Reading papers across languages
Can AI explain an English paper PDF in my language and check it against the paper?
Updated by the Vidi team
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You can read an English paper in your own language with AI today. Some tools also show you which part of the paper each answer came from. That second part is what makes checking possible.
This guide covers the main ways to do it. It explains how to set the answer language, how to check an answer when the source is in English but you think in another language, and which mistakes to avoid. It names a few tools, including Vidi's own paper reader, but the method works with whichever tool you use.
How it works
How to do it with Vidi Research
Add the paper to Vidi Research
Upload the PDF, up to 50 MB and 300 pages. You can also add the paper by DOI, arXiv ID, OpenAlex or PubMed ID, a link or its title. You need a free Vidi account.
Read it with Vidi in your language
Open the original PDF in Read with Vidi. Ask for an explanation at one of three depths, a summary, a visual or an answer to your own question about any part of the paper. Ask for the answer in your language. The reader can answer in 74 languages, and reading help is free for up to 30 answers a day.
Check, then export
Quotes and numbers in the answers are checked against the paper, but you check the meaning. Open the passage behind each claim you will rely on. Then export your reading notes and an annotated PDF. If you want a video, you can turn the paper into a short narrated video in English or Vietnamese for 9 credits.
What checking against the original really means
Look for a tool that is grounded in your PDF. That means it answers from the document you give it and shows which passage each answer came from. One guide to NotebookLM says it generates answers based on the documents you provide and cites its sources. The guide adds that this makes it easier to check the context and terminology of the original.
The same guide is clear that this design is not infallible. You still need to verify figures, dates and proper nouns yourself. A citation tells you where to look. It does not tell you the explanation is right.
There is also a language gap. Your answer is in Vietnamese, Spanish or Chinese, but the passage it points to is in English. To check it, you need to read enough of that English sentence to confirm the meaning. The other option is to translate it separately, which can add its own errors. Plan for this. Keep the original open, and treat every answer as a pointer back into the paper, not a replacement for it.
Three ways to do it, and how to combine them
Grounded reading tools. You upload the PDF, set the answer language and ask questions, and each answer links back to the paper. This is the closest match to what you asked for. NotebookLM, which Google calls a virtual research assistant, works this way, and so does Vidi's paper reader.
General chatbots with a PDF upload. These can explain well in your language, but don't rely on them to point to the source. If you use one, ask it to quote the exact English sentence and give the section or page for each point. Then search the PDF for that sentence. If you can't find it, don't trust the point.
Side-by-side translation. Translating the whole paper into a bilingual view lets you compare each sentence with the original. It translates rather than explains, so check equations, tables and technical terms closely.
A workable routine combines all three. Read a bilingual version for the overall picture. Use a grounded tool to explain the hard parts in your language. Open every citation for claims you plan to rely on.
How to check an explanation in another language
Ask the tool to keep key technical terms in English, in brackets after the translation. For example: "khoảng tin cậy (confidence interval)". This keeps terms consistent and lets you match them to the paper.
Check every number against the English original. That includes sample sizes, units, effect sizes, p-values and the direction of an effect. A translated "increase" that should be "decrease" changes the finding.
Open the cited passage for any claim you will repeat in your writing, a talk or a lesson. Read the sentences around it too, because a quote out of context can mislead.
Don't treat a chat explanation as a full reading. Look at the figures, tables, limitations and supplementary material yourself.
Before you upload, check that you can select the text in the PDF. If you can't, the file may be a scan, and a tool may read it badly. Read a tool's data-use policy before you upload an unpublished or confidential manuscript.
Finally, plan how you will keep the citations. One review of NotebookLM's export options notes that it shows inline citation chips but cannot export formatted citations. The same review says it exports to Google Docs and Sheets rather than directly to PDF or Markdown.
If you want a video rather than a chat
Sometimes you want to watch an explanation rather than read one. On Vidi Research you can upload the paper and make a short narrated video. You choose a length from 30 seconds to 5 minutes, in 16:9 or 9:16.
Each claim in the video is labelled supported, simplified, interpretation or analogy, and it must quote the page it comes from. Vidi checks that the quote is really on that page and leaves unsupported claims out of the video. A paper video costs 9 credits.
There is a language catch. Paper videos are narrated only in English or Vietnamese. For Spanish or Chinese narration, you can paste the abstract into Vidi's main explainer tool instead. It narrates in 74 languages, including Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. That route does not tie claims to page quotes. You check the script against the paper yourself, scene by scene, before anything is animated.
Two grounded readers, compared on what you asked for
| Google NotebookLM | Read with Vidi | |
|---|---|---|
| Answers in your language | On desktop, an Output language setting where you pick your language from a list | Can answer in 74 languages |
| Link back to the original | Answers are based on the documents you provide and cite them | Quotes and numbers in answers are checked against the paper |
| Export | To Google Docs and Sheets; no export of formatted citations such as APA or BibTeX | Reading notes and an annotated PDF |
| Free use | Not covered in our notes; check Google's current plans | Up to 30 reading answers a day with a free account |
| Still needs your check | Yes: not infallible, so verify figures, dates and proper nouns | Yes: a quote shows where a claim comes from, not that the reading is right |
| A better fit for | People who want to keep their notes in Google Docs or Sheets | People who want numbers checked against the PDF, or a paper video in English or Vietnamese |
Limits worth knowing
- No tool checks the meaning for you. A quote or citation shows where a claim comes from, not that the explanation of it is right.
- The source passage stays in English. Confirming an answer needs some English, or a second translation that can add its own errors.
- In Vidi Research, the reader answers in 74 languages, but questions and literature reviews work in English, and paper videos are narrated only in English or Vietnamese.
- Free reading help in Vidi is limited to 30 answers a day, and videos use credits. AI explanations can be wrong, so check numbers and claims before you rely on them.
Sources
How do I make NotebookLM answer in Vietnamese, Spanish or Chinese?
One guide says that on desktop you select Output language from a list and choose your language. Set it explicitly rather than relying on the language you type your question in. Check that your language is supported before you start.
If the answer has a citation, can I trust it?
Not on its own. A citation shows where the tool looked, not that it read the passage correctly. One guide to NotebookLM says grounding reduces made-up answers compared with general chatbots. It adds that grounding is not infallible, and that you must still verify figures, dates and proper nouns.
Should I translate the whole PDF or chat with it in my language?
They do different jobs. A full translation lets you read every sentence next to the original, but it does not explain anything. A grounded chat explains the hard parts, but only covers what you ask about. Using both gives you an explanation and a way to check it.
Can I ask ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini instead?
You can ask a general chatbot to explain an uploaded paper in your language. To check it, ask for the exact English sentence and the page or section behind each point. Then search the PDF for that sentence. Treat any quote you can't find in the paper as unreliable.
Will technical terms be translated correctly?
Not always. Ask the tool to put the English term in brackets after each translated term. Keep a short glossary of the terms that matter in your field. This makes it easy to match the explanation to the paper and to spot a term that has drifted.
Is it safe to upload an unpublished manuscript?
That depends on the tool. Read its data-use and privacy terms before you upload anything confidential, such as your own manuscript under review or a paper you are refereeing. If you are unsure, check your institution's rules or the journal's reviewer policy first.
Can Vidi make a video of the paper in my language?
Paper videos in Vidi Research are narrated in English or Vietnamese, with each claim tied to a page quote. For Spanish, Chinese and other languages, you can paste the abstract into Vidi's explainer tool, which narrates in 74 languages. On that route, you check the script against the paper yourself.