Cross-border product table Excel is translated into English: How to keep the coding and link columns

Key points of this article

Product name, selling points, description translation, SKU, barcode, HS code, link and image address should be kept as they are, and the two types of columns should be separated in advance.
Back up the original table before translation and set the encoding column to text format to avoid leading zeros and long numbers being lost when saving.
After translation, use the original columns and the new columns for line-by-line comparison. Lines with inconsistent links and codes must be manually backfilled.
Only translations are suitable for direct upload, and bilingual comparisons are suitable for manual verification. Both can be used one after another.
Replace the original table after confirming it is correct, and keep a rollable copy before overwriting.

Cross-border e-commerce sellers often have a product list with hundreds of lines: Chinese product name, material, size, price, inventory, as well as SKU, barcode, supplier link and main image address. To be uploaded to overseas sites, the text must be translated into English. However, once the coding and links are changed, errors will occur in subsequent uploads, reconciliations, and reviews. Many people directly throw the entire table to the translation tool, only to find that the encoding is missing leading zeros and the links are invalid, so they have to rework it.

This article talks about how to use Excel to automatically translate Chinese and English to complete this task. The key is to first distinguish which columns should be translated and which columns must be left intact, and then use cross-checking to confirm the results.

After reading, you will get a set of processes that you can follow: classify each column, back up and lock the coding column before translation, compare line by line after translation, and finally decide whether to output only the translation or bilingual comparison, and safely put the results back into the original table.

The product table is translated into English. Which columns are translated and which columns are retained? One sentence conclusion

Conclusion in one sentence: Translate the text (name, material, selling point, description) for buyers, keep the coding, barcode, link and picture address as they are, and check the specification numbers separately.

your situation	Recommended practices	reason
Product name, material, selling points, detailed description	translate	Overseas buyers need to understand that this is the main body of the listing copy
SKU, barcode, HS code	Keep original value	The characters will change after translation and cannot be recognized by the platform and warehouse.
Supplier link, main image address, details page URL	Keep original value	Translation will rewrite the URL and the link may directly become invalid.
Size, weight, price, etc. numeric columns	Keep the numbers and check after translating the units.	The numbers themselves should not change, but the units can easily be translated into inconsistent writing.

Scene: A list of Chinese products to be put on the shelves

Xiao Wang makes home storage products, and he has an Excel file with about 300 lines in his hand. Columns include: product code (SKU), Chinese name, material, size, price, inventory, supplier page link, main image address and detailed description. Overseas operations require an English version for uploading, and Xiao Wang himself must be able to check each line.

He has three stuck points: after direct translation of the entire table, the codes starting with 0 become shorter; some links are rewritten and cannot be opened after clicking; the size units are written inconsistently in different lines. In addition, he was not sure whether the translation should cover the original list or save a separate copy.

Complete process

Back up the original file and save another copy as a baseline. All subsequent comparisons will be based on it.
Mark three categories column by column: translation column (name, material, description), reserved column (coding, barcode, link, picture address), and verification column (size, weight, price).
Set the reserved column to text format in Excel. Numbers whose encoding starts with 0 and have a long number of digits must be converted to text first, otherwise leading zeros will be lost or they will be converted to scientific notation after saving.
Organize the area to be translated, remove blank rows and merged cells, and ensure that the header is on the first row to prevent the header from being treated as ordinary data.
Upload the .xlsx file to omnidoc.top and select the output method: if you want to upload directly to the platform, select translation only; if you want to manually check line by line, select bilingual comparison. The translation and the original text will be presented side by side.
Download the translation file, first check whether the reserved columns are consistent with the reference columns, and then check whether there are any omissions or misalignments in the translated columns.
Randomly check the verification columns, focusing on size units, materials, and certification-related words. These are areas where mistakes are easy to make.
After confirming that it is correct, copy the English column to a new worksheet or new file, and then decide whether to replace the original table.

In the above steps, the comparison of coding and links can be completed using formulas. For example, if you enter =EXACT(base cell, translated cell) in a blank column, the row that returns FALSE is the row that needs to be reviewed. If you are used to using a desktop client to process files, you can go to download.omnidoc.top to download. The process is the same.

Areas prone to problems

Zero loss before encoding. Method to discover: compare with the baseline column to see if the first digit is missing 0. Solution: Set the encoding column to text format before translation, then check it again afterward.
Link rewritten or invalid. Discovery method: randomly click a dozen or so links and use the above formula to compare the entire column. Solution: Link columns are not included in translation; after translation, fill in from the baseline table by line number.
Numbers and units are not consistent. Discovery method: Filter the size column to see if "cm", "mm", and "cm" are mixed, and if the decimal point changes. Solution: Check the number columns separately, unify the unit format, and then upload.
Cannot undo after overwriting the original table. Discovery method: The original file has been replaced and the reference data cannot be found. Solution: Keep a backup before translation, place the translation in a new worksheet first, confirm before replace.
Machine translation terminology is inaccurate. Terms like material, certification, and security alerts need manual confirmation, which both platform review and buyers review. Be sure to check every important field item individually; don't publish the entire paragraph directly.

🎯 Which method suits you?

If you only need to post your description to overseas platforms,

Select Output Translation Only, then use the formula to compare the retention column with the translation and confirm everything is correct before uploading.

If you want to check every line yourself,

Choose bilingual output with the original and translated text side by side, making it easy to review and revise simultaneously.

If your table contains a lot of links and barcodes

Copy these columns separately into a table, translate only the text columns, and fill them in by line number after translation to reduce the chance of errors.

If you're worried about errors in overwriting the original table

First, save as a new file, complete the comparison in the new file, confirm the translation before replacing it, and keep the original table as a rollback version.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. If you want to directly overwrite the original table after translation, how can you do it more safely?

Direct coverage is not recommended. Save the translation as a new file or worksheet, and after verifying for accuracy, replace it; keep the original table as a rollback version. Before overwriting, be sure to have a copy that can be restored.

2. If you only want to translate a few columns, what should you do?

You can copy the columns you want to translate into a separate worksheet, and after translation, fill them back into the original table by row number. This is a common practice and does not require changes to the original table structure.

3. Can translations be directly published as finished products?

It is not recommended to publish directly. Machine translation may have deviations in materials, dimensions, and technical terms, and key fields need manual verification.

4. What should you look for when choosing free Excel translation methods?

First, look at the file size limits; tables exceeding these limits cannot be handled completely; Then check if the translation has a watermark; Also check the privacy instructions for file storage and transfer; Finally, check whether the table's layout, formulas, and formatting are retained. These are more important than simply looking at "free."

📝 Summary

The key to Excel automatic translation between Chinese and English is not how many pages you translate, but in keeping the columns that need to be saved. First, classify each column, back up the original table, exclude encoding and links from translation, then verify line by line using only translation or bilingual comparison. Only then can the translated product list be safely used for listing.

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