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Lilt supports the direct upload, translation, and export of PDF documents — including text-based PDFs, scanned (image-based) PDFs, and PDFs that contain a mix of both. Translated PDFs retain the original layout, including columns, tables, and image placement. This functionality is available for both Instant and Verified Translation jobs. You can upload one or more PDFs in a single job, and the system will automatically handle the OCR text extraction, translation, and reconstruction of the final document. The translated output can be downloaded as a PDF, individually or in a batch.

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How It Works

  1. Upload your PDFs:
    • Upload one or more PDFs using unified job submission. You do not need to specify whether a PDF is text-based or scanned — LILT processes all PDFs through a single pipeline that automatically handles both OCR text extraction.
  2. Optional — Review extracted text:
    • Under Additional options, you can enable Review extracted text before translation. When enabled, the job pauses after processing so you can review (and edit, if needed) the text LILT has extracted from your PDF before it is sent for translation. This is especially useful for scanned PDFs, where OCR quality can vary.
    • Review extracted text before translation is typically off by default. Organisation admins can change the default per domain but this toggle can still be switched on or off during job submission.
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  3. Translation:
    • The extracted text is translated using either Instant or Verified Translation, based on your workflow selection. For Instant translation, the toggle for “Receive an expert-verified translation” should be set to off.
    • Once translation is complete, Lilt uses a specialized reconstruction service to reassemble the translated text back into the original PDF layout, preserving column breaks, image placement, and table alignment.
  4. Download translated files:
    • Once translation is complete, you can download the output from the Project (Language) level.
    • Select the translated PDF(s) you wish to download from the document list.

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Supported Features

  • Input Formats: PDF (text-based, scanned, or a mix of both)
  • Output Formats: PDF
  • Translation Types: Instant and Verified Translation
  • Batch Actions: Download multiple translated files at once.

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Important Notes

  • PDF export is currently only supported for same-direction languages. For example, EN <> AR is not supported as English is Left-To-Right and Arabic is Right-To-Left. We are working to support this and will share an update once available. In cases like this, the download will only be available as a TXT file.
  • While we aim to perfectly replicate the original layout, minor formatting differences may occur depending on the complexity of the source document. For scanned PDFs with poor scan quality, handwritten text, or unusual layouts, we recommend enabling Review extracted text before translation so you can catch and correct any OCR issues before translation begins.