Translate a Word document
Drop a .docx file and get the same document back in another language, with its styles, tables and images untouched.
Don't upload confidential documents on the free tier. Why?
A Word file is a bundle of text and formatting instructions. Instead of copying the text out and pasting it back, DropTranslate opens the file itself and swaps only the words. Headings keep their styles, bold stays bold, tables keep their borders and column widths, and images, page breaks and headers stay put. You get a .docx back that you can open in Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice and keep editing. This is the format where we can promise the layout most confidently, so if you have the Word original of a PDF, start here.
How it works
Drop the .docx
We count the words, show the credit cost (one credit per 500 words) and wait for you to confirm.
Pick the language
Auto-detect the source or set it yourself, then choose the target language.
Download the .docx
Open it in your usual editor. Formatting inside sentences, like bold words or links, is carried across to the translation.
What changes, what stays
Translated
- Body text, headings, lists and table cells
- Text in headers, footers, footnotes and text boxes
- Words inside formatted runs (bold, italic, links), with the formatting carried across
Kept as-is
- Styles, fonts, colours, margins and page setup
- Table structure, images, shapes and page breaks
- Words that are part of an image
Layout: High: layout kept
Only the words change, so the document's structure is preserved. The one thing we can't control is length: a translation into German or French is often longer than the English original, so a page can spill onto the next one or a table cell can wrap to more lines.
- Right-to-left targets (Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Urdu) get right-to-left paragraph direction set in the file.
- Older .doc files (Word 97 to 2003) aren't supported yet. Open them in Word or LibreOffice and save as .docx first.
- Tracked changes and comments: accept or remove changes before translating, so you translate the version you actually want.
- Limits: 50 MB, 300 pages and 100,000 words per file.
Tips
- If the document uses a table of contents, update it after translating so the headings and page numbers match.
- Proper names, product names and codes usually come through unchanged, but check them in the result.
- Fonts that don't include the target alphabet will be replaced by your editor's fallback font. Pick a font family that covers the language if the look matters.
Not a certified translation
Machine translation, not a certified or sworn translation. If your document goes to an authority, check what it requires first.
Certified, sworn or machine translation: which one do you need?
Questions
Will my formatting survive?
Yes. We translate the text inside the file and leave styles, tables, images and page setup as they are. Bold or linked words inside a sentence keep their formatting in the translation, even when word order changes.
Can I translate a .doc file?
Not directly yet. Save it as .docx in Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice first, then drop the .docx here.
My translated document has more pages. Why?
Many languages need more words or longer words than English, so text reflows onto more lines. Nothing is cut; the document simply grows. Adjust font size or spacing if you need the same page count.
How are credits counted for Word files?
One credit per 500 words of original text, rounded up. A 2,000-word document costs 4 credits. The cost is shown before you confirm.