How to Translate Scanned PDFs to English Using AI-Powered Tools

Conversion of physical papers to PDF format is an effective approach to storing and sharing the papers. However, when you wish to read this in PDF form, then the content will have to be translated to English language first. While it is very easy with the documents having English content, it becomes very complicated with scanned documents having other language content.

It might look to be rather challenging. Using the right instruments and strategies, it is rather easy to translate scanned PDF to English. It just takes OCR feature along with the help of AI translation. In this guide, we will share 3 effective methods that will help you out.

Method 1: Translate a Scanned PDF to English While Maintaining the Original Layout

UPDF is the ultimate PDF tool for managing and working with PDF documents. When dealing with scanned documents in languages other than English, traditional tools like Google Translate fall short. UPDF addresses this gap with its intuitive and powerful features.

The OCR feature in UPDF supports 38 languages, allowing you to convert scanned PDFs into fully editable and searchable files with high accuracy and speed.

Once the text is recognized, UPDF's AI integration—powered by ChatGPT—takes over. It translates the document seamlessly while maintaining the original layout. This means you get a fully translated, editable file without any formatting loss.

Try it out for free today and get accurate English translation for your scanned PDFs!

Alternatively, you can:

• Select text directly from the PDF for instant translation.
• Use the AI chatbox for quick and easy translations.

After translation, UPDF's Cloud feature ensures your files are securely stored and synced across all your devices, giving you access anytime, anywhere.

As an all-in-one PDF editor with AI capabilities, UPDF does more than translate. You can also summarize, explain, chat with your PDFs, and even convert them into mind maps.

As mentioned, UPDF offers multiple ways to translate a scanned PDF into English. Here, we'll demonstrate the first method: translating while preserving the original layout.

Step 1: Use UPDF OCR

Run UPDF, click "Open File", then open scanned PDF. Now click "OCR" button from right side of UPDF interface.

Set the document language and tweak any other options in UPDF OCR feature before you click "Perform OCR". Now, the OCRed file will open in a new UPDF tab. This file will be editable and searchable.

Step 2: Translate

Now, in the opened OCRed PDF, switch to the Reader mode and click the "PDF Translation" on the top menu bar.

A window will pop up and ask you to choose the language and page to translate. Choose "English" as your desired language and the page range that you want to translate and click the "Translate" button.

Select a location to save the translated file. UPDF will automatically open the translated file.

UPDF offers a bunch of other cool features that you can learn more about it by watching the below video. Download it now on your devices for free for a hands-on experience and get the UPDF Pro version to explore its full capability.

Method 2: Translate Scanned PDF to English by Selecting Text

If you want to understand a specific text, sentence, or paragraph from a scanned PDF in English, this method is ideal. It allows you to select the desired content and translate it directly. Follow the steps below.

Step 1: Perform OCR First

Simply follow step 1 discussed in Method 1 to convert the scanned PDF to editable format first.

Step 2: Select to Translate

In the opened OCRed PDF, switch to the Reader mode and select the text that you want to translate. For example, you can select a specific word, phrase, sentence, or paragraph.

A toolbar will appear near the selected text. Click on the drop-down icon and select the Translate option. A list of languages will appear. In this case, you have to choose English.

After that, UPDF will provide the translation in a window. You can click the Copy icon to paste the translation anywhere you want. Alternatively, you can choose to regenerate the translation if you are not satisfied with it. UPDF also allows you to save the translation as a sticky note in the PDF. You can then access it by clicking on the note icon.

Method 3. Translated Scanned PDF to English through Chatbox

If you want to translate the scanned PDF and copy & paste the translation to other document like Word. This method is ideal for you. It allows you to translate specific pages, paragraphs, or all pages and provide the text translation to you. Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Perform OCR First

The same, you have to follow the step 1 mentioned in Method 1 to make the scanned PDF editable first. This is important because after this, the text is recoginizable and can be translated.

Step 2: Activate AI

To activate the AI assistant, click the AI button in the bottom-right corner. Then, click Get Started and send the PDF to the AI.

In Ask PDF mode, you'll find a Translate button above the chatbox. Click it, select the language and page range you wish to translate, and the AI will provide an instant English translation.

Alternatively, you can copy the text from the PDF, send it to the AI, and use the prompt: Translate this to English: [paste the text here].

Conclusion

In conclusion, UPDF provides an intuitive and efficient solution for translating scanned PDFs into English, allowing users to preserve the original layout and seamlessly access translations. Whether through the AI assistant or the translation tools within Ask PDF mode, UPDF simplifies the process of understanding foreign-language documents with just a few clicks. With its powerful features, UPDF not only enables smooth translations but also offers various other functions, making it an all-in-one PDF tool for both personal and professional use.