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Translate Scanned PDF from Arabic to English | Top 3 Ways

  • By Lena
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  • Updated on August 28, 2025
Introduction:
When dealing with your clients abroad, you may find an essential document in a language other than English. Information sharing transcends the language barrier when you have access to advanced translators. This guide will show you how to translate scanned PDF from Arabic to English.
summary

Translators serve as a vital link in converting Arabic text to English. The essential translator that comes to your mind for easy translation is Google Translator. Use Google Translate to translate PDFs from Arabic to English quickly. However, Google Translate only translates text; hence, you need advanced translators to translate scanned PDF from Arabic to English.

Continue reading the article to discover how to accurately translate Arabic PDFs to English without altering the original layout.

1. Best Way to Translate Scanned PDF from Arabic to English

Users commonly prefer Google Translate for quick translations. However, it cannot handle a scanned PDF. If you wish to translate scanned PDFs, choose Swifdoo PDF.

  • It can directly translate a scanned PDF with the help of its built-in OCR tool.
  • This tool automatically converts the complete PDF while preserving its original format.
  • The reliable SwifDoo AI integration enables you to translate Arabic to English and summarize PDFs for improved understanding.

Let's see how to use SwifDoo PDF to translate scanned PDFs from Arabic to English.

How to Convert a Scanned PDF for Translation

Skip this step if you want to translate the entire PDF document quickly.

If you want to translate selected text in a PDF, then first apply OCR to make the text editable. SwifDoo PDF is a versatile PDF translator that supports OCR technology to ensure maximum accuracy in English transactions. It can easily recognize text inside the PDF document. After OCR, all details are preserved. Of course, Swifdoo PDF can also help you make adjustments to its formatting and layout. Please check the detailed steps below to learn how to OCR PDF to make it editable:

Steps to OCR PDF using Swifdoo PDF:

Step 1: Download and install SwifDoo PDF.

Step 2: Open SwifDoo PDF. Choose scanned PDF, and then go to Edit.

Step 3: Choose OCR and select Arabic as the document language.

OCR PDF

Step 4: Click OK to start; an editable file will soon appear.

Now, return to Home and find the translation tool to translate the PDF.

How to Translate Scanned PDF from Arabic to English

Swifdoo PDF is a convenient tool that supports easy translations of PDFs from Arabic to English using its three translation methods. Users can choose any method to translate the entire PDF in minutes. Check out the three different methods here:

  • Quick Translation: Ensure the selected text is easily translated into English.
  • Document Translation: Easily translate the entire PDF or the selected pages.
  • AI Translation: Support a ChatGPT integration to translate PDFs with the utmost customization.

Steps to use Document Translation, Quick Translation, and SwifDoo AI to translate PDF:

Step 1: Install the SwifDoo PDF and open the PDF you want to translate.

Step 2: Next, select the desirable translation option.

Step 3: Select the text/page to start translation, depending on the translation option:

  • Quick Translation: Select the desired text and choose English as the language to translate.

SwifDoo PDF Quick Translation

  • Document Translation: Select English as the target language and then select the pages to translate. Click Translate to start.

SwifDoo PDF Document Translation

  • SwifDoo AI Translation: Select Chat with AI to translate PDF with ChatGPT. Next, choose English as the language, enter your translation requirement, and click Send.

Step 4: The SwifDoo PDF will start the translation process as soon as you specify your requirements.

pros

  • Can translate scanned PDF
  • Support an in-built text translator tool
  • Ensure AI-based translations
  • Precisely translate a complete PDF in a flash

cons

  • Supports only ten times AI translation
  • Requires a paid subscription to handle more than 3 PDFs at a time

2. Use Google Docs to Translate Scanned PDFs from Arabic to English

Google Docs is a powerful writing tool that Google supports. The document tool ensures easy handling of documents. Users commonly use Google Docs to write information accessible anywhere and everywhere. Everyone knows Google Docs as a popular document tool; however, it also provides translation services.

Google Docs also offers an integrated translator. You can use Google Docs to translate scanned PDF from Arabic to English online. Check the advantages, disadvantages, and steps here.

Steps to Translate Scanned PDF from Arabic and English:

Step 1: Open Google Drive using your browser.

Step 2: Upload the scanned PDF using the New button.

Step 3: Open the PDF with Google Docs.

Step 4: Click Translate a document in the Tools section.

Choose Google Docs Translation Tool

Step 5: Select the English language and click Translate.

Translate PDF via Google Docs

Step 6: Once the translation is completed. A new page will open. Next, click File and then Download to save the document.

pros

  • Supports an integration with Google Translate
  • Supports cloud-based access
  • Automatically saves changes

cons

  • Lacks to offer customization options
  • Supports only a limited OCR capability

3. Use DocTranslator to Translate Scanned PDF from Arabic to English

DocTranslator is a convenient online translation tool that helps translate PDFs into different languages. The efficient translator supports numerous file formats and converts into over 100 languages. However, users must pay a fee based on the number of words to translate a PDF document. Check the advantages, disadvantages, and steps below:

Steps to Translate PDF to English Using DocTranslator:

Step 1: Open the DocTranslator Site on your browser.

Step 2: Create an account using the 'Sign up for free' option.

Go to DocTranslator

Step 3: Now upload the PDF you wish to translate and select the language as English.

Upload PDF

Step 4: Pay the fee and click Translate.

Step 5: DocTranslator will return the results in a few minutes.

pros

  • Ensures conversions in more than 100 languages
  • Supports multiple file formats
  • It provides a user-friendly interface
  • Ensure quick translations

cons

  • Charges depending on the word count
  • Supports a limited customization feature

Bottom Line

Manually translating a whole PDF to English can be a frustrating task. Reliable text translators ensure easy translations with maximum accuracy. Some of the fantastic techniques for easy translation are mentioned above. Choose a reliable translator to provide accurate Arabic-to-English translation.

If you want to translate scanned PDFs from Arabic to English with integration into OCR and AI, try SwifDoo PDF. SwifDoo PDF is a professional PDF translator that enables the translation of scanned PDFs to various languages in seconds.

FAQs

  • Q:Can we translate a scanned PDF?
    Yes, generally speaking, you need to first use the OCR tool of SwifDoo PDF to recognize the text and then translate it. Additionally, SwifDoo PDF can automatically recognize and translate entire documents.
  • Q:How to translate an Arabic PDF to English using Google Translate?
    Please visit translate.google.com, click on "Documents", upload your Arabic PDF file, select "Arabic" as the source language, and "English" as the target language. Click "Translate". For scanned PDF files, first use an OCR tool to extract the Arabic text, and then manually paste it into Google Translate to obtain an accurate translation.
  • Q:Can AI translate a scanned PDF?
    Yes, some AI can automatically extract text and perform translation. Others should translate scanned PDF files through a two-step process: first, apply OCR technology to extract the text, and then use Google Translate or DeepL to translate it.

Lena has been in the editing industry for 8 years. She is familiar with a variety of products that can make things easier, such as PDF tools, video recording software, iOS location changer, etc. She enjoys sharing her knowledge with users to help them solve problems in their work and life. In her spare time, she likes to play with her cat.

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