How to Translate an RTF File and Keep the Formatting

To translate an RTF file, either upload it to a translation tool that reads the format and gives you a translated document back, or open it in Word or LibreOffice, save a copy as .docx and translate that. Both keep the formatting far better than copying the text into a translator and pasting it back. This guide covers the options, what to check afterwards, and how to get it done in minutes.

What Is an RTF File?

RTF (Rich Text Format) is an old, widely supported document format from Microsoft. It stores text with basic formatting, such as fonts, bold, tables and page breaks, and opens in almost any word processor. That’s why it still turns up in contracts, exports from legal, medical and accounting systems, and documents that have been in an archive for twenty years.

Three Ways to Translate an RTF File

1. Copy and paste into a translator. Fine for a paragraph. For anything longer, you lose the formatting and spend the time you saved rebuilding tables and headings.
2. Upload the .rtf to a document translation tool. The quickest route when the tool supports RTF: the text is translated and you download a document with the layout around it.
3. Convert to .docx first. Open the file in Word or LibreOffice, choose Save As, pick Word Document, and translate the .docx. Word files are supported by almost every translation tool, and you can save the result back to RTF if the system that needs it only reads RTF.

How to Translate an RTF File, Step by Step

1. Open the file once and check it displays properly, so you know what the formatting should look like.
2. Upload it, or the .docx copy, to your translation tool and choose the target language.
3. Translate, with AI for drafts and internal documents, or with a professional translator for contracts and anything that will be signed or published.
4. Open the result in your word processor and check fonts, tables, page breaks and anything that was long in the original, because translations often run longer.

How to Translate an RTF File with Taia

Taia is an online translation platform for documents, with AI translation and professional linguists in the same place.

1. Upload the .rtf file at translate.taia.io and pick your target languages.
2. Choose AI or a professional translator. AI translates the document in minutes. For contracts, the Enhanced and Ultimate tiers add a reviser (and, on Ultimate, a proofreader) on top of the translator.
3. Download the translated document and give it a final look in your word processor.

What you get:

• 204 languages, with the same document in as many of them as you need.
• Formatting kept. Taia translates the text and keeps the formatting around it. Open the result and check tables and page breaks, as you would with any translated document.
• Your terminology, consistently. On Pro, a glossary and translation memory keep names and recurring phrases the same across every document.
• One place for AI and people. Start with AI and send the same file to a professional translator without uploading it again.

One limit worth knowing: the options that translate only highlighted or colored text work on Word files, not on .rtf. If you need them, convert to .docx first.

How Much Does It Cost?

RTF files are part of the Pro plan, €39/month for 100,000 credits (100,000 words with Standard AI), and of Enterprise. Word files are on every plan, including Free with 5,000 credits a month (5,000 words with Standard AI), so on a Free account, save your RTF as .docx and see the Word guide. Professional translation is billed per word from €0.06, with no subscription.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I translate an RTF file for free?

Save it as .docx in Word or LibreOffice and translate the Word file. Word documents are on Taia’s Free plan, which includes 5,000 credits a month (5,000 words with Standard AI). Uploading .rtf directly needs Pro.

Should I convert my RTF file to Word before translating?

You don’t have to if your tool supports RTF. Converting to .docx is the better choice when you’re on a plan without RTF, or when you want to translate only highlighted or colored text.

Will the formatting survive translation?

Mostly, when you upload the file rather than copy and paste the text. Always open the translated document and check tables, fonts and page breaks before you send it, whatever tool you used.

Can I translate only the highlighted text in an RTF file?

Not as an RTF. In Taia, the highlighted and colored text options work on Word files (.docx, .docm, .dotx and .dotm), so save a copy as .docx first.

How much does it cost to translate an RTF file?

With Taia, RTF is on the Pro plan, €39/month for 100,000 credits (100,000 words with Standard AI). Professional translation is billed per word from €0.06, with no subscription.