Translate a PDF into English and keep the layout

What you get back from an English PDF translation

Manuce reads the PDF block by block, recording each text area’s position on the page, its font, size and colour. The source text is then removed and the English translation is set in the same box, using the original font or a close equivalent. Images, logos and page backgrounds stay exactly where they were.

Every order includes four files:

• the re-laid-out PDF, with the text replaced in place (the layout work is included in the price);
• a Word version with editable text, for corrections or additions;
• a formatted PDF, simpler and focused on the text;
• plain text, handy for a website or an email.

What Manuce does not do: a scanned PDF (a picture of a page with no selectable text) cannot be read. Nor does Manuce produce certified or sworn translations: if a university, employer or authority in an English-speaking country requires a certified translation of a diploma or civil record, you will need an accredited translator.

Shorter English text in the same boxes

English is usually more compact than French, German, Spanish or Italian; from French, for example, text typically shrinks by 10 to 15%. In a PDF this works in your favour: the translation nearly always fits its original box at the original font size, so the automatic size reduction used when a translation overflows rarely comes into play for English.

The side effect is white space. A ten-line paragraph may become eight or nine lines, and a justified column can end a little short. On a brochure or data sheet, check:

• short labels that still grow, because abbreviations get spelt out: French TTC becomes incl. VAT, German MwSt. becomes VAT but z. B. becomes e.g.;
• narrow table cells, where a long English compound may push past the edge;
• paired blocks (two columns, a caption under a photo) that may no longer line up perfectly.

For fine adjustments, work in the Word version rather than the PDF.

English conventions worth checking

A few rules change how an English PDF reads at a glance:

• British or American: colour / color, organise / organize, centre / center. Pick one for your audience and check it is used consistently.
• Dates: 03/04/2025 is 3 April in the UK and 4 March in the US. In contracts and schedules, write the month out: 3 April 2025.
• Numbers: many source languages use a decimal comma; English uses a point, with commas for thousands, so 1.250,50 or 1 250,50 becomes 1,250.50.
• Punctuation: no space before : ; ? !, and « » or „ “ quotation marks become “ ” (or ‘ ’ in much British writing).
• Plurals: English has just two forms, singular for 1 and plural for everything else, including zero: 0 items, not 0 item.
• Titles and headings: Mr and Ms without a full stop in British English, Mr. and Ms. in American; US headings often capitalise every main word.

Units and currencies are not converted on their own: if the PDF is aimed at American readers, decide whether kilograms and euros stay as they are.

Preparing the PDF before you upload

The most useful test takes ten seconds: open the PDF and try to select a word or find it with the search function. If nothing highlights, the page is an image and Manuce cannot read it; go back to the source file (Word, InDesign, a spreadsheet) and export it to PDF again.

• Check that important pages are real text, not pasted screenshots: a table inserted as an image will stay in the source language.
• List the names that must not change: brands, product names, company names (Müller GmbH stays as it is, perhaps with a short gloss).
• Spot local acronyms with no English equivalent (French SIRET, Spanish NIF): they may need a brief explanation.
• For a document of around 3,000 words (10 pages), the quote appears as soon as you upload, based on the exact word count; English is charged at the base rate (×1 coefficient).

Reviewing the English before you send it

Before paying, the free sample (one paragraph of your file translated at the level you chose) lets you check the spelling variant, number format and tone. After delivery, review in the Word version, which is easier to edit than the PDF:

• amounts and dates, line by line;
• variant consistency (a stray color in a British text stands out);
• proper names and acronyms.

For an internal memo, the Essential level is often enough; for a document going to an English-speaking client or partner, Professional or Premium is the better fit.

In practice

1. Check that the PDF text can be selected; if not, it is a scan.
2. Upload the file: the quote appears, based on the exact word count.
3. Read the free sample: British or American spelling, numbers, dates.
4. Pay and download the re-laid-out PDF, the Word file, the formatted PDF and plain text.
5. Check amounts, dates and proper names in the Word version before sending.