Translate text into a different language

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The Translate feature is currently available for Word, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

Note: The procedures for Outlook for the web are the same as the procedures for the new Outlook for Windows. Select the Web tab above for those instructions.

Translate an email in Outlook

In Outlook, you can translate words, phrases, and full messages when you need them. You can also set Outlook to automatically translate messages you receive in other languages.

When you receive an email in another language, you'll see a prompt at the top of the message asking if you'd like Outlook to translate it into your preferred language.

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When you receive an email in another language, you can respond in two different ways:

• In the message, select Translate message. Outlook replaces the message text with translated text. After you've translated the message, you can select Show original to see the message in the original language or Turn on automatic translation to always translate messages to your preferred language.
• In the message, select Never translate. Outlook won't ask you if you'd like to translate messages from that language in the future.

If, for some reason, Outlook doesn't offer these options, select the Translate button from the ribbon, or right-click on the message and select Translate, then Translate Message.

On the Home tab, select Translate >Translate Message.

To change your translation preferences, go to Home > Translate > Translation Preferences.

Here you can set your preferred language.

Translate part of an email

To translate just a bit of text from a message, select that text and right-click. Outlook will show you the translation right there in the context menu that appears.

You can also select text and right-click to translate to your preferred language when you're composing an email. When you click the translated text, you can insert it into the message you're writing.

Note: Automatic translation and intelligent translation suggestions are only available for Exchange Online mailboxes.

Word for Microsoft 365 makes it easy

In Word for Microsoft 365 when you open a document in a language other than a language you have installed in Word, Word will intelligently offer to translate the document for you. Click the Translate button and a new, machine-translated, copy of the document will be created for you.

Translate words or phrases in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint

1. In your document, spreadsheet or presentation, highlight the cell or text you want to translate.
2. Select Review >Translate.
3. Select your language to see the translation.
4. Select Insert. The translated text will replace the text you highlighted in step 1.

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

You might see a list of several translations. Expand the translated item to show a usage example in both languages. Choose the one you want and click Copy.

This feature is available to Microsoft 365 subscribers and Office 2021 or Office 2019 customers using Version 1710 or higher of Word; or Version 1803 or higher of PowerPoint or Excel. You must also be connected to the internet, and have Office connected experiences enabled to use Translator.

Subscribers get new features and improvements monthly.

Not sure what version of Office you're running? See What version of Office am I using?

This feature is not currently available to customers using Microsoft 365 operated by 21Vianet.

Translate a whole file in Word

1. Select Review >Translate >Translate Document.
2. Select your language to see the translation.
3. Select Translate. A copy of the translated document will be opened in a separate window.
4. Select OK in the original window to close translator.

This feature is available to Microsoft 365 subscribers and Office 2021 or 2019 customers using Version 1710 or higher of Word. You must also be connected to the internet, and have Office connected experiences enabled to use Translator.

Users with Office 2016, but without a subscription, will have the same translation features that are available in Office 2013 and earlier.

Subscribers get new features and improvements monthly.

Not sure what version of Office you're running? See What version of Office am I using?

Translate words or phrases in OneNote for Windows 10

1. In your notes highlight the text you want to translate.
2. Select View >Translate >Selection.
3. Select your language to see the translation.
4. Select Insert. The translated text will replace the text you highlighted in step 1.

Translate a whole page in OneNote for Windows 10

1. Select View >Translate >Page.
2. Select your language to see the translation.
3. Select Translate. The translated page will be added as a sub-page of the existing page.
4. Select OK in the original window to close translator.

Change translation language

If you later want to change the To language for document translation, or if you need to translate a document to more than one language, you can do so, by selecting Set Document Translation Language. from the Translate menu.

See also

The translation tools available depend on which Office program you're using:

• Translate Document/Translate Item: Word, Outlook.
• Translate Selected Text: Word, Outlook, OneNote, PowerPoint, Publisher, Excel, Visio.
• Mini Translator: Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, OneNote

You can have an entire Word document or Outlook message translated by a computer ("machine translation") and displayed in a web browser. When you choose this kind of translation, the content in your file is sent over the Internet to a service provider.

Note: Machine translation is helpful for conveying the basic subject matter of the content and for confirming whether the content is relevant to you. For high accuracy or sensitive files, human translation is recommended, because machine translation might not preserve the full meaning and tone of the text.

Choose your translation language

On the Review tab, in the Language group, click Translate >Choose Translation Language.

Translate the document or message

1. On the Review tab, in the Language group, click Translate.
2. Click Translate Document (Translate Item in Outlook). The From and To languages that you selected are listed.

A browser tab opens with your file in both the original language and the language that you selected for translation.

Note: If this is the first time you have used translation services, you may need to click OK to install the bilingual dictionaries and enable the translation service through the Research pane. You can also see which bilingual dictionaries and machine translation services you have enabled by clicking the Translation options link in the Research pane. See the next section (Translate selected text) to learn how to access the Research pane.

You can use the Research pane to translate a phrase, sentence, or paragraph into several selected language pairs in the following Microsoft Office programs: Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher, Visio, and Word.

Note: In PowerPoint, only one slide's text box can be translated at a time.

1. On the Review tab, in the Language group, click Translate >Translate Selected Text to open the Research pane.

In the Research pane, in the All Reference Books list, click Translation.

• Select the words, press ALT, and then click the selection. The results appear in the Research pane under Translation.
• Type the word or phrase in the Search for box, and then press Enter.

• If this is the first time you have used translation services, click OK to install the bilingual dictionaries and enable the translation service through the Research pane.
• You can also see which bilingual dictionaries and machine translation services you have enabled by clicking the Translation options link in the Research pane.
• To change the languages that are used for translation, in the Research pane, under Translation, select the languages that you want to translate from and to. For example, to translate English to French, click English in the From list and French in the To list.
• To customize which resources are used for translation, click Translation options, and then select the options that you want.

In Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and OneNote, the Mini Translator displays the translation of one word as you point at it with your cursor. You can also copy the translated text to the Clipboard, paste it into another document, or play a pronunciation of the translated word.

On the Review tab, in the Language group, click Translate >Mini Translator.

Note: The Mini Translator will continue to appear whenever you move over words. To turn it off, repeat step 1 above.