Smartcat translates the cell text in your whole workbook in one pass — your own column, row and per-sheet rules set the scope, and your glossary keeps every header identical on sheet 1 and sheet 12. Accepts .xlsx, .xls, .xlsm and .csv.
Before you upload: convert formulas to static values. Smartcat translates cell text, not spreadsheet logic — formulas are not evaluated, extracted or carried through as working formulas, so a workbook full of =SUM() and =VLOOKUP() comes back with them skipped or broken.
Paste-as-values into a copy, translate the copy, and keep the original as your calculating master.
Trusted by 1,000+ enterprise brands to translate their global content
To translate an Excel file to English — or any of 280+ languages — upload the workbook, choose your languages, and download the translated file in the same .xlsx format.
Cell text is translated in place, formatting and sheet structure are kept, and you set which columns, rows and sheets are in scope before upload. Formulas are the exception — read this first.
Spreadsheets are not prose; they are structure that happens to contain words. So a spreadsheet translator owes you two answers up front: which cells it will touch, and what it does with the parts it cannot handle.
A:H
the scope you set, per sheet
Enter a column range like A:H or a row range like 1:50 — or both — and choose whether that range is translated or left alone. Separate rules per sheet.
1
Smartword per source word
Metered by words processed, not file size or sheet count. No cap on how many files you upload, on any plan.
for ease of setup
for ease of use
enterprise brands
average rating on G2
A 1:1 consultation with a specialist — scope rules, formula prep and review workflow on your own files.
Step one is the manual one, and it is worth doing: formulas do not survive translation, so translate a values-only copy.
Flatten the formulas
Save a copy and paste its calculated cells as static values (Home → Paste → Values). Keep the original as your calculating master.
Upload the workbook
Drag your .xlsx, .xls, .xlsm or .csv in. Multi-sheet files upload as one file, not sheet by sheet, and there is no cap on how many you add.
Set the scope
Enter the columns (A:H) or rows (1:50) you want, or both, and choose include-only or exclude-only — separate rules per sheet.
Plus switches for sheet names, hidden cells and sheets, headers and footers, comments, graphics, shape text and nested presentations.
Pick your languages
One source, as many of the 280+ targets as you need, with glossary and translation memory keeping headers and product names consistent across every sheet.
Review the draft
Check the translation in the editor, or export straight away when the draft is enough. Numbers, currencies and dates come through as authored, so this is where a reviewer sets local conventions.
Export the same file type
Download the format you uploaded. Translating several workbooks? Select the projects and click Download for one ZIP, sorted into folders.
2–3 days
eLearning translation turnaround, down from 10 days
Smith+Nephew, for the same course length, against an average of 10 days with their previous providers
$1.20
per 1,000 words, down from $200–300
Stanley Black & Decker cut L&D translation costs by up to 70% and average turnaround by two weeks
31 hours
of work time saved monthly
For Babbel’s marketing and L&D departments
Upload the workbook (values, not formulas), pick your languages, and download the same .xlsx with every sheet translated, formatting kept and your terminology identical throughout.
Free for 15 days with 15,000 Smartwords, no credit card.
No — get this answer before you upload. Cell text is translated in place, including text in the columns you mark as translatable, and formatting and sheet structure are rebuilt.
Formulas are not evaluated, extracted or carried through as working formulas: they are typically skipped or broken.
What to do instead:
If a translation tool does not tell you what it does with your formulas, assume the same and check the output before anyone reports numbers from it. Macro-driven workbooks have their own quirks — see how VBA and macro text is handled.
Partly. ChatGPT accepts an .xlsx and translates the text it extracts, but it works on that extracted text, not the workbook:
Formulas do not survive that route either. Fine for reading a small sheet; unreliable when you need the workbook back.
Yes — DeepL accepts .xlsx uploads and generally returns a formatted file. The limits show up at work volume:
Translate the same workbook repeatedly and that consistency gap is the cost.
Only partially. Google Translate's document upload accepts .xlsx, but the output frequently loses formatting, merged cells and chart context, and there is no way to protect designated columns or enforce terminology.
Fine for a one-time gist of a simple sheet — that is what it is for. For a workbook that has to read consistently across twelve sheets and a dozen future versions, you need scope control and shared terminology.
As one file. All sheets are translated in a single pass with the same glossary throughout, so a term translated on sheet one is identical on sheet twelve. Nothing to split, nothing to reassemble. This is the same route as translating an entire Excel document.
Yes, at upload. In the Excel upload settings, enter a column range (for example A:H) or a row range (for example 1:50) — or both — and choose whether that range is translated or left alone.
You can set separate rules for each sheet, and hidden sheets stay out entirely if you leave the “hidden cells and sheets” option switched off. More on scoping a spreadsheet translation.
Excel has a built-in Translator pane (Review → Translate). It is useful for reading a cell or two, but it translates selections one at a time, does not apply across a workbook, and does not enforce consistent terminology.
It solves “what does this cell say,” not “deliver this workbook in Spanish.” If cell-level work is what you need, see translating individual cells.
Translation is metered in Smartwords, one Smartword per source word processed — not by file size or sheet count, and with no cap on the number of files, on any plan.
One exception on a spreadsheet page: text inside an image costs a flat 1,000 Smartwords per image, whatever the amount of text.
Every plan starts free for 15 days with 15,000 Smartwords and full access to translation capabilities, no credit card. Details on the pricing page.
Smartcat is SOC 2 Type II compliant. Files are encrypted in transit and at rest, and workspaces are isolated so no other account can reach your workbooks.
Access is granted per user, with role-based rights. Details on the security page.
No. Microsoft and Excel are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Smartcat is an independent platform, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Microsoft. Smartcat translates Excel files while preserving their formatting and structure, including workbooks stored in Microsoft 365.
Question not covered? Book a demo — a 1:1 consultation with a specialist, and bring your actual workbook.
1. Smartcat customer case study, Stanley Black & Decker. https://www.smartcat.com/cases/stanley-black-and-decker/.
2. Smartcat customer case study, Smith+Nephew. https://www.smartcat.com/cases/smith-nephew/.