How to translate speaker notes in Google Slides
Short answer: You can paste the notes under each slide through Google Translate one by one. You can upload the deck to Google Translate as a .pptx file and check the notes afterwards. Or you can use a translation add-on. In Translate Slides with AI, tick Also translate speaker notes, and each slide's notes are translated together with that slide.
Before you start: work on a copy
All three ways below replace the original notes with the translation. To keep both versions, choose File → Make a copy first and translate the copy. If you present in two languages, you then have one deck per language, each with its own notes.
Way 1: copy and paste through Google Translate
This needs nothing installed and works for any language Google Translate supports.
- Open the notes panel with View → Show speaker notes. The notes appear under the slide.
- Click into the notes and select all their text with Ctrl+A (⌘+A on a Mac). Copy it.
- Paste it into Google Translate, pick the target language and copy the translation.
- Paste the translation back over the original notes.
- Go to the next slide and repeat.
- Free.
- Nothing to install or approve.
- You read every sentence as you go.
- One round per slide, so a long deck takes a while.
- A bold word or a link inside the notes may need to be put back by hand.
- Easy to skip a slide by mistake.
Way 2: upload the deck to Google Translate as a .pptx
Google Translate on a computer can translate whole files. According to Google's help page (checked 16 October 2026), it accepts .docx, .pdf, .pptx and .xlsx files up to 10 MB. Text inside images is not translated, and document translation is not available on phones.
- In Google Slides, download the deck as a Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx) file.
- On translate.google.com, upload the file as a document, pick the languages and download the translated file.
- Open the translated file in Google Slides again, through Google Drive.
- Open the speaker notes on several slides and check them.
Google's help page does not describe how speaker notes are handled in a .pptx upload. Do not assume they were translated: look at them before you present.
- Free.
- The whole deck in one upload.
- The deck makes a round trip through PowerPoint format, so check fonts and layout on every slide.
- Notes handling is not documented.
- Files over 10 MB are refused.
- Not available on phones.
Way 3: one checkbox in Translate Slides with AI
Translate Slides with AI is a Google Slides™ add-on that translates the open presentation in place. Speaker notes are an option in its panel.
- Open the copy of your deck and choose Extensions → Translate Slides with AI → 🌐 Open translator.
- In From, leave Auto-detect or pick the deck's language. In To, choose the target language. There is no default target.
- Tick Also translate speaker notes.
- To translate every slide, leave the other two boxes unticked. To translate one slide, tick Translate only the current slide.
- Click Translate deck. A clean run ends with ✅ Done.
What happens to the notes
- Notes are translated slide by slide, in the same run as the slide they belong to.
- Notes in a single style are sent in the same request as the slide's other single-style text. Notes with mixed styling, such as one bold word or a link, are sent as their own request at the same time, so the styling stays on the right words.
- Empty notes are skipped. Nothing is sent for them.
- Anything you write in Prompt / context, such as "formal tone, keep brand names", applies to the notes too.
How notes count against your allowance
The free plan includes 100 translated slides per calendar month, reset on the 1st (UTC). The count is per slide, not per text box. A slide counts once if anything on it was translated, and its notes are part of it. Ticking the notes box does not add extra slides to the count. A slide whose only text is in its notes still counts as one slide.
Limits to know
- Translate only the selected text or frame never includes notes, even when the notes box is ticked.
- There is no notes-only mode. With the box ticked, the slide text is translated as well.
- The translation replaces the original notes. Keep the untranslated copy if you need both.
- To translate, the text is sent to an outside AI service. Read the add-on privacy policy before you translate confidential notes.
Which way to pick
| Way | Notes translated | Effort | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copy and paste | Yes, one slide at a time | High on long decks | Free |
| .pptx upload to Google Translate | Not documented by Google: check | Low, plus a full check | Free, files up to 10 MB |
| Translate Slides with AI | Yes, with one checkbox | Low | 100 slides a month free; Premium raises it to 10,000 |
One or two slides: copy and paste. A deck you need once, for free: try the .pptx upload and check the notes. A deck you translate often, or one with many notes: an add-on saves the most time.
Before you present
- Read the translated notes aloud once. Notes are spoken text, and a sentence that reads well can still be hard to say.
- Check names, numbers and product terms. Add them to Prompt / context next time if they came out wrong.
- For an important talk, ask a fluent speaker to review the notes.
- If translated slide text no longer fits its box, see how to fix overflow after translation.
Questions
Can Google Translate translate speaker notes?
Yes, if you copy the notes into Google Translate and paste the translation back. If you upload the deck as a .pptx file instead, Google's help page does not say how speaker notes are handled, so open the notes after the round trip and check them.
Do speaker notes count as extra slides in Translate Slides with AI?
No. The monthly allowance counts slides, not text boxes. A slide counts once when anything on it was translated, and its notes are part of that slide.
Can I translate only the speaker notes and leave the slides as they are?
Not with the add-on. When you tick Also translate speaker notes, the slide text and its notes are translated together. For notes only, copy and paste them through Google Translate.
Are speaker notes translated when I translate only a selected text box?
No. Notes are included when you translate the whole deck or use Translate only the current slide. They are not included with Translate only the selected text or frame.