Translate a PDF document
Drop in your PDF and pick a language: the tool extracts the text from the document and an AI translates it. You get the translated text to copy or download as .txt, up to about 24,000 characters (roughly ten pages). The server stores neither the PDF nor the translation.
- ✅ Free
- 🔒 No sign-up
- 📱 Works on mobile
- ⚡ Instant results
Machine translation, for guidance only. It does not replace a professional or certified translation for legal, medical or official documents.
🔒 This conversion runs on our secure server. Your files are deleted automatically after 1 hour and are never read or kept.
📌 Key facts
- To translate a PDF, the tool extracts the selectable text, splits it into chunks of about 3,000 characters and has an AI translate each chunk.
- Thirteen languages are available, including Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Simplified Chinese and Japanese.
- The result is plain text to copy or download as .txt, not a laid-out PDF.
- The tool handles about 24,000 characters, roughly ten pages, and allows 6 translations per day per person.
- A scan without text returns nothing, so run OCR first.
How the translation works
- The tool extracts the selectable text from the PDF (it ignores images and layout).
- The tool splits it into chunks of about 3,000 characters, cut at paragraph ends to keep the meaning.
- An AI model translates each chunk and keeps numbers, names and line breaks.
- The tool puts the chunks back in order: you get plain text.
The result is text, not a laid-out PDF. You can paste it into Word or a layout tool.
Limits and best practices
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Length | About 24,000 characters processed (≈ 10 pages); a longer document is flagged |
| Scans | Not possible without text: run OCR first |
| Frequency | 6 translations per day per person |
| Languages | English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Turkish, Polish |
| Accuracy | Very good for everyday text; double-check numbers, proper names and technical terms |
For a contract, a medical document or an official filing, have the translation reviewed by a certified translator.
Privacy
The server reads the PDF in a private temporary folder and deletes it right away. The tool sends the text to the AI service that Outilix configures, then the answer comes back to you: Outilix doesn't save the text, the translation, or the content in its logs. Still, avoid sending highly sensitive documents.
Translate PDF files: prepare the document for a better result
To translate a PDF with few errors, first check that it holds real text. In fact, the tool reads text, not pictures. So try selecting a sentence with your mouse. If that works, you can go on.
- First, note the useful pages if the document passes ten pages.
- Next, split the PDF to keep those pages.
- Then pick the target language from the list.
- Finally, proofread the translation, especially numbers and proper names.
Translate PDF documents: what to expect by document type
| Document | Expected quality | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Manual or user guide | Very good | recheck measurements and units |
| Business letter | Good | verify dates and names |
| Research article | Good, with terms to check | keep the original technical vocabulary nearby |
| Contract or legal text | Needs validation | have a professional review it before any use |
So you know when a quick translate PDF run is enough and when a review matters. As a result, never sign a legal text based on machine translation alone.
Common mistakes when you translate a PDF
- Uploading a scan: because the tool finds no text, so run OCR before.
- Expecting the original layout: but the result is plain text, with no images or tables.
- Passing the limit: for example, a whole book far exceeds 24,000 characters.
- Skipping the proofread: in fact, an AI can slip on a number or a proper name.
Next, summarize the PDF if you only need the essentials. If the text is an image, use OCR. To rework the output, convert the PDF to Word. Finally, count the words of the translation.
Use cases: when you translate a PDF to save time
- A foreign manual: translate the PDF to follow an assembly step or a setting, then recheck the numbers.
- An official letter: read the gist in seconds before you ask for a certified translation.
- A research article: see whether the text deserves a full read.
- A language assignment: compare your version with the AI version to spot your mistakes.
However, machine translation never replaces a certified translator. On the other hand, it gives you a working draft right away.
Also, remember the daily cap of 6 translations. So pick the right file first, and plan longer documents across several days if you need to translate a PDF in parts.
3 real-life examples
A 4-page product manual in French
You drop the manual and choose "English". The tool translates about 12,000 characters in 15 to 30 seconds. You paste the text into Word and put the images back by hand.
A 30-page research article
The text exceeds 24,000 characters: only the first part (the introduction and the start of the results) gets translated, and the tool says so. Split the PDF in two with the split tool to translate the rest.
A scanned PDF
The "no selectable text" message appears. Run the scan through OCR to make a PDF with text, then come back here.