- Four places to start a translation
- Translating a design step by step
- Tone of voice and the layout settings
- Which languages Canva can translate into
- Writing copy that machine translation handles well
- Translating cells in Canva Sheets
- When to use Smartling instead
- Translating designs versus changing Canva's language
- My verdict on Canva Translate
- Frequently asked questions
Canva Translate is the built-in feature that turns the text in your design into another language, and you can start it by right-clicking a text box, from Magic Switch in Resize, from a page's Edit panel or from the Apps tab. As of October 2026 it works on one language at a time within a 2000-character limit, and Canva says you can choose from 100+ languages.
Two default settings decide what happens to your original, and most people don't notice them. Duplicate page when translating is switched on, so Canva keeps your page and adds a translated copy. Reduce font size to fit is on as well, which stops longer translations overlapping but shrinks your text to make it fit. If you're translating a brand asset with set type sizes, check both before you start.
Four places to start a translation
| Where you start | What it translates | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Right-click a text box, then Translate text | Whole pages, or selected text on the current page | Translate from is set to detect the language automatically |
| Resize, then Magic Switch, then Translate | The design, as a translated copy by default | Selected text isn't available here, and it's one language at a time |
| A page thumbnail, then Edit, then Translate | The pages you pick | Tone of voice and settings sit in the same panel |
| Apps tab, More from Canva, then Translate | Opens the Translate app and its Settings tab | After the first time, the app sits in your side panel |
Translating a design step by step
- Create or open any design.
- Right-click the text box you want to translate and select Translate text.
- Use the dropdown to choose a language under Translate to.
- Optionally, pick a tone of voice if your language supports one.
- Choose Translate pages to pick whole pages, or Select text from current page to translate specific text.
- Select Translate and wait for it to finish.
Once you've used it, the last language you translated into becomes the new default, which saves a click if you're producing the same language every week. If the font you've used isn't supported, Translate asks you to choose another. And if the translation goes through but the characters look wrong, that's a font problem too, so swap the font.
If you'd rather overwrite the design than duplicate it, go through Resize instead. Under Magic Switch, choose Translate, pick the language and pages, and tick Translate existing design without creating a copy.
Tone of voice and the layout settings
Tone of voice is optional and only offered in some languages. The choices are Original, Conversational, Informative, Professional, Friendly and Inspirational. Canva lists the target languages that support it as English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Indonesian, German, Italian, Hindi, Turkish, Japanese, Thai, Chinese (Simplified), Vietnamese, Russian, Chinese (Traditional), Dutch, Korean and Polish.
The Settings tab has three switches. Reduce font size to fit and Duplicate page when translating are both on by default. The third, Mirror page to match text direction, is there to support right-to-left languages, so a layout built for English doesn't end up reading backwards.
Which languages Canva can translate into
Canva groups its language list by region. The Asia list is the longest and runs from Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese and Korean to languages you rarely see supported, such as Bhojpuri, Konkani, Maithili and Mizo. The Americas and Oceania list covers English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Haitian Creole, Hawaiian, Quechua, Aymara, Guarani and Samoan. Europe runs from Albanian to Yiddish and includes Welsh, Irish, Scots Gaelic, Latin and Esperanto. The Africa list includes Afrikaans, Amharic, Hausa, Igbo, Swahili, Yoruba and Zulu.
One detail is easy to miss: Portuguese appears twice, as Portuguese (Brazil) and Portuguese (Portugal). If you sell into one market rather than the other, pick the right one.
Writing copy that machine translation handles well
Canva says Translate uses machine learning, so the result depends on what you feed it. Its own advice is to keep sentences short and simple, avoid slang and idioms, give enough context for the meaning to be clear, use punctuation correctly and break long sentences into shorter ones.
The tip that catches designers out is line breaks. If you've pressed Enter halfway through a sentence to make it fit a text box, Translate won't recognise it as one sentence. Canva's suggestion is to translate each line separately, but I'd rather remove the break, translate, then reflow the text.
Translating cells in Canva Sheets
Translate also works in Canva Sheets. Select the cells, choose Actions in the floating toolbar, then Translate, pick a language and, if you like, a tone. After you select Translate text in selected cells, you choose between overwriting the original or Add to new column, which keeps both versions side by side. To do a whole sheet page, use Actions, then Translate page, and choose which pages to apply it to.
When to use Smartling instead
If your translations go through human translators, Canva connects to Smartling. You'll need a Smartling account. Search for Smartling under Apps, choose a new or existing design, connect and sign in, then pick the Smartling project and either whole pages or individual text elements. Give the job a name that's unique within that project, and add a due date or instructions for the translators if you want.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
The languages you can choose are set per project inside Smartling, so if one's missing, change the project's configuration there rather than in Canva. You can check progress by reopening the app in the design, and you'll get an email when the job's done. Then select Generate translations to create the translated versions of your design.
People who read this usually go on to Canva Captions.
Translating designs versus changing Canva's language
Translate changes the words in your design. It doesn't change the language of Canva's menus, which lives under Your profile, and it doesn't set the screen reader language, which is in File, then Settings, then Locale settings. That last one tells screen readers what language your design is in without changing the language you use Canva in. If it's the menus you're after, here's my guide to changing Canva's interface language.
My verdict on Canva Translate
I'd use Canva Translate for quick versions of social posts, presentations and flyers in a market you already know, especially with tone of voice switched on. I'd use the Smartling route if your copy needs a human translator to sign it off, and I'd skip relying on Translate alone for idiom-heavy marketing lines. Canva also notes it's changed how AI usage limits work, so it's worth checking your AI access if you're translating at volume. If you're using the other AI tools too, here's how I'd approach Canva AI.
Turning one design into five languages in minutes is the kind of time saving I help teams find across their whole workflow. I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement and workflow automation, so the busywork runs itself and people get time back. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.
Frequently asked questions
How much text can Canva Translate handle at once?
You can translate multiple pages and one language at a time within the 2000-character limit.
Does Canva Translate keep my original design?
By default, yes. Duplicate page when translating is on, so Canva keeps the original and adds a translated copy. In Magic Switch you can tick Translate existing design without creating a copy instead.
Why do my translated letters look wrong in Canva?
Translate doesn't work with all fonts. If the translation goes through but shows different characters, choose another font.
Can Canva translate into right-to-left languages?
Arabic and Hebrew are on Canva's list, and the Mirror page to match text direction setting is there to support right-to-left languages.
Which languages support tone of voice in Canva Translate?
English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Indonesian, German, Italian, Hindi, Turkish, Japanese, Thai, Chinese (Simplified), Vietnamese, Russian, Chinese (Traditional), Dutch, Korean and Polish.
