Uploading a document

What is this?

To start, go to My materials and choose Upload a document. You pick the file and tell us who you are translating it for. Before anything is translated, we check the first pages.

Files we accept

• Word (.docx), PDF, Markdown (.md) and plain text (.txt).
• Up to 25 MB. PDFs can have up to 300 pages.
• The file must really be what its name says. A file renamed to a different type is refused.

We cannot yet read:

• Scanned pages with no selectable text. If you can select and copy words in your PDF, it will work. If you cannot, export it again from the original document, or use a text version.
• Password-protected files. Remove the password and upload it again.
• Older Word formats such as .doc, and other file types.

If something is wrong with a file, you are told in plain words before any analysis starts.

The form

Language of the document. Leave this on Detect automatically. Today the service works from English, and treats the document as English for reading level and Bible book names.

Translate into. The languages offered are those in the Library.

Locale or audience. Required. Choose Translate into first, and then pick from the list of locales for that language. Each choice says what it means, for example es-MX (Spanish in Mexico) or pt-BR (Portuguese in Brazil). Language alone does not tell us who will read the result, and word choice, formality and examples change from place to place. If none of the regions fits your readers, choose the first one in the list, which has no specific region. If we have specific guidance for your locale we use it; if not, we use general guidance and say so in your report.

Output format. Word (.docx), Markdown (.md), or the same as the original. PDF and HTML are listed but are not available yet. You can still choose them: your document is analyzed as normal and your translation is made as a Word file, with a note.

Tell us about your readers (optional). Age range, reading level, ministry context, and denomination or theological tradition. These are passed along so the translation fits your audience. Stating a tradition never changes what your document teaches.

What happens to your file

To check and translate your document, we send its text to the AI services we use. Only upload material you are allowed to share. Your file is stored privately, and you can delete the project at any time to remove it. See also the Privacy policy.