How to write a Word document in multiple languages

Sometimes we have to face the task of writing the same text in several languages ​​when working on a Microsoft Word document. It is not a simple task, as it usually poses endless complications: incorrect translations, grammatical errors, spelling mistakes... How to write a Word document in multiple languages ​​and not die trying? We explain it here.

The "trick" is given to us by the program itself. Microsoft offers a function through which you can write in several languages ​​in the same Word document. The solution is to learn how to configure the styles for each language and apply them correctly. The result is a professional quality text.

The "Styles" feature of Microsoft Word

To help us achieve this goal, Microsoft Word has a specific function called “Styles”. With it, we will be able to write in more than one language in a relatively simple way. Different types of styles can be created and modified in each language, both in paragraphs and in titles and subtitles. Here's how to use this feature step by step:

Step 1: Establish the basic format

The first thing we have to do is determine what is the basic format to use for the text in each language. This is achieved by selecting the "Normal" style, that is, the text formatting base on which other styles will be applied (or not). To do so, you must follow these steps:

1. With the Word document open, first we go to the tab "Start", in the ribbon at the top of the screen.
2. Then we access the group "Styles".
3. There we right click on "Modify" and, in the options that appear, we choose "Normal".

From here we will be able to select from a wide range of options (font size, font type, alignment, line spacing, etc.).

Step 2: Set the style

After having defined the format, you can now configure the specific style for each of the languages that we are going to use in our Word document. We illustrate this with a fairly common example: a bilingual text in Spanish and English. In this case, the steps to follow would be these:

1. First, we write the text in the second language (in our example, English) and we select everything.
2. Then we right click and, in the box that opens, select "Styles".
3. Then we click on «Apply styles», which opens a dialog box.
4. Let's go directly to the option «Style name», where we write the name of the language in which we are writing (here, English) and click on "New".
5. The next step is to select "Modify", in order to customize the style we just created.
6. Then a new one opens “Modify Style” dialog box. There we select these two options in order:
   • Format.
   • Language.
7. After choosing the corresponding language, it is important uncheck the option "Do not check spelling or grammar". As strange as it may seem, leaving this box out is what allows Word to recognize the language and thus make corresponding spelling and grammar corrections.
8. Finally, we validate everything by clicking on "To accept".

We have to repeat the two phases of this process for each new language that we want to use in our Word document. You can easily switch between the different styles created through the "Home" tab, selecting the corresponding style in the "Styles" group. With this we will be able to maintain a coherent format and make the task of writing easier. In addition, we will have the practical spelling correction function for each of the languages.

Change the display and editing language in Word

Now that we know what to do to write a Word document in multiple languages, let's see what needs to be done to change the display and editing language. These changes do not affect the body of the text, but rather the language of the program's commands and tools.

To change the display language do the following:

1. To begin, in the Word tools ribbon we are going to "File".
2. Then we click on "Options".
3. In the dialog box that appears, we choose "Idiom" (the one selected by default is displayed at the bottom of the box).
4. We select the new language and click "Set as default."
5. Finally, we restart the program.

On the other hand, if what we want is to change the editing language, these are the steps to follow:

1. As before, we go to the Word tools ribbon and select "File".
2. Then we click on "Options".
3. We choose "Idiom" in the dialog box that opens next.
4. To enable a new editing language, uncheck the “Not enabled” box of the chosen language. If the language we are looking for does not appear in the list, it can be activated manually among the more than one hundred options offered by Microsoft.
5. Finally, for the changes to be applied, we press the button "Save".