📄 Translate a PDF document

Translating PDF files can be challenging due to their fixed formatting and potential lack of editable source content. To ensure the best results, consider the following approaches.

⚠️ Risks of Translating Directly from a PDF

PDFs are designed for consistent viewing across platforms, which means they often lack editable elements. Attempting to translate directly from a PDF can lead to:

🛠️ Immediate Issues During Translation

• Loss of formatting and layout inconsistencies
• Missing fonts or broken text
• Increased time and effort to recreate the original design
• Potential translation errors due to extraction or editing difficulties
• Complex layouts (e.g., columns, headers, footers) may cause text to be extracted in the wrong order
• Text inside images or charts may be skipped or require additional tools to translate
• Placeholders and style tags (e.g., bold, links) may be lost, requiring manual fixes

📌 Long-Term Problems After Translation

These issues don’t just affect the way your document looks — they can create serious limitations down the line:

• Printing or exporting problems in the translated version
• Incompatibility with assistive devices (like screen readers), impacting accessibility
• Compliance risks in regulated industries due to poor structure or missing metadata
• Difficulty updating or republishing the document in the future — requiring repeated cleanup work

🔍 Locate the Original Source File (Best solution)

The most effective method for translating a PDF is to obtain the original source file (e.g., Word, InDesign, PowerPoint).

Translating from the source ensures:

• Preservation of original formatting and design
• Simplified text extraction and translation process
• Higher quality and more accurate translations
• Ensure long-term usability of your content — for updates, printing, accessibility, or republishing

If possible, contact the document's creator to request the editable source file.

🛠️ Translating a PDF Without Access to the Source File

If the original source file is unavailable, consider the following methods:

1. Convert PDF to Editable Format with Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat allows you to convert PDFs into editable formats like DOCX or PPTX:

1. Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
2. Navigate to File > Export a PDF.
3. Choose the desired format (e.g., Word or PowerPoint).
4. Save the converted file.

Once converted, you can upload the file to Redokun and follow our standard translation process.

2. Convert PDF to Editable Format with Adobe Online Tools

If you don’t have access to Adobe Acrobat, you can still convert a PDF to an editable format using Adobe’s free online tools.

Use the links below to convert your PDF directly from your browser:

• Convert to Word (DOCX) → adobe.com/pdf-to-word
• Convert to PowerPoint (PPTX) → adobe.com/pdf-to-ppt

Once converted, you can upload the new file to Redokun and follow the standard translation workflow.

3. Potential Integration of PDF Conversion in Redokun

We’ve explored integrating a PDF-to-editable conversion feature directly within Redokun to streamline the translation process.

However, our extensive internal testing has shown inconsistent results with automatic PDF conversions. These tools often introduce formatting issues, missing content, or structural errors — the very risks we help you avoid.

Because of this, we’ve been cautious about adding such a feature directly in Redokun. We believe it could lead to mistakes or unreliable translations, especially in professional or regulated contexts.

That said, we’re always listening to our users, and we’re currently re-evaluating the possibility of building this feature based on real-world feedback.

📬 If a built-in PDF conversion tool would be valuable to you, we’d love to hear your thoughts. You can reach us at support@redokun.com.

📘 Proceed with Translation

After obtaining an editable version of your document, choose one of the following methods to proceed:

• Translate Online Using Redokun: Utilize our web-based editor for a seamless translation experience.

  👉 Translate a Document Online

• Translate Using an Exchange File: Export the content for translation using external tools and re-import the translated text.

  👉 Translate a Document with an Exchange File

For further assistance or questions, feel free to reach out to our support team at support@redokun.com.