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Weird characters/symbols when I copy/paste text outside of Acrobat

Community Beginner ,
Apr 11, 2022 Apr 11, 2022

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Hello, I'm currently translating an English pdf into Spanish by copy/pasting text from Word. There's an issue where if I copy the Spanish text I added and paste it outside of Acrobat, I get weird characters like this:

􀀘􀀎􀀗􀀃􀀉􀀊􀀆􀀉􀀆􀀌􀀍􀀎􀀏􀀉􀀈􀀃􀀈􀀃􀀥􀀆􀀊􀀤􀀃􀀓􀀔􀀎􀀃􀀌􀀍􀀃􀀉􀀊􀀆􀀉􀀆􀀌􀀍􀀎􀀏􀀉􀀈􀀃􀀑􀀈􀀏􀀉􀀊􀀆􀀃􀀎􀀗􀀃􀀑􀀤􀀏􀀑􀀎􀀊􀀃􀀋􀀎􀀆􀀃􀀌􀀎􀀏􀀈􀀋􀀃 􀀎􀀐􀀍􀀑􀀆􀀦􀀙􀀃􀀧􀀏􀀃􀀑􀀆􀀋􀀈􀀃􀀆􀀐􀀍􀀊􀀌􀀆􀀉􀀍􀀒􀀈􀀨􀀃􀀄􀀕􀀈􀀘􀀊􀀟􀀆􀀃􀀆􀀐􀀎􀀑􀀉􀀆􀀊􀀃􀀆􀀃􀀌􀀍􀀃􀀊􀀎􀀑􀀔􀀕􀀎􀀊􀀆􀀑􀀍􀀞􀀏􀀃􀀈􀀃􀀆􀀃􀀌􀀍􀀃 􀀕􀀊􀀈􀀏􀀞􀀋􀀉􀀍􀀑􀀈􀀙

This wasn't an issue when I started translating the pdf. I've seen similar questions here but none of the solutions I tried so far are working. I attached a pdf with some text that looks normal but gives me weird characters when I copy/paste it.

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Edit and convert PDFs , General troubleshooting

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Adobe Employee ,
Apr 11, 2022 Apr 11, 2022

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Hi there

 

Hope you are doing well and sorry to hear that.

 

As described when you  copy the Spanish text I added and paste it outside of Acrobat, I get weird characters like this:

􀀘􀀎􀀗􀀃􀀉􀀊􀀆􀀉􀀆􀀌􀀍􀀎􀀏

 

It means that the document is using a font that is not installed on your system. upon further checking the PDF I found that it was created from the Adobe Indesign application. Please try to create the PDF using the Adobe Acrobat DC application and see if that helps.

 

Regards

Amal

 

 

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 13, 2022 Apr 13, 2022

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Thank you for responding! I activated Lato (the font I was using) from Adobe Fonts, but I'm still having this issue. How do I make or convert the PDF using Adobe Acrobat?

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Adobe Employee ,
Apr 14, 2022 Apr 14, 2022

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Hi there

 

Have you created this PDF file?

 

What is the source file from which the PDF is created?  Please share the source file of the PDF so that we can try to check it at our end.

 

Regards

Amal

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 14, 2022 Apr 14, 2022

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Hi Amal,

 

I didn't make this PDF. I'll ask for the source file and I'll update you if or when I get it.

 

Thank you,

Angela

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 16, 2022 Apr 16, 2022

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Hi Amal, unfortunately I can't share the InDesign file because it's confidential.

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Community Expert ,
Apr 14, 2022 Apr 14, 2022

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This is an encoding issue.

You really should be doing your editing in the original application (in this case InDesign) and not use Acrobat. It is not meant to do extensive editing like this.

Anyway, this is what is happening: When fonts are embedded in a PDF, they are often subset and often encoded differently as they are really only meant for printing or display.

When you copy and paste such copy out of the PDF, the encoding no longer matches the font's original encoding, so you get gibberish or empty characters.

The only way around this at this point, as the damage is already done, is to EXPORT your PDF to a Word document, then open that and copy and paste from that. The Export filter will do its best to reorder the characters back into something readable, but it's not a sure thing.

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 16, 2022 Apr 16, 2022

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Ok thanks. It's just the InDesign file hasn't been updated in a while and it runs really slowly on my laptop. Acrobat worked well for me until now but I'll keep in mind to only make smaller edits there, and do the major edits in InDesign. Exporting to Word didn't work for me.

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