Available in FlexiPDF Professional

FlexiPDF can export the text of a document, automatically tagging each paragraph with its original location. You can export a range of pages, individual stories or specific marked text boxes (see Mark text for translation).

This text can then be translated using any other software (e.g. Trados, Across TM, Déjà Vu, Google) and re-imported back into the document by FlexiPDF. As FlexiPDF imports the translated text, it uses tags embedded in the PDF during export to determine both the correct location and basic text styles of text being imported.

If translated text is too long to fit into the original text boxes, FlexiPDF can subtly adjust its spacing to make it fit.

It is very important to ensure the current spell-check language matches that of the text being exported. If it does not, soft-hyphens will not be correctly removed during export.

  1. Open the PDF you want to translate, choose Translate > Export.
  2. Choose the extent of the text you want to include in the export. You may prefer to work on a few pages or a single story at a time rather than the entire document.
  3. Check Limit to marked content only to export only those text boxes which you have already marked for export. See Mark text blocks for translation.
  4. Select Current story to export only the active text box and any box linked to it as a single story. Current Story is only available if you were editing text when you chose to begin the export.
    Use the Link text tool to link text blocks together to form stories, prior to beginning the export.
  5. Choose the format of the exported text.
    Simple XML is recommended since can encapsulate more text style information and can be used within most popular CAT tool.
  6. Once exported, FlexiPDF will remind you to save the document. This is crucial since the export process will have added tags not only to the text output but to the PDF itself.
    You cannot import the translated text back into the PDF unless this tagging information exists.
    Saving a copy of the tagged PDF now ensures that you will be able to import the translated text back into it in future.
  7. After exporting, the eported paragraphs are highlighted. This will only be visible in FlexiPDF and does not affect the PDF.
    You can hide this highlighting by choosing View > Text > Field Shading.