4 common reasons why there may be problems with automatic PDF translations

PDF is a useful format for many occasions. It is a simple format, easy to share and, above all, visual. It is an ideal format for things like manuals, articles, fact sheets, e-books, presentations, etc. All PDF documents have their own layout with different types of images, tables, and graphs. We all know how sophisticated and simple it is to read a PDF document no matter how complicated the content itself.

Therefore, there is a lot of information available in PDF format. Machine translation is an excellent option for understanding and sharing information. Unfortunately, PDF is not a great format when it comes to machine translations. From a technical point of view, PDF is a big challenge. That is why there are some issues that can cause problems when translating PDF documents automatically. Here are the four most common reasons why a PDF translation is not successful:

Reason #1: The text in your PDF file is actually an image

If you try to translate your PDF document but nothing seems to happen, the problem is probably with the images. PDF files can have many images and there can be text within the images. Similarly, any PDF document that is scanned from a hard copy can be considered a great image. Unfortunately, machine translators cannot read text within any visual elements, such as images or graphics. If you are not sure if this is the case, you can easily test your document by selecting some part of the text. All handwritten PDF documents are scanned. The general rule of thumb here is that if you can copy and paste a piece of text into Word, the PDF translator should be able to translate it too. If you can’t select the text, then it’s an image.

Reason #2: The text in your PDF file is written in a “difficult” font type

If you test your file using the copy/paste method and the pasted text looks strange, the problem is most likely related to the font type. This means that even if your PDF document is a high-quality file with “real” text, the document will not translate correctly. Some types of fonts are coded in complicated ways within PDF files, and therefore PDF translators cannot understand the text. And just like with people, the PDF translator won’t be able to translate text you don’t understand. So if you try to copy and paste the text and it turns into a bunch of weird characters or boxes in Word, you’re most likely to blame the font.

Reason #3: Your PDF file is locked

There is the possibility of securing PDF documents. Naturally, the copyright owner has the right to secure your creation and blocking is a way to prevent any misuse of the information. If the file is protected, you cannot select any text in the file and it cannot be automatically translated.

Reason #4: Your PDF translator has limited functionality

If the problem is not that your file doesn’t translate but that you get the translation in a plain text file, the problem is with your PDF translator. Some PDF translators can only translate the text and produce a plain text translation without additional features such as images, tables, or graphics. There are also more advanced PDF translators that have the ability to create translated documents with the same layout (with images, graphics, and tables in the right places) as the original document. This topic is especially relevant if layout is important to understanding your documents. For example, all kinds of guides and scientific articles usually have content with references between text and images and tables.

These are the reasons behind most automatic PDF translations. Of course, there can be many other reasons and problems as well, but these four cover the most common cases.