Translate Slides
The Translate panel lets you translate individual or multiple slides directly within the PPPTools Task Pane — from German to English or vice versa — without opening a separate window for each slide. You choose between six translation engines. Formatting (font size, bold, italic, colours) is always preserved.
Opening the Panel
PPPTools Task Pane → ≡ (Hamburger Menu) → 🌐 Übersetzen
Choosing a Translation Engine
At the top of the panel, use the "Übersetzungs-Engine" (Translation Engine) dropdown to pick a provider. The dropdown lists only the engines that already have a key stored in Settings ▸ API Keys (for Azure, the region as well). If no key is stored yet, the list is empty and a hint points to Settings.
| Engine | Type | API key from | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeepL | dedicated translator | deepl.com/pro#developer | free tier available | key ends in :fx |
| Claude (Anthropic) | AI language model | console.anthropic.com | pay-per-token, very cheap | chat subscription ≠ API |
| OpenAI (ChatGPT) | AI language model | platform.openai.com | pay-per-token | ChatGPT subscription ≠ API |
| Google Gemini | AI language model | aistudio.google.com | generous free allowance | — |
| Azure Translator | dedicated translator | portal.azure.com | free tier F0: 2M characters/month | region also required |
| Mistral (EU) | AI language model | console.mistral.ai | cheap, EU hosting | — |
Keys managed centrally in Settings
All API keys are managed centrally under Settings ▸ API Keys — separately per provider. Once a key is stored, the engine appears in the dropdown and can be switched at any time without re-entering the key.
A subscription is not API access — applies to Claude and OpenAI
A Claude.ai Pro subscription or a ChatGPT Plus subscription does not include API access. For the API you need a separate developer account (console.anthropic.com or platform.openai.com) with its own credit balance. Billing is per token — for slide translation this amounts to fractions of a cent.
Setting Up an API Key
DeepL
- Register for "DeepL API Free" at deepl.com/pro#developer (a credit card is required but not charged under free usage).
- At deepl.com/your-account/summary, scroll to the bottom and copy the "Authentication Key for DeepL API" (ends in
:fx).
Claude · OpenAI · Google Gemini · Mistral (AI models)
- Create an account in the relevant developer portal (see table above).
- For Claude and OpenAI: add a payment method and top up credit (e.g. $5) — otherwise every call fails.
- Create an API key and copy it. The key is usually shown only once — copy it immediately.
Azure Translator (key and region)
- In the Azure Portal, create a "Translator" resource (tier F0 = free).
- Under Keys and Endpoint, copy one of the two keys.
- Note the region — shown under Overview → Location (lowercase, no spaces).
Azure — possible regions
In the "Region" field, enter the exact value of your Translator resource. Common values:
| Region (value) | Location |
|---|---|
westeurope |
West Europe (Netherlands) |
northeurope |
North Europe (Ireland) |
switzerlandnorth |
Switzerland North (Zurich) |
germanywestcentral |
Germany West Central (Frankfurt) |
francecentral |
France Central (Paris) |
eastus |
East US (Virginia) |
westus2 |
West US (Washington) |
global |
Global (if the resource was created as global) |
The full list is shown in the Azure Portal for your resource.
Storing the Key (centrally in Settings)
- Open PPPTools Task Pane → ≡ → ⚙ Settings → API Keys.
- Enter the API key for the desired provider. For Azure, also enter the Region.
- Click "Prüfen & speichern" (Check & save) — a real test call is made; on success a green confirmation appears (for DeepL also the remaining character allowance).
- Return to the Translate panel — the engine is now available in the dropdown. The link "🔑 API-Keys in Settings verwalten" in the panel takes you to the key management at any time.
Translating Slides
1. Choose Translation Direction
| Option | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Deutsch → Englisch | All German text is translated into English |
| Englisch → Deutsch | All English text is translated into German |
2. Choose Scope
| Option | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Aktuelle Auswahl (Slide-Panel) | All slides selected in the Slide Panel are translated |
| Aktuelle Folie | Only the currently displayed slide is translated |
| Selektierte Shapes | Only the objects selected on the slide are translated (in place, no copy) |
When "Aktuelle Auswahl" is selected, the number of selected slides is shown. Select multiple slides using Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click.
3. Set Options
| Option | Default | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Kopie erstellen (Create Copy) | ✅ on | Always recommended until you are confident in the translation quality |
| Sprachflagge einfügen (Insert Language Flag) | ✅ on | Helps quickly identify which slides have already been translated |
When "Kopie erstellen" is active, each original slide is kept and a translated copy is inserted immediately after it.
4. Translate
Click "Übersetzen" (Translate). A progress bar runs during translation. Once complete, a green confirmation appears that also shows the engine and (for AI models) the model used:
✓ 2 Slide(s) · 14 Textfelder übersetzt (OpenAI (ChatGPT) · gpt-4o-mini)
For DeepL and Azure only the engine name is shown (these providers have no selectable model).
What gets translated?
- All text frames (titles, text boxes, content placeholders)
- Text in table cells
- Text in grouped shapes
- Empty and purely formatted paragraphs are skipped
Language Flags
When "Sprachflagge einfügen" is active, a small label is inserted in the top-right corner of each translated slide:
| Language | Appearance |
|---|---|
| DE | Dark grey label with white "DE" |
| EN | Dark blue label with white "EN" |
Remove All Flags
The "Flaggen" (Flags) section contains the "Alle Flaggen entfernen" (Remove All Flags) button. After a confirmation prompt, it removes all language flags from the entire active presentation.
Saving Settings
After changing the engine, direction, or options, click "Einstellungen speichern" (Save Settings). Settings are stored in your user profile and are available the next time PowerPoint starts. (The API keys live separately in Settings ▸ API Keys.)
Tips
- Engine choice: Dedicated translators (DeepL, Azure) give very consistent results; AI models (Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, Mistral) often handle context better (technical terms, tone).
- Watch costs: For OpenAI/Claude you can set a spending limit in the respective portal.
- Multiple slides at once: Select slides using
Ctrl+Click, then click "Translate" once. - Quality review: With "Create Copy" enabled, you always keep the original.
Error Messages
| Message | Cause / Solution |
|---|---|
| "Bitte zuerst eine Übersetzungs-Engine konfigurieren …" | No engine selected (only shown once a key is stored) |
| Dropdown empty / no engine selectable | Store a key for at least one provider under Settings ▸ API Keys (for Azure incl. region) |
| "Bitte zuerst einen API-Key für … eingeben und speichern" | Store a key for the selected engine under Settings ▸ API Keys |
| "Ungültiger API-Key (403/401)" | Key copied incorrectly — copy it again from the portal |
| "Zu viele Anfragen / Quota (HTTP 429)" | On OpenAI usually means no credit → add credit under Billing. Otherwise wait briefly and retry |
| "DeepL-Quota erschöpft (456)" | DeepL allowance used up — upgrade to a paid plan |
| "Azure benötigt zusätzlich eine Region …" | Fill in the Region field (e.g. westeurope) |
| "Verbindungsfehler" | No internet connection or a firewall is blocking the provider |
| "Bitte Slides im Slide-Panel markieren" | Scope "Current Selection" is chosen but no slide is selected |
| "Keine übersetzbaren Texte gefunden" | The selected slides/shapes contain no text frames |