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Translate Scanned PDF to Spanish | Top 3 Ways

  • By Lena
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  • Updated on May 27, 2025
Introduction:
Translating a scanned PDF to Spanish requires a specialized tool that can extract and translate the scanned text while preserving the original layout and other graphics. Luckily, there are now many ways to accurately translate scanned PDF to Spanish. Today, we will learn about the three best scanned PDF translators and their detailed steps.
summary

Way 1. Translate Scanned PDF to Spanish with SwifDoo PDF

SwifDoo PDF is a modernized and advanced tool for translating PDFs without losing formatting. Its Document Translation feature can help you translate a scanned PDF immediately.

In addition, you can first apply OCR to convert a scanned PDF to an editable and searchable one and then translate specific content with the Quick Translation feature. The new PDF that SwifDoo PDF generates looks the same as the scanned one, but it now has editable text. Moreover, the SwifDoo AI can also help you translate the PDF into your desired language.  

Follow the steps below to learn how to translate a scanned PDF from English to Spanish with SwifDoo PDF:

Use Document Translation

Step 1. Install and open SwifDoo PDF on your computer. 

  • SwifDoo PDF

    Click to Download

  • Clean & Safe

    100%

Step 2. On the home page, click the Document Translation option.

Document Translation

Step 3. Choose the right language, adjust the page range, and output path.

Step 4. Click Translate to Spanish to start.

Translate to Spanish

Use Quick Translation and SwifDoo AI

Step 1. Download, install, and launch SwifDoo PDF.

  • SwifDoo PDF

    Click to Download

  • Clean & Safe

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Step 2. Open the PDF file. Click the Edit tab and select OCR.

OCR

Step 3. Adjust the OCR settings, such as page range and document language. Then, click Apply.

Apply OCR

After the OCR, you will get an editable and searchable PDF ready for translation.

Step 4. Go to the PDF and select the sentence you want to translate. Then, choose Quick Translation or SwifDoo AI to make it.

Quick Translation

That's it! This way, SwifDoo PDF offers a complete solution to translate large PDFs, selective pages, or specific content. In addition, it can help you edit, annotate, and protect PDFs easily. Why not give it a try?

  • SwifDoo PDF

    Click to Download

  • Clean & Safe

    100%

Pros

  • Powerful OCR to extract all PDF text
  • AI-powered accurate translation
  • Translate entire PDF, selective pages, or specific content
  • Translate PDF with original formatting
  • User-friendly, click-based interface

Cons

  • No web-based PDF translation support

Way 2. Translate Scanned PDF to Spanish in Google Drive

We are all familiar with Google Drive as a cloud storage medium by Google. However, did you know that it is also usable to translate PDFs for free?

When you upload a PDF to Google Drive and then open it through Google Docs, it automatically performs OCR and generates an editable document version. After that, you can use the built-in Google Docs translation feature to translate the PDF.

Feel impressed? Here's how to translate a scanned PDF from English to Spanish in Google Drive:

Step 1. Open Google Drive (https://drive.google.com/drive/) on your browser and log in to your Google account if asked.

Step 2. Click the + New button from the left panel and upload the scanned PDF. Once uploaded, right-click the PDF and tap Open with > Google Docs.

Open with

Step 3. The file will open in Google Docs with editable text. Next, click Tools > Translate document.

Translate document

Step 4. Select Spanish as the translation language and click Translate. Afterward, wait for the translation to complete.

Click Translate

Step 5. To save the translated file as a PDF, click File > Download > PDF Document (.pdf).

Pros

  • Web-based translation
  • Click-based interface
  • Free translation

Cons

  • Struggle to extract all text from a complex document format
  • Inaccurate translation for technical topics
  • May not preserve 100% of the original layout
  • No option to translate specific pages

Also Read:

How to Translate PDF in Chrome | A Complete Guide

How to Translate PDF in Chrome | A Complete Guide

Discover how to translate PDF in Chrome with Google Translate or online tools. You'll find the best options for hassle-free PDF translation!

READ MORE >

Way 3. Translate Scanned PDF to Spanish via DocTranslator

DocTranslator is a web-based tool for translating PDFs without losing formatting. It provides a user-friendly interface for easily uploading, translating, and saving the translated file.

DocTranslator uses Google Translate to translate PDF text. However, you must make the scanned PDF editable before uploading it to DocTranslator.

Want to give it a try? Follow the steps below to translate a scanned PDF to Spanish with DocTranslator:

Step 1. Perform OCR on the scanned PDF using SwifDoo PDF or any web-based OCR tool.

  • SwifDoo PDF

    Click to Download

  • Clean & Safe

    100%

Step 2. Go to DocTranslator's web page and upload the editable PDF.

Upload PDF

Step 3. Select Spanish as a translation language and click Translate.

Start Translate

Step 4. After the translation, download the translated file.

Pros

  • Web-based PDF translator
  • Preserve original formatting
  • Fast translation

Cons

  • Cannot translate scanned PDF directly
  • Doubtful translation accuracy due to Google Translate
  • No option to translate specific pages or content

Conclusion

You have many ways to translate scanned PDF to Spanish. You can use SwifDoo PDF, Google Drive, or DocTranslator. However, only SwifDoo PDF offers a full-fledged translation experience. It ensures accurate OCR, precise AI-powered translation, and additional options to translate pages or specific content. Therefore, we will wrap up by recommending that you use SwifDoo PDF and translate scanned PDFs with top-notch results.

FAQs

  • Q:How do I translate a scanned PDF to another language?
    You need to use a translator tool that can perform OCR to extract text from scanned PDFs and translate it into your preferred language. For example, SwifDoo PDF is a scanned PDF translator that can perform accurate OCR and then provide AI-powered PDF translation while preserving the original layout.
  • Q:Can Google Translate a scanned PDF?
    No, Google Translate cannot perform scanned PDF translation. It can only translate a PDF if the text is searchable. For scanned PDFs, you must first perform OCR using a third-party tool and then use Google Translate to translate that searchable PDF.
  • Q:How to translate a scanned image?
    The quickest way to translate a scanned image is to use Google Translate. Simply upload the image to Google Translate, select the translation language, and get the translation in seconds. Alternatively, you can use translation apps to extract and translate image text.

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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