Understand a foreign-language form, then fill and sign a PDF

Forms are two problems in one: understanding what each field wants, and getting your answers into the PDF. Paperwell covers both — the Form explainer in Read, and the Forms view (key 7) for filling and signing.

1. Explain the form

Open File → Templates and recent dossiers… and choose Foreign-language form explained. The dossier contains Antrag auf Kindergeld.txt, the text of a German child-benefit application, and an own deadline for sending it.

Open Read, select the Form explainer tab and press Run Form explainer. The form-translator tool answers with:

• a summary such as Detected 16 form fields and 9 jargon terms with plain-language explanations; 4 document hints found.
• Fields and what to write: each field — Name, Vorname, Geburtsdatum (TT.MM.JJJJ), Steuer-ID, Familienstand … — with a hint, for example that TT.MM.JJJJ means day.month.year and that the German Steuer-ID has 11 digits;
• jargon terms in plain language and the documents to attach;
• a warning when the form has a signature field: by signing you confirm that the answers are true and complete.

The explanations are rule-based and in English; check them against the official instructions of the authority.

2. Keep the submission date

The template already lists Send the application with birth certificate copy under Deadlines → Own deadlines. Add your own with Date, What is due and Add deadline; dates found in a document can be added from Read → Identifiers & data → Add as deadline. Mark deadline done ticks it off.

3. Fill a PDF form

Add the fillable PDF of a form with Add files and open Forms. Choose it under PDF form and press Read the form fields. The Form fields table lists every fillable field with its type (text, checkbox, radio buttons, drop-down, signature field) and options. Read-only fields are not shown. A PDF without fillable fields can still get a signature stamp; XFA forms cannot be filled here.

Type your answers into the Value column. They are stored in the Form profile by field name and reused for every form with the same field names — handy for the yearly version of the same form. The profile is part of project files and share links, so leave out what should not be shared.

4. Sign and flatten

Under Signature, type Your name for a handwriting-style stamp (choose Black ink or Blue ink) or pick Or a signature image from the dossier. Set Page, x (pt from left), y (pt from top) and Width (pt) — 72 pt are one inch, an A4 page is 595 × 842 pt.

Switch on Flatten if the values should become part of the page, then press Fill and sign (or Sign only). The filled PDF is added to the dossier as a new document. The stamp is a visible image, not a qualified electronic signature.

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