ISO 32000-2, the ISO standard for core PDF technology, is already available at no cost via the PDF Association’s sponsored standards program, but this document is only available in English.

A new initiative to translate PDF 2.0 (ISO 32000-2) into Chinese aims to expand digital document interoperability in Asia. In particular, the effort is crucial for standardizing technology and advancing the PDF ecosystem with developers whose first language is Chinese.

In collaboration with the National Library of China, this project is being advanced with the active involvement of Foxit, a recognized contributor to ISO standards for PDF technology, active member of the PDF Association, and a co-sponsor of the no-cost edition of ISO 32000-2. Foxit also has many years of experience assisting with the translation of other standards to Chinese.

Initiated in mid-September, 2025, the initial translation draft is scheduled for completion by December 30th, 2025. The translation process includes a detailed review of the ISO document’s English text. Any resulting issues and requested clarifications will be submitted to the PDF Association’s public pdf-issues GitHub repository for review and resolution by the organization’s PDF Technical Working Group.

Although the legacy Adobe PDF 1.3 reference was published in Japanese, since 2008 the core ISO 32000 specification for PDF has only been available in English. ISO’s specific style and use of International English is often overly complex for non-native English speakers.  By lowering language barriers, the availability of a Chinese edition of the core ISO standard for PDF will provide significant benefits for businesses, government agencies, and academic research institutions, aligning with Chinese national goals for open data exchange, digital governance, and sustainable information management. The PDF Association’s work to create the Arlington PDF Data Model also assists by creating a language neutral, machine-readable definition of the PDF object model.

The completed draft will be reviewed and revised by experts from the Chinese PDF standards group. The comprehensive process includes drafting, review, opinion solicitation, and official approval. Final release is projected for June 2026.