# Missing Characters in a Translated EPUB? Check Fonts and Language Settings

Diagnose boxes, missing glyphs and language problems in multilingual EPUBs by comparing the source, changing reader fonts, and testing the file in another reading system.

A square box where a character should be does not necessarily mean the translation lost a word. The character may be present while the selected font cannot draw it. Conversely, changing fonts will not repair text that is missing or corrupted in the file.

For multilingual EPUBs, separate three questions: is the right character stored, can the reader display it, and is the language identified correctly? Test those questions before translating the book again.

## Check whether the character exists

Find a short passage with the problem. Note its chapter, surrounding words, and the missing character's position. Compare it with the original, including accents, punctuation, and any mixed scripts.

If your reader allows copying, paste the passage into a plain-text editor using a font that supports the script. If the correct character appears there, the reading application's font or rendering is a likely cause. If the same incorrect text appears everywhere, investigate the file's content or the earlier extraction instead.

You can also open the same passage in a different reading app. Keep the original EPUB as a baseline to see if the issue is limited to a specific reader. If copying text is restricted, simply compare how both readers render the page.

## Try a font that covers the script

Use the reader's typography settings to try a system font suitable for the language. Where the application offers a publisher-font override, compare the book's supplied styling with the reader's own fonts.

A Latin font may display ordinary English and still lack Greek, Arabic, Chinese, or less common accented characters. Mathematical notation can need different coverage again. Check both ordinary prose and the particular symbols that failed.

For multilingual books, choose a font based on the primary language, then check whether embedded foreign words and mathematical symbols display clearly. Increasing the font size by a step or two often makes it easier to spot clipped glyphs, cramped line spacing, or hard-to-read accent marks.

For everyday reading, stick with the fonts built into your e-reader. If you are editing an EPUB for distribution and need to embed fonts, select a font that covers all required characters and permits your intended use, then test the modified file on your target reader.

## Language tags and fonts do different jobs

A book's language metadata affects features like text-to-speech. For instance, if text displays properly but read-aloud applies the pronunciation rules of another language, check the language tags. Fonts determine how characters are rendered; you can troubleshoot both separately depending on what you encounter.

The [EPUB 3.3 specification](https://www.w3.org/TR/epub-33/) outlines requirements for declaring publication and content languages. When editing multilingual books, consult the specification or ask an editor familiar with EPUB to assist.

For an English-French bilingual book, listen to an English passage followed by a French passage to see how pronunciation changes between languages. If you need to edit the book's language tags, save a backup of the original first, then test the same passages in the edited file to compare the results.

In bilingual editions, try reading a pair of original and translated paragraphs to check whether the font, line height, and paragraph sequence are easy to follow. If using text-to-speech, listen to how both languages sound to make sure both visual display and audio playback suit your preferences.

## Use a small cross-reader comparison

Test the same file and passage in two reading systems where possible. Keep the font and device conditions in your notes:

| Observation                                         | What to investigate next              |
| --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| Works after changing the font                       | Script coverage or book styling       |
| Works in one reader but not another                 | Reading-system support or rendering   |
| Incorrect characters in all readers and copied text | Stored content or earlier recognition |
| Only marks or symbols clip at large size            | Font metrics, spacing, or styling     |

Do not compare different file versions without noticing. Name your source and result clearly, and confirm both readers opened the same download. A cached library copy can make a successful fix appear ineffective.

## Check more than one sample before accepting a repair

After a font or file change, inspect headings, body paragraphs, italics, note markers, tables, and mixed-script passages. Enlarge the type and rotate or narrow the screen if that matches your reading setup. Confirm that the table of contents still leads to the right chapters.

[PDF Craft](https://pdfcraft.ai/epub-translator/) offers translated or bilingual EPUB output; bilingual passages appear as original followed by translation. Download the result and use your preferred reader, with Desktop as an optional reading and organizing application. Typography checks remain useful whichever tool made the file.

For a broader file review, see [translated EPUB compatibility checks](https://pdfcraft.ai/blog/validate-translated-epub/). If you read on a tablet, follow the [iPad reading workflow](https://pdfcraft.ai/blog/translated-epub-on-ipad/) and test the difficult passage there. Fix the layer that failed—content, font, or reader—rather than rerunning translation by default.