I have an English PDF that needs to go into Hindi but the layout always breaks with text shifting around when I try. Is there a way to handle the translation without messing up the original formatting?
Yes, that shifting is annoying, especially with Hindi because the text often expands. Honestly, I would open the PDF in Word if your version supports it, use the built in Translate tool, then resave as PDF. Your mileage depends on the file, since Word may still reflow columns or images. If it is a scanned PDF, the text is not editable and I would not expect this to work.
First check if it’s a real text PDF or a scan, scans need OCR before anything else. If it’s text, convert it to Word first, then run the docx through Google Translate’s document mode, that keeps most of the layout. Heads up, Hindi text runs longer than English so a little shifting is normal no matter what you use.
I’d convert it to Word first, translate the text in place, and use a Devanagari font such as Noto Sans Devanagari, especially in tables. Avoid pasting the whole translation back as one big text block, as that usually shifts everything; check each table and export to PDF again.
Honestly, exact formatting is difficult because Hindi text takes different space than English. I would open the converted file in Word, use a Unicode Hindi font such as Nirmala UI, then adjust text boxes and table widths after translating. Avoid forcing smaller font sizes everywhere, as that usually makes forms hard to read.
You are so right about the text length @cameron2002, my vendor contracts allways get messed up margins because translated words need extra space. Pulling it into Word and manually widening the layout usually saves the day for me. What device are you working on?
@rando72836 On Windows, Nirmala UI is already there, so Hindi renders fine without installing anything. Keep a backup of the original PDF before you start, and widen the table columns rather than shrinking the type. That fixes most of my margins.
Honestly with Hindi the font width is so different from English that some shifting is almost unavoidable, especially in tables. If it’s a scanned PDF, I’d convert to Word first, translate there, then fix spacing manually.
if it’s a scanned PDF, run OCR first or the translator may treat each line like an image. I use PDFcap to convert it to editable Word, translate the text, then check Hindi fonts and line spacing before saving back to PDF. Is your file scanned or does it already let you select the text?
Honestly some shifting is unavoidable since Hindi text runs taller and wider than English. What I’d try is opening the PDF in Word, it converts to editable text, then use Review then Translate and fix the overflow manually. Are you on Windows or Mac?