# Check the Table of Contents After EPUB Translation

Test translated EPUB chapter destinations, distinguish visible headings from navigation, and identify missing or repeated sections against the original.

When reading long e-books, a table of contents lets you jump back to any chapter whenever you like, while making appendices and notes much easier to locate. Once translation finishes, navigating from the table of contents to a few familiar chapters to see if you land on the right headings is a quick way to know whether the book is ready for comfortable reading.

Keep the original and translated EPUB open during the check. Use chapter titles and recognizable text rather than page numbers, which change with font size and reader settings.

## Distinguish the contents page, navigation, and headings

An EPUB may show a printed-style contents page within the book and also expose a separate navigation menu in the reader. The body contains chapter headings too. Those three views can look similar without being identical.

An e-reader's navigation menu is ideal for jumping between chapters, while an in-book contents page often preserves the layout of the print edition. When reviewing, open several entries from both places to see if they lead to the exact same text passages. The [W3C EPUB specification](https://www.w3.org/TR/epub-33/) explains how digital publication navigation and reading structures work, which individual reading apps present in their own ways.

Start by comparing the original's chapter and part list with the result. Include the introduction, appendices, and unusual sections, not just numbered chapters.

## Test destinations with a repeatable sample

Choose an entry near the beginning, middle, and end. Follow each from the reader's navigation menu. Confirm the body heading, read the first sentence, and inspect the preceding boundary.

If a book is organized into several "Parts" with chapters under each, test at least one entry from every part. Introductions and appendices are also worth testing, as they often follow numbering patterns different from standard chapters. If the book contains a separate contents page, walk through its primary navigation links as well.

A small record makes the check concrete:

| Entry                 | Expected destination                            | What to record if wrong                |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| Chapter or part title | The matching heading and opening passage        | The actual heading and a source phrase |
| Appendix              | The appendix's beginning, not the final chapter | Where the jump lands                   |
| Subsection            | Its intended position within the parent section | Whether the target is absent or offset |

Test normal reading across one of those boundaries too. A chapter can be reachable by a link yet appear in the wrong sequence when you read forward.

## Look for missing and repeated sections

Compare chapter beginnings and endings with the source. A repeated heading can be harmless if it appears in both a contents page and the body, but repeated prose inside the reading sequence needs investigation.

A missing contents entry and a missing chapter are different problems. Search for a distinctive source phrase or its translation and inspect the body. If the chapter exists but the link does not, the issue is navigation. If the content itself is absent, do not treat adding a menu entry as a fix.

For bilingual output, each original passage should precede its translation. Check that a heading or scene break has not been inserted between a source passage and its corresponding translation in a confusing way. Longer bilingual text changes pagination, so page-count differences alone do not establish a missing chapter.

## Compare with the original and another reader

The original book helps you pinpoint where an issue begins: open its table of contents at the same place, then compare it with the translated version. [The pre-upload checklist](https://pdfcraft.ai/blog/prepare-epub-for-translation/) explains how to keep this reference handy.

If only one reader shows the problem, try the exact same downloaded file elsewhere. A stale imported copy or reader-specific behavior can mimic a file defect. If both readers reproduce it, use the [EPUB troubleshooting guide](https://pdfcraft.ai/blog/translated-epub-troubleshooting/) and, when appropriate, an external structural check.

Do not edit your only copy or apply broad changes before locating the affected link. Save a working version and recheck the repaired entry, a neighboring chapter, and the reading sequence afterward.

## Keep navigation review separate from language review

Once navigation feels smooth, you can focus back on the content. When you encounter key names, numbers, definitions, or negative sentences, check them against the original text along with the surrounding context. Bookmark your place using the chapter title and a recognizable sentence so you can quickly find it again later.

PDF Craft aims to retain chapters, table of contents, images, and reading structure where possible. After using the [EPUB translator](https://pdfcraft.ai/epub-translator/), download the result and test the edition in your actual reader. Current translation rates are on [Pricing](https://pdfcraft.ai/pricing/). A short, deliberate navigation pass makes continued reading much easier than discovering a broken destination halfway through the book.