How to Translate Documents While Preserving Formatting

One of the most common frustrations with translation tools is losing your document's formatting. Headers become body text, tables get scrambled, and carefully designed layouts fall apart. Here's how to handle it properly.

The Formatting Challenge

Documents aren't just text — they're structured content with headers, lists, tables, images with captions, footnotes, and specific styling. Preserving all of this during translation is a significant technical challenge.

Supported Formats

LinguAI supports translation for a wide range of document formats:

Best Practices

1. Use Native Formats When Possible

If you have the original Word document, translate that instead of a PDF export. Native formats preserve structure better.

2. Check Table Layouts

Tables with merged cells or complex layouts may need manual adjustment after translation, as text length changes can affect column widths.

3. Review Image Captions

Text embedded in images cannot be translated through document translation. Use the Image Translation feature separately for these.

4. Handle Headers and Footers

Most document translators handle headers and footers, but always verify these after translation.

The LinguAI Advantage

LinguAI's document translation engine works differently from simple text extraction and replacement. It understands document structure, preserves formatting elements, and adjusts layout to accommodate text expansion or contraction in the target language.