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Reading

Doco Translate provides two view modes for reading translated documents, each supporting bilingual comparison and translation-only display.

View Modes

Layout Mode

Layout mode is the default view mode. It displays translated text overlaid on the original page structure, preserving the visual layout of the document.

Best for:

  • Documents where layout matters (papers, slides, contracts, manuals)
  • Comparing translation against the original visual structure
  • Verifying that translated content aligns with the correct sections

How to use:

  1. Open a translated document.
  2. Ensure Layout is selected in the render mode selector (top toolbar area).
  3. Scroll through pages as you would with a regular PDF viewer.

Layout mode features:

  • Translated text is rendered at the same position as the original, maintaining page geometry.
  • Each page matches the dimensions of the corresponding original PDF page.
  • Images, tables, and formulas are preserved in their original positions.
  • Zoom and scaling options are available (see Zoom and Scaling below).

Reflow Mode

Reflow mode reorganizes translated content into a clean, text-first layout. It strips away the original page geometry and presents paragraphs in a continuous reading flow.

Best for:

  • Long reading sessions (research papers, articles, books)
  • When you care more about reading fluency than exact page layout
  • Documents with complex multi-column layouts that are hard to read in Layout mode

How to use:

  1. Click the Reflow button in the render mode selector.
  2. Content is displayed as a continuous scroll of paragraphs.
  3. Page boundaries are marked with subtle dividers showing the page number.

Reflow mode features:

  • Paragraphs are ordered by their position in the original page.
  • Images are inserted near their most relevant paragraph.
  • Titles and section headers are displayed with larger, bolder text.
  • The sidebar automatically switches to Outline mode for easy navigation.
  • Font size can be adjusted independently in Settings → Preferences → Reflow Font Size.
  • A Full Width option is available to expand content to the full window width.

Bilingual and Translation-Only Display

Both Layout mode and Reflow mode support two display styles:

Bilingual

Displays the original and translated content together, allowing you to compare them directly.

  • In Layout mode: The left pane shows the original PDF page; the right pane shows the translated page. Both panes scroll in sync.
  • In Reflow mode: Each paragraph shows the original text above the translated text.

Best for:

  • Language learners who want to study both versions
  • Quality review of machine translations
  • Documents where precise meaning alignment is critical

Translation Only

Displays only the translated content without the original text.

  • In Layout mode: Only the translated page is shown, giving more screen space to the translation.
  • In Reflow mode: Only translated paragraphs are displayed in the reading flow.

Best for:

  • Reading the translation as a standalone document
  • Maximizing screen space for the translated content
  • When you don't need to reference the original

Switching Between Display Styles

Click the Bilingual toggle in the toolbar to switch between bilingual and translation-only display. The toggle is available in both Layout and Reflow modes.

Page Navigation

  • Use the page number input in the bottom bar to jump to a specific page.
  • Click ← and → buttons to move between pages.
  • The current page number is displayed and updates as you scroll.

Toggle the sidebar using the sidebar button (left panel icon) in the toolbar. The sidebar offers two modes:

  • Thumbnails — A grid of page thumbnail images. Click any thumbnail to jump to that page.
  • Outline — A hierarchical outline of the document based on detected headings (titles and section headers). Click any heading to jump to that section.

Tip: In Reflow mode, the sidebar automatically switches to Outline mode, which is more useful for navigating text-based content.

Scrolling

  • Standard scroll gestures (trackpad, mouse wheel) work in all modes.
  • A scroll-to-top button appears in the bottom-right corner when you've scrolled down.
  • In Layout + Bilingual mode, the source and translation panes scroll in sync.

Zoom and Scaling

In Layout mode, you can control how pages are displayed:

  • Auto Zoom — Automatically scales pages to fit the available width (default).
  • Actual Size — Displays pages at their original dimensions.
  • Fit Width — Scales pages to exactly fill the viewport width.
  • Custom zoom — Select a specific zoom percentage.

These options are available in the bottom bar of the translator view.

Font and Appearance

Customize the reading experience in Settings → Preferences:

  • Font Style — Choose from Serif, Sans Serif, Monospace, or Rounded. This affects both Layout and Reflow modes.
  • Page Margins — Toggle page margins on or off (Layout mode only).
  • Auto Scale Font Size — Automatically adjust font size for readability.
  • Layout Direction — Set to Auto, Left-to-Right, or Right-to-Left. Auto mode automatically applies RTL direction for Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and other RTL languages.
  • Reflow Font Size — Adjust the base font size for Reflow mode.
  • Reflow Full Width — Expand Reflow content to fill the full window width.

Highlighting and Interaction

When reading translated content, you can interact with individual paragraphs and images:

  • Hover over a translated paragraph to highlight it with a subtle color overlay.
  • Click a paragraph to select it and reveal the paragraph toolbar.
  • The paragraph toolbar provides quick actions: copy, edit, re-translate, or delete.
  • In Bilingual mode, hovering over a paragraph highlights the corresponding paragraph in the other pane (Layout mode) or the original text above it (Reflow mode).

See Editing for details on editing selected paragraphs.

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