The Best Excel Translation Tools

The Best Excel Translation Tools

Introduction

When using Excel in daily operations, there is often a need to translate documents from one language to another. For example, to share an Excel file received from a Japanese partner with team members in English-speaking regions, it must be translated into English quickly. Copying and translating each cell individually can be very laborious.

In this article, we will introduce efficient and swift methods to perform such tasks using Excel’s built-in translation features as well as tools like DeepL and Google Translate. With these tools, you can easily overcome language barriers.

Excel’s Built-In Translation Feature

Excel’s built-in translation feature allows you to translate documents easily. Select the text, go to the "Review" tab, and choose "Translate." Then, select the target language and execute the translation. This feature enables quick and efficient translations directly within Excel.

The advantages of using Microsoft's translation feature are as follows:

  • Easy to use
  • Allows you to specify the cell or range for translation
  • Records the translation process

Being easy to use means that, if you are already using Office products, you can start using the translation feature immediately without needing additional software or setups. Specifying the cell or range for translation allows you to limit the scope of what you want to translate. Furthermore, being able to record the translation process helps in identifying the cause of any mistranslations.

On the other hand, the disadvantages of using Microsoft’s translation feature are:

  • Sometimes the accuracy is low
  • Difficulties in translating specialized terms and proper nouns

Low accuracy means that the translation might not always be as accurate as human translators or advanced AI like ChatGPT. Difficulties in translating specialized terms and proper nouns stem from the inability to fully understand the meanings of these words.

Microsoft's translation feature is suitable for simple translations or when you want to limit the scope of the translation. It's also handy when you want to record the translation process. However, due to possible inaccuracies, always review the translation results before use.

The built-in translation feature allows easy translation of selected text but comes with some environmental limitations. It's available in Word, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, and PowerPoint on Windows. On Mac, it’s available with an Office 365 subscription, or Office 2021 or 2019 in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The web version of Word can even translate entire documents. Given this information, while there are specific requirements to use the built-in translation feature, it can facilitate quick and efficient translations when applicable.

Using Excel Add-ins

Excel add-ins are extensions designed to add functionality to Excel. There are several add-ins specifically for translating within Excel. These add-ins can simplify the translation process in Excel.

Excel add-ins might offer higher accuracy compared to Microsoft's translation feature and may allow you to specify cells or ranges for translation.

Advantages:

  • Relatively high accuracy
  • Ease of translating specific ranges

Disadvantages:

  • Requires learning how to use

Using Google and DeepL Translation Services

Google and DeepL’s online translation services can be accessed via a web browser, making them available for use beyond Excel. These services use machine translation technology, which often offers higher accuracy compared to Microsoft's translation features or Excel add-ins. They also support a wide variety of languages.

The advantages of using Google and DeepL online translation services include:

  • High accuracy
  • Support for a wide variety of languages
  • Convenient and easy to use

High accuracy is due to advances in machine translation technology, which can translate with near-human accuracy. The variety of languages supported allows for translations between many different languages. Moreover, these services are convenient, enabling translations anytime and anywhere.

However, the disadvantages of using services like Google Translate include:

  • May not allow specifying cells or ranges for translation
  • Does not record the translation process

Google and DeepL services are highly accurate and support multiple languages, making them widely applicable for both business and personal use. However, if you need to limit the translation to specific cells or ranges, you might be better served using Microsoft's translation features or Excel add-ins.

DeepL has recently added a feature for translating Excel files, though it only supports XLSX files and is available under various DeepL Pro plans. Registration and login to a DeepL account are required to use this feature.

Doc2Lang’s Excel Translation Feature

Doc2Lang is a tool that leverages the latest ChatGPT4 technology to learn industry-specific data and achieve human-level accurate translations. This tool specializes in bulk translations of Excel files, allowing you to upload a file, select the target language, and download the translated file. It operates on a usage-based pricing model without the need for a subscription or monthly fees.

Advantages of Doc2Lang:

  • High accuracy: Utilizes the latest ChatGPT4 technology for high-precision translations.
  • Multilingual support: Supports hundreds of languages, meeting diverse translation needs across languages.
  • Industry-specific translation: Understands industry-specific terminology and context