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How to Translate a Whole Sheet in Excel in Microsoft 365

Anonymous
2024-10-11T02:42:01+00:00

Hi,

I have been using the in-built translate/translator functions in Word and Outlook for many months.

They are both very simple to use and provide reasonably good translations (at least from English to Spanish and Spanish to English).

However, that is not the case with Excel, which produces identical translator boxes in a column down the right (as in Word and Outlook) and translates OK . . . but there appears to be no way of replacing the original text with the translated text (have wasted hours trying and browsing for solutions):

Herewith the problems:

(i) There is no "Insert" button. Wasted ages looking for one until I found this link: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/translate-text-into-a-different-language-287380e4-a56c-48a1-9977-f2dca89ce93f#:~:text=Translate%20a%20whole%20document,Select%20Translate. 

. . . which actually says:

Quote: Note: In Excel, there is no Insert button, you'll have to copy/paste the text you highlighted in step1. Unquote

(ii) However, "Highlighting the Translated Text" (for one cell or all cells) and then "Right Clicking" achieves nothing (i.e. not even a drop-down list of options).

(iii) Even "Highlighting the Translated Text" and then clicking the "Copy Icon" in the top left Clipboard then clicking the "Paste Icon", whilst in the original cell, also achieves nothing (not even for one cell).

(iv) Ctrl C (whilst highlighting the whole translation) and then Ctrl V into a vacant cell copies the whole document into the single cell, without formatting

(v) Ctrl C (whilst highlighting the whole translation) and then Ctrl V into a preformatted area with identical formatting to the original table, again copies the whole document into the top left single cell, without formatting.

So would be most grateful to know if there is a way to translate a whole table or, preferably, a whole Work Sheet (doing it one cell, or one row, or one column at a time, would be too onerous)

Many thanks in advance.

BTW: A friend advised to try ChatGPT. Installed it but it only allows one column at a time. Then, after about 10 mins of trying, it told me "Your free trial has ended".

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-10-11T19:26:56+00:00

    I just submitted this suggestion to Microsoft Feedback:

    Translate Whole Table or Worksheet

    Please develop/enable the translate/translator function in Excel to translate whole tables and/or whole worksheets . . . not just single cells, as now. As it's possible to copy and paste an Excel table into MS Word, translate it in MS Word, then copy and paste it back into Excel, why not enable Excel to do it directly?

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-12-11T17:04:48+00:00

    You can upload the file to Google Translate or Deepl and it will translate the whole file for you.

    If you only want a specific sheet or table, make an Excel with just that information and upload that file.

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-10-11T17:48:39+00:00

    Hi again Vijay and others, who may be following this thread.

    Whilst still seeking a solution within Excel, I have made a temporary work-around using MS Word . . . it's a bit of a pain but at least it translates the whole table (and I suppose whole worksheet . . . but haven't tried that yet).

    1st: copy the whole table and paste it into MS Word with the 2nd "Use Destination Styles (S)" Paste option:

    Then use the translator function in Word, as follows:

    In "Review/Translate" select the "Translate Document" option:

    In the Translator column which appears on the right, click "Translate"

    The translated version appears in a new MS Word document, and you then have to copy it and paste it back into Excel, using the 2nd Paste option, which is "Match Destination Formatting (M)".

    If you paste it over the original it will simply replace the first/original language with the 2nd language and keep the original formatting. If you paste to a new sheet or area you'll have to use paste formatter.

    Therefore, I suggest that it's easier to make a copy of the original sheet and paste into that.

    There may be a few quirks that I haven't mentioned but although it's a pain in the proverbial at least it works and is a hell of a lot quicker than translating one cell at a time.

    Outpoint: I'm just a simple novice user but surely it can't be too difficult for Microsoft to automate that process.

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-10-11T16:39:10+00:00

    Thanks Vijay,

    I know that my version has the translate function and I am trying to use it.

    However, my request was very specific, in that I am looking for a way to translate a whole table or whole worksheet . . . but not one cell at a time, as it would be quicker for me to do the whole table again in the 2nd language.

    The article you referenced said to use =TRANSLATE(A1, "en", "es") but it does not work, not even one cell at a time . . . maybe because it has been replaced by this option in the "Review" section:

    In addition to the info that I gave yesterday, I also tried using the Microsoft Translator App but it won't even "see" an Excel document to be able to load it:

     

    Would still be most grateful for a solution for one that translates a whole table or worksheet.

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  5. Vijay A. Verma 104.8K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2024-10-11T05:43:59+00:00

    If you are on latest version of Excel 365, then you have got TRANSLATE function which will solve your problem. There are limits though..

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/translate-function-d34f71c7-2ffe-409a-9a63-5eb5e91aa3dd

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