What are the limits of free PDF translation?

PDFTranslate Free: 200 pages/month. Google and DeepL free tiers: no page limit but no layout preservation. Overages charged per page.

How long does PDF translation take?

10-page document: typically 1-3 minutes depending on tool and complexity. Formula-dense or low-quality scanned docs take longer.

Which languages are supported?

PDFTranslate: 50+ languages including EN-ZH, EN-JA, EN-KO, EN-FR, EN-DE, EN-RU, EN-AR. Niche languages work but quality varies.

How good is it for contracts/papers/tables?

Contracts: ~95% terminology accuracy, human review recommended for audit opinion sections. Papers: abstract and terminology translate well, references usually not translated. Tables: complex merged-cell tables vary by tool.

What if the translated PDF layout is broken?

Check if the original is a scan (needs OCR). Try different engines (GLM-4.5-Air vs DeepSeek V3.2). For complex layouts, try section-by-section translation.

Per-page vs per-character billing: which is better?

For most PDF translation scenarios, per-page is better — PDF page text volume varies widely but billing is the same. For plain text translation, per-character is more precise.

DeepL vs Google Translate: which is better?

Translation quality: DeepL slightly ahead. PDF layout: neither supports it. Value: PDFTranslate Pro (with layout) vs DeepL Pro (without). Depends on your actual need.

Can I translate only specific pages of a PDF?

Some tools support page range selection. PDFTranslate currently supports full translation only (page selection coming soon).

PDF Translation FAQ: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know

Q: What is the easiest way to translate a PDF?

Upload to an online tool (e.g., PDFTranslate), select target language, wait, download. Takes under 1 minute. No software installation needed.

Q: Can scanned PDFs be translated?

Yes, but OCR is required first. Tools like PDFTranslate have built-in OCR and handle both steps automatically. Google Translate and DeepL do not support scanned PDFs.

Q: How to batch translate multiple PDFs?

PDFTranslate supports ZIP batch upload, up to 20 files per batch, 50MB per file. Processed files downloadable as a ZIP.

Q: How to integrate the API?

Get an API key from PDFTranslate Settings. Use REST API to upload, start tasks, check status. Documentation has Python, JavaScript, and curl examples.

PDF Translation FAQs — All in One Place

Here are 14 of the most-asked questions, categorized. If yours is not here, contact us.

Getting Started

What is the easiest way to translate a PDF?

Upload to an online tool (PDFTranslate), select target language, wait, download. Under 1 minute. No software installation needed.

Will PDF translation preserve formatting?

Depends on the tool. Google Translate and DeepL output plain text only. PDFTranslate preserves tables, images, multi-column layouts.

Can scanned PDFs be translated?

OCR is required first. PDFTranslate has built-in OCR and handles both steps automatically.

Cost and Limits

What are free tier limits?

PDFTranslate Free: 200 pages/month. Overages charged per page (~USD 0.01/page).

Per-page vs per-character: which is better?

For PDF translation, per-page is generally better value.

Security and Privacy

Is PDF translation secure?

PDFTranslate: files auto-deleted within 24 hours, TLS 1.3 encrypted, never used for AI training.

Advanced Use

How to batch translate multiple PDFs?

ZIP batch upload, up to 20 files per batch, 50MB per file.

How to integrate the API?

Get API key from Settings. REST API for upload, translate, status. Python/JavaScript/curl examples in docs.