How to translate a banner into another language, step by step

To translate a banner into another language you have three options: retype the text in the original design file, edit the flat image by hand, or use an AI image translator that redraws the words in place. Whichever you pick, the work has the same three stages: prepare the source and a list of terms that must not change, produce the new version, then have someone who reads the language check it before it goes live. This guide covers each route, the preparation, the review and the things that catch people out, such as longer text and right-to-left scripts.

The three ways to translate a banner

The routes differ in what you need to start, how long each language takes and how much control you keep over the lettering.

The design file route gives the cleanest result because the text is still live text: paste in each translation, adjust size and line breaks, export. Some editors add a shortcut for flat images. Canva's own page describes a Canva Pro workflow in which Grab Text separates the words from an uploaded picture and its Translate app then changes them, in more than 130 languages.

The by-hand route means painting out the old words, repairing whatever was behind them and typing the new ones on top. A headline over a photograph can take longer to erase than to write.

The AI route hands the job to a model that reads the text, translates it and redraws it in the same place. ImageTranslate's 2022 guide describes changing the wording, font, size and alignment in its editor, while the 2026 guide from getimg.ai describes a one-step action with 12 target languages. For a wider view, see banner translation tools compared.

What to prepare before you translate

Ten minutes of preparation saves a round of corrections in every language.

• The final source. Use the approved banner at full size, not a screenshot or a draft. Any late change has to be repeated in each language.
• Fonts. In a design file, check that your brand typeface has the letters the new language needs. Microsoft's globalisation guidance warns against assuming that a font supports a given script, and a missing character shows as a placeholder glyph nicknamed tofu.
• A glossary. List the terms that must never change, and the approved translation of anything that recurs, such as a tagline. A spreadsheet is enough. Microsoft's terminology guidance recommends settling these before the main work begins.
• The exact target. "Portuguese" is not a full instruction, so say whether you mean Brazil or Portugal. Microsoft's guidance on AI translation notes that language models can have trouble telling such variants apart.
• The placement. Know what each platform accepts. Google's specification for uploaded display ads, for example, lists GIF, JPG and PNG files of up to 150 KB. The guide to JPG, PNG or WebP for banner ads covers the trade-offs.

Which text to leave alone

Not every word on a banner should be translated. Write the exceptions into the glossary as a do-not-translate list.

• Brand and product names, and logo lettering. These normally stay exactly as they are.
• URLs, social handles, hashtags and promo codes. A translated URL is a broken URL.
• Prices and numbers. The amount must not change in translation. Whether its format or currency should change is a separate question, covered in the guide to what changes besides the words.
• Taglines kept in the original on purpose. Mozilla's German marketing style guide, for instance, says one of its English brand claims is never translated into German, while other lines are.
• Legal lines. Do not improvise these. Google's advertising policies make you responsible for complying with the local laws of every area your ads target, so use wording approved for that market, not a literal translation of your home disclaimer.

How to translate a banner with an AI image translator

The steps are much the same in any tool of this kind.

1. Start from the approved, full-size image.
2. Choose the target languages, and the regional variant where the tool offers one.
3. Run one language first and look at it closely before you run the rest.
4. Compare each result with the original: same size, same logo, same picture, same numbers.
5. Send every version to someone who reads that language, with the checklist below.
6. Fix or regenerate anything they flag, then export in a format your ad platform accepts.

How it works in BannerTranslate

BannerTranslate is a web app that works on the finished image. You sign in with Google or email, upload one banner as a PNG, JPG or WebP of up to 12 MB, and choose Translate.

1. Pick up to 5 languages for that banner from 46, including the right-to-left ones: Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and Urdu.
2. Start the run. Each version takes about a minute to draw, a countdown shows when they will be ready, and each one appears as it finishes.
3. Download a single version, or all of them as a zip, as JPG, PNG or WebP.

Each version keeps the banner's own pixel size, imagery, logos, colours and layout, and only the words change. Brand names, logo lettering, URLs, prices and numbers are kept as they are. So you can translate a banner without the design file.

The limits are worth knowing. The result is a flat image, not editable layers, and it is drawn by an AI image model, so every version should be checked by someone who reads the language before it is published. It does not handle animated or HTML5 banners or video. Other sizes are a separate run, described in how to resize a banner.

A machine translation with no second reader is a bit like a dog with a dictionary: keen, well equipped and not to be trusted with the small print.

The review checklist for someone who reads the language

Give your reviewer the original and the translated banner side by side, plus the glossary, and ask them to work through these points.

1. Meaning. Does each line say what the original says, with nothing added or dropped? Microsoft notes that language models can insert words that were never in the source.
2. Letters. Is every character correct, including accents and small print? Lettering drawn by an image model can come out misshapen.
3. Protected terms. Are the brand name, URL, code, price and every number identical to the original?
4. Tone. Is the level of formality right for the audience, and the same from headline to button?
5. Line breaks. Is any word split oddly, any line cut off, or any text touching the logo or the edge?
6. Legibility. Can you read it at the size it will be shown? Google's editorial policy does not allow images with illegible text.
7. Direction. For Arabic, Hebrew, Persian or Urdu, does the text read correctly from right to left, with numbers and Latin words in the right order?
8. Destination. Does the banner lead to a page in the same language?

Ask for each problem to be marked "must fix" or "would be nicer". It keeps error apart from opinion.

What to do when the translation is longer

Translated text is rarely the same length as the original, and short text grows the most. The W3C's article on text size in translation cites IBM guidance giving an average expansion of 200 to 300 per cent for English text of up to 10 characters, falling to 130 per cent for text of more than 70 characters. Its own example is the word "views", which is 2.8 times as long in German and 3 times as long in Italian.

A two-word button is exactly the kind of text that outgrows its box. Try these fixes in order.

1. Ask the translator or reviewer for a shorter wording with the same meaning.
2. Let the line wrap onto a second line if the layout has room.
3. Reduce the type size a little, but never below what is readable at display size.
4. Give the button and headline spare room in the master banner, then translate again.

Be wary of abbreviating: the W3C cautions that other languages may not be able to copy an abbreviation that works in English. More detail is in the guide to why translated banners break.

Right-to-left scripts need more than new words

Direction belongs to the script, not the language, as the W3C explains. Arabic script, which is used for Arabic, Persian, Urdu and many other languages, runs from right to left, and so does Hebrew script.

Two things follow for a banner. First, the text is mixed: the W3C's introduction to the bidirectional algorithm shows that numbers and Latin words, such as a URL or a brand name, still run left to right inside right-to-left text. Ordering mistakes hide there, so ask your reviewer to read prices and web addresses with care.

Second, the layout may want mirroring. Google's Material Design guidance says that in a mirrored layout the text is aligned to the right and directional icons such as arrows are flipped, while numbers, untranslated text and icons with no direction are not. A tool that keeps your layout and changes only the words will not make that decision for you. See right-to-left banners for the design side.

When a human translator is the right call

Machine translation is a fast first pass. Pay a professional when any of these apply.

• The line is clever. Slogans, puns and humour need rewriting for the market, not translating. Microsoft's globalisation documentation calls this transcreation and says it is mostly used for content such as slogans, headlines and campaigns.
• The wording is regulated. Health, finance, alcohol and anything with a legal line needs a qualified person.
• The terminology is specialised. Microsoft notes that language models may do worse in fields with specialised terms, and that output quality depends on how much training data exists for a language.
• Nobody on your team reads the language. You cannot review what you cannot read, so hire the reader.

A sensible middle path is machine first, human second: generate the versions, then pay a translator to correct them.

There is more on planning the whole job in running a multilingual banner campaign, and every guide is listed in the resources hub.

FAQ

Can I translate a banner without the original design file?

Yes. You can edit the flat image by hand, or use an AI image translator that reads the text and redraws it in the new language. The result is another flat image, so a later change means running it again or editing by hand.

Will an AI image translator keep my fonts and layout?

It depends on the tool, and each describes this differently. BannerTranslate keeps the banner's pixel size, imagery, logos, colours and layout and changes only the words. With any tool, compare the result with the original. The getimg.ai guide, for one, recommends localising by hand when exact brand fonts and kerning matter.

Do I need a native speaker to check a machine-translated banner?

You need someone who reads the language well and knows the market. Machine output can be fluent and still wrong, and lettering drawn by an image model can contain malformed characters. A five-minute check is cheap next to a public mistake.

Can I translate animated or HTML5 banners the same way?

No. Flat-image methods work on still images only. An animated or HTML5 banner needs its text changed in the source project, and each frame or state then needs the same review as a still banner.

Does the landing page need to be translated too?

It should be. A banner in one language that opens a page in another loses readers at the first click. Google's help page on language targeting describes checking whether a person understands the language of both the creative and the landing page.

Sources

• ImageTranslate: Translate Google Display Ads – the company's own description of its upload and editing steps.
• Canva: Online Image Translator – Canva's own description of Grab Text, Translate and its language count.
• getimg.ai: How to Localize Image Creatives with AI – its own workflow, language list and advice on when to localise by hand.
• W3C: Text size in translation – expansion figures, the "views" example and the caution on abbreviations.
• W3C: Languages using right-to-left scripts – which scripts and languages run right to left.
• W3C: Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm basics – how numbers and Latin words behave inside right-to-left text.
• Material Design: Bidirectionality – what is and is not mirrored in a right-to-left layout.
• Google Ads Help: About language targeting – language of the creative and the landing page.
• Google Ads Help: Uploaded display ads specifications – accepted file types and the 150 KB limit.
• Google Advertising Policies: Editorial – the rule against illegible text in images.
• Google Advertising Policies: Legal requirements – responsibility for local laws where ads are targeted.
• Microsoft Learn: Manage terminology – glossaries and do-not-translate terms.
• Microsoft Learn: Font fallback and font linking – fonts that lack a script, and tofu.
• Microsoft Learn: Use AI and large language models for translation – fabrications, language variants and specialised terminology.
• Microsoft Learn: Transcreation – what transcreation is and when it is used.
• Mozilla: German Firefox marketing style guide – a brand claim kept in English.