Whenever I heard about having to do drawing translation, my first reaction was always—"Another late night ahead." Especially when faced with complete sets of architectural drawings, MEP drawings, or even DWG files sent by foreign clients, the thought of changing text one by one was daunting. Today, I'm documenting my complete process from receiving the task to delivering the final result, sharing honestly how I used an online drawing translation tool to complete in less than an hour what used to take at least a full day.
🕘 09:00 Task Received: Another Set of Foreign Drawings
Arriving at the office in the morning, the project manager handed me a USB drive and said, "This set of MEP drawings from the foreign consultant, can you get a Chinese version done today? There's a coordination meeting tomorrow."
My heart sank. Opening it, I saw:
- 📁 Over 20 English architectural drawings (plans, elevations, sections)
- 📁 A complete set of HVAC, electrical, and plumbing MEP drawings
- 📁 File formats including DWG, DXF, and PDF
Using the old methods, my options were either:
- ❌ Use traditional AutoCAD plugins, selecting text one by one for translation, which was prone to missing items
- ❌ Or manually change the text, typing Chinese word by word based on the English
Just imagining it, I knew I wouldn't be leaving work on time today.
🧠 09:15 I Decided to Try a Different Approach: Using landud-AI Online Drawing Translation
Actually, a colleague had previously recommended an online drawing translation website to me. No software installation needed, just upload directly via the web to translate CAD drawings. Today was my first "real combat" using it to solve an actual project.
Why did I dare to try it on a formal project?
- ✅ No software installation required, and doesn't rely on the local CAD environment
- ✅ Claims to cover 100% of various text types in CAD drawings (annotations, block attributes, tables)
- ✅ Supports DWG, DXF, and even PDF drawings
- ✅ Built-in professional terminology database, supporting architecture, plumbing, electrical, MEP, and other disciplines
I thought to myself: Even if it's not perfect, if it can help translate 70% of the text first, and I do the manual proofreading afterwards, it's still much better than starting from scratch.
🖥️ 09:20 Opened the landud Website, Started the Actual Operation
I opened my browser and went to this online drawing translation platform. The interface was clean, and the core steps were just four words: Upload – Select – Wait – Download.
Step 1: Upload Drawings 📤
The first thing I did was categorize the drawings by discipline:
- 🏗️ Architecture: Plans, elevations, sections, etc. (architectural drawings)
- 💧 Plumbing: Piping layouts, system diagrams (plumbing and electrical drawings)
- 🔌 Electrical: Lighting, power outlets, distribution system diagrams
- 🌡️ HVAC: Duct layouts, equipment plans, system schematics
Then I simply dragged and dropped the DWG and DXF files from these folders into the website's upload area:
- 📂 Uploaded 30+ drawings in one batch
- 📂 Included multiple disciplines and formats
- 📂 No need to compress or zip; uploaded the original files directly
Before, I only dared to work on 2-3 drawings at a time. Now, I was "throwing in the whole set." At that moment, I was a bit nervous.
Step 2: Select Language Direction 🌐
Next was choosing the language and discipline:
- 🌍 Source Language: English (auto-detection also works)
- 🌍 Target Language: Simplified Chinese
- 📚 Discipline Selection:
- Architectural drawings → Select the "Architectural Drawing Translation" terminology database
- Plumbing/Electrical drawings → Select the "Plumbing & Electrical Drawing Translation" terminology database
- MEP drawings → Select the "MEP Drawing Translation" terminology database
- 🔒 Preserve Content: I checked options like "Preserve Grid Lines," "Preserve Room Numbers," and "Preserve Partial Equipment Models (Do Not Translate)"
This point is particularly important: Not everything should be translated. Things like grid lines, room numbers, and equipment models, if mistranslated, can cause major problems. The platform supports configuring these rules, which gave me peace of mind.
⚙️ 09:30 Waiting for AI Translation: What Was I Really Doing?
After clicking "Start Translation," the system began automatic processing. I saw the progress bar moving, but I was also curious about what was happening in the background.
Key Things landud Does Behind the Scenes
- 🧩 Parse Drawing Structure: First, it analyzes layers, blocks, annotations, and tables within the CAD drawings
- 🔍 Extract All Text:
- Annotation text (dimensions, leader notes)
- Room names, function names
- Block attributes (equipment IDs, circuit numbers)
- Title blocks, title bars, design notes text
- 📚 Match Terminology Database: Based on the discipline I selected, it prioritizes industry-standard translations
- 🤖 Execute AI Translation: Considers context, rather than isolated word replacement
- 🎯 Backfill Translations: Maintains position, alignment, and style, placing the translated text back into the original locations
During this process, I was actually sipping coffee and organizing project emails. In the past, when translating drawings, I hardly dared to leave my computer for a second.
📥 09:45 Downloaded the Results: Layout Intact, Text Changed
After about 10-15 minutes, the system indicated the translation was complete. I opened the result preview. Honestly, my first reaction was pleasantly surprised.
I Focused on Checking Three Things
- 👀 1. Was any text missed?
- Room names: All changed to Chinese, e.g., "Electrical Room" → "电气间"
- Annotation notes: e.g., "Fire Extinguisher" → "灭火器"
- Equipment schedules: Equipment names and installation notes were translated
- 📐 2. Was the layout messed up?
- Text didn't run wild; it mostly stayed in its original position
- Title blocks, borders, scales, etc., remained completely unchanged
- Where Chinese text was slightly longer, the system automatically applied some scaling, and the overall effect was acceptable
- 📚 3. Was the landud terminology accurate?
- "AHU" was translated as "空调机组" (Air Conditioning Unit), not a rigid machine translation
- "Riser Diagram" was translated as "立管示意图" / "立管系统图"
- "Main Distribution Board" was translated as "主配电箱/主配电板"
These results showed that the underlying AI translation wasn't a simple mode but combined an engineering terminology database with contextual understanding.
🔍 10:00 Manual Review: AI + Human is the Most Reliable Combination
Although the machine translation was already quite good, since this was for formal submission to the client, I chose to do a round of manual review.
Main Areas I Checked
- ✅ Were there things that shouldn't have been translated but were?
- Equipment models and specifications: Mostly preserved correctly
- Grid lines and room numbers: Also preserved as original
- ✅ I made minor adjustments to some terminology:
- Changed "技术间" (Technical Room) to "设备间" (Equipment Room) to match local conventions
- Standardized "配电板" (Distribution Board) to "配电箱" (Distribution Box) for easier understanding by the construction team
- ✅ Checked several key system diagrams:
- "Alarm Bell" on the fire protection system diagram was uniformly translated as "报警铃"
- "Sprinkler Head" in the sprinkler system was uniformly translated as "喷头"
This review took about 30 minutes, but compared to translating from scratch before, this was incredibly fast.
⏱️ 10:30 Summary of Today's Drawing Translation Practice
Time Comparison: Before vs. Today
- ⏳ Traditional Manual Method:
- At least 1-2 hours per drawing
- 30+ drawings = at least 3-4 days
- ⚡ This time using Online Drawing Translation:
- Upload & Configuration: ~10 minutes
- AI Processing: ~10-15 minutes
- Manual Review: ~30 minutes
- Total: Less than 1 hour
Quality Check: My Main Concerns
- ✅ Drawing Structure: Layers, line types, and scales were not damaged
- ✅ Text Coverage: No obvious missed translations found
- ✅ Professional Terminology: Generally consistent with industry habits, using uniform wording
- ✅ Readability: Understandable for the construction team and comparable to the English for the client
The most important point is: I went from "dreading receiving drawing translation tasks" to "being confident in taking on projects." This was the biggest change this experience brought me.
💡 If You Also Need to Translate Drawings, Here Are My Tips
1️⃣ Always Upload Categorized by Discipline
For example:
- 🏗️ Upload architectural drawings in one batch, using the architectural terminology database
- 💧 Upload plumbing and electrical drawings in another batch
- 🔌 Upload MEP drawings in another batch
This ensures more uniform terminology and a more professional translation style.
2️⃣ Make Good Use of the "Preserve/Do Not Translate" Feature
- It's recommended to preserve grid lines, room numbers, and component IDs
- Also try to preserve equipment models and standard drawing numbers
- If the platform supports custom "do not translate" word lists, you can prepare one in advance
3️⃣ No Matter How Strong the AI, Don't Skip the "Manual Review"
AI translation can already handle 80-90% of the work, but the final 10-20% of professional judgment still needs to be checked by the engineer:
- Focus on verifying system names, equipment names, and key notes
- Ensure consistency with contract documents and technical specifications
- Standardize certain colloquial terms if needed
🏁 Conclusion: From Resistance to Habit, My Changed Attitude Towards Drawing Translation
If this were a year ago, asking me to write a "My Real Record: How I Translated Drawings Today" would likely have turned into a "rant diary": CAD freezing, plugin errors, text running wild, inconsistent terminology...
But now, I can calmly say:
Drawing translation is no longer a nightmare, just a standard process: Upload → Select → Wait → Download → Review.
This personal experience made me realize that online drawing translation is not just a "time-saving tool," but a new paradigm for changing work methods: freeing engineers from mechanical labor, allowing them to focus their energy where professional judgment is truly needed.
If you also frequently need to translate CAD drawings, mechanical drawings, plumbing and electrical drawings, or MEP drawings, consider trying AI and online drawing translation. Give yourself some time back, and bring more control and ease to your projects.