# 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.

A translated table of contents can look complete while sending you to the wrong chapter. Checking the labels is only half the job. Follow the links and compare where the book actually takes you.

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.

A chapter heading visible in the body does not prove that the navigation menu contains a link to it. Likewise, a complete-looking menu does not prove the corresponding body text is present. The [W3C EPUB specification](https://www.w3.org/TR/epub-33/) describes the publication's navigation and reading structure; reader interfaces present that structure differently.

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 the book has nested sections, test a part heading and a subsection. If it has a visible contents page, follow a few of its links separately. Do not assume success in one view establishes the other.

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

Check whether the source already has the same faulty link. If it does, record it as a source issue rather than assuming translation introduced it. The [before-upload checklist](https://pdfcraft.ai/en/blog/prepare-epub-for-translation/) helps establish that baseline.

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/en/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

A correct jump does not prove the translation is accurate. Review important names, negatives, quantities, and definitions separately. Conversely, fluent chapter titles do not establish complete content.

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