Translate a Word document without losing its formatting
You wrote a handbook, a proposal or a menu in Word and need it in Spanish or French by Friday. Pasting it into a translator loses styles and tables. Your todo.is agent translates the .docx itself, so headings, numbering, tables, headers and footers stay in place, and you get an editable file back.
The prompt
- Translate the attached Word document [ATTACH THE DOCX] into [TARGET LANGUAGE]. Keep all formatting: styles, headings, numbered lists, tables, headers, footers, footnotes and images. Write for [AUDIENCE] in a [TONE] tone. Use this glossary and never translate these words: [GLOSSARY OR DO-NOT-TRANSLATE]. Save it as a new .docx with the language code added to the file name, and list any sentence where you had to guess the meaning.
What to change
- [ATTACH THE DOCX]: Attach the Word file (.docx or .doc, up to 50 MB).
- [TARGET LANGUAGE]: E.g. "Spanish for Mexico", "French for France" or "German and Italian, one file each".
- [AUDIENCE]: E.g. "new employees", "customers", "engineers" or "a government office".
- [TONE]: E.g. "friendly, informal 'tú'", "formal 'usted'" or "neutral".
- [GLOSSARY OR DO-NOT-TRANSLATE]: E.g. "keep 'Brightwave', 'Dashboard Pro' and 'SKU' in English; 'shift' = 'turno'", or "none".
Example result
- Translation report: Employee_Handbook_2026.docx
- English → Spanish (Mexico) · 28 pages · friendly "tú" tone · .docx
- What was kept
- • Heading styles (Heading 1-3), so the table of contents updates in Word
- • Numbered policies (4.1, 4.2...) and bullet lists
- • 6 tables, including the holiday calendar and the PTO table
- • Headers, footers, page numbers and footnotes
- • Your comments in the margin were translated too and kept as comments
- Glossary applied
- • Brightwave, Dashboard Pro, SKU: kept in English
- • shift → turno · manager → gerente · PTO → días de vacaciones pagados (PTO)
- Sample (section 3.2)
- Original: If you're running late, message your manager before your shift starts.
- Translation: Si vas a llegar tarde, avisa a tu gerente antes de que empiece tu turno.
- Flagged for review
- • 3.5 "at-will employment": a US legal term with no direct Mexican equivalent. Translated as "relación laboral por tiempo indeterminado"; check with HR or a lawyer
- • 6.1 "swing shift": translated as "turno vespertino"
- • 7.4 idiom "go the extra mile": rewritten as "dar un esfuerzo adicional"
- • 9.2 a sentence about benefits was ambiguous in English (who pays the fee?)
- After translation
- • Spanish runs about 20% longer, so two tables now wrap one more line; nothing was cut
- • Update the table of contents in Word (References, Update Table) to refresh page numbers
- • For policies with legal weight, have a native speaker or a certified translator review the final text
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and set the language, audience and glossary.
- Attach the .docx and paste the prompt in todo.is on the Today screen, or send them to your agent on WhatsApp or Telegram.
- Your agent translates the document inside Word, keeping every style and table.
- Download the new .docx. Reply "make it more formal" or "also make a French version" to get more.
Tips for a better result
- A short glossary of your product names and key terms keeps the translation consistent across all your documents. Your agent can remember it.
- Say "tú" or "usted" (Spanish), "tu" or "vous" (French), "du" or "Sie" (German). It changes the whole feel of the text.
- Track Changes in your file? Accept or reject them first, so only the final text gets translated.
- Legal, medical or HR policy text should get a review by a native speaker or certified translator before you publish it.
translate a Word document: FAQ
- Will the translated Word document keep my formatting? Yes. Styles, tables, lists, headers, footers and images stay. Longer languages may make some lines wrap, but nothing is cut.
- Can it translate comments and footnotes too? Yes. Comments, footnotes and text in tables, headers and text boxes are translated along with the body.
- Can I get several languages at once? Yes. List the languages and your agent makes one .docx per language with the language code in the file name.
- Is it good enough for legal documents? It is a solid draft for understanding and internal use. For contracts or official submissions, use a certified translator.
JavaScript is required to use the todo.is app.