If you are able to select the text in a PDF with your mouse then you will be able to copy it and paste it directly into Word (if not, you should quickly abandon all hope!). Copying and pasting the text will not transfer the document properties (e.g. However, if Alejandro’s method fails, (and you really want editable text) then… Many translators just give up on trying to extract text from PDFs.Īlejandro Moreno-Ramos has the best possible solution: However, in my experience, it is very rare that the converted text is without some mucky problems.
Getting it into an editable format or getting it into a TM tool is not always straightforward. A quick search on Google will turn up a variety of different “PDF converters”. Some TM software tools will also convert PDFs into an editable format. Many translators are dismayed when they discover that the source text is in PDF format – and for good reason.
As an illustration, we’ll look at how to drop a PDF file into Word (and from there into a TM tool, if required). In this post we look how such simple skills can be used to solve some awkward problems. “But why would we ever want to do that?” they might ask. Like for instance knowing how to find and replace tabs or paragraph and line markers… Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus Greek (283)Įnter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.I have often observed that while many translators and project managers may be skilled users of a number of sophisticated software tools, they sometimes lack some really simple skills in Word.Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus English (282).In the image below, I have inserted a Picture in a Slide, where immediately at the bottom the Screen Tip appears mentioning the following:
Once we have done the appropriate settings we press the Ok button at the bottom right corner of the PowerPoint Options dialog box in order to return to our Presentation. Under this area we are notified with the following: From the left we must select the category Ease Of Access, and then from the middle of the dialog box we locate the area Automatic Alt Text. Once the Options command is selected, the PowerPoint Options dialog box appears as we can see below. Once in Backstage View, from the drop-down menu that appears from the left we select the category Options. In the image below, I have opened the Microsoft PowerPoint application, where must select the File tab in order to move to Backstage View. Once the command Edit Alt Text is selected the Alt Text task pane will appear, where I have described in a previous post. If we do a right click on the image, the shortcut menu will appear, where we select the command Edit Alt Text. In the image below, I have inserted a Picture in a Document, where immediately at the bottom the Screen Tip appears mentioning the following:Īlt Text: A Picture Containing Building, Sky, Red (The description depends on the picture that we have inserted). Once we have done the appropriate settings we press the Ok button at the bottom right corner of the Word Options dialog box in order to return to our Document.
If we want to Generate Automatic Alt Text for Pictures, we must activate the check box at the left of the command where it mentions the following: Access Alt Text Any Time By Clicking “Edit Alt Text…” In The Right Click Menu For Pictures. Under this area we are notified with the following:Īutomatic Alt Text Generates Descriptions For Pictures To Make Them Accessible For People With Vision Impairments. Once the Options command is selected, the Word Options dialog box appears as we can see below. In the image below, I have opened the Microsoft Word application, where must select the File tab in order to move to Backstage View. Absent or unhelpful alternative text can be a source of frustration for visually impaired users of the Web.Īll you need to do is to continue reading this post. In situations where the image is not available to the reader, perhaps because they have turned off images in their web browser or are using a screen reader due to a visual impairment, the alternative text ensures that no information or functionality is lost. In this post I will describe how to activate or deactivate this feature which is available in Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint.Īs mentioned: Alternative text is text associated with an image that serves the same purpose and conveys the same essential information as the image. In a previous post of mine I had mentioned about how to Add or Edit Alt Text in PowerPoint, a post where you can find right here.