Guides · Practical guide · Updated 23 October 2026

How to translate a scanned PDF

Scanned PDF contains an image of the page. The translator therefore first needs to recognize the characters using OCR and then translate the resulting text. In Indy PDF Studio, both steps process the document content locally; during the first use, necessary models may be downloaded.

Try it free in the editor

Step by step

Open the scanned PDF and for the first attempt, select one clearly readable page.
Set the OCR language according to the original language, not the language of the desired translation.
Let the text be recognized and compare especially numbers, names, and short labels with the source.
Run Translate and select a supported source and target language. First translate the current page.
Check the meaning, text overflow, and layout. Then proceed with the other pages and export the result.

When no text is translated

First verify whether OCR created text blocks. For an unreadable scan, recognition may fail or skip part of the page. Also check completion of downloading necessary components and selected language direction.

Why the translation overflows the original area

The translated sentence may be longer than the original. This is often visible in tables and narrow columns. Adjust problematic blocks and visually check the result before sending.

Keep the original

Save the translation as a new file. For contracts, technical data, or important instructions, compare essential parts with the original. Automatic translation is not an official translation or guarantee of correct meaning.

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