How to Translate a Scanned PDF

Try highlighting a sentence in your PDF reader. Selectable words suggest a text layer; selecting the whole page as an image suggests a scan. Some scanning software adds OCR text behind an image, so selection alone is not a complete test of the file's quality.

If you can obtain the original Word or other editable source file, consider using it instead. That avoids reading text from an image and usually gives the translation process a better starting structure. If the scan is the only version available, prepare the clearest copy you can.

• Keep the full page in view, with no cut-off words or missing edges.
• Use even lighting and avoid glare, heavy shadows or a sharply tilted camera angle.
• Check that small text remains sharp when you zoom in. Enlarging a blurred image does not recover missing detail.
• Put pages in the correct order and remove blank or irrelevant pages before upload.
• Use only documents you have permission to share, and read the privacy information before uploading sensitive business material.

Corporate Translate supports scanned or photographed jobs of up to 20 pages, with a 20 MB document upload limit. The pages are read before the quote is produced. Pricing uses the supported word count rather than a fixed charge per scanned page.

Pay as you go is £8 per 1,000 words, with a £5 minimum above the free-document threshold. Documents of up to 200 words can qualify for the daily free allowance. Check the quoted count and any reading warnings before confirming: an unexpectedly low count may indicate that part of the source is difficult to read.

A scanned PDF is rebuilt from recognised and translated text. The delivered DOCX and PDF aim to provide a usable new document with supported headings, paragraphs, lists and tables. They are not an exact copy of the scanned page's original appearance. Scanned and photographed pages are outside the formatting guarantee.

Compare the result with the scan, paying particular attention to names, reference numbers, dates, handwriting and stamps. Check all important details with a competent reader before relying on them. If a page is unclear, obtain a better original rather than treating a plausible AI reading as proof of what it says.

Save both delivered formats within the 30-day access period. The DOCX is the useful starting point if you need to correct wording or adjust layout before producing your final PDF. AI translation does not provide a certified translation or a human review; arrange the appropriate service separately when required.