--- title: OCR in Document Translation description: Discover how OCR technology enhances document translation with Lara. Learn about advanced OCR features that extract text from scanned, complex, and graphic-rich documents for accurate AI-driven translation. --- [Skip to content](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/ocr-in-document-translation#main-content) - [English](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/ocr-in-document-translation) - [Deutsch](https://support.laratranslate.com/de/ocr-in-dokumenten-übersetzung) - [Italiano](https://support.laratranslate.com/it/ocr-nella-traduzione-di-documenti) English Show submenu for translations [![Lara logo](https://support.laratranslate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot_2025-01-07_at_10.24.13-removebg-preview.png?width=119&height=50&name=Screenshot_2025-01-07_at_10.24.13-removebg-preview.png)](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/?hsLang=en) Open main navigation Close main navigation - - [English](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/ocr-in-document-translation) - [Deutsch](https://support.laratranslate.com/de/ocr-in-dokumenten-übersetzung) - [Italiano](https://support.laratranslate.com/it/ocr-nella-traduzione-di-documenti) English Show submenu for translations - [Submit a request](https://2er2r1.share-eu1.hsforms.com/2CJaQX4efSGa8WhPQM8ImGg) [Submit a request](https://2er2r1.share-eu1.hsforms.com/2CJaQX4efSGa8WhPQM8ImGg) How can we help you? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Lara Translate Knowledge Base](https://support.laratranslate.com/en?hsLang=en) 2. [How to use Lara](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/how-to-use-lara?hsLang=en) 3. [Translate documents](https://support.laratranslate.com/en/how-to-use-lara?hsLang=en#translate-documents) April 22, 2025 # OCR in Document Translation ## How Optical Character Recognition (OCR) enhances automated Document Translation with Lara ### What is OCR? **Optical Character Recognition (OCR)** is a technology that converts different types of documents—such as **scanned paper documents or PDFs** containing text—into machine-readable and editable formats. OCR enables digital processing of text, making it possible to extract and translate content from various document formats accurately. ### OCR and Document Translation with Lara Lara’s advanced AI translation platform integrates **robust OCR capabilities** to ensure seamless document translation, regardless of format complexity. The key OCR features in Lara include: 1. **OCR Based on Selectable Text** - For digital documents (e.g., **PDFs with embedded text**), Lara directly extracts text without requiring additional processing, ensuring fast and accurate translation. 2. **OCR Based on Scanned Paper Documents** - When dealing with **scanned documents**, Lara applies intelligent text extraction to recognize and convert printed characters into digital text for translation. 3. **OCR for Complex Layouts** - Capable of identifying and **preserving multi-column formats, tables, footnotes, and intricate layouts**, ensuring that translated documents maintain their original structure. 4. **OCR with Graphic Element Recognition** - Recognizes and differentiates between **text and graphic elements** such as charts, diagrams, and images with embedded text, allowing for more precise translation workflows. **Lara’s OCR-powered document translation** ensures that text from various document formats is **accurately extracted and translated** while maintaining the original structure. Currently, Lara does not allow text extracted from images or photos to be translated through the web app, mobile applications, or mobile browsers. 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