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SharePoint's built-in translation capabilities and limitations

What you need to know about translating content and language options in SharePoint

SharePoint provides strong multilingual features, but it’s important to understand the scope of its built-in capabilities and where manual effort is still required.

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Page Content Translation

Enabling multilingual support in SharePoint sets up the framework for multiple languages, but it does not automatically translate content. Page authors and editors must still create and manage translations manually. This ensures that content reflects the organization’s intended messaging but also means additional work is required when maintaining multiple versions of a site.

Language Support

SharePoint currently supports 50 languages. While this covers most global requirements, not all regional variants are available. For example, British English and Canadian French are not supported as separate options. Organizations should plan their multilingual strategy accordingly to avoid confusion when regional variants are expected.

Learn more about which languages are available. 

Translating Site Elements

Site title

1. Go to Settings on your SharePoint site.

2. Choose Site Information.

3. Select Translate Site Name.

4. Enter translations for the site name in each language you have enabled.

5. Select OK, and confirm your changes with the Save button.

Navigation labels

1. Select Edit in the navigation bar.

2. Pick the label you want to translate.

3. Select ... and choose Edit.

4. In the edit menu, select Translations under Display name.

5. Translate label into the appropriate language.

Note: Repeat these steps for each label individually.

Aggregated content (e.g., News Feeds)

Ensure that the source sites have been translated into the relevant languages, as aggregated content does not translate automatically.

 

Following these steps ensures that both static site elements and dynamic content sources are presented in the correct languages for end users.

Additional resources: