PDFs can have varying degrees of usefulness in a localization project.

Here are some common uses:

1. Ballpark project cost estimate—The localization vendor can determine the approximate number of words, number of pages, and source document format to provide a rough estimate of the cost of localizing the original source file. The leverage against the translation memory cannot be determined, nor can the quality of the construction of the source document. Both of these factors can affect the cost significantly so it is always recommended to send the source document for the most accurate estimate.

2. Final English file for print or web output—This is the PDF that is used by your printer to create the hard copies or the PDF that you will host on your website or e-labeling. It is a good idea to send this to the localization vendor along with your source file(s) so that they can make sure the formatting of the localized version matches the English. This will also be used by the linguists as a visual aid when translating the content of the file.

3. Reference material for linguists—In a translation project, you may have an older version of your document already translated but not in translation memory software. A PDF of this document can be used by the linguist as a style and terminology reference for the new document.

4. Translation review—PDFs are the perfect document for linguistic review because they contain all of the required text, can be opened on any computer anywhere for free, and best of all—can be annotated extremely easily using Adobe Reader or Acrobat.

Here are ways PDFs are less likely to be useful:

1. As a source file—Using a PDF as the source file is not recommended unless your source format is Adobe Illustrator, which uses PDF as one of its native file types. For all other formats such as Microsoft Word, Adobe FrameMaker, Adobe InDesign, etc, the PDF does not contain the formatting information required to create a localized version of the document. Text from the PDF can, however, be copied into a Word doc and translated, if the formatting is not important in the localized document.

2. As a previous translation to be reused—Modern technology allows us to reuse previously translated content in the form of a database called a translation memory. This database is integrated into the translation project to create the efficient and low cost process that the localization vendor provides you. Previously translated content that is in another form, such as a PDF, is not efficiently integrated like the translation memory. Yes, the content can be used, but it has to either be converted line-by-line into a translation memory or simply referenced by the linguist during the translation process. Keep in mind that only content in a translation memory can be leveraged for cost reduction.

3. Scanned text—Most scanners can output right to PDF. This is great for hand sketches or your kids' watercolor paintings but when it comes to translation, scanned documents require an extra step in the process. Either someone will have to transcribe the text into a computer or, if the scanned document was created from a word processor, the image may be converted to text using Optical Text Recognition (OCR) and then edited.