Word has a translation feature, but it works differently depending on which version you use
Microsoft Word includes a translation tool that can translate text within your document into dozens of languages. The feature exists in both the desktop version (Word for Windows and Mac) and the web version (Word Online). However, the tool has real limits: it translates selected text only, not an entire document at once, and the quality depends on the language pair and the complexity of your text. For professional or legal documents, machine translation is not a substitute for a human translator.
The translation feature uses Microsoft Translator, the same engine behind Bing Translate. It works reasonably well for straightforward text in common languages like Spanish, French, German, and Mandarin Chinese. It struggles more with technical jargon, idioms, and less widely spoken languages. Word also does not preserve formatting when you translate — you get the translated text, but you lose italics, bold, and other styling.
Key Takeaways
- Word's translation tool translates only the text you select, not the entire document, and you must paste the result back yourself.
- The feature works best for common languages and straightforward sentences, and less reliably for technical terms or uncommon language pairs.
- Desktop Word (Windows and Mac) and Word Online both have translation, but the steps to access it differ slightly between versions.
- Machine translation does not preserve formatting, so you will need to reapply bold, italics, and other styling after translation.
- For documents that need accuracy — contracts, medical records, official correspondence — a professional human translator is more reliable than any machine tool.
How to translate text in Word for Windows or Mac
Open your document and select the text you want to translate. Highlight the words or paragraphs by clicking and dragging, or triple-click to select an entire paragraph. Once the text is highlighted, go to the Review tab at the top of the screen.
In the Review tab, look for the Translate button. It usually appears in the right section of the ribbon, sometimes grouped with other language tools. Click it, and a small window will open showing you a list of languages. Choose the language you want to translate into. Word will display the translation in the same window. You can then copy the translated text and paste it into your document, or into a separate document if you want to keep the original and translation side by side.
If you do not see the Translate button, your version of Word may not have the feature enabled, or you may need to update Word. Go to File > Account > Update Options and select Update Now to check for the latest version.
How to translate text in Word Online
Word Online (the version you access through Office.com or OneDrive) has a slightly different interface. Select the text you want to translate, then go to the Review tab. Click Translate, and a panel will open on the right side of your screen showing language options and the translation.
Word Online's translation panel also shows you alternative word choices for some phrases, which can be useful if you want to see how different parts of the sentence could be rendered. Like the desktop version, you will need to copy and paste the result back into your document yourself.
What Word's translation tool does and does not do well
Word translates individual words and short sentences accurately most of the time, especially in widely spoken languages. A sentence like "The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 2 p.m." will translate reliably into Spanish, French, or German. Longer passages, sentences with multiple clauses, and text with industry-specific vocabulary are more likely to contain errors.
The tool does not understand context the way a human does. If a word has multiple meanings depending on context, Word may pick the wrong one. Idioms and cultural references often translate literally and lose their meaning. Proper nouns — names of people, companies, or places — are usually left unchanged, which is correct, but Word cannot tell you whether a name should be translated or kept as-is in your target language.
Word also cannot translate images, charts, or text embedded in shapes. If your document contains a screenshot with text in another language, or a logo with words, the translation tool will skip those entirely. You would need to extract that text separately or use a different tool.
When to use Word's translation versus other options
Use Word's translation tool when you need a quick sense of what a document says, or when you are translating informal text like emails or notes. It is fast and requires no setup. It is also useful for checking whether you understand a passage correctly — translate it and compare the result to your own reading.
Do not rely on Word's translation for documents that need to be accurate and complete. For contracts, medical records, legal notices, immigration forms, or any document that will be submitted to a government agency or used in court, hire a professional translator. The cost of a mistranslation is usually much higher than the cost of professional translation.
If you need to translate an entire document and preserve formatting, consider using Google Translate's document upload feature (available at translate.google.com) or DeepL, which often produces higher-quality translations than Word. Both allow you to upload a file and read the translated version with formatting mostly intact. Neither is perfect, but both handle longer documents better than Word's select-and-translate approach.
How to handle formatting after translation
When you paste translated text back into your document, you will lose any bold, italics, underlines, or other formatting from the original. You have two choices: reapply the formatting manually, or use Word's Format Painter tool to copy formatting from the original text to the translated text.
To use Format Painter, select the original text (the text with the formatting you want to keep), then click the Format Painter button in the Home tab — it looks like a paintbrush. Then select the translated text, and the formatting will be applied. This works best when the original and translated text are the same length. If the translation is significantly longer or shorter, you may need to adjust manually.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Word translate an entire document at once?
No. Word translates only the text you select. You would need to select all text (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A), translate it, and paste it back, but this approach loses all formatting and is impractical for long documents. For full-document translation, use Google Translate's upload feature or DeepL instead.
Does Word translate PDFs?
Word cannot open and translate a PDF directly. You can copy text from a PDF and paste it into Word, then translate it. Alternatively, some PDF readers have built-in translation, or you can upload the PDF to Google Translate or DeepL.
What languages can Word translate?
Word supports over 60 languages, including Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Russian, and Portuguese. Less widely spoken languages may not be available. Check the language list in the Translate window to see whether your target language is supported.
Is Word's translation private, or does Microsoft see my text?
When you use Word's translation feature, your text is sent to Microsoft's servers to be translated. Microsoft states that it does not store the text for longer than necessary to perform the translation, but if your document contains sensitive information, you may prefer to use a tool you control locally or to work with a human translator under a confidentiality agreement.
Why is my translation full of errors?
Machine translation makes mistakes, especially with complex sentences, technical terms, and less common languages. If the translation looks wrong, try breaking the text into shorter sentences and translating each one separately. You can also compare Word's translation to Google Translate or DeepL to see which tool produces a better result for your specific text.