Translate a PDF into German and keep the layout
Manuce reads your PDF block by block and places the German translation in the same box as the original text, in the original font or an equivalent, leaving images and backgrounds untouched. German runs longer and relies on long compound words, so where the translation overflows the text size is reduced to fit, and you also receive an editable Word version.
What it costs
For a PDF of about 3,000 words (10 pages), into German:
To understand, internal use.
Ready to send, by the general specialist.
Cross-checked. For documents that commit you.
Price for one language, original layout included. VAT not applicable — article 293 B of the French General Tax Code (CGI). The exact quote, based on your file's word count, is shown before you pay.
What changes when a PDF goes into German
A PDF does not reflow: every block of text sits in a fixed box. German text is often 20 to 35% longer than English, and the real trouble comes from compound nouns, which cannot be broken wherever you like.
- "Terms and Conditions" becomes Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen, the second word twenty letters long.
- "Hazardous Substances Regulation" becomes Gefahrstoffverordnung: one word that will not split across two lines in a narrow column.
- "Delivery date" becomes Liefertermin: shorter overall, but an unbreakable block.
In practice, the tight areas of a PDF (table headers, diagram labels, title blocks, buttons on a brochure) are where German overflows. Manuce then reduces the text size until it fits the box. In running paragraphs the difference is slight; in a three-centimetre table cell it can be noticeable. Whatever your source language, these are the spots to check first.
German conventions to check in the translated file
Beyond length, a PDF for German-speaking readers has to follow conventions that a native reader spots at once:
- Every noun is capitalised: die Lieferung, das Angebot, including nouns formed from verbs (das Ausfüllen des Formulars).
- Formal address: in business documents, capitalised Sie (Bitte senden Sie uns…), never du in a contract or manual.
- Numbers: decimal comma and full stop for thousands, e.g.
1.250,50, not1,250.50. - Dates and times:
03.04.2025,14:30 Uhr. - Quotation marks: „like this“ or »like this«, depending on the house style.
- Plurals: German has only singular and everything else (1 Seite, 0 Seiten, 3 Seiten); watch fixed wording in the source that will not agree correctly.
Also check that ä, ö, ü and ß display properly in the document's font. Where the original font is not suitable, Manuce uses an equivalent.
What Manuce delivers, and what it does not do
Manuce reads every text block in the PDF with its position, font, size and colour, then returns:
- your original PDF, translated: source text removed, German placed in the same box, images and background kept (the original layout is included in the price);
- a Word version with editable text, handy for reworking a caption that has been shrunk too far;
- a formatted PDF and plain text, useful for proofreading or for a designer to reuse.
A typical document is delivered within minutes and stays available in your client area.
What Manuce does not do:
- a scanned PDF (an image of a page with no selectable text) is not read;
- Manuce does not provide sworn or certified translation. If a German authority asks for a beglaubigte Übersetzung (civil status records, diplomas, court documents), you need a sworn translator.
Preparing the PDF and reviewing the German version
A few checks before uploading save time later:
- Can you select the text? Try highlighting a sentence. If nothing is selected, the PDF is an image: go back to the source file and export a text-based PDF.
- Mark the narrow areas: table columns, plan labels, footers. Look at these first in the German version.
- List any required terms: if your German client says Auftragsbestätigung rather than Bestellbestätigung, you can adjust it quickly in the Word version.
Before paying, the free sample translates one paragraph of your file at the level you choose: pick one full of technical terms to judge the vocabulary. For a PDF going to a German-speaking partner, the Professional level, handled by the domain specialist, is the right fit; Essential is enough to understand a document you have received.
When reviewing, work in this order: shrunk cells and captions, number and date formats, then register (Sie throughout).
In practice
- Check that the PDF text can be selected (if not, re-export it from the source file).
- Upload the PDF, choose German and a level: the quote appears based on the exact word count.
- Read the free sample on a paragraph rich in technical terms.
- Pay, then download the translated PDF, the Word version, the formatted PDF and the plain text.
- Review tables, captions and number and date formats first.
Frequently asked questions
Will my PDF keep its layout in German?
Yes: the translation goes into the same box as the original text, in the same font or an equivalent, and images and backgrounds stay. Because German is longer, the text size is reduced where needed so it fits.
What happens to very long German words in a table?
A word like <i>Gefahrstoffverordnung</i> cannot be split easily, so in a narrow cell the text is reduced to fit the box. If the result is too small, rework that cell in the Word version supplied with the PDF.
Can you translate a scanned PDF into German?
No. A scanned PDF is an image of a page with no selectable text, and Manuce does not read it. You need a PDF whose text can be selected, exported from the original document.
Can I get a certified translation for a German authority?
No, Manuce does not produce sworn or certified translations. For a <i>beglaubigte Übersetzung</i> required by an authority, use a sworn translator; Manuce suits business, commercial and technical documents.
Will the German use the formal Sie?
In professional documents German uses <i>Sie</i>, and that is what you should find. Check it in the free sample, then in the full translation.
The specialist in charge
This subject goes to Atlas, the general specialist. See how it works.
The same file, into another language
Into German, other files
See also
Try it on your own file, free
A sample of your file translated at the level you choose, before any payment. You judge, then you decide.