document for translation, you need to move the cursor to the beginning of the content. Click and hold the cursor and drag it across the content till the point that you want to translate. The content will become highlighted, and you will see some options, the last of which will be "Copy." So, you may use the copy option or hit “Ctrl + C” on your keyboard.

Now go to the UPDF AI section and click the “Ask Something” section. Hit “Ctrl + V” and click the send button next to it after your content is pasted in UPDF AI. It will immediately start translating your content.

4. Copy Then Paste the Translated Contents into PDF (Optional)

To save the translated content in the same or a new PDF document, choose the "Edit PDF" option from the left side, click "Text" from the top, and start editing the content. Since you will be pasting the translated content, you can choose the font size, style, color, and other formatting options when pasting.

Once done, click "Save as Other" and "Save AS" to save the changes to a new file. Using "Save" will save all the changes to the original file.

If you are interested in translating PDF to English, you can download the PDF via the below link.

Video Tutorial on How to Translate PDF to Any Language on Windows

Part 2. Translate PDF to English Online Free Using Google Translate

Say that you don’t need to permanently translate the contents of a PDF document, and the content you want to translate is not huge. Moreover, you want a free solution that works online without any installation. The best answer to all these requirements is Google Translate. Although Google Translate has its application using it online offers a much simpler experience. However, remember that you lose content formatting this way.

It is because you don’t need to install or download anything on your PC and can still translate the content you want. Using Google Translate is very simple with the following quick steps:

1. Open Google Translate and select your desired languages

Open any browser and search for Google Translate. It will open the Google Translate web interface on your browser. On the top, there will be 2 dropdown options for selecting the languages. The left one should be set to the language in the PDF document.

If you don’t know which language is used in PDF, you can set it to “Detect Language." In this case, we set the language to "Japanese”. Since we translate PDFs to English, you must set the second dropdown to "English."

2. Paste the text in Google Translate for instant conversion.

Now open the PDF document and copy its contents. You may copy the document by the "Ctrl A and Ctrl C" buttons. Otherwise, select the selective part of the PDF by using the cursor and dragging it over the content to select and then copy it. After you copy the content, paste it into Google Translate by "Ctrl V”. As you paste the contents, Google Translate will immediately translate them into the selected language.

Part 3. Translate PDF to English Using Google Docs

Do you want everything you get in the previous method, like free and online conversion, but you also want the option to translate the work permanently? If yes, then try Google Docs. It comes with every Google Account for free, and you can use this tool to translate your PDF documents with a few clicks.

Since Google Docs is an online service, it does not require you to install anything on your PC apart from the browser. However, it also means you will need an internet connection for this method to work. Here are the steps to follow on Google Docs to translate your PDF documents with ease:

1. Open Google Docs and create a blank document

Open Google Docs on your PC. In the main Google Docs interface, select "Blank" and start a new document. When you create that document, you need to copy the contents of the PDF and paste them into the blank document. You may choose content selectively or copy the whole PDF document as required.

2. Select Translate document from the Tools tab.

Now go to the "Tools" tab on top. Click it to reveal your options, and from the list, you need to select "Translate document."

3. Set your translation preferences.

Now you will see a pop-up window showing translation preferences. Here you need to set the name for the translated copy of your document. There will also be a dropdown button for selecting the language you want to translate. In this case, we will set it to "English”.

4. Translated copy opens in a new tab.

Click the "Translate" button, and Google Docs will immediately open a new document in a new tab. That document will have the translated content into your selected language. Now you can apply any formatting on the translated content if you need and then save it. You may also save it to PDF if needed.

Final Words

Sometimes you need to translate PDF to English temporarily, and in that use case, you may choose Google Translate while you compromise on your experience. When you need permanent translation, UPDF and Google Docs will be the better option. While both provide an option to save your work for future use, UPDF is much better.

With UPDF, you instantly translate any part of the PDF and then edit it into the same PDF document or a new PDF document right inside UPDF. On the other hand, Google Docs translates and converts that file into a docs file, which needs to be converted into PDF and edited further if you want to keep using PDF. So, UPDF is the most efficient and effective way of all three. Just download it via the below link to have a try.