Translate PDF documents with help from Adobe Acrobat.

Learn how you can use Adobe Acrobat to translate a PDF to or from UK English. Get ready to read and share documents with users around the globe.

Working for a global company or participating in an international project? There might come a time where you need to send documents to colleagues, customers or employees in other regions and markets – or translate any you receive..

If you’re looking to translate a PDF to UK English or from English to any other language, you can explore your options below.

Do you need to translate a PDF?

If you work for a company that has clients or offices in multiple global locations, you may find yourself hitting a language barrier – especially when it comes to sharing or receiving important business documents. That barrier can quickly result in miscommunication or misunderstandings that cause further issues down the line.

Similarly, if you send someone a PDF in a language they don’t understand, they’ll need to translate the PDF before they can respond appropriately – potentially causing further delays. However, if you can anticipate the risks and translate your PDFs ahead of time, you can make everyone’s lives that little bit easier.

Perhaps you have colleagues in the EU and want to share the latest product information or brand guidelines with them. In this instance, you might look to translate the PDF document into French, German and Spanish. Or maybe you simply want to switch between British English and American English when speaking to international customers? Discover some of the different solutions available.

How to translate a PDF with Adobe Acrobat.

As a PDF is a final form file, you won’t be able to translate it directly. Instead, you’ll need to convert your PDF before you can translate it. One of the easiest ways to do this is to use the Adobe Acrobat online tool.

Learn how Adobe can help you translate your PDF documents in three steps.

1. Convert your PDF to Word with Adobe.

Begin by converting your PDF to a Word document that you can edit. You can do this in one of two ways – in the Acrobat platform or using Acrobat online services.

If you already have your PDF open in Acrobat, simply:

1. Head to the Tools menu.
2. Click on Export PDF.
3. Choose the format you want to export in – i.e. Microsoft Word.
4. Click to Export.
5. Name your file and then click Save.

Want to use the Acrobat online services? Head to the PDF to Word Converter, then upload your PDF file and click to convert in minutes. You can then download the Word document or sign in to share it.

2. Translate your PDF.

Once you have your PDF in the Word format, it should be easier to translate. You have several options, such as:

• A professional translator – Hiring someone who is not only fluent, but also understands the cultural context of the language you’re working with, will produce an accurate translation, as well as localisation and transcreation.
• An online translation – Free and easy to use, online translators provide a quick solution to translation. However, there can be errors and if you don’t understand the language you’re translating to, you can’t check if it still makes sense.

3. Convert your document back to a PDF file.

Once you’re happy with your translated Word doc, you can turn it back into a PDF. Simply head back into Acrobat and follow these steps:

1. Open the Tools menu in Acrobat.
2. Click the option to ‘Create PDF’.
3. Select your Word document.
4. Hit the ‘Create’ button and save your translated PDF.

Alternatively, you can use the online Word to PDF Converter tool to transform your file into a fully translated PDF that’s ready to share.

How to translate a PDF in Google Translate.

Depending on the size of your PDF file, you might also be able to use Google Translate to translate your file. Here’s how:

1. On Google Translate, find the Documents tab in the top left.
2. Choose the language you’re translating from and to. If you’re unsure about the language in your PDF, you can also select Detect language and the tool will do the hard work for you.
3. From here, you can drag and drop a file into your browser, or search through your files and upload the PDF you want to translate.
4. Google will then translate this text and let you know when it’s ready.

Looking for more PDF editing tips and tools? Discover all the ways Adobe Acrobat can help you edit, convert and customise your PDFs.