Template Issues

How to Create a Preformatted Translated SharePoint Communication Site Template

Maira Mehtab Sep 20, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to create a French translation of a SharePoint Communication Site that preserves the original formatting and uses a specific French-English logo arrangement.

Product: SharePoint Online
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Setting up a multilingual SharePoint Communication Site where page templates need to retain formatting and specific localized assets (like logos) across translations.
Observed behavior: SharePoint Online currently lacks an out-of-the-box option for creating page templates that automatically preformat translated content and swap localized images.

Before you start

Verify that you have Site Administrator permissions and ensure that the multilingual publishing feature is enabled on your SharePoint Communication Site.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Multilingual Pages and Manually Adjust Formatting

Since SharePoint does not support preformatted translated templates out of the box, use the built-in multilingual feature to create a translation page and manually adjust the formatting and logos.

SharePoint creates blank copies of the source page for translations. To achieve your desired layout and logo placement, you must manually apply the formatting to the translated page after it is generated.

Enable multilingual features

Navigate to Site Settings > Language settings, toggle on the multilingual feature, and add French as a supported language.

Create a translation page draft

Go to the original formatted English page, click 'Translation' in the top command bar, and select 'Create' next to French.

Manually format and swap logos

Switch to the newly created French page draft, edit the web parts to match the formatting, and replace the English logo with your French-English logo.

Publish the translated page

Once the formatting and translated text are finalized, click 'Publish' to make the French version live.

Manual Effort Required: This process must be repeated for each new translated page, as the specific localized logo order and formatting cannot be saved into a native multilingual template.

Solution 2

Submit a Feature Request or Seek Custom Development

For organizations requiring automated preformatted templates for multiple languages, custom development or official feature requests are the recommended paths.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Draft and Translate Your Site Content with WPS Office

While SharePoint handles your web hosting and site architecture, drafting highly formatted multilingual content can be tedious in a browser. WPS Office offers a free, lightweight alternative to Microsoft Office, perfect for planning layouts, translating text, and formatting documents before uploading them to your SharePoint site.

1. Draft original content: Open WPS Writer to draft your original English site content and structure your layouts.
2. Use built-in translation: Utilize the Review tab tools to translate your draft into French while preserving the document formatting.
3. Transfer to SharePoint: Copy and paste your finalized, translated text and standardized logos directly into your SharePoint Communication Site pages.

Completely free and lightweight Office suiteFully compatible with Microsoft Office formats (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX)Built-in translation tools to streamline your multilingual content creationFamiliar interface ensures a seamless migration with zero learning curve

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Does SharePoint Online support multilingual page templates natively?

Currently, SharePoint Online does not offer an out-of-the-box feature to create page templates that include preformatted translated content. Translations generate a copy of the source page, requiring manual layout adjustments.

How do I turn on multilingual publishing for a Communication Site?

Click the gear icon for Settings, select 'Site information', then 'View all site settings'. Under Site Administration, click 'Language settings', toggle on 'Enable pages and news to be translated into multiple languages', and add your required languages.

Can I use Power Automate to duplicate templates with translated content?

While Power Automate can duplicate pages, automatically translating content while preserving complex formatting and injecting localized images (like specific language logos) requires advanced custom API integration rather than out-of-the-box flow templates.

Document & File Issues