Does Slide Buddy Translate Text Inside Images?

The Short Answer: No

Slide Buddy does not translate text embedded in images, screenshots, or graphics. It only translates Google Slides text elements — text boxes, shapes, tables, and speaker notes.

This is an inherent limitation of how Google Slides works. Images in Google Slides are flat raster files (PNG, JPG). The text inside them isn't accessible to any add-on — it's pixels, not editable text. No Google Slides add-on can modify text inside an image without OCR and image editing capabilities, which are outside the scope of a translation tool.

What Slide Buddy Does Translate

• Text boxes — any text you typed directly into a slide
• Shapes with text — rectangles, circles, arrows, callouts containing text
• Tables — every cell in every table on every slide
• Speaker notes — the notes pane below each slide
• Placeholders — title, subtitle, and body placeholders from slide layouts

All of these are "native" Google Slides text elements, meaning their content is stored as editable text with formatting metadata. Slide Buddy reads and writes this text through the Google Slides API.

What Slide Buddy Does NOT Translate

• Text inside images — screenshots, infographics, photos with text overlays
• Text in embedded charts — linked Google Sheets charts render as images in Slides
• Text in embedded videos — video thumbnails and captions
• Alt text — image descriptions (accessibility metadata) are not currently translated
• Text in linked/embedded objects — Drawings, Diagrams inserted as linked objects

Workarounds for Image Text

If your slides contain images with important text (like diagrams, flowcharts, or infographics), here are your options:

• Rebuild the image as native shapes. If the image is a simple diagram, recreate it using Google Slides shapes and text boxes. Then Slide Buddy can translate the text. This is the best option for flowcharts and simple infographics.
• Add a translated text box overlay. Place a text box over or below the image with the translated text. Not ideal visually, but it works for critical labels.
• Use the original image and add translated captions. Keep the image in the source language and add translated captions or speaker notes explaining the content.
• For charts: edit the source spreadsheet. If the chart is linked to Google Sheets, translate the sheet labels/headers, then refresh the chart in Slides.

For enterprise needs involving image OCR and translation, consider dedicated localization platforms like Smartcat or Lokalise, which offer screenshot translation workflows.

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