| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Translating a PDF Thread poster: radruz
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radruz 
Germany
Local time: 00:23
English to Spanish
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Hello to everybody!
I hope you can help me out with this. Until now I have received PDF files as a .ttx to translate with TagEditor or just the .doc document directly from the client, so I have never found my self the row material.
Today one of my clients left me a PDF file to translate and I don’t know how to start with that, I could just translate the text (that is what he wants) but I though that it would be a great opportunity to learn how to manage such a situat... See more Hello to everybody!
I hope you can help me out with this. Until now I have received PDF files as a .ttx to translate with TagEditor or just the .doc document directly from the client, so I have never found my self the row material.
Today one of my clients left me a PDF file to translate and I don’t know how to start with that, I could just translate the text (that is what he wants) but I though that it would be a great opportunity to learn how to manage such a situation.
Could anybody explain me the process to translate a PDF file? I mean, how do I import it into a .ttx file maintaining the tags intact and the like?
The PDF I have to translate is not really enhanced, graphically speaking, so I don’t think I will find many tags. Nonetheless I hope you can help me out, all comments are more than welcomed!
Kind regards
Rafael ▲ Collapse
| | | | | | Jerzy Czopik
Germany
Local time: 00:23
Member (2003)
Polish to German
+ ...
| Use a PDF converter of you choice | Dec 16, 2009 |
There are numerous PDF converters on the market.
Put in a nutshell: PDF is by design not editable. You have to use a software to extract text from it. It can also be Acrobat (not Reader), if the PDF is not protected - then you might be able to save the content of the file in editable form. In most (I would say all) cases you will then have to reformat the document prior to translation.
There are also some CAT tools able to read... See more There are numerous PDF converters on the market.
Put in a nutshell: PDF is by design not editable. You have to use a software to extract text from it. It can also be Acrobat (not Reader), if the PDF is not protected - then you might be able to save the content of the file in editable form. In most (I would say all) cases you will then have to reformat the document prior to translation.
There are also some CAT tools able to read PDF. For example SDL Trados 2009 Studio has a built-in PDF converter, but I wouldn't rely too much on it. It is as any other PDF converter, but you will be left without the oportunity to reformat the text before you start translating.
And BTW, this is approximately the 1,089th question about PDF here on ProZ. Using the search function does not hurt... ▲ Collapse
| | | | Julie Allison
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:23
Spanish to English
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| My experience with PDF files | Dec 16, 2009 |
Hi!
I find not all .pdf files are the same. Some I can save as a text file as you suggest, but then I lose all formatting. With others I can simply highlight and copy/paste the text into a .doc document to be typed over, again you lose the formatting. The "select and zoom" option under the "tools" tab must only have "select tool" ticked to be able to do that.
Another way, if you cannot copy and paste the text as above, is to go to "tools" - "select and zoom" - "snapsho... See more Hi!
I find not all .pdf files are the same. Some I can save as a text file as you suggest, but then I lose all formatting. With others I can simply highlight and copy/paste the text into a .doc document to be typed over, again you lose the formatting. The "select and zoom" option under the "tools" tab must only have "select tool" ticked to be able to do that.
Another way, if you cannot copy and paste the text as above, is to go to "tools" - "select and zoom" - "snapshot tool". That way you paste an "image" of the text into your document but it cannot be edited: it is just a convenient way of viewing the source text in the document where you will prepare the target text, then you have to delete the copied image. Not the fastest way of doing it but it's an option if you don't want to print off lots of pages.
If you want to create a .pdf file after having drafted the text in a Word document, you can download openoffice software, which I use and it is safe. It has the same functions as Word but you have an icon in the toolbar to allow you to save the document in PDF format. There is apparently a tool available from openoffice.org to convert pdf files but something went wrong when I downloaded it so I've never tried again and therefore don't know how it works.
Regards,
Julie Anne ▲ Collapse
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radruz
Germany
Local time: 00:23
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks a lot | Dec 16, 2009 |
Hi there,
José thanks a lot for refering me to this software it really sound interesting and I am going to show it my other colleagues.
Dear Jerzy, thanks a lot for your explanation! In relation to your last comment "And BTW, this is approximately the 1,089th question about PDF here on ProZ. Using the search function does not hurt..." I would kindly like to ask you and everybody reading this post to avoid such non-constructive comments, if you find my questions are som... See more Hi there,
José thanks a lot for refering me to this software it really sound interesting and I am going to show it my other colleagues.
Dear Jerzy, thanks a lot for your explanation! In relation to your last comment "And BTW, this is approximately the 1,089th question about PDF here on ProZ. Using the search function does not hurt..." I would kindly like to ask you and everybody reading this post to avoid such non-constructive comments, if you find my questions are somehow annoying or unuseful please don't keep on reading and don’t answer. It is really impolite of you and, believe me, I know how to use the search function. If have posted an entry about this topic it is because I considered that adequate.
Thanks a lot
Rafael ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Technology evolves | Dec 16, 2009 |
Jerzy Czopik wrote:
Put in a nutshell: PDF is by design not editable
A scanned PDF will never be, but distilled ones are. It's a matter of convenience.
A while ago I saw an InFix ad here on Proz. I tried it and was amazed at its PDF editing capability.
So I wrote them about the translation market, explained the basics of CAT tools, gave them some links, and the rest is history. There are some obstacles on the way, most involving partially embedded fonts, but it works! Check the link on my previous message:
http://www.iceni.com/infix-Translate.htm
Jerzy Czopik wrote:
And BTW, this is approximately the 1,089th question about PDF here on ProZ. Using the search function does not hurt...
Hopefully it won't be the last. PDF is a widely adopted standard, and we expect new and better ways of working with it to be developed over time.
Incidentally, I cling to Acrobat v4. IMHO it's the last completely reliable one. Nobody has ever had any problem in opening my PDF files or getting them corrupted. If Adobe needs to pack more and more features all the time to sell upgrades and pay their bills, that's not my problem.
| | | | Erik Freitag
Germany
Local time: 00:23
Member (2006)
Dutch to German
+ ...
| forum search | Dec 16, 2009 |
radruz wrote:
I would kindly like to ask you and everybody reading this post to avoid such non-constructive comments, if you find my questions are somehow annoying or unuseful please don't keep on reading and don’t answer. It is really impolite of you and, believe me, I know how to use the search function. If have posted an entry about this topic it is because I considered that adequate.
I beg to disagree here. In fact, Jerzy's comment is very constructive: A quick forum search would have yielded all the information you need. Instead, I consider it impolite that you can't be bothered to use the search function although you purport to know how to do it.
| | | | radruz
Germany
Local time: 00:23
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Please avoid such comments | Dec 16, 2009 |
Hi eFreitag,
I said, I consider it appropriate and if you or other people reading this post don't have anything to say in relation to this topic, please avoid commenting.
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Infix seems to add a new layer to the PDF to edit text. A nice solution, but I had serious problems with CE (e.g. š, č, ř, ť etc.) characters which would get all messed up. Try before you buy.
| | | | Jerzy Czopik
Germany
Local time: 00:23
Member (2003)
Polish to German
+ ...
| Of course I shall avoid any comments | Dec 16, 2009 |
in the future.
In fact I gave you the answer you asked for and first then asked you to use the search function. You consider this impolite - so I am sorry for having bothered you with my comments. As you may have noticed when using search, my name appears quite a number of times when help was needed. But I can stop this certainly, and you can be sure, I will never bother you again.
| | | | | Add me to the list | Dec 16, 2009 |
radruz wrote:
Hi eFreitag,
I said, I consider it appropriate and if you or other people reading this post don't have anything to say in relation to this topic, please avoid commenting.
If you had done as Jerzy suggested and searched the archives with a few simple key words, not only would you have realized that your question has already been answered dozens of times, but you would have found a wealth of additional information for dealing with the rather knotty issues which PDF files can present, using PDF jobs to your economic advantage, etc. Your response to Jerzy and eFreitag is quite inappropriate and rude. It is also not likely to elicit much assistance should other "difficulties" arise in the future.
| | | | radruz
Germany
Local time: 00:23
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | I found an online service | Dec 16, 2009 |
Hi Stanislav,
Thanks a lot for your answer, I have read this is a common problem with that program, do you how to solve it? In another forum I read about this software:
http://www.pdfonline.com/pdf2word/index.asp
I tried it with the PDF I want to translate and the result is impeccable, but as I said, it is a very simple PDF, I don’t know how would it w... See more Hi Stanislav,
Thanks a lot for your answer, I have read this is a common problem with that program, do you how to solve it? In another forum I read about this software:
http://www.pdfonline.com/pdf2word/index.asp
I tried it with the PDF I want to translate and the result is impeccable, but as I said, it is a very simple PDF, I don’t know how would it work with more complex ones. What do you think about it?
Kind regards
Rafael ▲ Collapse
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| Responding to those who help.... | Dec 16, 2009 |
Jerzy Czopik wrote:
There are numerous PDF converters on the market.
Put in a nutshell: PDF is by design not editable. You have to use a software to extract text from it. It can also be Acrobat (not Reader), if the PDF is not protected - then you might be able to save the content of the file in editable form. In most (I would say all) cases you will then have to reformat the document prior to translation.
There are also some CAT tools able to read PDF. For example SDL Trados 2009 Studio has a built-in PDF converter, but I wouldn't rely too much on it. It is as any other PDF converter, but you will be left without the oportunity to reformat the text before you start translating.
This was an excellent reply from Jerzy! I myself use Omnipage from Nuance, but never get a perfect result from the scan, since there is always proofreading to do, expecially with some of the PDF files I get, such as scans from a scan, etc. Also the more complex the layout, the more stray characters get picked up. If it is an open Acrobat file, then, as Jerzy points out, you will be able to recover all the digital text.
I do think it was shame to see how you responded to Jerzy's polite reminder to you that we are encouraged to search the archives before posting questions arbitrarily on the forums. He is one of our best and most long serving contributors to many difficult questions, and deserves better.
| | | | | A common PDF editing issue | Dec 16, 2009 |
Stanislav Pokorny wrote:
Infix seems to add a new layer to the PDF to edit text. A nice solution, but I had serious problems with CE (e.g. š, č, ř, ť etc.) characters which would get all messed up. Try before you buy.
I have the same problem in Portuguese, with Á É Í Ó Ú À Ç Â Ê Ô and the exclusive à Õ, now that the umlaut Ü was dropped except in proper names.
This is not so much about InFix, but Acrobat PDF itself, when it allows partial embedding of fonts. If, for instance, a text in English (no accents) doesn't use L, G, X, with partial font embedding these letters will be missing too, if you try to add them by editing in Acrobat itself... together with all accented chars.
Some English fonts - mostly free TrueType ones - dont't have anything letterwise beyond the 26 UC and 26 LC letters, if that much.
So it's a matter of re-embedding the whole font on the PDF - even if it's from the ubiquitous trio, Arial, Times, Courier - to the PDF file. If the pub uses proprietary fonts, such as GE-Inspire, either you have to get it, or replace the whole font with another (complete!) one and embed it
| | | | | Solid PDF Converter and ABBYY Finereader 8.0 | Dec 16, 2009 |
I don't know anything better then: http://www.soliddocuments.com/
(additional manual formatting will be required).
ABBYY Finereader 8.0(!) - in my opinion the last good version of FineReader so far.
(additional manual formatting will be required).
In both cases you will have to work with the formatting (e.g. Character Spacing, Line Spacing etc.), so that a CAT tool can... See more I don't know anything better then: http://www.soliddocuments.com/
(additional manual formatting will be required).
ABBYY Finereader 8.0(!) - in my opinion the last good version of FineReader so far.
(additional manual formatting will be required).
In both cases you will have to work with the formatting (e.g. Character Spacing, Line Spacing etc.), so that a CAT tool can handle the document properly and you can get a nice target file. For large complex documents it may take a full day time (for best results).
Regards,
Egiz ▲ Collapse
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