Taia translates Excel (XLSX) files directly, with no conversion step, because XLSX is already a native, editable spreadsheet format. Only the text inside cells gets translated — formulas, numeric values, cell structure, and formatting all carry over into the translated file exactly as they were in the original.
How Does Excel Translation Work?
Translating an XLSX file takes three steps, and none of them involve converting the file to a different format first.
- Upload the XLSX file at translate.taia.io. Because XLSX is a native, editable format, Taia reads the workbook directly — there’s no intermediate conversion step like the one PDF files require.
- AI or a professional linguist translates the text in place, using your translation memory, glossary, and style guide as reference so terminology and tone match previous translations of the same spreadsheet or related documents.
- Download the translated XLSX file with formulas, cell formatting, sheet tabs, and charts intact — only the translatable text has changed.
Unlike PDF, which must first be converted to an editable DOCX or PPTX before translation, XLSX is already editable — Taia translates it directly, in a single pass, with no conversion step. That means fewer steps and less room for the layout to drift from the original.
What Gets Preserved When You Translate an Excel File?
Excel translation preserves everything in the workbook except the text inside cells — and even then, only text content changes; formulas and numbers are left completely untouched. This formula-versus-text distinction is the key technical fact to understand before translating a spreadsheet:
- Formulas are never translated. Anything in a cell that starts with
=— aSUM, aVLOOKUP, a cross-sheet reference — carries over unchanged into the translated file. Only string (text) cell content is translated, not formulas or the numeric values they calculate. - Numeric values stay untouched. Numbers, dates, and calculated results are not text, so they pass through translation exactly as they were.
- Sheet tabs and sheet names are preserved. The workbook’s structure — how many sheets, their order, their names — stays the same.
- Formatting is preserved, including cell colors, borders, and number formats (currency symbols, decimal places, date formats).
- Charts and their labels are preserved. Text inside chart titles, axis labels, and legends is translated along with the rest of the workbook’s text content; the chart itself and its underlying data connections are untouched.
Because there’s no conversion step, this is a higher-fidelity translation than PDF’s convert-then-translate process — the workbook you download is the same file, structurally, as the one you uploaded, with the text swapped for its translation.
AI vs. Professional Translation for Excel Files
Use AI translation for internal spreadsheets, reports, and dashboards where speed matters most; use professional translation for client-facing financial reports, pricing sheets, or any workbook where a human linguist should verify terminology before it ships. Both draw from the same uploaded file, so switching between them doesn’t require re-uploading anything.
Instant AI translation is subscription-based. Every plan shares the same translation memory, glossary, and style guide:
- Free — 5,000 words/month
- Basic — €9/month, 20,000 words/month
- Pro — €39/month, 100,000 words/month
- Enterprise — custom pricing
Excel is included in Taia’s Free plan — unlike PDF, which requires Basic or higher, XLSX is one of the core formats you can translate from day one at no cost.
Professional translation is always pay-per-word, never a subscription, and combines machine translation with human post-editing across three tiers:
- Essential — one linguist reviews and edits the machine translation, from €0.06/word
- Enhanced — a translator plus a revisor, ISO 17100-certified process, from €0.09/word
- Ultimate — full TEP (translation, editing, and proofreading by three separate linguists), from €0.12/word
Spreadsheets with repeated text — product catalogs, price lists, recurring report templates — benefit especially from translation memory on the professional side, where reused segments reduce per-word cost. Hyundai cut turnaround time by 60% using Taia’s translation memory on recurring document sets, the same mechanism that speeds up repeat Excel translation work.
How Much Does It Cost to Translate an Excel File?
AI translation of an Excel file is included in your subscription, starting with the Free plan; professional translation is billed per word on top of that subscription. There’s no separate “Excel fee” — an XLSX workbook is translated at the same word-count-based pricing as any other supported format. For AI translation: Free (5,000 words/month), Basic (€9/month for 20,000 words), Pro (€39/month for 100,000 words), or custom Enterprise pricing. For professional translation: from €0.06/word (Essential), from €0.09/word (Enhanced), or from €0.12/word (Ultimate), scaled to the word count of the translatable text in the workbook — formulas and numbers aren’t counted, since they’re never translated.
Taia is an AI-first localization platform that combines instant AI translation in 204 languages and 65+ file formats, a built-in CAT editor and translation management system (TMS), and ISO 17100-certified professional linguists — with translation memory, glossary, and style guide shared across all three. Excel translation runs on the same platform, so a translated workbook has access to every one of those resources, including the translation memory that keeps terminology consistent across every spreadsheet you upload.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Excel files be translated automatically?
Yes. Upload an XLSX file at translate.taia.io and the text content is translated directly with AI — no conversion step is needed, since XLSX is already a native, editable format.
Do formulas get translated or broken when I translate an Excel file?
No. Only text (string) cell content is translated — formulas and the numeric values they produce are never translated and are never altered. A cell containing =SUM(A1:A10) carries over into the translated file exactly as it was, still calculating from the same range.
Is Excel translation included in the free plan?
Yes. XLSX is one of the core formats included in the Free plan (5,000 words/month), unlike PDF, which requires Basic or higher.
Does the formatting stay the same after translation?
Yes. Cell colors, borders, number formats, sheet tabs, and sheet names are all preserved. Because XLSX doesn’t need to be converted before translation, the translated file keeps the same structure as the original.
Can charts and chart labels be translated?
Yes. Text inside chart titles, axis labels, and legends is translated along with the rest of the workbook’s text. The chart itself and its underlying data connections are left untouched.
Should I convert my Excel file to another format before translating it?
No. XLSX is already editable, so it’s translated directly, with no conversion step. Converting it to another format first would add an unnecessary step and risk losing formulas or formatting — upload the .xlsx file as-is.
How much does it cost to translate an Excel file?
AI translation of an Excel file is covered by your subscription, starting with the Free plan (5,000 words/month), then Basic (€9/month for 20,000 words), Pro (€39/month for 100,000 words), or custom Enterprise pricing. Professional translation is billed per word, from €0.06/word for Essential, from €0.09/word for Enhanced, or from €0.12/word for Ultimate.
Can a human linguist review my translated Excel file?
Yes. Three professional tiers are available, all pay-per-word: Essential (one linguist, from €0.06/word), Enhanced (translator plus revisor, ISO 17100-certified, from €0.09/word), and Ultimate (full TEP — translation, editing, and proofreading — from €0.12/word). This is especially useful for client-facing spreadsheets like pricing sheets or financial reports.