Translate an Annual Report in Word into English

What changes when an annual report goes into English

An annual report combines narrative (chair's letter, strategy, sustainability) with strict accounting terminology. Whatever the source language, English brings conventions that must be applied consistently across the whole document.

• Financial terminology: the top line is revenue (or turnover, still common in the UK); the reporting period is a financial year in British usage and a fiscal year in American usage; French capitaux propres or German Eigenkapital become equity.
• Numbers: many European languages use a decimal comma and a space or full stop for thousands. In English, 1 234,5 or 1.234,5 becomes 1,234.5, and "12,5 M€" becomes €12.5m or €12.5 million, with the currency symbol before the amount.
• Dates: 31 December 2024 in British English, December 31, 2024 in American English. A numeric date such as 03/04/2024 reads as 3 April in the UK and 4 March in the US.
• Spelling: organisation / organization, programme / program, labour / labor. A report should stick to one variant throughout.

English text is usually 10 to 15% shorter than French: table cells and text boxes gain breathing room, though a tightly fitted panel may end up with a little white space.

What Manuce returns, and what it does not do

The report is handled by Métis, Manuce's financial specialist. It translates:

• body paragraphs;
• tables, including merged cells, which are translated and charged only once;
• headers and footers (for instance "Annual Report 2024 – X Group");
• text boxes, often used for highlighted key figures.

Your original .docx comes back text segment by text segment: fonts, sizes, colours, bold and italics, styles, note numbering and table widths remain those of the original. An automatic check compares the layout of the translated document with the original and flags any discrepancy. You receive the file in its original format, plus a Word version, a PDF and the plain text.

What Manuce does not do:

• The table of contents and cross-references ("see note 12, page 48") remain automatic fields. They keep working, but page numbers are recalculated by updating fields in Word after translation.
• A chart or organisation chart pasted as an image is not among the translated elements: its text is fixed in the picture.
• Manuce does not produce sworn or certified translations. If a regulator or court requires a version certified by a sworn translator, you will need to use one.

Financial tables in English: points to watch

The financial statements are the densest part of the report and the place where inconsistency shows most. A few English reporting conventions to bear in mind:

• Units in column headings: "in thousands of euros" is commonly shortened to € thousand or €000, "in millions" to € million or €m.
• Negative amounts: English-language statements often show them in brackets, (1,250) rather than -1,250. The figures themselves stay as they are in your file, so if you want that presentation it needs to be in the original.
• Abbreviations: a "not significant" marker usually becomes n.m. (not meaningful); "Y-1" style labels become prior year or the explicit year.
• Standard captions: under IFRS wording, group net profit is net profit attributable to owners of the parent, and the cash flow table is the statement of cash flows.

Because table widths are preserved and English is usually shorter, numeric columns stay aligned. A long English caption in a narrow column (Depreciation, amortisation and impairment) may still wrap onto two lines: something to spot during review.

Preparing the file and checking the translation

Before uploading:

• Upload the final version: accept or reject tracked changes and delete internal comments, so that only the published text is translated.
• If key figures sit inside images, replace them where possible with Word text boxes or tables, which will be translated.
• Make sure the table of contents is an automatic field rather than a typed list: only a field recalculates after translation.

Manuce does not take glossaries or terminology instructions. For an in-house term that must stay unchanged (the name of a strategic plan such as "Horizon 2027", a brand, an internal KPI), check it first in the free sample, one paragraph of your file translated at the chosen level before you pay, then in the delivered translation. Use the sample to check the English variant, number formats and dates as well.

After delivery, open the .docx in Word, update fields to refresh the contents page and cross-references, then review the financial statement captions, column headings and highlighted key figures first. For a report going to shareholders or investors, the Professional level (ready to send) or Premium (with cross-review) is the better fit.

In practice

1. Finalise the .docx: resolve tracked changes and delete comments.
2. Upload the file and see the quote, based on the exact word count.
3. Check the free sample: terminology, English variant, numbers and dates.
4. Pay, then download the translated .docx, Word version, PDF and plain text.
5. In Word, update fields and review the financial tables.