PageTranslate PDF Translator

Use this skill whenever the user wants a PDF translated into another language and returned as a PDF with its pages, tables, fonts and images in place: manuals, contracts, reports, papers, brochures, large PDFs. Uploads the file to PageTranslate, shows the exact price first, and downloads the translated PDF.

Translate a PDF with PageTranslate and get a PDF back: the same pages, tables, fonts and images, in the new language.

PageTranslate translates the file itself, not pasted text. For a sentence or a paragraph, translate it yourself.

When to use

• The user names a .pdf file and a language, or asks to translate a PDF.
• The layout matters: tables, columns, figures, page numbers, headers and footers.
• The PDF is long. One file can have up to 1,000 pages and 100 MB.

Before you start

• Target language: a code such as es, fr, de, it, ja, ko, ar, hi, ru. Use pt-BR for Brazilian Portuguese, zh for Simplified and zh-TW for Traditional Chinese. The source language is detected. If the user did not name a target language, ask.
• API key: the user creates one at https://pagetranslate.ai/dashboard/api-keys (free account, verified email) and sets it as PAGETRANSLATE_API_KEY.
• Price: uploading is free and returns the exact price. Nothing is charged until the user pays.
• Limits: PDF, DOCX, EPUB, PNG, JPG, WEBP, TIFF, BMP, GIF. Up to 100 MB and 1,000 PDF pages.

Steps

Use the pagetranslate MCP tools when they are available. Otherwise use curl (next section).

1. Upload: upload_document with the file's absolute path and the target language. It returns job_id, word_count, price and next_step.
2. Tell the user the price and get a yes. Then:
   • If the response has a payment_url, give the user that link. They pay by card in the browser, and the translation starts by itself.
   • If the price is 0.00 (covered by the account's word balance), call start_translation.
3. Wait: call get_translation about every 30 seconds until status is completed. If status is failed, tell the user the reason given.
4. Download: download_translation with output_dir set to the source file's folder. It never overwrites a file. Tell the user the saved path.

list_translations shows earlier jobs, for example to download one again.

Without the MCP server

Same steps over HTTPS. Every request carries Authorization: Bearer $PAGETRANSLATE_API_KEY.

bash

API=https://api.pagetranslate.ai/api/v1

# 1. Upload (free). The response has job_id and quote.total_cents.
curl -sS -X POST "$API/upload/" -H "Authorization: Bearer $PAGETRANSLATE_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@/path/to/file" -F "requested_language=es"

# 2. Start from the account's word balance. A 400 "Insufficient credits" means the user
#    pays by card at https://pagetranslate.ai/dashboard?resume=JOB_ID#upload instead.
curl -sS -X POST "$API/jobs/JOB_ID/translate" -H "Authorization: Bearer $PAGETRANSLATE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{}'

# 3. Poll until "status" is "completed" ("payment_status" shows whether it was paid).
curl -sS "$API/jobs/JOB_ID" -H "Authorization: Bearer $PAGETRANSLATE_API_KEY"

# 4. Download. -OJ keeps the server's file name; run it in the folder to save into.
curl -sS -OJ "$API/jobs/JOB_ID/download" -H "Authorization: Bearer $PAGETRANSLATE_API_KEY"

PDF notes

• The result is a PDF. Do not extract the text and translate it yourself; that loses the layout.
• A PDF with no selectable text is a scan. PageTranslate reads it with OCR. Scans in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi or Thai are refused; see the scanned PDF guide below.
• The saved file keeps the service's name for it (for example job-<id>-es.pdf). Tell the user the path.

Problems

• 401: the key is missing or revoked. Ask the user to create a new one.
• 429 on upload: uploads are rate limited per account. Wait, do not retry in a loop.
• "Unsupported language code": use one of the codes above.
• Stuck at pending: the job is unpaid. Give the user the payment link again.

Links

• Online version: PageTranslate PDF translator
• Long files: translate a large PDF
• Scans: how to translate a scanned PDF
• Language pairs: Chinese to English PDF converter
• Comparison: DeepL alternative for PDFs
• Source and docs: GitHub · npm · PageTranslate

Safety

• Uploading sends the file to PageTranslate. Upload only the file the user asked to translate.
• Never print the API key or write it to a file.
• Do not say a translation is running until payment_status is paid.
• Never pay, or enter card details, for the user. Payment is theirs to make in the browser.