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Free report · Updated November 2026
A two-page brief on what happens before a scanned or non-editable document can be translated. It walks through the OCR process step by step, shows where AI now helps and where a DTP specialist is still needed, and lists what makes a converted file work well with translation tools.
How non-editable PDFs, JPGs and TIFFs become editable files ready for translation.
Headers and footers, generated tables of contents, automatic lists and custom styles that must survive conversion.
Editable text, consistent segments and no unnecessary formatting tags or gaps.
Detecting areas, checking recognised text and rebuilding the formatting in Word.
Where AI reliably catches spelling, number and character errors, and why layout still needs a DTP professional.
Why a hard-to-read source is often faster to type from scratch than to correct after OCR.
Technical documentation, marketing and procurement teams who only have a scanned or exported PDF of a document they need translated.
It is most useful when the original native files are lost, came from a supplier, or exist only as print scans.
Yes, but it first has to be converted into editable text with OCR. The result is then checked for recognition errors and formatted so that translation tools can split it into consistent segments.
On a clean, well-scanned document, OCR gives a good basis that needs proofreading. On faded, handwritten or low-resolution pages, errors multiply, and retyping the text is often quicker and more reliable.
Translation tools need editable text with a clean structure. A PDF converted without preparation brings broken sentences and stray formatting into the translation, which costs time in every language and makes the translation memory less reusable.
It can, but rebuilding the layout is a separate step. Fonts, images, tables and page breaks are recreated by a DTP specialist, either in Word or in a layout application, before or after translation.
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