Translate a PDF and keep the layout

Short answer

Open the PDF in Twinpage, choose the target language and wait for the result. You get a PDF that looks like the original in another language, and you can make an editable .docx copy. Translation runs on the phone with the translator built into iOS; nothing is uploaded. Our first run on a real phone, a one-page sample contract from English to Spanish, took 217 seconds including language preparation.

What happens to a PDF during translation

Text PDF in As original mode

This is the default for PDF. The app reads the text layer of the page and groups lines into paragraphs, taking table lines into account. The page is kept as a picture, the original text is covered with the background color around it, and the translation is drawn in the same frame. Type size is chosen so a one-line label stays one line and the longest word does not break. The text layer of the result holds only the translation, so search and copy work in the new language.

Editable copy as a docx file

Make editable on the result screen builds a .docx version: paragraphs, tables and cells become real text you can change. In our tests a 5 by 5 table stayed 5 by 5 and no pages were lost. On a dense tax form the grid of the form was rearranged, so for forms As original is the safer choice and the editable copy is for when you need to change the text.

Scanned pages

A scan has no text layer. The app recognizes the text on the phone and then works as in As original mode. Scans need Pro. Details are in translate a scanned document.

Built-in options and where they stop

iOS has its own Translate app and can translate text you select. These are made for words, sentences and what you point the camera at. We have not tested on iOS 26 whether any built-in option takes a whole PDF and returns a file with the same layout, so the table below says not tested where we have no check of our own.

Step by step with Twinpage

1. Open the PDF

   Tap the button to choose a document and pick the PDF in Files. If it asks for a password, unlock it in another app first.

2. Choose the languages

   Check the source language and pick the target. If the language is not downloaded yet, iOS downloads it once over a connection.

3. Wait for the result

   Keep the app open while it works. Time depends on page count, the phone and whether the language was ready.

4. Check and keep

   Read the translation, compare it with the original (side by side is Pro), then save, share or print. Tap Make editable if you need a .docx copy.

What stays and what can change

Tables, columns, headers, footers and pictures stay in place. What changes is the text inside each frame, because a translation is rarely the same length as the source.

How long it takes

The Mac runs used the same translation engine as the app and timed only the translation itself. The phone run includes getting the language ready; no download sheet appeared because the language was already on the phone. We have not yet measured a long PDF on a phone.

Can you translate a PDF for free

Yes, within a limit: 1 document a day up to 3 pages, plus the sample documents, which do not count. A PDF longer than 3 pages cannot be translated on the free tier; the app shows the Pro screen instead. Pro removes the daily and page limits for $4.99 a week, $29.99 a year with a 3-day free trial, or $59.99 once (US prices).

Checking the translation before you send it

Machine translation of short lines without context makes mistakes a reader may not expect. In our own runs, the heading Details of the parties became Detalles de las fiestas (parties as in celebrations), and the column labels Qty and Amount both became Cantidad. A page footer came out as Página 1 De 1 with a capital De.

• Read headings and table labels first: they are short and have the least context.
• Check names, dates, amounts and numbers against the original.
• Use side by side view (Pro) to compare line by line.
• For anything with legal weight, have a translator check it. See machine or certified translation.

Common problems

• Password-protected file. Unlock it first; the app cannot open it with the password in place.
• Language pair not available. Pair availability depends on the phone and its iOS version. Check the languages page.
• Very dense forms. Use As original rather than the editable copy, and check boxes and frames page by page.
• First translation is slow. The language may be downloading or getting ready. Later documents in the same language skip that step.

Related guides

• Scanned documentsHow a scan or a photo of a page becomes the same page in another language
• LanguagesAll 20 languages, their scripts and which pairs we have tested
• Machine or certifiedWhen an app translation is enough and when an office needs a translator
• HomeWhat the app does with a document and what you get back