Hono Translate / Guide

How to read an English PDF with floating Chinese translation on iPhone

For a paragraph in an English PDF, start Screen in Hono Translate, choose Chinese and confirm iOS screen sharing. Return to your PDF reader, enlarge the text and leave that section still. The floating window shows the translation of the visible text. It is a reading aid for the page in front of you, not a service that translates and exports the entire PDF.

A paragraph you cannot copy

A PDF may contain selectable text or just a scanned image. For a short selectable phrase, the reader or iPhone built-in translation may be enough. When selection is unavailable or repeatedly switching apps interrupts reading, Screen mode can read visible words without needing a text layer from the document.

Read one section at a time

Choose Screen in Hono Translate and set Chinese as the target. Download the requested model if necessary. Tap Start translating screen, confirm sharing and tap the empty space below the panel. Once the floating window appears, open the PDF in your usual reader.

Zoom into a paragraph rather than showing a whole page of tiny text. Pause scrolling and compare the translation with the original. Scroll to the next paragraph, stop again and wait for the update. Move the window away from figures, formulas or the line you are reading.

Scans, columns and technical material

A clear scan can be readable, but blur, skew, stamps, handwriting and low contrast can defeat text recognition. Multiple columns may be read in the wrong order. Crop the view by zooming into one column, and use the original document to verify numbers, names and terminology.

Formulas and diagrams are not ordinary sentences. A translated label does not explain a mathematical proof or replace professional review of a contract, medical instruction or engineering specification.

Your PDF stays unchanged

The original layout, images and text remain in the reader. The translation appears separately in Picture in Picture. You do not get a new Chinese PDF, matching page layout or a bulk document export. If your task is to deliver a fully translated document, choose a document translation workflow instead.

Prepare for offline reading

Download both the document and the required translation models before going offline, then test the actual file with the network off. Recognition and translation run on the iPhone; the document image is not uploaded for translation. Stop screen sharing when finished. Some protected document views cannot be captured. An iPhone with iOS 26 or later is required.

Questions

Does it translate the whole PDF automatically?

No. It translates visible text as you move through the document. It does not create a translated file.

Can I use a PDF with no selectable text?

Yes, if the visible scan is clear enough for OCR. Blurry or complex scans may not be recognised correctly.

Can it translate the audio of an online class too?

Switch to Sound for the class audio. Screen and Sound cannot run simultaneously.

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