This policy setting allows you to use legacy translation features in Office apps, such as Word, instead of the Translator feature, which uses the cloud-based Microsoft Translator service. Legacy translation features include the following: Translation of the entire document, by using the browser-based Bilingual Viewer. Edge Translate is a simple and practical translation plugin that supports mainstream browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and 360 Secure Browser. The main purpose of. Microsoft Word (365) - Translate Button Missing We are currently starting to migrate our employees from Office 2013 to Office 365. Some users have noticed that they are unable to use the translation option in Word.

Translate Word 2016 Documents from a Foreign to your Native Language. Before we begin, note that you’ll need to be connected to the internet for the translation service to work. Use Microsoft Translator in Microsoft Edge browser. The new Microsoft Edge supports translation for more than 60 languages. The browser will automatically prompt you to translate a webpage when when the page you're opening is in a language other than those listed under your preferred languages in settings.

The latest Word processors like Microsoft Word deal with more than just plain text. When you translate a Word document, there are other elements like images, hyperlinks, and charts that might get “lost” in translation. So how should you translate a Word document into different languages while preserving all its components?

While Internet tutorials will point you to different methods of translating Word documents, the best solution for you boils down to two main questions:

• Who will read the translation?
• Do you need to maintain the formatting?

No matter what you answered, we have compiled the best ways to translate Word documents for your personal or business translation needs.

• Method #1: Use built-in translation tool in Microsoft Word – recommended for personal use; maintains simple formatting
• Method #2: Upload the document to Google Translate – recommended for personal use; does not maintain formatting
• Method #3: Hire a human translator or translation agency online – recommended for personal use or professional distribution, but more expensive
• Method #4: Use a professional translation tool – recommended for professional use; more cost-effective; maintains formatting

Method #1: Use built-in translation tool in Microsoft Word

You can easily translate a document within Word itself. This is the free, fast, and convenient option.

First, open your Word Document. Then from the toolbar, select Review > Translate.

To translate a particular segment of text in the document, click Translate Selection. You can also choose to translate the entire word file by clicking Translate Document.

Once you have selected, the translator menu will appear on the right. The steps from here onwards are just like how you would use Google Translate.

Step 1 : Select the source language
Step 2 : Select the target language
Step 3 : Click Insert/Translate

If you are only translating a small section of text within a file, the translation will replace the source text in the original file.

If you opt to translate the whole document instead, the translation will automatically open in a new Word document, which you then can save to your computer. Based on my experience, Microsoft is decent at preserving simple textual formats after translation, such as bullet points and tables.

Important Info

• Microsoft Word translations are not 100% accurate, because a machine does all the work. Artificial intelligence is getting better… but it’s not quite there yet.
• If you translate the entire document within Word itself, the program will retain certain aspects of the formatting, such as lists and tables. However, it might also translate text and passages that do not need to be translated (e.g. hyperlinks).
• Images containing text will not be translated using this method.
• Only suitable if you want to translate a text for your personal reading and understanding

Method #2: Upload the document to Google Translate

Another online translation tool is Google Translate. Just click on the Documents tab on Google Translate as shown below. You’ll then be able to upload your Word document for a quick translation. It also works for PDF files, translating PowerPoint slides, and with translating Excel sheets too.

For another cloud-based alternative, you can also use Google Docs to translate a Word document. To start, upload your file to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs.

On the toolbar, select Tools > Translate Document.

Next, you will be prompted to choose the target language. Once you make your selection, the translated copy will open in a new Google Doc file.

Finally, you can download the translated copy as a Word document by selecting File > Download > Microsoft Word (.docx).

Important Info

• Once again, Google is a machine translation tool (read here about when, why, and in which case to use machine translation here) that will compromise the quality of the translation.
• This method does not preserve the formatting of your document. You will need to spend time fixing it for further distribution.
• Uploading your documents to any free translation platform like Google Translate presents privacy and security threats. This is not ideal for work files.
• Only suitable if you want to translate a text for your personal reading and understanding

Method #3: Hire a human translator or translation agency online

With the growth of online marketplaces, connecting with a professional translator or translation agency has never been easier! On platforms like ProZ.com and Fiverr, you can easily find the right translator for the job in a wide variety of language pairs.

Using this method to translate a word document ensures that the final copy is as accurate as possible. To help the translator save some time (and save yourself some money), you may also run your word document through Google Translate before sending it to them.

Translators may offer better rates if they only need to correct the grammar and structure of a pre-translated text. However, for best results, it’s good to give the translator the original word document in the source language.

Important Info

• Hiring a translator or translation agency is significantly more expensive than other methods on this list, as you are paying for their time and expertise.
• If you need to translate Word documents into different languages, you may need the help of multiple translators to cover all the required language pairs. This will increase the cost of translation.
• Some translators may not pay much attention to the formatting when translating your Word document. Hence, you will need to fix up the final copy yourself.

Method #4: Use a professional translation tool

Most translators and businesses prefer to invest in a professional translation tool like Redokun. The main reason is to save time and money at different stages of their multilingual workflow – from translation to design to distribution.

Let’s say your company has a brochure that needs to be translated into different languages for foreign markets. This process would normally involve a translator and a graphic designer.

If you use an external vendor to translate the document, the job is usually billed according to the number of words or number of hours. Then, you need a designer to transfer the translated text to the template. This ensures all design elements are standardized across all your brochures.

Having a professional translation software like Redokun cuts down the amount of the work for your translators and designers.

Translation software is a new thing for you? If so, here is a resourceful guide explaining everything you need to know.

Here is how you can elevate your workflow with our professional translation tool:

• You and your translator can store, manage, and access commonly used terminologies for consistent and accurate translations (read and learn all about translation memories). Using this computer-assisted translation method is 99.98% cheaper than solely relying on human translation.
• Your document’s structure remains intact at the post-translation stage. No funny-looking headings, lists, and SmartArt. This eliminates the need of employing a designer to fix the final copy. Redokun even extends this feature to more sophisticated file formats like Adobe InDesign, XML documents, and subtitles.
• You can easily revise your original document without affecting the text that has already been translated. Only the newly added information will be marked for translation by the software. Learn more about this intuitive feature here.
• Working from home just got easier with cloud-based translation tools like Redokun. As the admin, you can closely monitor the progress of different translation projects (here is more about managing your translation projects).
• Do you need to work closely with a team member on translations? Redokun supports collaboration whether it's with your internal team or external team.
• Redokun is easy to use and implement for everyone! No intensive training required. If you do run into questions while using the translation software, you can always count on Redokun’s responsive support team to resolve the issues promptly.

Not ready to commit yet? It's okay! Try Redokun for free and start optimizing your workflow today. No credit card necessary.

Want to read more about the benefits that come with using translation software and all about the essential features, here is a detailed guide about what are cat tools and even more here is a list of the best translation software for 2021.

Word Translator Not Working

A Quick Overview

Overall, I always recommend businesses to use a professional translation tool to translate a Word document for market distribution. As mentioned earlier, you must ask yourself two questions:

• Who will read the translation?
• Do you need to maintain the formatting?

For any answers that relate to business or professional needs, the most economical choice is to use a dedicated translation tool like Redokun. For personal reading, machine translation is usually sufficient, but use with caution. Here’s an overview:

Till next time,

Shu Ni

Shu Ni has worked as a marketing executive for various global consumer electronics brands before shifting her focus to content writing.

Now at Redokun, Shu Ni hopes to create meaningful content for multilingual needs by utilizing her expertise in linguistics and graphic design.

Introduction

Microsoft Word is by far the world's most widely used text processing application. Due to the wide distribution as part of the Microsoft Office package, which is used by more than 1.2 billion users around the globe, Word documents also play a major role in the field of translation.

The versatile application is used for creating and designing various types of texts. For example, the application is used in the professional area for composing conventional business correspondence (business letters, invoices, quotations, etc.), internal documents (meeting minutes, etc.), and contracts. Word is also used for creating technical documentation as well as publications such as flyers and brochures.

Word documents can be created in various formats. Currently, the most common format is DOCX. This format was introduced along with Word 2007. Meanwhile, it has largely replaced the older DOC format. (The main difference between the two formats is that DOCX is XML-based and thus corresponds to an open standard, while DOC is a proprietary Microsoft format.) Apart from these two formats, there are also other, less frequently used Word formats, such as DOTX for Word document templates and DOCM for Word macro-enabled documents.

First Steps

Besides plain text, Word documents often also contain pictures, tables, and charts as well as more specific elements such as text fields, control elements, and field functions.

Prior to the translation, the translator should inspect the document to be translated and especially check it for the following Word-specific issues:

Pictures Containing Text

For such pictures, it must be clarified whether the respective texts need to be translated and whether this is technically possible. If the text in pictures is 'hard-coded' because the text has been added with the help of image processing software, it cannot be translated directly. By contrast, if the text has been added in Word (e.g. in SmartArt graphics or with the help of text fields), it can normally be translated without any difficulties.

Referenced Pictures

Pictures are often statically embedded in the Word document. However, they may also be inserted by means of references. In the latter case, the translator must have all referenced pictures in order to ensure correct display of the Word document and hassle-free translation.

Text with Tracked Changes

If the Word document contains text created while change tracking was active, the customer must be asked whether the respective text passages are to contain the change tracking marks in the translation as well. (Tip: If the text is to be translated with tracked changes, the respective option must be activated in the advanced settings of the document settings template for Word in the Across Translator Edition!)

Comments

If the Word document contains comments, the customer must be asked whether they need to be translated.

Text Not to be Translated or Passages in Foreign Languages

Prior to the translation, it must be clarified whether the Word document contains any parts that are not to be translated or whether the document contains any passages in other languages. If so, the translator should check whether a special style has been assigned to these passages. If this is the case, the respective style can be hidden or locked in the Across Translator Edition by means of a document settings template for Word (see 'Tips and Tricks' below).

Hidden Text

If the document contains hidden text, it must be clarified whether the target document is to contain this text and whether it is to be translated. (Tip: If the hidden text is to be translated, the respective option must be activated in the advanced settings of the document settings template for Word in the Across Translator Edition!)

Document Templates

Document templates are special Word files that serve as templates for creating Word documents with the same layout and possibly with the same content. If the Word document is based on a special document template, the translator should also be provided with this template. Otherwise, the Word document could be displayed incorrectly, which would make operations such as the final review of the translated Word document (see below) more difficult. (Tip: To see which document template a Word document is based on, you can e.g. check the properties of the Word document. To do so, go to the properties via >>File >>Info and click 'Show All Properties' in the right pane. The utilized document template is displayed under 'Template'. Word's default template is 'Normal.dotm'.)

As mentioned above, while setting up the project, you may want to use a specific document settings template in order to translate the Word document as efficiently as possible (see 'Tips and Tricks' below).

Translating Word Documents with the Across Translator Edition

Actually, there are only very few Word-specific issues that need to be taken into consideration when translating Word documents. This includes:

Field Functions

Microsoft Word Translate Documents

In Word, field functions serve the automatic insertion of dynamic content. For example, field functions can be used for page numbers, cross-references, tables of content, and dates. In the Across Translator Edition, such field functions are presented as gray fields in the crossDesk translation editor. Often, these fields merely need to be inserted at the correct position in the translation (e.g. by double-clicking the respective field in the source text). In some cases, it may also be possible or necessary to edit or translate the field contents, e.g. in the case of hyperlinks or index entries.

Text with Tracked Changes

If text with tracked changes is to appear in the translation as well, it must be inserted in the translation, e.g. with the help of the respective icons in the crossDesk translation editor.

Tips and Tricks

Use of Document Settings Templates

Microsoft Word Translate English To Spanish

For virtually all document formats, it is advisable to create and use a document settings template in the Across Translator Edition. A special feature of the settings template for Word is that text can be locked or hidden on the basis of the styles that occur in the document. To do so, go to >>Tools >>System Settings... >>Document Settings >>Word 2007-2016 and click Load... to load the styles of the Word document to be translated. Via 'Mode', determine how the respective style is to be handled (e.g. select 'Hidden').

Text Not to be Translated or Passages in Other Languages

If the Word document to be translated contains text that is not to be translated (e.g. text passages in other languages), the smartest approach is to use the editing state 'Keep source' (keyboard shortcut Alt+E) for these paragraphs during translation. Failure to do so could result in 'trash' entries in the crossTank translation memory, e.g. due to identical text in the source and target languages.

Final Review of the Translation in Word

After the translation has been completed and the target document has been checked out from the Across Translator Edition, the translated Word document should be opened in Word for a final review and, if necessary, adjustment of the following aspects:

• Set the correct target language: Select the entire document (e.g. using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+A) and set the correct language (e.g. via >>Review >>Language >>Set Proofing Language...).
• Update any field functions: Some field functions might not be updated automatically. Therefore, fields such as dates, cross-references, and tables of contents may initially be displayed with the previous values/contents or in the source language. To update the field functions, you can e.g. select the entire document (e.g. with Ctrl+A) and subsequently press F9.
• Check the document for full and correct display: For example, in tables whose row height is static, part of the text might not be displayed if the translation is longer than the source text. The same applies to text fields, SmartArt graphics, etc.

Attaching the Underlying Document Template to the Document

Microsoft Word Translate Add In

If the Word document is based on a special document template (see above), it should be attached to the translated Word document. Otherwise, the document could be displayed incorrectly. In Word, attach the document template to the Word document. To do so, go to >>Developer >>Document Template and click Attach... to select the document template. (Tip: If the Developer tab is not displayed, go to the Word options, click Customize Ribbons, and select the Developer check box.)