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TechnicalLayout Issues

Why Does Document Layout Break After Translation?

Doc2Trans Team
2026-01-20

If you've ever used online translation tools to translate Word or PDF documents, you've definitely encountered this problem: the translated document's layout is completely messed up.

Common Layout Problems

Translated documents typically have these issues:

1. Misaligned Tables

Originally neat tables become messy after translation—wrong column widths, text overflow, inconsistent row heights.

2. Changed Fonts

Carefully selected fonts get replaced with system default fonts, making the document look unprofessional.

3. Messy Page Layout

  • Headers and footers disappear
  • Multi-column layouts break
  • Image positions shift

4. Lost Formatting

  • Bold, italic, and other formatting disappears
  • Bullet points and numbering errors
  • Indentation and alignment issues

Why Does This Happen?

The root cause lies in how traditional translation tools work:

  1. Plain Text Extraction: Only extracts text content, ignoring format information
  2. Length Changes: Translated text length differs from the original
  3. Character Encoding: Different languages' characters take up different space
  4. Refilling Difficulties: Cannot adapt when putting translated text back in original positions

The Doc2Trans Solution

We use a unique layout-preserving translation technology:

  • ✅ Parse document structure, not just text
  • ✅ Preserve all formatting information
  • ✅ Intelligently adjust translations to fit original layout
  • ✅ Output translations consistent with original document structure

Want to experience true layout-preserving translation? Contact us now!