Machine translation of a PDF usually destroys it. Copy the text into a translation box and you get a wall of prose: the headings, tables, clause numbering and paragraph structure that made the document navigable are gone, and a contract becomes unusable.
Smart Translate keeps the document's shape. Paragraphs stay paragraphs, headings stay headings, numbered clauses keep their numbers, and lists stay lists — so a translated lease still reads like a lease and clause 7.2 is still findable at 7.2.
How to use Smart Translate
- 1Upload the PDF, running OCR PDF first if it is a scan.
- 2Confirm the detected source language and choose your target language.
- 3Translate and review the output alongside the structure of the original.
- 4Download the translated document.
Structure preservation is the whole point
The document is segmented into structural blocks before translation, and each block is translated in context and written back into its own position. That is why clause numbering, table rows and heading hierarchy survive, and it is what makes the output usable as a working document rather than a rough gist.
Translate for understanding, certify for filing
This produces a high-quality working translation. Anything being filed with a court, an immigration authority or a registry usually requires a certified human translation with an accompanying statement. Use this to understand the document and to brief the translator on what actually needs certifying.
Pair it with Chat with PDF
For contracts, a strong workflow is to translate for comprehension but ask questions against the original language, so the answers quote the real source text rather than a paraphrase of it.
Supported formats, limits and things to know
- Requires a text layer — OCR scans first.
- Text expansion differs by language and can change line breaks and pagination.
- Specialist legal, medical and technical terminology should be verified by a subject-matter expert.
- Not a certified translation.
Smart Translate — frequently asked questions
Does the layout survive translation?
Yes — paragraphs, headings, numbered clauses and lists are preserved, because the document is translated block by block in place.
How many languages are supported?
More than sixty, including all widely used business languages and major African and Asian languages.
Is this a certified translation?
No. It is a high-quality working translation. Court, immigration and registry filings generally require a certified human translator.
Can I translate a scanned document?
Run OCR PDF first to create a text layer, then translate.
Why is the translated page longer than the original?
Languages expand and contract at different rates — German runs roughly 30% longer than English — so pagination can shift.