A PDF proposal from an overseas partner, a product manual in English, the terms of a foreign website. When materials like these arrive, most of us start by copying the text and pasting it into a translator. With many pages that alone takes a while, and broken line breaks make the translation awkward.
Google Translate has a Documents tab that takes the whole file. There is also a Websites tab for page addresses and an Images tab for text inside pictures. This guide walks through all three in order.
Which files can you upload?
According to the Help Center, you can translate .docx, .pdf, .pptx and .xlsx files up to 10 MB. PDFs must be 300 pages or fewer. For larger or longer documents, Google points to its paid developer service (Cloud Translation API).
One thing to know: document translation is not supported on phones or small screens. Use a PC browser.
1. Documents tab: translate PDF, Word and PowerPoint files as they are
- Go to Google Translate (translate.google.com) in your browser.
- Click Documents at the top.
- Choose the source and target languages. If you don't know the source language, choose Detect language.
- Click Browse your computer and pick the file to translate.
- Click View translation or Download translation. Which button appears depends on the file type.
If a PDF is longer than 300 pages, save only the pages you need as a separate file and upload that.
2. Websites tab: paste the address of a foreign site
When you need to read a whole foreign website, the address is all you need.
- In Google Translate, click Websites at the top.
- Leaving the source language on Detect language works best.
- Enter the site address (URL) and click the arrow button (→).
On the translated page, use the language tab at the top left to switch between the original and the translation. The Help Center also notes that this feature is not available in some regions.
3. Images tab: translate text in a screenshot
If the material came as a screenshot or photo rather than a PDF, use the Images tab.
- In Google Translate, choose the Images tab at the top.
- Choose the source language (or Detect language) and the target language.
- Upload the image with Browse your computer.
When the translation is done, you can copy the translated text or download the translated image. The Help Center advises uploading a clear image, since small or blurry text can lower accuracy.
Check before you upload
- Check the file type (.docx · .pdf · .pptx · .xlsx) and size (10 MB or less, PDF 300 pages or fewer)
- Open it in a PC browser, not on a phone
- For documents with confidential or personal information, check your company's policy before uploading
- Compare numbers, dates and proper nouns in the translation with the original once more
References
- Google Translate Help Center, Translate documents & websites: https://support.google.com/translate/answer/2534559?hl=en
- Google Translate Help Center, Translate images: https://support.google.com/translate/answer/6142483?hl=en
- Google Translate: https://translate.google.com/
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