Section 3: Creating documents, reports, presentations and visual content

Scenario 30: Translating a formatted document while preserving the source copy

Level: Intermediate · Tools: Word Translator; Microsoft 365 or Office 2021, internet access and Office connected experiences; alternatively, Google Docs Translate document

Who and in what situation

Nihan is an operations specialist at an export SME. She prepares a draft translation of a Turkish product manual to send to her English-speaking colleagues. The document contains tables and footnotes; the source must remain separate.

How it is done today

Nihan splits the text into sections and pastes them into a translation tool, then transfers the translation back into the document.

How to do it with AI

  1. In a copy of the document, select Review > Translate > Translate Document. Set the target language and click Translate. Word creates the translation as a new copy that opens in a separate window. [67]
  2. Keep the source document separate. Compare headings, tables, footnotes, images, units of measurement and product codes in the translated copy.
  3. For a selected phrase, use the Review > Translate menu and select Insert after verifying the meaning. [67]
  4. If you use Google Docs, select a file name and target language via Tools > Translate document; Google also opens a new translated copy. [68]
  5. Have a human editor check company terminology and warning statements in the final version.

Example prompt

Produce a draft translation of this user manual from {source language} into {target language}. Do not change product names, model codes, units of measurement or the heading structure. Use the equivalents in {term list}. Mark expressions you are unsure about with {review tag}; do not add technical information.

Evidence and real-world example

No company case study was found. Microsoft explains how to translate an entire document into a separate copy, while Google explains how to create a new translated copy using Translate document. [67] [68]

Points to consider

The official pages describe the new copy but do not guarantee perfect formatting preservation. Check tables, footnotes, images and page layout before publishing. Word requires Microsoft 365 or Office 2021, internet access and connected experiences. In Google Docs, the feature may not appear for a file in Office editing mode. [67] [68]

Sources for this scenario

  1. Translate text into a different language (support.microsoft.com)
  2. Translate documents or write in a different language (support.google.com)