Document Translation

Translate entire documents while preserving formatting and layout. Perfect for PDFs, Word documents, presentations, and subtitle files.

Overview

Document Translation is designed for translating files where format and structure matter. Whether you're working with business reports, academic papers, presentations, or subtitle files, XTranslator handles the complexity while maintaining the original layout.

Supported Formats

PDF Files

• Native PDFs: Text-based PDFs created digitally
• Scanned PDFs: Image-based PDFs from scanners
• Best for: Reports, contracts, ebooks, forms
• Special features: OCR for scanned documents, layout preservation

Microsoft Word (DOCX)

• Format: .docx files only (not .doc)
• Best for: Documents that need further editing
• Preserved: Basic formatting, paragraphs, lists
• Note: Complex formatting may simplify

PowerPoint (PPTX)

• Format: .pptx files only (not .ppt)
• Best for: Presentations, slides, pitch decks
• Preserved: Slide text, basic layout
• Note: Images and complex layouts preserved best-effort

Text Files (TXT)

• Format: Plain text files
• Best for: Simple text without formatting
• Fastest: No layout processing needed
• Note: No formatting to preserve

Subtitle Files (SRT)

• Format: SubRip Subtitle files
• Best for: Video subtitles, captions
• Preserved: Timestamp structure
• Special: Optimized for subtitle translation

How to Translate Documents

Step-by-Step Process

1. Navigate to Document Translation

   • Click Documents in main navigation
   • Or access via Apps menu

2. Upload Your File

   • Click Upload File button
   • Or drag and drop file into upload area
   • Wait for upload to complete

3. Select Target Language

   • Choose desired output language from dropdown
   • Source language detected automatically from document

4. Choose Domain (Optional)

   • Select appropriate domain for your content:
     • General, Legal, Medical, Politics, Financial, Education, Marketing, Tech
   • See Domains for guidance

5. Start Translation

   • Click Translate Document
   • Translation begins processing
   • Progress indicator shows status

6. Download Result

   • Click Download when ready
   • Translated file downloads in same format
   • Original filename preserved with language suffix

Upload Methods

Click to Upload:

• Click "Upload File" button
• Browse and select file
• Upload begins automatically

Drag and Drop:

• Drag file from file explorer
• Drop onto upload area
• Upload begins automatically

File Requirements:

• Single file per upload
• Within size limits for your plan
• Supported file format
• Not password-protected

File Size & Page Limits

Maximum limits by plan:

Plan	Max File Size	Max Pages	Documents/Day
Free	10MB	10 pages	3
Starter	30MB	25 pages	5
Pro	40MB	50 pages	15
Ultimate	50MB	100 pages	50

Note: Page count applies to PDFs, DOCX, and PPTX. TXT and SRT files don't have page limits.

Translation Processing

How It Works

1. Upload & Validation

   • File uploaded to secure server
   • Format and size validated
   • Page count verified

2. Content Extraction

   • Text extracted from document
   • Layout information preserved
   • For scanned PDFs: OCR performed

3. Translation

   • Text translated using AI models
   • Domain specialization applied if selected
   • Formatting codes preserved

4. Document Reconstruction

   • Translated text inserted back into document
   • Layout reapplied
   • File generated in original format

5. Download Ready

   • Notification when complete
   • Download link activated
   • Original file deleted for privacy

Processing Time

Typical processing times:

Document Type	Size	Approximate Time
Small PDF (1-5 pages)	< 1MB	30-60 seconds
Medium PDF (10-20 pages)	1-5MB	1-3 minutes
Large PDF (50+ pages)	5-20MB	3-7 minutes
Scanned PDF (10 pages)	5MB	2-5 minutes (OCR adds time)
DOCX (10 pages)	1MB	1-2 minutes
PPTX (20 slides)	2MB	2-4 minutes
SRT file	< 1MB	30-60 seconds

Factors affecting speed:

• File size
• Number of pages
• Whether scanned (OCR required)
• Current server load

Working with Different File Types

PDF Documents

Native PDFs (Best Results):

• Text can be selected and copied
• Created from Word, InDesign, web pages, etc.
• Translation is fast and accurate
• Layout preserved excellently

Scanned PDFs:

• Created from scanner or camera
• Text is actually an image
• OCR extracts text first (adds processing time)
• Quality depends on scan clarity

Best Practices:

• Use native PDFs when possible
• For scans: ensure high quality (300+ DPI)
• Straighten pages before scanning
• Good contrast between text and background
• Avoid handwritten annotations

Common Issues:

• Password-protected PDFs: Remove protection first
• Corrupted PDFs: Re-save or regenerate
• Very complex layouts: May simplify in translation
• Embedded fonts: May change in translation

Word Documents (DOCX)

What's Preserved:

• Text content
• Paragraphs and line breaks
• Basic formatting (bold, italic)
• Lists (numbered and bulleted)
• Tables (structure)

What May Change:

• Advanced formatting
• Custom styles
• Embedded objects
• Complex tables
• Headers and footers (usually preserved but may shift)

Best Practices:

• Use standard formatting
• Avoid complex layouts
• Save as .docx (not .doc)
• Remove track changes before upload
• Simplify tables if possible

Post-Translation:

• Review formatting
• Adjust page breaks
• Verify tables aligned
• Check headers/footers

PowerPoint (PPTX)

What's Preserved:

• Slide text
• Text boxes
• Basic layouts
• Slide order

What May Change:

• Text box sizes (text length varies by language)
• Alignment
• Font sizes

Not Translated:

• Text in images
• Text in diagrams
• SmartArt text (may or may not work)

Best Practices:

• Keep text concise
• Use standard layouts
• Avoid text in images
• Allow space for text expansion
• Test with one slide first

Post-Translation:

• Review each slide
• Adjust text box sizes
• Verify readability
• Fix overflow text
• Re-align elements if needed

Subtitle Files (SRT)

Special Handling:

• Timestamps preserved exactly
• Line breaks maintained
• Subtitle numbering unchanged

Best Practices:

• Ensure timestamps are correct
• Keep subtitles concise
• Use appropriate language code
• Test with video after translation

Common Uses:

• Translating video subtitles
• Creating multilingual versions
• Accessibility compliance

Text Files (TXT)

Simplest Format:

• Plain text only
• No formatting to preserve
• Fastest processing
• Direct text translation

Best For:

• Scripts
• Code comments (use Technical domain)
• Simple text documents
• Data files

Note: If your document has any formatting you want to keep, use DOCX or PDF instead.

Domain Specialization for Documents

Choose domain based on document type:

Document Type	Recommended Domain
Contracts, Terms of Service	Legal
Medical records, prescriptions	Medical
User manuals, specifications	Technical
Marketing materials, brochures	Marketing
Financial reports, statements	Finance
Research papers, theses	Education
General business documents	General

Credits Usage

Document translation uses 1 credit per document, regardless of:

• File size (within plan limits)
• Number of pages (within plan limits)
• Translation length
• Processing time

Daily Limits:

• Number of documents you can translate per day depends on your plan
• Separate from text translation limits
• Resets at midnight UTC

See Billing Overview for details.

Best Practices

Before Uploading

1. Choose Right Format

   • Use native PDF for best layout preservation
   • Use DOCX if you need to edit after translation
   • Use TXT for simple text without formatting

2. Optimize File Size

   • Compress large PDFs
   • Remove unnecessary pages
   • Reduce image quality if acceptable

3. Check File Integrity

   • Open file to ensure it's not corrupted
   • Remove password protection
   • Verify all content is visible

4. Prepare Content

   • Fix obvious errors in source document
   • Remove confidential information if needed
   • Simplify complex layouts if possible

During Translation

1. Don't Close Browser

   • Keep page open during processing
   • Closing may interrupt translation

2. Monitor Progress

   • Watch progress indicator
   • Note any error messages

3. Be Patient

   • Large files take time
   • Don't upload same file multiple times

After Translation

1. Review Immediately

   • Check translation quality
   • Verify formatting preserved
   • Look for any issues

2. Save Downloaded File

   • File may not be available for re-download
   • Save locally immediately

3. Verify Critical Content

   • For important documents:
   • Review thoroughly
   • Have native speaker check
   • Verify numbers, dates, names

Troubleshooting

Upload Fails

File too large:

• Compress the file
• Split into smaller files
• Upgrade plan

Unsupported format:

• Convert to supported format
• Check file extension is correct

Password-protected:

• Remove password protection
• Save as unprotected version

Corrupted file:

• Re-save or re-export file
• Try different file

Translation Fails

Too many pages:

• Check page limit for your plan
• Split document
• Upgrade plan

OCR issues (scanned PDFs):

• Ensure scan quality is good
• Try re-scanning at higher resolution
• Straighten pages

Complex formatting:

• Simplify document if possible
• Try converting to simpler format
• Use text extraction instead

Download Issues

Download button disabled:

• Translation may still be processing
• Wait for completion

Download failed:

• Try again
• Check internet connection
• Contact support if persists

Comparing Document vs. Text Translation

Use Document Translation when:

• Format/layout matters
• Working with PDF, DOCX, PPTX, SRT
• Need to preserve structure
• Translating complete files

Use Text Translation when:

• Format doesn't matter
• Can copy/paste text
• Need real-time streaming
• Want unlimited translations (within daily credits)
• Testing different domains quickly

Privacy & Security

Your documents are:

• Transmitted via encrypted HTTPS
• Processed and immediately deleted
• Never stored permanently
• Not used for training AI models

For confidential documents:

• Review our Privacy Policy
• Consider your organization's policies
• Redact sensitive information if needed
• Consult legal team for compliance

Tips for Specific Use Cases

Legal Documents

• Always use Legal domain
• Verify all legal terms
• Have lawyer review critical documents
• Preserve defined terms and party names
• Double-check clause numbering

Education-Related Papers

• Use Education domain
• Verify citations and references
• Check technical terminology
• Review formulas and equations
• Maintain section structure

Business Reports

• Use appropriate domain (General, Finance, Marketing)
• Verify numbers and statistics
• Check charts and table labels
• Review executive summaries carefully

User Manuals

• Use Technical domain
• Verify step-by-step instructions
• Check warning/caution notices
• Test translated instructions if possible

Marketing Materials

• Use Marketing domain
• Adapt slogans and taglines for target culture
• Verify brand message preserved
• Review call-to-action phrases

Advanced Features

Batch Processing (Coming Soon)

• Upload multiple files at once
• Process in queue
• Download all results together

Translation Memory (Roadmap)

• Reuse previous translations
• Ensure consistency across documents
• Speed up similar documents

Custom Glossaries (Planned)

• Define preferred translations for key terms
• Apply across all documents
• Maintain brand consistency

Next Steps

• Try translating a sample document
• Explore Domain Specializations
• Check File Formats Reference
• Learn Best Practices

Need Help?

• See Troubleshooting
• Check FAQ
• Contact support via app

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Translate entire documents effortlessly while preserving your formatting and layout!