You are looking for companies in which to invest and you find one that meets your core criteria. You are ready to research your candidate and then you realize that the company did not issue their filings in English. A big problem that many microcap investors have. What can you do then?
Download the filing that you want: I recommend download it directly from Morningstar. For example, search on Google “(Company name) filings morningstar” and the result that begins with “quicktake.morningstar.com …” is the one you are looking for.
You want the PDF version: Once you have entered to the filings list of the company you chose on Morningstar, look for the PDF version; Click on it and in a new window will open the file. Once opened, you will need to download the file to your computer.
Unlock the filing: Once the filing is downloaded to your computer, just right click on your file, choose “properties” and select “unlock”; Then you click on “apply” and “Ok”.
Unlock the file (again): Now that your PDF filing is unlocked, you will need to unlock it again online with some PDF’s unlockers (search for them on Google). Once unlocked, download and forget about the previous one you uploaded to unlock.
Time to translate: Go to Google Translator and click on “translate a document”. Upload your newly unlocked PDF and select “detect language”; On the other side select “English” and click on “Translate” (the blue botton).
Check if it was translated properly: Once you see that your filing is translated into English, I recommend that you need to scroll down the entire file as there will be parts that are not translated, and reviewing the whole file will be translated into English.
Download it! Once the previous point is done, you must print the translation (Ctrl + P on Windows or Command + P on Mac). But be careful, you will not print. What you will do is save the translation as PDF on your computer. You will click on the “change” box that appears in the “destination” section and select “Save as PDF”. Once done, you will return to the previous menu and just click on “Save” and there you go! You already have your filing translated into English and in your computer!
You must know that sometimes the translation that Google does eat parts of the text (you will notice that some words appear stacked on top of others); Or that the order of sentences is inconsistent. Therefore, you must read carefully and try to decipher the message of the translation. Good luck!
About The Author: Ezra Crangle
Ezra Crangle runs MOI Global en Español.
A truly passionate about value investing, Ezra invests his own money and manages small sums of money for his family and close friends through Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs).
Based in Mexico, he loves to study about companies and value investors.
He serves as a board member of a ReaaS Mexican company.
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