Translate a Word document into English, layout intact

What changes when a Word document becomes English

English uses the Latin alphabet and reads left to right, so fonts and direction are rarely an issue. The changes that matter show up in the layout and in the conventions.

• Length: from French, English is typically 10 to 15% shorter; from German or Spanish the difference is often similar or larger. Manual page breaks end up higher on the page, and a table that just fitted may leave a gap below it.
• Punctuation: French spaces before : ; ? ! disappear, and « » or „ “ become “ ” or ‘ ’. British usage often prefers single quotation marks.
• Numbers: 1.234,50 or 1 234,50 becomes 1,234.50; 12,5 % becomes 12.5%, with no space.
• Dates: 03/04/2025 means 3 April in the UK and 4 March in the US. In contracts and schedules, 3 April 2025 avoids the problem.
• Plurals: English has only two categories, one and other, and zero takes the plural: 0 files received, not 0 file.

British or American English: decide first

The variant affects spelling (colour/color, organisation/organization, licence/license) and several conventions you will see in the document:

• Headings: American style often capitalises every main word (Annual Activity Report); British documents frequently use sentence case (Annual activity report).
• Titles: Mr, Mrs, Dr without a full stop in the UK; Mr., Mrs., Dr. in the US.
• Paper size: US readers print on Letter, not A4. Manuce keeps your original page dimensions; if you need Letter, change it in Word afterwards and recheck the pagination.
• Proofing language: if your styles are tagged as English (US), Word's spell checker will underline colour. That setting belongs to the file, not to the translated text, so check it after delivery.

The free sample, one paragraph of your own file translated before you pay, shows which conventions are followed before you commit the whole document.

What Manuce translates and returns, and what it does not

Manuce translates body paragraphs, tables, headers and footers and text boxes. A merged cell is translated and charged only once, however many columns it spans.

The .docx is rebuilt run by run: a bold word inside a sentence stays bold in the English sentence, built-in and custom heading styles remain applied, list numbering and column widths match the original. An automatic check then compares the form 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, handy for reusing the English wording in an email or on a website.

What Manuce does not do:

• It does not update fields for you. The table of contents and cross-references (“see page 7”) keep working, but show the old numbers until you update fields in Word. With shorter English text, those numbers almost always change.
• It does not produce certified or sworn translations. Birth certificates, degrees or court documents for a UK or US authority that requires a certified translation must go to a qualified sworn translator.

Preparing the file and checking the result

A little preparation saves most of the touch-ups:

• Space paragraphs with styles, not empty lines: once the text shrinks, runs of blank lines leave visible holes.
• Avoid manual page breaks mid-chapter; a “page break before” setting on the heading style follows the text instead.
• Accept or reject tracked changes and clear comments before uploading, so the final version is what gets translated.
• Spell out dates if the document is going to a US reader, or state the format in a note.

After delivery, check in this order:

1. Update all fields: table of contents, cross-references, numbered captions.
2. Scan page ends: orphaned headings, split tables, a blank last page.
3. Check figures and percentages for decimal points and spacing.
4. Review proper names and official terms: a French SARL or a German GmbH has no exact English equivalent and is usually kept as is, with a short gloss if needed.

Which level suits which Word document

An internal memo or meeting notes you simply need to understand fit the Essential level. A report, proposal or procedure going to an English-speaking client calls for Professional, translated by the engine that specialises in the field, which will choose tender rather than a literal call for offers for a British procurement document. Premium adds cross-review for documents where an awkward phrase would be costly. English is charged at the base rate, with no language coefficient.

In practice

1. Decide on British or American English and tidy the .docx: tracked changes, comments, empty lines.
2. Upload the file: the quote appears straight away, based on the exact word count.
3. Read the free sample to check tone and conventions, then pay to start the translation.
4. Download the translated .docx, update fields in Word and check page ends.