# How to translate a Japanese PDF to English

To translate a Japanese PDF to English, upload it to LoreAI, choose English and download an editable Word file. A scanned page set in vertical columns comes back in the right order, and kanji numerals become digits. Google Translate's document tab leaves scanned pages untranslated[1].

## How to translate a Japanese PDF with LoreAI

1. **Keep the pages of one document in one PDF.** A transcript, a contract or a family register of several pages goes in as one upload, so the Word file keeps the page order.
2. **Create a free account and upload the PDF.** Your first document is free, up to 3 pages and 3 MB. A scanned PDF and a PDF with selectable text both work.
3. **Choose English.** Leave the source on Auto-detect. LoreAI recognizes Japanese, including pages that mix kanji, hiragana, katakana and Latin letters.
4. **Download the Word file.** Tables come back as Word tables, and a vertical page comes back as ordinary horizontal paragraphs.

## How a Japanese PDF comes back in English

A university transcript with a grade table and an employment certificate (在職証明書) set in vertical columns, with kanji numerals and the formal numerals used for money, can go in as one scanned PDF. This is how each part looks in the Word file.

- **Vertical page**: Read in the right order, from the right-hand column to the left.
- **Money**: The formal 弐拾八万五千円 becomes 285,000 yen.
- **Kanji numerals**: Numbers written in kanji, such as 二〇二三 or 十五日, come back as digits.
- **Romaji**: さとう becomes Sato, the plain spelling most Japanese passports use.
- **Grades**: 秀, 優, 良 and 可 become Excellent, Very Good, Good and Pass, the same words used for the grading key printed on the page.

Every amount keeps its value, and the grade table comes back as a Word table with the same rows and columns as the transcript.

## Vertical Japanese and PDFs with selectable text

Vertical writing (縦書き) runs top to bottom in columns that start on the right. You find it in older certificates, letters, books, newspapers and many company documents printed in Japan. LoreAI writes a vertical page as left-to-right English paragraphs, in the column order of the original.

Numbers in vertical text are often written in kanji, such as 二〇二三 or 十五日, and money on contracts and receipts often uses the formal characters 壱, 弐 and 参, which are hard to alter. LoreAI writes them as digits, so the amount reads the same in English as on the contract.

A PDF with selectable text, such as a report exported from Word, works too. If you only have a photo of a page, the [Japanese image translation guide](https://www.loreai.org/translate-image-to-english/japanese) covers photos, seals and the koseki in more detail.

## Era years, name order and grades in English

Japanese records count years by imperial era. A US reader needs the Western year, and a few receivers also want the era as written. Pick one style for the whole file, for example 1 April 2019 (Heisei 31), and apply it everywhere.

*Converting the eras you will meet in modern records*

| Era | Year 1 of the era | To get the Western year |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Showa (昭和) | 1926 | Add 1925 |
| Heisei (平成) | 1989 | Add 1988 |
| Reiwa (令和) | 2019 | Add 2018 |

For names, use the spelling and order in the person's passport, and say once which part is the family name. If the receiver needs the kanji, add them in brackets after the first mention, as in Sato Kenta [佐藤健太].

Grade words such as 秀 and 優 have no fixed English equivalent. Keep the grading key that many Japanese transcripts print, so a credential evaluator can read the scale for themselves.

## Japanese PDFs for USCIS and the US Embassy

For USCIS, any document in Japanese comes with a full English translation that the translator certifies as complete and accurate, plus a statement that the translator is competent to translate from Japanese into English[2].

For an immigrant visa, the US Embassy in Japan asks for an original or certified copy of the family register (koseki) that shows the date and place of birth and the parents, with an English translation certified by the translator. It recommends a koseki issued within three months[3].

LoreAI is not a certified translation service and does not sign translations. A translator who reads Japanese reviews the Word file and signs the certification. The [certificate of translation template](https://www.loreai.org/certificate-of-translation-template) has wording to start from.

## Questions people ask

### Can I translate a Japanese PDF to English for free?

Yes. LoreAI translates your first document free, up to 3 pages, scans included. Google Translate's document tab is free for files up to 10 MB and 300 pages, but it leaves the text of scanned pages untranslated[1].

### How should Japanese era years appear in English?

In one style for the whole file, such as 1 April 2019 (Heisei 31). The table above gives the number to add for Showa, Heisei and Reiwa.

### Can it translate a vertical Japanese book or manga PDF?

It reads vertical columns in the right order and returns the text as a Word file. It does not redraw the pages, so speech bubbles and page layout are not kept.

### Is the English translation enough for USCIS?

Only with a translator's certification. USCIS asks for a full English translation certified as complete and accurate by a translator competent in both languages[2].

## Sources

1. [Google Translate Help: Translate documents and websites (computer)](https://support.google.com/translate/answer/2534559?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop), accessed November 3, 2026
2. [8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), Translations, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-8/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-103/subpart-A/section-103.2), accessed November 3, 2026
3. [U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Japan: Birth Certificate (immigrant visas)](https://jp.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/birth-certificate/), accessed November 3, 2026

By Matt Mountain · Updated November 3, 2026