[Excel Translation] 4 Ways to Translate Excel! Explaining Bulk, Free, and DeepL Methods and Tips to Preserve Layout

Table of Contents

• 1. How to Use Excel's Built-in Translation Feature and 4 Key Issues to Know
• 2. How to Improve Translation Efficiency Using Excel Add-ins and Functions
• 3. Use DeepL's File Translation Feature to Translate Excel Entirely at Once
• 4. Use an automatic translation product that supports Excel files and integrates with DeepL
• 5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Excel Translation
• 6. Summary

1. How to Use Excel's Built-in Translation Feature and 4 Key Issues to Know

 

Excel has a built-in translation feature as a standard function. By using this feature, you can easily translate text within Excel without opening other applications, allowing you to work efficiently.

 

First, we will organize the benefits of the standard feature, its specific usage, and the common challenges faced in practical work.

 

・3 Major Benefits of Excel's Built-in Translation Feature

Excel's built-in translation feature offers the following three major benefits.

 

1. Try it immediately with no additional cost:
Since it is included in the Office license, you can use it right away without any extra contracts or payments.

 

2. Easy and intuitive to use:
No need to read special manuals, so even beginners can operate it without confusion.

 

3. Convenient for translating small amounts of text:
When you want to quickly check the meaning of a few cells, it saves you the trouble of launching a browser and opening a translation site.

 

・How to Use the Standard Excel Translation Feature (Steps)

1. Click the "Translate" button in the "Language" category under the "Review" tab in Excel.

 

 

A side panel of the "translation tool" will be displayed on the right side of Excel.

 

 

2. Select the target language for the translation from the "Target Language" dropdown menu. In this example, Japanese is selected.

 

 

3. With the "Translation Tool" panel displayed, clicking on a cell in the Excel sheet will automatically translate the text in that cell, and the translated text will be displayed in the side panel.

 

 

4. When translating multiple cells, you can select the target cells to translate them all at once.

 

 

Please note that the translation results are only displayed in the "Translation Tool" panel on the right and do not reflect in the original cell. To reflect in the original cell, you need to use the mouse cursor to select and copy the translated text from the side panel, and then paste it into the cell.

 

Additionally, while it is possible to translate multiple cells at once, to reflect the translated text in each cell, you need to select and copy the corresponding translation for each specific cell from the side panel and paste it cell by cell, which can be a cumbersome task.

 

・Four Major Disadvantages Faced in Practical Work

The standard translation feature is convenient and easy to use, but when applied in everyday business tasks, there are significant disadvantages as outlined below.

 

1. Manual copy-pasting is required, making it unsuitable for processing large amounts of data:
The translation results are only displayed in the panel on the right and there is no function to automatically overwrite or reflect them in the original cells. To insert the translated text into cells, you need to select and copy the translation from the panel and manually paste it back into the cells. If there are dozens or hundreds of target cells, this copy-paste work alone can take an enormous amount of time.

 

2. Layout breaks when pasting:
When pasting the translated text back into the cell, the original font settings, alignment, merged cells, borders, and other formatting may be disrupted or removed. Especially for documents containing tables or diagrams with complex formatting, additional time will be required for fine-tuning the layout after translation.

 

3. Cannot accurately translate technical terms and proper nouns:
The standard translation feature does not have a glossary (dictionary) function that assigns custom translations to specific words. Therefore, proper nouns such as product names and company names, as well as industry-specific technical terms, are prone to being mistranslated into general words, requiring manual corrections each time the translation is done.

 

4. Security Concerns with Free Translation Engines:
When using free translation features, there is no way to completely eliminate the risk that the input translation data will be reused (such as for training data) to improve the translation engine’s services. To prevent the risk of confidential corporate information, client data, or personal information leaking externally, it is advisable to avoid casually translating internal data or important documents using free standard features.

2. How to Improve Translation Efficiency Using Excel Add-ins and Functions

 

If the copy-and-paste work in the standard translation panel feels cumbersome, you can improve translation efficiency by installing a translation add-in in Excel.

 

・How to install an Excel add-in

1. From the top menu in Excel, click "Insert" > "Get Add-ins" (Office Add-ins).

2. Enter keywords such as Translator or DeepL in the search box, then download and install the corresponding add-in.

3. When installing a paid service add-in, it becomes usable by setting the API key obtained from the provider.

 

・Points to Note When Using Add-ins

By using add-ins, you can translate thousands of rows at once simply by entering a function (e.g., a custom function like =TRANSLATE(A1, “ja”, “en”)) and then applying autofill (copy) downward.

However, it is important to understand in advance that many add-ins require a paid contract for API integration, and it is difficult to completely prevent advanced visual design and formatting issues such as font size and cell color from being disrupted.

3. Use DeepL's File Translation Feature to Translate Excel Entirely at Once

 

DeepL has a file translation feature that allows you to translate the contents of a single Excel file all at once. To use the file translation, you need to create a DeepL account.

 

The basic way to use file translation is to drag and drop the file on the DeepL website, select the target language for the translation, and then click the translate button.

 

 

However, if you are using the free version or the Starter plan, you cannot translate Excel files directly, so some creativity is required for translation. First, use the Excel app to save the Excel file you want to translate in PDF format. Then, translate this PDF file using DeepL's file translation feature. However, there are also some points to be aware of with this method. By converting to PDF, the original format and structure of the Excel file are lost, making it difficult to revert back to an Excel file after translation. This is especially true if the file contains formulas or specific formatting, as recovery from PDF can be challenging.

 

Please note that if you use the free version of DeepL, the data you input may be used by DeepL. Avoid translating confidential business information using the free version of DeepL. For details on the security of the free version and the differences between the free and paid versions, please refer to the related links below.

 

[Related Links]
Is Confidentiality Maintained with DeepL Translation? What About Security?
What Are the Differences Between DeepL Free Version and Paid Version (DeepL Pro)? ~Pricing, Security, Character Limits~

 

Additionally, by using the paid plan of DeepL, it is possible to translate Excel files directly. The number of files that can be translated varies by plan: with the Starter plan, you can translate up to 5 files per month; with the Advanced plan, up to 20 files; and with the Ultimate plan, up to 100 files.

4. Use an automatic translation product that supports Excel files and integrates with DeepL

 

Another option is to consider using a translation product that integrates with DeepL. At Human Science, we offer MTrans for Office, which adds translation functionality to Microsoft 365 applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) for Windows, Mac, and the web. MTrans for Office is equipped with four translation engines: DeepL, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, allowing each user to choose their preferred translation engine. The input data is not reused, ensuring security and peace of mind.

 

MTrans for Office has a glossary feature that allows you to register proper nouns such as product names and company names, which can improve translation accuracy. The layout, structure, and font size of the original document are preserved after translation, eliminating the need for re-editing. Additionally, it includes a feature that automatically converts the style of the translated text and a writing support function utilizing OpenAI's generative AI.

4-1. How to Translate Excel with MTrans for Office

When you install MTrans for Office, a dedicated toolbar like the one below will be added. (For the Windows version of Excel)

 

 

First, set the basic settings such as language, translation engine, and glossary in the "Translation Settings".
Click the "Panel Display" > "Translate" button to display the translation panel on the right side of the Excel window as shown below.

 

 

This translation panel displays the translated text corresponding to one or more selected cells. Since you can use multiple translation engines simultaneously, you can compare the translations and choose the best one. When translating long texts, some translation engines may omit parts of the original text from the translation (missing translations). By comparing the translations from multiple engines, you can easily identify any omissions.
Once you have decided on the translation you want to adopt, click the "Replace" button above that translation to reflect it in the original cell.

 

 

 

With MTrans for Office, you can not only translate at the cell level but also translate entire sheets or files. To translate a sheet, click the "Translate and Replace Original" > "Selected Sheet" button on the toolbar. To translate the entire file, click the "Translate and Save As" > "File" button. There is no limit to the number of files that can be translated.

 

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Excel Translation

6. Summary

 

Excel has a built-in translation feature, allowing users to easily translate text using the translation tool from the "Review" tab. However, it can only translate on a cell-by-cell basis, and the translation results are not reflected in the original cells, requiring manual copy and paste. Additionally, there are challenges with translation accuracy and handling of technical terms, making mistranslations common, especially in business documents. In contrast, using DeepL's file translation feature allows for high-accuracy translation of entire Excel files. Furthermore, by using the automated translation product "MTrans for Office" that integrates with DeepL, it is also possible to improve translation accuracy and perform translation tasks efficiently.

MTrans for Office is an easy-to-use translation software for Office.