Understand a document you received in another language: PDFRoll detects its language, translates its text paragraph by paragraph using the AI built into Google Chrome, and gives it back to you as an editable Word document.
How it works
- Select the PDF.
- Choose the target language.
- Click “Translate” and download the Word document.
Frequently asked questions
Which browser do I need?
Google Chrome version 138 or later, on desktop: the translation uses its built-in AI, which runs on your device.
Is the layout preserved?
Paragraphs and page breaks are kept, with the size and style from the beginning of each paragraph; images and the exact layout are not carried over.
Do I need to specify the source language?
No, it is detected automatically. If the document is already in the chosen language, PDFRoll lets you know.
Which languages can I translate into?
French, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Turkish, Polish, Ukrainian and Hindi, depending on the language pairs Chrome supports.
Why doesn’t translation work on my phone?
Chrome’s translation AI is only available on desktop. Use Chrome 138 or later on a computer.
What if the translation model doesn’t download?
Check your connection and available disk space, then try again: Chrome needs to download the model once for each language pair.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. Everything happens in your browser: your documents never leave your device.
How the translation works
Choose the target language in “Translate to”, then click “Translate”. The source language is detected automatically from the beginning of the document. The text is then translated paragraph by paragraph, and you download a Word file (.docx) whose name ends with the code of the chosen language.
Sixteen target languages are available: French, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Turkish, Polish, Ukrainian and Hindi. A preview of the translated text is also shown on screen.
Required browser and privacy
Translation uses the AI built into Google Chrome, version 138 or later, on desktop. In another browser, PDFRoll prompts you to open the site in Chrome. The first time you use a language pair, Chrome may need to download its translation model: an internet connection and some disk space are then required.
The translation itself happens on your device: your document never leaves your computer. If a language pair isn’t available in your browser, PDFRoll lets you know.
What you get
- The PDF’s paragraphs and page breaks, with each page starting on a new page of the Word document.
- For each paragraph, a single text size and style, taken from the beginning of the paragraph.
- Fully editable text, so you can correct a term or rework a phrase.
Images and the exact layout are not carried over: the tool is for understanding and reworking the content, not for producing an identical copy of the original.
Tips
- A scanned document contains no text: run it through “OCR PDF” first.
- For a technical, legal or official document, have the machine translation reviewed before using it.
- To get just the gist of a long document, “Summarize a PDF” is faster.
- To edit the document in its original language, use “PDF to Word”.