Excel TRANSLATE Function: Translate Text Directly in Your Spreadsheet

Microsoft has added a built-in TRANSLATE function to Excel that lets you translate text between languages directly in your spreadsheet — no copy-pasting into Google Translate or third-party tools. In this tutorial, Chris Menard demonstrates how to use this powerful new function.

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How the TRANSLATE Function Works

The syntax is straightforward:

=TRANSLATE(text, source_language, target_language)

• text — The cell reference or text string to translate
• source_language — The language code of the original text (e.g., "en" for English)
• target_language — The language code you want to translate to (e.g., "es" for Spanish)

For example, =TRANSLATE(B2, "en", "es") translates the content of cell B2 from English to Spanish.

Supported Languages

Excel supports a wide range of language codes. As you type the language parameter, an autocomplete dropdown appears showing all available options — from Afrikaans to Vietnamese. Common codes include:

• en — English
• es — Spanish
• fr — French
• de — German
• pt — Portuguese
• ja — Japanese
• zh — Chinese

Practical Example

Chris demonstrates translating a list of product descriptions from English to Spanish. With the formula in the first row, you can use Autofill to drag it down and translate every row in seconds. The translations update live — change the source text and the translation refreshes automatically.

Key Details

• The function requires an internet connection since it uses Microsoft's translation service
• It works with cell references, so you can dynamically change source or target languages
• If you've used GOOGLETRANSLATE in Google Sheets, this is Excel's equivalent
• You can also use Copilot to translate entire PowerPoint presentations
• LinkedIn Post

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