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Canva Sheets includes a Translate action for selected cells and entire sheet pages. For selected cells, you can either replace the original text or place the translation in a new column. The new-column option is safer when you need to compare, edit, or approve the result.
Translate selected cells
- Open the Canva Sheet and select the cell or contiguous range containing the text.
- In the floating toolbar, select Actions.
- Select Translate.
- Choose the target language.
- Optionally choose a tone of voice.
- Select Translate text in selected cells.
- Choose Translate to overwrite the selected text, or Add to new column to preserve both versions.
Canva's current Translate cells or pages help page documents both output choices. If the sheet contains valuable source copy, use a new column or duplicate the page before overwriting anything.
Translate an entire Canva Sheets page
- Open the sheet page you want to translate.
- Select Actions in the floating toolbar, then Translate.
- Choose the target language and, if appropriate, a tone.
- Select Translate page.
- Under Apply to page, choose the page or pages to process.
- Select Translate to finish.
For a large workbook, test one page first. Confirm the output location and page-selection options before running the action across multiple pages.
Choose the right translation workflow
| Situation | Recommended choice |
|---|---|
| You need to review both languages | Translate selected cells and add the result to a new column |
| The source must remain unchanged | Duplicate the page or file before translating |
| You need a fully localized copy | Translate the page, then review every column and heading |
| Text will feed a Bulk Create design | Keep source and target languages in clearly labeled columns |
| Content is legal, medical, financial, or safety-related | Use a qualified human reviewer before publishing or acting on it |
Review the translation before using it
Automatic translation can change tone, terminology, and ambiguity. Check:
- names, product names, acronyms, and terms that should not be translated;
- dates, decimal separators, currencies, units, and phone numbers;
- placeholders, variables, formulas, links, and codes;
- row-to-row consistency for repeated phrases;
- formal versus informal address;
- text expansion that may overflow a linked design.
A tone option may rewrite phrasing rather than translate it literally. Leave it neutral when fidelity is more important than style, and apply brand voice during a separate editing pass.
Prepare the sheet for better results
- Use one language per source column.
- Keep headings short and unambiguous.
- Separate text from IDs, SKUs, URLs, and numeric values when possible.
- Remove line breaks that accidentally join unrelated phrases.
- Create a terminology list for names and industry-specific terms.
- Label output columns clearly, such as Description_en and Description_vi.
If Translate is missing
- Confirm that you are working in Canva Sheets rather than a table inside another design type.
- Select a cell or range with text before opening Actions.
- Check whether the feature is available for your account, plan, region, and workspace permissions.
- Refresh Canva or try the desktop browser if the mobile menu differs.
- Ask a workspace administrator whether AI or translation features have been restricted.
The fastest reliable workflow is to keep the source, translate into a parallel column, review the output, and only then connect the translated data to designs or publish it.
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